Cat is getting close to being evicted by DH- help me keep him!

[tametortie]

We have a BSH who is 4 years old. To cut a long story short, the litter he came from all have bowel issues. Our cat is the only one from the entire litter that hasn't been sent back to the breeder. We are trying very hard to manage his issues.

Our problem is not just explosive diarrhoea though- it's also lack of litter tray use it's like he just needs to go so quickly, he just has to go wherever he is at that time....living room carpet, sofa, my bed, up walls...

We have just moved to a lovely new house which we have saved and saved for and the cat has already shit on the lounge carpet which DH is absolutely fuming about.

We have 2 other cats (girls) and they are all on James wellbeloved food (dry). There is some tension between the cats but I don't think my boy cat is bullied.

We have been to the vets had a few antibiotics and some Different food which made no difference.

After 4 years of this though we are at the end of our tether and don't know what to do next. My wish list is that I want him to just use his tray and I just don't want my house ruined anymore. I love him but I don't want to clean up cat shit anymore. It's bloody horrible!! DH wants him out but I know if he goes back to the breeder, he will be left in an outside enclosure with other cats and I feel really guilty about that. He should be here with his family!

This problem is causing massive conflict in the family between me, DH and dd. We are all miserable but I just need to have one last shot at sorting this before I give up.

Does anybody have any advice? I am ready to try anything to keep my cat!!!

[Methe]

I'd have him put to sleep rather than send him back to the breeder if you really have tried everything.

[cozietoesie]

Apart from the ABs and the different food- what actual tests has the vet run? Has he sent stool samples off for analysis for example? (I'm thinking that if the litter he came from all had bowel issues, the breeder could well have an infection in her cats - \link{http://www.icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/tritrichomonas-foetus-infection-cats\tritrichomonas} for example.)

[RandomMess]

My friend's dog had some horrible bowel condition and was under the care of the Liverpool vet hospital - he ended up on bovine colostrum powder...

I agree with your DH though, I love my cats but if there is tension between the cats and he is clearly ill no way would I put up with another 10 years of shitting everywhere, I'd have him pts.

[tametortie]

Oh god I can't put him to sleep! Please don't say that is the only option....

I don't think he has had stool samples- I will add that to my to do list.

Does anyone have any tips to encourage him to use the tray? They all have a tray each.

[tametortie]

The breeder did make me sign a contract to say he must go back to her if we don't want him.

Dd said "if I didn't poo in the toilet would you send me back?!"

To put into perspective, he hadn't had an accident in about 9 months then we have had 4 within 6 weeks- all pretty grotty. Twice on sofa, twice on carpet. 2 accidents before the house move so not stressed then 2 after.

[cozietoesie]

I think the vet ought to be getting an assessment of his stool samples directly - in fact, I'm extremely surprised he hasn't already done that after 4 years of problems. Not just thinking of tritrichomonas sampling but there's obviously some long term issue if he's had 4 years of explosive diarrhoea off and on. I'd be wanting to actually establish what that was and not just 'try out' things.

Is your boy insured, by the way?

[cozietoesie]

Ah - so he hasn't had explosive diarrhoea for some time?

[lljkk]

What is breeder going to do but pts? I think you have to phone breeder & ask what he has done to remedy things for all the litter mates. See if you can do that, too.

If they are living in concrete cages since years of return because there is no solution, that isn't much of a life imho.

[Fluffycloudland77]

What does he eat? Did the vet try prescription sensitive food?.

If he hasn't done it but did after a move I'm thinking stress is involved.

Litter tray in every room? More work but it might help. Poor little chap it can't be nice for him either.

[timtam23]

I had a very old cat who had bowel "issues" towards the end of his life - he used to poo on the floor next to the litter tray and his stools were often fairly loose. We tolerated this as he was old & had various health problems, & also we have a laminate floor which made cleaning up much easier!

What made a massive difference was switching to a cereal-free dry food. James Wellbeloved do one & I think one of the Butchers tinned foods is also cereal free. My cat went back to having reasonably solid poos although his use of the litter tray remained a bit sporadic.

If the vet rules out infection etc it could be worth a try.

Also my vet said some cats are more prone to a kind of bowel inflammation (occasionally there was blood & mucus mixed in with the loose stools) and on one or two occasions he gave my cat an antibiotic injection, this also helped.

[Ohwhatfuckeryisthis]

I doubt that contract is worth lining his litter tray with. I would be worried about the morals of this breeder, if all his litter mates are the same. Has she been checked by RSPCA?

[Fluffycloudland77]

I'm thinking cereals the culprit too tim, you'd need to change all three over though.

[tametortie]

No- he had 2 accidents before house move and 2 after move. So not sure it is stress. The explosive diarrhoea seems to have restarted in the past 6 weeks. We did have a long gap without accidents in the house BUT that's not to say he wasn't having horrific shits in the garden!

He has james wellbeloved dry food. Vet did try hills food but it made no difference.

The breeder told us that the other cats returned had antibiotics and royal canin food. He seemed to improve after the antibiotics but the royal canin food made him sick. James wellbeloved seems to suit him better than other foods.

I can't stand the thought of him going to the breeder and living in a cage. DH can

[Fluffycloudland77]

James wellbeloved has maize in it though, unless you buy the no cereal version.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Hills has even more cereal than jwb by the look of it.

[cozietoesie]

It can be hugely difficult when you think you've solved a problem and then it reoccurs - sometimes almost more difficult than the original time because you've relaxed in the interim. That's the point where you're into the 'Oh not AGAIN ?! FFS'. (Not just cats by the way - anything.)

I'd get his poo assessed through the vet as a first step. If he had a long period of being OK, I'd probably agree with Fluffy that some stress has caused it - maybe through a re-occurrence of an old infection. It may not be just through the house move: he could dislike living with other cats and it's all got too much for him so he's protest pooing - some of them do. (I'm looking at you, Seniorboy, purr next to me though you will.)

Try a few more litter trays around in the interim? They're only cheap and it's no real hardship apart from deciding where to put them to avoid them.

[lljkk]

Zooplus sell cereal free foods too, for a reasonable price delivered. If the other types are hard to get hold of. Supposedly Aldi also have a cereal-free line.

[tametortie]

I thought JWB was cereal free?? My bad. I'll check out zoo plus. The other cats will generally eat anything- movies are so easy.

Happy to put more litter trays about- thinking of trying different litter too, just in case he doesn't like wood pellets.

We are thinking of changing his routine too- out in the day (poo time!) and in at night. Could that cause more stress?? I was going to do that purely to avoid house accidents which will pacify DH. I could also put a cat flap on the shed so he can get shelter when out in the day.

My poor boy

[cozietoesie]

Yes- there's someting very wrong with his life. Poor lad.

None of my boys have ever liked wood pellets by the way - they can sometimes be real fussy. (Some cats prefer one particular type, some detest it.) It might indeed be worth trying another kind.

Equally, I've always kept my outside-going cats in at night due partly to the increased danger. They've always adjusted perfectly to it, knowing as they did that they would be able to go outside after breakfast. In fact, I think that they came to prefer it that way - as long as they could come in for their afternoon snooze. (But that was just my lot - they like/have liked a regular siesta.)

[Fluffycloudland77]

Try a talcum scented ultra clumping one, mine loves ultra clumping litter but hates those silica crystals.

[tametortie]

I was considering change in routine just to keep him out the house in the day really!

I'm going to adapt the conservatory so that the cats can stay in there at night- throws on the sofas, couple of lidded trays and some toys. Should make it easier to stay in at night rather than go out hunting and should stop us coming home to a poo surprise. It always seems to happen in the day, never at night....

Excited at the prospect of cereal free JWB

Will talcum scent attract him to use the tray??

[cozietoesie]

The daytime may be his pooing rhythm of course but is there anything different about the daytime for him that you can think of? (I'm wondering about the proximity of other cats/humans not around - that sort of thing.)

[cozietoesie]

PS - Fluffy's the expert on talcum-scented litter, I'm afraid. (It's the only one her cat will use if I recall.) Mine have to make do with the cheaper stuff!

[tametortie]

Daytime is the time the cats are all locked in together usually??

[tametortie]

Thinking about it, he tends to crap where the other cats like to nap- could it be territorial???

In the new house, we can separate them at night.