Cat urinating in the house and losing weight

[misskatamari]

Hi all, I’m hoping someone might be able to offer advice or experience. Two issues really from the title…

We have a female cat who is 15 and she’s showing signs of deteriorating health. I took her to the vets on Friday and she’s lost 400g in weight over the last 6 months and is now very thin. The vet has suggested possibly getting blood tests as these would give us the best picture of what’s going on (but this may be tricky as they know she won’t cope with sedation to do these, so depends on their ability to draw them after administering something like gabepentin instead, which still comes with risks), possibly collecting a urine sample to test for markers of kidney problems, or just “wait and see” monitoring her quality of life, weighing her in a month and if she’s lost more weight he thinks she is likely unwell enough to be PTS (which breaks my heart, but if I know she’s suffering I will do it in a heart beat ❤️).

Thats the context of our current situation, but we’re dealing with a new issue this week and that she has started going to the toilet in the house, in a particular spot. I’ve tried googling and I know urinating in the house can be a sign of kidney issues in older cats, but it seems like that is more “they go frequently in random places” and she’s specifically going to this one spot, in our hall, repeatedly. She has also pooed a number of times as well. Were at a bit of a loss on how to handle this, as she had litter trays available in the house and is able to go outside should she wish. Any advice (or thoughts in general) would be so appreciated as we don’t know how to navigate this new issue whilst also bearing in mind she could be unwell (I will speak to the vets again tomorrow and get tests booked in)

thanks

This is what my girl did, when her kidneys started to fail. She already had severe HCM, and the kidney failure was exacerbated by increasing her diuretics. So it was unfair to do anything else. I got her bloods done for my own peace of mind. And they were off the scale. I just knew it was time.

I assume she needs to be sedated for bloods as she'd be too stressed otherwise?

yes she needs sedation usually, but they don’t think she’ll cope with that so are going to try Gabapentin to see if they can have her calm enough for a sample, and if not we’ll discuss options.

Thanks @Toddlerteaplease , it’s so hard as
she seems happy enough in herself but she’s so furry that the weight loss doesn’t show - but when I pick her up it’s so obvious. I’m trying to prepare myself that the time is likely near. We’ve booked her into the vets on Friday so will hopefully know more then 😢

Gabapentin has worked an absolute treat for calming my little stress head down. She wasn't drowsy, just calmer.

I’m hoping they can manage to do bloods. If it’s bad news with them I won’t hesitate in having her PTS, as I don’t want her to suffer, but I just don’t feel like I can make that decision yet until I know more ❤️

Can she get in and out of the tray easily? We had to cut down the sides for our old girl as she was struggling to get access due to stiffness and arthritis, even with good pain relief it was still hard for her to lift her legs high enough to get in. She picked the same spot every time as the surface texture was soft and scratchable, if that makes sense.

Thanks @Lillagroda , I think she’s okay getting in the tray still. She still jumps up on our bed and up onto the sofa etc, so I don’t think that’s hindering her, but I will keep an eye out on her mobility.

I’ve cleaned the area today again (it’s laminate flooring) with enzyme spray etc, so hoping that might have helped eliminate any lingering smell that she’s sensing, that might keep her going there

We had to put down puppy pads on top of a cheap bath mat for our elderly cat in her last few months - it saved mess and my sanity whilst keeping her dignity

Just a thought! I saw on Tv once that older cats can find certain litter sore on their paws. Plus they can struggle to get in and out of a litter tray. A possibility?

Is she drinking a lot? Everything else sounds like my 16 year old cat, who, it turned out, is diabetic. She's doing great now on a new once a day medication.

Thanks everyone! I think we have had different litter recently as Asda sent a substitute so that could be a culprit - and the puppy pads are a great idea! Thank you@JaceLancs I hadn’t even thought of those! It’s hard to know how much she’s drinking @FartyBrainedHippo, but that’s reassuring to hear and I’m so glad your cat is doing well now.

i really hope they manage to take bloods on Friday so we can get a clearer picture of what might be going on. She’s bright and alert still, purring away when she sits on you, so I’m keeping everything crossed this is something treatable, but preparing myself for the worse mentally as best I can as well 🩷

Could well be the litter. Or simply a touch of arthritis. Fingers crossed.