cat advice wanted

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 08 Mar 2005, 16:12

Since coming home, "mummy and daddy's cutum little fluffy boy" (our 13 year old tabby, Chester) has decided that the whole house is his litter tray. He has settled in just fine and does not want for food or attention, but is leaving us little presents.

Can anyone help?

mr magnolia · Post by **mr magnolia** » 08 Mar 2005, 16:33

I don't really need any at all at the minute, but thanks for the offer.

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 08 Mar 2005, 18:09

mr magnolia wrote:I don't really need any at all at the minute, but thanks for the offer.

Gee, thanks buddy.

foxy · Post by **foxy** » 08 Mar 2005, 18:13

Might be some tips on here

http://cats.about.com/

CatzVP · Post by **CatzVP** » 08 Mar 2005, 18:16

D,

I phoned my Vet on this one, and he said the stress of moving house can cause this, and often does..... I also found a similar answer on a webpage which I've posted below

What Can I do if My Cat is not using its Litter Tray?

Firstly it would be best not to punish him/her (as tempting as this can be) as it only increases anxiety and does nothing to correct the behaviour. There are various things you could try. Firstly, more litter trays, ensuring they are spotlessly clean, placing newspaper under the tray to catch any spillage. If you have recently changed your cat litter it may be best to go back to the original brand of litter. Confining them to a small space where they have only the choice to go in a tray or their own bed. Any other space could be used up with food dishes. This could help to re-establish correct litter training. Try cleaning the area with some biological detergent followed by a spray of surgical spirit. This should help to get rid of the scent. Stress can also cause this behaviour, for example, a neighborÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s cat, a new cat in the household, a new baby or moving house. You could try feliway, a plug-in diffuser, which is used to reduce stress and can be purchased from the vet. Finally, in the case of incontinence or a urinary infection contact your vet for advice.

I hope this helps Chester!

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 08 Mar 2005, 18:22

Many thanks, Catz, I had brought home a second litter tray today with completely different litter in it.

There's no way I'd go as far as confining him in a space where he absolutely had to use his tray.

I definitely think it's the stress of moving house (plus being with a different person for 3 months, plus several trips to the vet).

What's more complicated is that he has renal failure as well!!

He has settled in very well otherwise to the new house. We'll see how he gets on with this new tray - but this cat is a creature of habit.....

CatzVP · Post by **CatzVP** » 08 Mar 2005, 18:23

Good Luck...hope all goes well

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 08 Mar 2005, 18:32

Poor Chester! Can't really offer much advice although I was a cat-owned person until last year but, luckily, we coped with the move to Portobello without mishap.

Perhaps he's marking even more than normal for a cat in new surroundings because there's so much changed from the old flat - in other words, he can't find familiar smells. Do you have a lot of new furniture as well as new carpets and curtains?

LoL to Chester.

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 08 Mar 2005, 20:25

He's just trying to mark his new territory I reckon. Our little darling (

) started peeing at the front door when our neighbour got a new kitten. It was like her saying 'come any further sunshine and I'll have you'

scossie5 · Post by **scossie5** » 08 Mar 2005, 21:06

If some of the 'presents' are being left in the same places, then you could try aluminium foil laid down as well. Cats don't like the feel of it on their paws (although rolled into a ball they love it!) and the food dish thing is pretty effective too.

See if he is being monstered by another neighbourhood cat - that tends to sends ours off on all sorts of unwelcome toilet habits.

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 08 Mar 2005, 21:19

Thanks everyone.

He is a house cat and always has been - when I got him as a rescue animal back in 1999 he had never been outside, and we were in a flat. He was 8 then and is 13 now.

It's not just pee-pees.

I really think that confining him to a small space so that he can only go in the tray or his bed would cause him a whole lot of stress - this all started when he had to go to the vets quite a few times over January & February.

Jamesie · Post by **Jamesie** » 08 Mar 2005, 22:49

Dadaist wrote: It's not just pee-pees.

The fine line in corkage available from Woodwares - only around the corner from your old place - perhaps previously acted as a deterrent to Chester?

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 08 Mar 2005, 22:59

poor you lot!

As it has been said Chester will be marking his new territory - it will settle down, promise.

Beach Babe · Post by **Beach Babe** » 08 Mar 2005, 23:09

thank you everyone

I'm sure it will settle down and otherwise he's getting happier each day and is back to being his old self.

We think it's just a protest as everything was going fine till he had several trips to the v-e-t. And he has used his tray here, just not often enough

Poppy - all the furniture, some of the curtains and rug is the same but it's perhaps telling that he's choosing the use the brand new carpet as his toilet. Annoyingly though, it's a different bit each time

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 08 Mar 2005, 23:15

Sorry, I'm having problems making sense of this. You already have a baby, so no requirement for baby substitute. You have a cat that urinates and defecates all over your new house?

Let me think.

Ah yes, kill cat.

Beach Babe · Post by **Beach Babe** » 08 Mar 2005, 23:20

we've been singing "Smelly cat smelly cat" a lot - the song Phoebe sings in Friends

Lizzie · Post by **Lizzie** » 08 Mar 2005, 23:52

Bob Jefferson wrote:Sorry, I'm having problems making sense of this. You already have a baby, so no requirement for baby substitute. You have a cat that urinates and defecates all over your new house?

Let me think.

Ah yes, kill cat.

With a statement like the above Bob methinks you have swoped screen names on the quiet with Porty

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 09 Mar 2005, 00:28

Bob Jefferson wrote:Sorry, I'm having problems making sense of this. You already have a baby, so no requirement for baby substitute. You have a cat that urinates and defecates all over your new house?

Let me think.

Ah yes, kill cat.

Get down. Bad Bob. BAD!

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 09 Mar 2005, 13:20

I hope poor Chester settles down soon, for all your sakes. Like everyone else has been saying, he's just stressed by the move - I know how he feels!

I certainly wouldn't confine him to a space that forces him to use his tray! As you say, that will just stress him more. If you use a strong cleaner on the place he does it, it ought to deter him - but, being a cat, it may simply make him go somewhere else to do it!

As to Mr. Bob Jefferson

Mimpty · Post by **Mimpty** » 09 Mar 2005, 14:19

Dadaist, my friend's cat also did this when they moved house.
The plug-in thing from the vet that Catz mentioned did the treat.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 09 Mar 2005, 20:58

Bob Jefferson wrote: Let me think.

Ah yes, kill cat.

Dada and Beachbabe,

I've never owned a cat myself but do love them. I hope Chester's little problem sorts itself out soon.

Can I recommend you check out the Bottle marked "Animal Hospice" and liberally lace "Killer Bob's" gin and tonic with it on Saturday.

http://www.bottledblessings.com/animals_cats.html

That should cure him of future outrageous pet tips.

Beach Babe · Post by **Beach Babe** » 09 Mar 2005, 21:47

lol ecm

Bob beware!!!!!!!

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 09 Mar 2005, 22:06

Bottled Blessings to help with Taming your Tiger. Hmmm.