very old incontinent cat - please help!

[Tanzie]

My cat is almost 19 and in the past week, she has started to wee and poo everywhere. It started off with a poo next to her litter tray, which is forgiveable at her age, I think. But this morning she had pooed on the kitchen floor, had got into the laundry room, peed on washing about to go in the machine and in the corner of the room. Tonight she pooed by the front door and peed in DD1's Princess Castle (apparently she tried to get into the laundry room, but couldn't so disappeared into the castle. I am fed up with constantly clearing up. Her litter tray is clean and there have been no disruptions in her life recently. We are going away in a month on holiday and I don't want the people who are feeding her to have to keep looking out for little "presents", nor do I want to come back to a house filled with "caca and pipi". Any suggestions? DH has always disliked the cat and is in favour of putting her down. I am so fed up at the moment that I am beginning to think this is the only way round it, though I do love her dearly and she has been with me for 17 years.

As it is somthing that has just started why don't you ask the vet? She might have some form of bug which is making her go before she gets to the litter tray. A vet is more likely to know if anything can be done short of putting her down. In the meantime could you limit her access to the rest of the house? My old tom had problems with some of the 'stair' gates because of his age and these could have been used as a barrier for him had we had to use them.19 is a good age and perhaps you will have to prepare yourself and the children to the inevitable. My tom died last year aged 15 years and dd1 and I still miss him. She said today that we "used to have a lovely cat and now we have susan" Susan is the kitten she announced we were going to go and get a month or so after my cat died. NB do not let your kids talk you into a kitten, we should have had a young cat rather than a tearaway kitten!

Tanzie, you need to see your vet. As dd1 was 2 days old when we moved house, and Prudie about 15yrs, it was too much to expect her to settle in a new house with me and new baby. So we put her in the cattery for a few weeks while we got things sorted out, and, as a new mother worried about cats 'smothering' new babies, took her back home after that period. Needless to say, the same thing happened. I loved her so much and thought someone else could cope with it, but after taking her to the RSPCA (weeping, of course, as you will be (big hugs) they 'phoned to say there was something wrong with her/her age and they could not rehome her. So we collected her, gave her huge hugs, and had to say goodbye.

I'm sorry I can't give you any good news, but for us at least it meant she was buried in our new garden, not the old one we'd left behind. You have my every sympathy and I hope things turn out differently in your case but if not ... she's had awfully good innings and lots of love

I'll take her to the vet next week. I don't think it's that she can't hold on until she gets to the tray as she spent several minutes trying to get into the laundry room yesterday - plenty of time for her to go upstairs to her box.

I am ashamed to say that I shouted at her and smacked her last night as she peed in the princess castle again. I showed her the pee before I smacked her, then carried her upstairs, put her in her litter tray and stroked her, telling her to "go" in here like a good cat. Today she has peed and pooed in her box and I haven't found any anywhere else (touch wood). I wil take her to the vet next week though, to see if there is a real problem. Poor pussy.