Hey everyone,
Tigger is a 9 year old Tabby. We've never had any litter box
problems until recently. My husband keeps Tiggers box clean on a
daily basis. Tigger has started peeing outside the litter box. He'll poop in the
litter box, but not pee there now. We're going to take him to the vet in about a
week. I'm just curious if anyone would know why this would start happening. Oh,
and the other thing that's weird. He's acting lately like he wants to eat when he still has food in his bowl from a prior eating. We'll walk by the room and he'll start looking at us and meowing like he does when he's hungry. His food is in the same room as the litter box.
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Not using litter box
michfrochick
Feb 28, 2006 09:07 PM
Replies (1)
PHMadameAlto
Mar 01, 2006 08:45 PM
The cat needs to go to the vet for a check up ASAP. Very often this is what causes cats to urinate in inappropirate places.
If all is clear on the health front, then the problem is behavioral. Have there been any changes in the cat's environment? Even the silliest change can cause a cat to react by not using the box! Rearranged furniture, a new cat prowling through the yard, new family member or other human living with you? New paint, wallpaper?
At any rate, you will need to take steps to retrain the cat to the box. Basically you need to confine the cat to a room like a bathroom, or a large cage with only food, water, bedding and the litterbox. As he begins to use the litterbox consistantly you can expand his space. There is more information at this link:
Litterbox Problems
Cats need easy access to boxes and you may need to put several boxes around the house.Be sure to keep all boxes very, very clean. Scoop at least once a day!
You need to thoroughly deodorize wherever the cat has been peeing or pooping. Petastic is highly recommended as is Heaven's Own. It is the smell of the "accidents" that causes a cat to reuse the place.
Check into using Feliway, a spray that mimics the happy scent cats leave when they rub their check against something. You can get it from your vet. Feliway is also available in most large pet supply stores. There is also a plug-in with Feliway that can help.
Finally, if all else fails, ask you vet about using an antianxiety medication such as Buspar or Prozac. These very often work, however the decision to prescribe them will rest solely with your veterinarian who will be able to monitor the dosage and side effects.
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