How long must I suffer?

[jenluckenbach]

3 cats, all currently on amitriptylin, are STILL spraying. :mad: How long must I deal with the mess before it is acceptable to give up?? It is truly getting to the breaking point. My counters, my sofas, my curtains, my kitchen table......and who knows where else. :eek:

We've done the urine testing. We've tried the retraining. We have (and still are) medicating. We will shortly be trying a NEW medicine. And another new medicine if that one fails.

But what if it never stops?? Can I live my whole life like this? Is it fair to ask me to??

I am reasonable.......I do not place my possesions above my pets. My furniture is scratched. It is covered to prevent further damage. My rugs are stained, hairy and full of litter. It doesn't matter. But it is draining to do so much and still have to do more. Even the most flexible branch will eventually break. :(

And on top of this, I have Jasper's poops to deal with. He had another "accident" on the bed just minutes ago. Thankfully I am still covering the bed with a plastic sheet every day. And YES, he has a legitimate excuse. But I repeat, it is daining, of the body and the spirit.

How horrible is it for me to fantasize about just packing up Jim, Mickey and Sterling and shipping them to our local shelter?? They would probably never leave there alive, and I know that. It's a disgraceful way out of my problem. And the shame and humiliation would be with me forever. But still, I consider it. :(

SIGH...........I'm tired. :(

[jennielynn1970]

Tell me about it. :o I've been cleaning pee off my counters, stove, table, kitchen and dining room floors once to twice a day. :eek: :mad: I chucked out my toaster oven because they peed in the vents on the side. Same with the microwave... but have been trying to clean that since it's more expensive to replace than the toaster oven.

It's beyond frustrating. :( :mad:

I still have 2 pooping outside the box WITHOUT any medical reason. Just cats being ****heads.

If I dumped my offending foster and my own cats who were doing this, I think I'd only have Calloway, Jorge, Ally, Frankie, and Tiggeroo left out of the 11 in the house.

[Catlady711]

While I've never had to deal with anything of your scale, I do totally sympathize with you. My Jack has Mega Colon and sometimes I'm having to clean poop from places other than the litterbox but not daily. I know he can't help it, but it is a frustrating problem. I can't imagine how difficult it is for you to be dealing with the urinating also, and with 3 cats to boot.

I can't say as I blame you one bit for feeling like you do about the situation. I'm sure you're doing more and enduring more than tons of people out there would do.

If I found myself in that same situation I'd probably have to balance out what's good for the cats vs whats good for me, the other cats, my house, and the impression I'm making as a pet owner on other people.

I don't envy your situation, and I pray that you find a solution that works soon. If you do have to rehome the cats I wouldn't blame you as you have done more than thousands of cat owners would do already and are giving them the best chance they have. Is it possible that the particular combination of those 3 cats is the problem? Maybe having to resort to rehoming all 3 wouldn't be necessary, just one or two of them? Just a thought.

Good luck.

[Laura's Babies]

My house is small but I think I would have to empty a room, cover the walls and floors with plastic and put them in there. I don't think I could handle that. I feel so sorry for you, it is heartbreaking. You opened your house to them and it looks like they are trying to ruin it!! I feel bad for them too since we know they are trying to tell you something and they have no other way to do it.. It is a sad siutation for you..

Could you maybe cage them and let them out one at a time when you can watch their every move? You have to be wore OUT!

[G535]

I have no solutions but I do hope things get better for you.

[sasvermont]

Jen, my Miley was a master at pooping in odd places. She had IBD most of her adult life and it got worse each year. This weekend, while finally getting around to cleaning the spare room, I came across more poop, under a dresser, on boxes in the closet and behind a shelf. She had been finding places ever so carefully, day after day. You would think that my house was one big litter box. She would often poop right next to the box as well, and, it was liquid to boot.

I miss Miley's sweet meow and gentle licking....but I don't miss the poop. None of the other cats ever miss the box. Miley may have had a good excuse but looking back on it, I do think some of the times it was behaviorial. Life is much better for me without Miley. I know that sounds cruel, but she really, really stressed me beyond belief. She did not pee randomly, thank goodness. I cannot stand the smell of cat urine, sorry. Poop, well, it dries and doesn't smell, atleast Miley's didn't. I would only smell it when it first happened......She was so lovable, but not good with the litter box.

I think rehoming is an option - of course. I know some folks here will think the idea is bad, but I don't. Stressed to the max is not good for you or the cats. I put Miley down because she was getting worse, physically, AND getting yelled at all the time, it was horrible for her and me. I caged her, and it got worse, rather than better.

I feel your pain. I could not tolerate the peeing. Some people could/can....but not me.

Good luck. I support you in whatever you wish to do.

[Catty1]

Oh, Jen....

Two things I can think of:

1. [email protected] Email Nancy and get a reading from her. You saw the work she did for Laura's Babies. She said: "...we know they are trying to tell you something and they have no other way to do it" So try Nancy for that.

2. I am guessing they have free run of the house? I am thinking - separate them, and each one has a different time out. LARGE dog cages covered with blankets or inexpensive tablecloths(so they don't see each other).

Or renovate one room into three rooms...but that is a real chore.

HUGS! Prayers that you find an answer. You have spent money on meds and cleaning...another few $ on Nancy will not hurt - and might very well help!

[catmandu]

I Do Know What You Mean Jean, As I Keep Tubster Outside As Hes Dirty, And When He Comes In Hes Going To Go Into The Cellar , So He Doesnt Make Messes.
And Precious Was Peeing On The Bed As She Was Too Weak To Go To The Litterbox And I Had To Change The Sheets Twice A Day.
We Hope That You Can Find A Solution Rather Than Give Those Three Cats Up.
Is There A Small Room That You Could Plastic Coat For Them?
We Are Sending Prayers For You And Your Cats.

[Freedom]

Oh Jen, you do SO much for all the kitties!

One of my foster dogs has -ahem, problems - and I keep a belly band on him in the house. Works fine. Is there no such thing for cats?

What ever you decide, we all here on PT understand.

[K & L]

I went through this awhile back with Leila, Scooter, ear mites, and URI, etc. All I can tell you is it does eventually get better. We figured out to seperate Leila in a room by herself, and we're lucky enough to have the garage and cat run. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to keep your sanity and be able to help others. Hang in there and I hope things look up real soon. *hugs*

[AmberLee]

{{{Jen}}} No advice, just sending ~~~ loving vibes ~~~ as you struggle with this aggravating and exhausting set of challenges.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Jen, I'm so sorry to hear that you're having these problems.:( I can kind of relate but mine were never as bad. I still sometimes think that my life would've been much happier and easier if I had never adopted Starr. I also sometimes wish that I was only down to 2 cats again. Life was so much easier back then. But like you I love all of my furkids and they are a my family so in good times and in bad I'm there for them. I hope that something will work for them and that you'll get the much needed break that you deserve. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent your way. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[catnapper]

Jen I know what you mean -- I have Allen with watery poops AND peeing outside the box. I put him on Clavimox in case he has some kind of bug, only to have to pick up watter poops and puke on top of it (I forgot he has a sensitive tummy) The vet is way out of the question right now since I'm making $150 a month payments for Pouncer's surgery.

Tuscan started him peeing. He's peeing everywhere, and its like a game to see where he'll pee today :rolleyes: . I changed their food after Pouncer's surgery, and his diarrhea coincides perfectly with the new food. His body must have been used to the high fiber food. Less fiber = runny poo.

I have ONE cat doing this right now and I'm at wit's end. I have no idea how you're doing it with 4 potty problem cats right now!!!! :eek:

[Medusa]

I can feel your frustration and exhaustion w/every word, Jen. The house that I rented was the same way and when I bought this house, I made up my mind that either the pee cats stop or I would find homes for them. My RB Peeka was one of the worst offenders and I think it was because she hated Pigeon so much. Poor Pidge is the sweetest cat in the world and spent the majority of her time under my bed because Peeka stalked her constantly. Since that time, however, my vet introduced Clomicalm and it's been a life saver. Literally. ;) The only suggestions I have are to give Clomicalm a whirl and shut off any parts of the house where you don't want your cats to go. I don't even allow mine to sleep w/me any more for two reasons: first and foremost, I need my sleep, good REM sleep. And I wasn't getting it because I was accommodating my cats. And second, they became territorial and then considered my bed/room their territory and started spraying there, too. The night that Peeka actually peed on ME, in my hair, was the last straw! I tried putting plastic on several things, too, to no avail, because my vet told me that cats hate plastic. Lovely. If you will just give Clomicalm a try and hopefully, it will kick in right away, you might have peace and not "pees" in your household. It's your house and if you consider your cats to be family, ok, but would you let your human family pee and poop wherever they want to? Of course not. And that's the question I had to ask myself and it was the turning point for me. Good luck, girl. I hope you get some relief soon.

[jazzcat]

(((HUGS))) Jen!
I can understand a little of what you are going through. I'm having behavioral issues with Rocky who sometimes marks the cat beds/furniture and health/behavior issues with Ripley who likes to pee and sometime poop in the dining room unless I watch closely and let him out in the garage to his "private" litter box :rolleyes: . Thank goodness we put down Legato carpet squares in that rooms so I can just pull them up to clean or throw them out and replace if too bad. We got wise and replaced the old carpet with that stuff the last year with senile Disney in the house. It's not beautiful but it's better than the alternative.

I wish I knew some words of wisdom to help but I can tell you that your dark thoughts are normal. I know some people will probably blast me for saying this but there are days I wish Ripley would just make 'that' decision for me. He's 15 1/2 years old, whines and grumps like a true "grumpy old man", has potty issues, has barfing issues with an extremely sensitve stomach, constantly pulls his hair out with his OCD and often is just not pleasant to be around. He never was an affectionate cat and back in the day he was down right mean and often I was terrified of him after an attack - I still have scars. I just never in my wildest dreams thought he would live this long and from the way he acts he's going to out live us all!

Anyway, I just want you to know you I understand and you have my support and my sympathy.

[DrKym]

Jen I do understand, I have been there also. Just know you are being sent lots and lots of love and prayers from here. Whatever you decide I personally will support you and I am certain many other rescuers will also. There is a point where enough is enough and burnout happens. Seems to me, as with Kitties I have dealt with you are reaching that point....no matter what DO NOT BLAME yourself!


Love
Kym

[phesina]

Love and prayers are coming from us too. We all hope you will find an answer that solves the problem for both you and the cats.

I think that's a great suggestion of Candace's to get in touch with Nancy, after all the help she provided for Laura and Boo. Whatever you decide to do, we wish all of you the best.

God bless, hugs, and purrs,

Pat and cats

[jenluckenbach]

I thank you all for the support. Here are some of my thoughts.

I KNOW some of the reasons they spray. Maybe I do not know them all, and I suppose someone like Nancy might be able to help. But if the reasons are what I believe them to be, then there is no way for me to prevent the "jealousy".

I also have been considering the fact, that just like with us humans on an anti-depressant, one medication that used to work can fail after "x" amount of months/years. So, with that thought, hopefully a new medicine can help the situation.

I would never rehome a know sprayer, I simply could not guarrentee that once in a new environment, that the spraying would stop. I could not dump my problem on anyone and live the rest of my life wondering "what if" the cat would start to ruin their home.

So for now, I will vent my frustrations. But one day, there may not be such a good outcome. :(

Thank you again.

[Catty1]

Jen - if you check Laura's thread, you will see that she had a pretty good idea why Boo was being so ornery...but after Nancy made a connection with Boo, things changed very much for the better. It seems like Boo finally felt she had been "heard" - and that seems to have made the difference.

Maybe that's all your guys need.

I know you have spent money on meds and sheets and all kinds of stuff, some has worked for a bit, some hasn't.

Some more dollars on what seems to have worked consistently well for people here might be worth a try. For your sake as much as the cats'.

Just think about it, okay?

hugs

[jenluckenbach]

Her response (which was almost immediate) was
hi jen,
i charge 30 per animal. bascially, i can give you a very good idea of what is going through your cat's head. keep in mind that many times, unwanted behavior cannot be changed but can be explained. you send me a picture and any questions(please do not give info regarding your cat), cat's name and your phone number. i will call you halfway through the reading and then again when i am finished. (as long as you live in the united states).
take care,
nancy


My question to anyone who had a reading done is Did she CALL you?

Also, $30 is do-able, but multiply that by 3 cats (and maybe more) and I am not willing to spend that, sorry. :(

[slick]

Jen: I had Max read by Nancy but that was a year or two ago and the charge was $25 and because she didn't have a good LD plan to Canada, I called her because I can call anywhere in the States for 25 cents per call no matter how long the call lasts. We set up a time through email. Each call was at least an hour long.

Honestly, if you can swing it, do it! You will be so glad you did. Nancy is a marvel and I've recommended her to many other people. Also, I didn't have to mail her the money until after the reading was all done...kind of like the honour system. When complete, she sent me a followup email with everything she read from Max. Heck, even RB Speckles joined in on the conversation.

I would use her again in a heartbeat. Oh yes, and there was about a week and a bit between the first phone call and the second one.

Good luck and {{{hugs}}}

[DrKym]

Her response (which was almost immediate) was
hi jen,
i charge 30 per animal. bascially, i can give you a very good idea of what is going through your cat's head. keep in mind that many times, unwanted behavior cannot be changed but can be explained. you send me a picture and any questions(please do not give info regarding your cat), cat's name and your phone number. i will call you halfway through the reading and then again when i am finished. (as long as you live in the united states).
take care,
nancy


My question to anyone who had a reading done is Did she CALL you?

Also, $30 is do-able, but multiply that by 3 cats (and maybe more) and I am not willing to spend that, sorry. :(

Jen i would be willing to kick in for it.

[jenluckenbach]

Jen i would be willing to kick in for it.
Thanks, but no. It's silly. It isn't a matter of life or death. :rolleyes:

Besides, as she herself states, we might find out WHY, but that doesn't mean the behavior will CHANGE!

[Catty1]

JEN - you know your friends here will pitch in to help! I don't recall if she will do a single price for three cats, but heck - this is MAJOR stress on you and you are a fabulous foster mom! And Boo's behaviour DID change.

You only need to read the first post or two in these links.

Check these links from Laura's Babies: Nancy DOES call back!

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=134159

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=134006

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=134318

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=134552

[Catty1]

Just a few more:

Kfamr:
http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=118722&highlight=kiara+nancy

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=108336&highlight=Nancy+Efrusy (SEE POST #9 on this one)

HUGS!

(and just PM a paypal addy to me or Kym...we won't tell! It may not be life and death - but it sure is QUALITY of life).

:)

[DrKym]

I agree! Jen believe me I know where you are at with this, and even if it doesn't fix it for you.........maybe you will get info on where they need/want to be? Just cause they spray there may NOT mean it will be that way somewhere else...... Just a thought.

Love
Kym

[Medusa]

Jen, you owe it to yourself to at least give it a try. Granted, it may not change the behavior but then again, it just may. It would improve the quality of life for your cats and more importantly, for you. People first. Some may not agree w/my people first philosophy but if it wasn't for you, your cats wouldn't have the wonderful home that they do have and your fosters wouldn't stand a chance. You won't be able to continue like this indefinitely; your home will become unlivable. It's the last line of your post that got to me: one day, there may not be such a good outcome. You're feeling the squeeze and no one doubts for one second how much you love your cats, fosters included, but you have to love yourself more. Several PTers have offered to help you w/the cost of a reading w/Nancy, so that objection doesn't hold water now. ;) (Sorry, couldn't resist it.) And it isn't silly if it helps to resolve the problem. Give it a whirl. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Jen, when I had all of my cats read by Nancy, she just did a general reading on them and she only charged me $60 so that's only $10 per cat. Since she's 3 hours ahead of me, we had to schedule a time for her to call me. She was only able to do some of the cats in one call so she called me a second time. Now I know a lot more about what's going on with my cats. She wasn't really able to help me with Starr's medical problems though. Just explain your situation and see if she'll give you a multiple cat discount. It's worth a try. Good luck.:)

[jenluckenbach]

Just cause they spray there may NOT mean it will be that way somewhere else...... Just a thought.

Love
Kym
While this is true, I just don't think I could force myself to take that chance. I would simply HATE if it started (the spraying) at their new homes, I would feel responsible.

And to top it all off, Biddy White Whiskers just peed on a pile of clothes I left on the floor last night. :( I know that his is medical, as we have been working with urine issues for a while now, but nothing is getting his urine back to normal. It is frustrating that he might be in some discomfort, but the special food and the medicine are still not helping 100%.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Oh you poor thing - you must be exhausted :(

Part of the reason we have our animals is because of the pleasure they give us and it doesn't sound like you are getting much of that. I do hope things improve - we are all here to listen and support you

[Medusa]

And to top it all off, Biddy White Whiskers just peed on a pile of clothes I left on the floor last night.

This is just asking for trouble in my house. Whenever I sort laundry, I make separate piles on the basement floor. Yodie and Specs see it as an opportunity to pee. So I save myself the aggravation and put the piles in laundry baskets and separate them w/a towel. That way, no temptation for them. You might want to try removing temptation from their paths.