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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Oh bugger. What do we do now?

26 replies

Toooldtobearsed · 26/02/2018 21:05

Really looking for ideas, experience and advice please.

We have an 11 year old male cat. He was at the vets on Friday for tests becuase he had been peeing all over the house. Bedding on 4 beds needed changing, rugs need washing etc., it was all teeny, tiny pees, but blood stained......
He had an ultrasound, bloods and a needle put into his bladder to draw off urine for sampling. I have been stuffing ab's down his neck and squirting painkillers in every day, but got a call today to say 'nothing bacterial, therefore idiopathic cystitis, due to stress of being left home alone'.

This is where it all gets sticky. From the age of about two, when going away for a weekend, or holidays, for up to 2 weeks, we have left him at home, full run of the house as usual, and had people come in 3 times a day to fuss him, feed bim and check he is okay. Up until now, this has worked perfectly, so not sure what has t4iggered this reaction in him this time.

So, after that ramble(!), the question is, what do we do? Try him in a cattery? Personally, i would have thought that would be more stressful, but happy to be told i am wrong.
Has anyone had this and solved the problem?

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 26/02/2018 21:07

How can they know the stress is due to him being left alone?!
Is he an inside cat? Is there anyone at home normally during the day? How many litter trays? What litter?

EarlessToothlessVagabond · 26/02/2018 21:09

Why have they suggested it's being 'left at home' in particular? Could it be another cat coming in the house or hanging around outside? Did the vet give you any strategies?

Original poster
Toooldtobearsed · 26/02/2018 21:13

Thanks Wolfie.

I think they are assuming thisbecause it all happened when we were away/ came back from holiday and not when things were 'normal' iyswim.

He has a cat flap, comes and goes at will, has a litter tray that is only used when it is snowing or pishing down with rain. That is cleaned out when used. But, i only buy one bag of litter a year - that is how little he uses it.

We are both usually at home, along with two dogs, so it must seem quiet when we have gone, but he spends most of his day asleep!

OP posts:
Original poster
Toooldtobearsed · 26/02/2018 21:14

No other cats - not an issue at all. All the vet said was to try a Feliway diffuser next time......

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 26/02/2018 21:15

Could another cat have got in when you were away?
A daft idea but sometimes when they get older they find litter trays harder to get into and out of. They also can dislike the sharpness of litter on thinning pads (apparently!)
Maybe he objects to having to use a litter tray or being shut in when he wants to go out?

AnnaMagnani · 26/02/2018 21:20

Did they not suggest changing his diet for idiopathic cystitis?

Nevermind the weekend break, when my 2 girls had this, the vet suggested a load of changes so they never had it again as it can come on with any sort of stress.

It is fair to say he may find it more stressful being in your house when you aren't there, than just going to the cattery. Mine have never liked it and I used to come home to lovely presents of poo in my bed - so cattery it is.

Both girls would get an attack of the wees at the most random things so I also make sure I have a stock of Feliways, extra litter trays but the urinary cat food has been a staple ever since and kept us 99% on track.

swapsicles · 26/02/2018 21:20

My cats just had treatment for a similar problem, although more serious involving an op. stress could be the cause but it's difficult to determine.
Is he on any long term meds/food?
Feliway works for some cats, worth a try?

ilovewelshrarebit123 · 26/02/2018 21:23

Hmm it could be stress related, my cat did the same and hers was stress and urinary crystals.

She's now on Hills Science Plan food that has an ingredient that calms them down, it's worked a treat!

I've also got a Feliway plug in and I'm quite impressed so far. Not cheap though.

I'd try the special food (check with the vet first) and the Feliway. I also think the chattery will stress him more, my cat doesn't really like it so it could make things worse.

Original poster
Toooldtobearsed · 26/02/2018 21:24

I eont think a cat would have come in. Obviously, cannot be 100%, but pretty confident.

He is never shut in. The cat flap is always available to him, but if it is horrendous weather he will, occasionally use the litter tray, which is very easily accessible, if he really needs to go. Again (not trying to be a pain jn the bum here), he seems to have no problem getting into it - he is still very active, climbing trees, jumping 5ft or so onto a fence etc.,

Not sure how sharp the litter is, will check it, but as i say, he very rarely uses it. He usually goes outside or on my bloody bed atm

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 26/02/2018 21:30

When you go away do you lock the catflap shut?
He may not feel secure enough without you to toilet outside?
Could you limit his access to the house when you're away?

Original poster
Toooldtobearsed · 26/02/2018 21:31

She did mention food at the first consultation, but never mentioned it today. Might be worth investigating.
I am really reluctant to try a cattery - he hates going in the car, so carting him off and leaving him somewhere strange for 2 weeks would surely be more stressful that letting him stay in his own environment - or shout and tell me if I am wrong 😊
If he had gone from being young, that would have been fine, but too much now at his age?
Interesting about the Feliways. Tbh, i have always been a bit sniffy about them, but they clearly do work! That is definitely something to try. Thank you all for you ideas.

OP posts:
Original poster
Toooldtobearsed · 26/02/2018 21:33

Wolfie - no, we just leave the catflap open for him.
Basically, nothing changes for him, we are just not there.

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 26/02/2018 22:18

But that is a change! Maybe he doesn't feel secure enough to go outside?!
I haven't heard of cystitis caused by stress. Is he drinking enough? Is he on dry or wet food? Neutered?

Original poster
Toooldtobearsed · 27/02/2018 05:43

He has constant access to dry food and gets a small pouch twice a day. He does drink water - he has his own water fountain, but drinks from the dogs bowl half the time!

And sorry, yes, of course I know us not being there is a change, I just meant that we try to keep everything as normal as possible for him.

Thanks everyone for help 😊

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 27/02/2018 07:51

Mine has it, car hater but is fine in a cattery. He hates being alone & even if he doesn’t like the other cats it’s comforting that there’s other animals there.

Original poster
Toooldtobearsed · 27/02/2018 08:10

Hmmm, might have to think about trying a cattery and see how he gets on.

He has just managed to get upstairs and pee twice on my bed........

Dont get me wrong, i love him, but this is really starting to get me down.

OP posts:
AnnaMagnani · 27/02/2018 21:08

Cystitis caused by stress is really common - more so than infection in cats. Males are supposed to be more prone than females but both my girls had it.

It would flare up if they fell out with each other or any change in their usual pecking order. Or on one memorable occasion when one was ill, that stressed the other out so much she decided to start bloodstained weeing in every room just as I was clearing up the vomit from the other one.

Urinary cat food, cattery plus always have some Feliway at hand just in case.

HardAsSnails · 28/02/2018 15:01

What dry food is he having?
GoCat (and similar low meat dry) is awful for male cat bladders.

Original poster
Toooldtobearsed · 28/02/2018 17:56

I have just ordered Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Cat Food Urinary for him. Anything is worth a try!
HardAsSnails yes - that is the only dry food he will eat, but he can bloody starve in future!

I have been 'soft'with him because he is so bloody minded - he really will go for days with no food, so i have just pandered to him and fed him go cat and whatever small pouches are flavour of the day for him. the numerous pouches I dispose of becuase they do not suit is a disgrace current favourite is the sheba soups? But that wont last, as soon as I buy more than 4 he will go off them!
Sigh....... the dogs are soooooo easy 🙄

OP posts:
HardAsSnails · 28/02/2018 19:49

My old boy cat who would eat anything and everything for his first nearly 15 years has recently got very fussy so I too am wasting loads of food. At the moment I've got probably 10 types of wet food circulating as what's a quickly devoured favourite one meal is treated like poison the next. So I do feel your pain, but would definitely avoid GoCat.

Oops4 · 28/02/2018 22:15

My cat had this and it was initially put down to diet but later discovered it was due stress caused by a very annoying visiting tom cat that was spraying. Installed a micro-chip cat flap and problem solved

AnnaMagnani · 01/03/2018 09:58

My surviving girl is on the Royal Canin Vetinary Diet S/O - also known in our house as cat crisps due to it's apparently addictive nature.

She and her sister loved it, ate no other food for years and were disgusted when we ran out once and had to have some emergency Go-cat from a petrol station.

Now there are two kittens in the mix and one of the kittens has decided that cat crisps are the tastiest food ever despite us trying to tempt her with lovely kitten food. She hangs around the older cat waiting to see if there will be any crisps left over.

halesie · 02/03/2018 01:54

OP if you can afford it there are housesitters who will come and stay at your house. We used them for years after our cats (now RIP) hated a stay at a lovely cattery. It's not cheap though - adds around £200, poss more, for a week's holiday.

Thursdaydreaming · 02/03/2018 02:23

I don't see how the vet could know that, it's just a guess, and I find vets make a lot of them. Some seem to fancy themselves as pet psychics. Cats can get ill at any time for no reason, just like we can. Just one of those things.

If the problem isn't solved by the time you go, you might want to try the cattery to save your house though.

nooka · 02/03/2018 02:38

One of our cats gets pissed off if we go away and pees on our beds and other soft furnishing in protest. We use Royal Canin Calm and it does seem to help (although we've not tried it when we actually are away just try and cover everything up). She did the same thing when we moved house so I would suspect that a cattery would be much more stressful.

Does your cat like the people who come in to feed him? Our peeing cat is very picky and with some people just hides away for days. Our non peeing cat is much more friendly.

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