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Original poster

Problem with my cats - please help, much advice needed!

32 replies

HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 13:44

I have two lovely ginger cats, aged about 8 (I think, I can never remember for certain!). They are really loveable and good natured, they even let my toddler pull them around without too much complaint. They've been house cats for the last 6 years and we've had no problem.
All of a sudden one (or both, I'm not sure) of them has started to wee everywhere. The litter is fresh and there have been no other pets in the house. Finally Dh and I have had enough. I have a 3 yr old and a 5month old so hygiene is obviously high on my list of priorities.
What can I do? I don't want to condemn them to a life in a rescue centre, as they're old and have a couple of medical issues I'm not sure they would be able to re-home them. If I let them out how would they fare after all this time and would this stop the weeing in the house?
Alternatively, does anyone live on a nice farm and fancy a couple of friendly moggies?!
I'm off to clean up some more wee.............

OP posts:
speak2deb · 17/03/2008 13:47

Why don't you take them to the vet first? One of them might have a urinary infection or something.

CarGirl · 17/03/2008 13:47

is it since the youngest arrived??? Perhaps it has really unsettled them, too much commpetition?

More litter trays and try and confine them just to the downstairs/couple of rooms and encourage them to go out more?

YouKnowNothingOfTheCrunch · 17/03/2008 13:49

S2D is right. Take them to the vet. Incontinence is a common complaint in old cats, but they seem a bit young. Urinary infection could be to blame. Do they have dry food or tins? This can have an affect.

Original poster
HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 13:51

DH is going to go to the vets asap with them, one of them has had history of urinary tract problems but ironically it is the other one who appears to be doing most of the weeing!
It does seem to have been worse since Dd2 arrived and I had wondered if this just tipped them over the edge. The house is very open plan and makes confining them downstairs quite tricky but they have never wee'd upstairs bizarrely, it's just the bottom of the house that smells like a litter tray!
Do you think they'r cope with going out as they haven't been out for so long?

OP posts:
Original poster
HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 13:52

YKN - they have to be fed separately as the one who had the urinary problems is on the dried special diet food. The other one has normal whiskas.

OP posts:
Troutpout · 17/03/2008 13:53

8 isn't old tbh
My cat started to do this..it was cystitis. She had some medication to clear it up and we changed her diet to one of the hills variety and she was fine after that
Yep..i would agree with taking them to the vets to be checked over.

CarGirl · 17/03/2008 13:53

try letting them out and see? We have an open plan house but the kitchen has a door and the back door is the one with the cat flap! hence cat is shut in kitchen at night time otherwise he would harrass us all night - insists on sleeping on your head or pillow and inbetween us.............

YouKnowNothingOfTheCrunch · 17/03/2008 13:53

Are they male or female?

Original poster
HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 13:56

Cargirl, I was thinking of doing this as our house is just like that. Unfortiunately the back door is all glass so not sure how I'd fit a cat flap! Cats are shut in the kitchen overnight anyway so that should hopefully not be a problem!
They are male.

OP posts:
YouKnowNothingOfTheCrunch · 17/03/2008 14:00

Right then, if it's not an infection then it could be that they feel unsettled and insecure because of the new baby. This stuff is brilliant feliway I used it on our cat when he kept spraying the new house (he is neutered). Got it from our vet.

Original poster
HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 14:02

Sounds good, I suggested this to Dh but he insisted the vet had told him it wouldn't work - no idea why! Mind you it is worth a shot as I really don't want to have to get rid of them if I can avoid it at all.

OP posts:
CarGirl · 17/03/2008 14:05

Do you mean a souble glazed back door? You get a double glazing company to get you new glass with a hole in it to fit the cat flap!

YouKnowNothingOfTheCrunch · 17/03/2008 14:06

All vets have different experiences and opinions on everything IME

It can't hurt to give it a go. You can get it as a spray or a diffuser (it doesn't smell of anything to our noses).

I definitely think it was a bit of a life-saver

Original poster
HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 14:06

I didn't know they did that! What a good idea, thank you

OP posts:
Original poster
HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 14:10

Right, I'm going to get me some of that despite what Dh thinks!

OP posts:
CarGirl · 17/03/2008 14:22

PIL's got new glass with hole in (their cats had been housecats for ages - 10 years?) took them months to put the cat flap in and ended up have to tape the cat flap open until the geriatric (sp?) pedigrees had died off! Although one stormy day they did all manage to get through the blown shut cat flap so I think they were just trying it on.......

Original poster
HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 18:20

Yes, I know the feeling of them trying it on! It's the way mine wee in a corner whilst looking at you with the face of a petulant child saying 'well....what you going to do about it eh?'!!

OP posts:
noddyholder · 17/03/2008 18:33

My sister gave me a big sack of iams food which her cat didn't like and within 24 hrs my cat was weeing everywhere and the4 vet said it was quite normal for some cats to get cystitis on dry food.

Original poster
HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 20:10

Yes, I swear (IMO obviously for libels sake!) that Iams gave one of mine his urinary problems. But, it's the cat on whiskas that is weeing everywhere at the moment. Typical!

OP posts:
NutterlyUts · 17/03/2008 20:15

iams and whiskers aren't that brilliant a food, but are better then go cat

Joolyjoolyjoo · 17/03/2008 20:16

It sounds like a stress reaction to me, i'm afraid! By all means got to your vet, (and try to bring a sample- I know this might be difficult, especially if you have two, but if you can, it will be very helpful. Try an empty litter tray, or you can get special litter that doesn't absorb urine- speak to your vet!)They should hopefully be able to rule out cystitis.

IME, this type of behaviour is quite common in cats when babies reach toddlerhood! Feliway can help, if he is goin gto the same place, and you can also get a feliway diffuser that you plug in to try to alleviate the stress!! Cats are funny creatures, and it is amazing what seems to stress them! I would act reasonably quickly before it becomes an ingrained habit. Good luck!

chocolatespiders · 17/03/2008 20:18

whats the prob with go cat > i give it to my cat in the evening she has meat in the day time.

and what would you reccomend?

iMum · 17/03/2008 20:19

Unfortunately we have exactly the same problem, our rescue cat of 10 years wees all over the place, we have had all the carpets ripped up and had to chuck out rugs etc because of it, now she gets kicked out into the garden each morning and is locked in the downstairs loo at night. She too began her life with us as a house cat and I think with the kids it just got to much for her.

Original poster
HonorMatopoeia · 17/03/2008 20:21

Jjj, from what I've gleaned from the internet today I think it is stress too. An unfortunate combination of Dd1 turning 3 and being into everything and Dd2 arriving.
Dh returned home and I think I've managed to convince him to try feliway.
Yes, out of interest, what food other than whiskas would be better and why?

OP posts:
IorekByrnison · 17/03/2008 20:23

Our cat was on iams when he had cystitis - vet said they'd had a lot of iams-eating cats in with the same problem. Hill's seems to be better.

I'd second the feliway recommendation too.