How to make our cat's life happier?

[PukeyMummy]

I'm concerned that we aren't doing enough to make our cat "happy". She is quite clingy to me but I don't often have time to pay attention to more than her basic needs.

Background info:
The cat is about 11 years old and we adopted her from our previous neighbours when we moved house 18 months ago. We'd lived next to the old neighbours for several years and their two cats roamed our house freely (as they had done with previous owners since kittens). But we only fed them when neighbours were on holiday.

Our neighbours split up just before we moved house and the wife (whose cats they were) left but couldn't take the cats with her. We noticed the cats were looking very thin (the husband only fed them when he remembered) and so offered to take them with us. Unfortunately the male cat (cat's brother) has since died. Neither cat really adapted to the new home.

Remaining cat has always been a house cat but even moreso since we've moved here. I literally have to kick her outside into the garden. I have noticed some larger male cats tend to stroll around our garden so it is clearly their territory. Unlike many cats, she tends to stay close to the house and doesn't leave our garden.

We've had lots of problems with her failing to use a litter tray (she wasn't litter trained when we adopted her) but we do provide a clean tray for her and she usually uses it, but sometimes not. This is a big problem for us as I'm currently pregnant but DH works long hours and isn't always around to clean up after her, so I have to put gloves on and do it anyway (which makes me throw up) - and we have an inquisitive toddler around.

We don't have a cat flap in the current house and I can't think where to put one as all doors are glazed and we don't want to spend the money to get a door replaced.

We've spent a fortune on vet bills for her. She hadn't had any jabs, flea or worm treatments since she was a kitten, so we updated all of that, had her microchipped and she also needed dental surgery. The vet put her onto a diet, but she begs food from us constantly (we refuse) and has lost weight to a more healthy level.

She tends to spend a lot of time sitting near me, as close as she can, when I'm on the computer at home, often licking/nudging my hands, and will come and sit on any lap available, but we don't often get time to sit down these days and give her the affection she wants from us. I am also concerned about hygiene issues as I have mild asthma myself so don't want to get too close whilst I'm pregnant. I also spend a lot of time wiping DD's bottom and preparing food for her, so don't want to have cat fur on my hands and clothes all the time. This was obviously less of an issue before we became parents!

Our DD is very lively and loves the cat, and the cat tolerates her quite well, so this is not a question of getting rid of the cat, who is part of the family, but I'm just wondering what we can do to make her life "happier", if that concept exists for cats? At the moment she doesn't seem to do much. Any ideas anyone?

[PukeyMummy]

Sorry - that was long!

[TastesLikePanda]

There is an author called Vicky Halls who writes cat psychology books, she has loads of ideas, practical and not so practical!
They have her books on amazon or your local library will be able to order them in for you.
Good Luck!

[msrisotto]

I've read the Vicky Halls books and they're really good. I didn't have your issue in mind so can't remember what she would have suggested, my issue was more around going to the toilet outside the box which is partially your issue so maybe I can help. Oh, and my sister had a phone consultation with her about her v anxious cat.

Assuming you cat doesn't have Cystitis (wich is v possible and happens in cats - it's be worth checking out with the vet) It does sound as if your cat (name?) is insecure in her territory. Cats are inclined towards cleanliness and if she didn't understand the litter tray, she'd use a corner or somewhere regularly, you'd provide a box in that space which she'd use and all would be hunky dory. As it is, perhaps she is spreading her scent around to mark her territory (your house!).

Have you noticed her rubbing her face on things? This is another method of her marking something as her own territory as her cheeks are a great way to spread her pheromones.
You can buy a Feliway diffuser which will (odourless and soundlessly) distribute cat pheromones throughout the house which will make her feel calmer. Not a cheap option though.
You can also rub a cloth on her body/her cheeks and rub that on bits of furniture but that's probably more helpful for small problems like scratching sofas etc.

She needs at least one scratching post. Scratching is another way to mark your territory you see.

You've got to make sure you clean up very very well after she pees or poos somewhere that isn't her box and Not with bleach - it smells of cat wee according to her. 1 part biological washing powder/liquid with 9 parts water or a product like urine off.

Oh, you might hate this but to protect her territory for her - outside the house Vicky Halls recommends putting her poo round the perimeter! This is what she should be doing to distinguish her territory but it doesn't sound like it!

My sister's cat is on Zylkene which is a herbal anti anxiety medication.

[msrisotto]

Umm, other things. She needs a 'safe' space. She probably has one already, my cats is under the bed upstairs - we can't get to her and no one bothers her there so it's perfect.

[earwicga]

Sounds like she needs a cat companion again.

[Catsmamma]

something simple is to try different litter in her tray, our girlie will only use the expensive pink non clumping gravel, and if that is not forthcoming she will pee in the hand basin or a random corner.

[NotSoPukeyMummy]

Hi, it's the OP here, sorry for the (slight) name-change but my morning sickness is abating so wanted to name change to show that!

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I've heard about Feliway before so have just ordered the diffuser and spray from Amazon and we'll see if that helps.

She does use the litter tray, just not all of the time. We have tried a few different types of litter and she seems to like this one (wooden stuff from Tesco). I'll bear in mind the advice about cleaning.

I think she probably would like having a companion cat again (it's been a year since her brother died), but with a new baby on the way we just can't commit to that at the moment. I've got a few friends who gave up pets due to having children and don't want to be one of them because, in my book, pets are as much of a commitment as children.

I'm wondering if part of the issue is anxiety because I take her out in the car (in basket) to vet/cattery much more often than her old owners ever did....in fact they NEVER took her to either vet or cattery. We probably go to one or the other every two months. I don't have a solution to that - we don't have anyone who could cat-sit her in our house and obviously she has to go to the vet for various appointments. Both vet and cattery are about a five-minute drive away and the cattery is absolute lovely (and very sought-after). But it must be a bit of a wrench for her to be uprooted and taken there.

[Havingkittens]

What are her drinking habits like? If she is peeing in other places outside of her tray and you notice she drinks a lot of water it may be worth getting her tested for kidney disease or diabetes.

My cat has recently been diagnosed with early kidney disease. It started off with him getting cystitis a couple of times which I noticed by him peeing on the carpet/door mat etc. Then he started drinking a lot of water which made me suspicious. The other reason I ask though is that my cat seems to get extra clingy when he is feeling under the weather and I have seen this commented on before in various cat books/websites.

My cat is 11 too. He is also lazy, as a lot of cats that age are and, like yours, takes a lot of coercion to go outside. I think that comes with age. She may not necessarily be frightened to go out.