Jasper is going to a new home.

[k9krazee]

I hate threads like these. I really, really do and I NEVER thought I'd make one.

http://www.zoto.com/kangashrew13/img/45/a1bf9932261e39c88f1ba8652f7929d9.jpg

My mom has decided that Jasper needs to go to a new home, as hard as it is. He has been peeing in the house excessively. He is about 2 years old and has done it off and on forever now, so it does not seem to be a medical issue. You're going to tell me to take him to the vet to make sure, but I don't live at home and he is my mom's cat. But I honestly don't think his issues are medically related. He ususally only pees in the basement where our cat Motchka spends the majority of her time...and he absolutely hates her.

I was just wondering if anybody else seems to have this problem with their neutered male cat? And if so, how does somebody go about resolving the issue? I'm no cat expert by any means, so if a cat is spraying inside for an extended period of time is there any way the behavior can be stopped?

If we can find a way to fix this I might be able to convince my mom he should stay. She's already pretty much made up her mind though and a lady from her work who lives on a farm (and owns 2 other indoor/outdoor cats) wants him. I just don't want to see him go without putting up a fight.

Thanks for any help you might be able to offer. I hate this. :(

[shais_mom]

oh Ash. I don't have any advice for male kitties, just want to send you hugs.
I am sure this isn't an easy decision for your mom.:love:

[Catty1]

All I can think of...if he has to go to a new home, I would like to see him as an 'only child' and an indoor kitty.

NOT taking him to the vet for a peeing problem is cruel and neglectful, just my opinion. Kitties with urinary tract infections can be in a lot of pain. It might be crystals, which can usually be cleared up by a change in diet. Can YOU take him, at least for a week or two, and get him checked out by a vet? Even if he has to live in the bathroom for a while at your place...

If funds are tight, there are folks here who will gladly help.

If he IS going to a new home, I think being an 'only cat' in an indoor home would be preferable.

[shais_mom]

All I can think of...if he has to go to a new home, I would like to see him as an 'only child' and an indoor kitty.

NOT taking him to the vet for a peeing problem is cruel and neglectful, just my opinion. Kitties with urinary tract infections can be in a lot of pain. It might be crystals, which can usually be cleared up by a change in diet. Can YOU take him, at least for a week or two, and get him checked out by a vet? Even if he has to live in the bathroom for a while at your place...

If funds are tight, there are folks here who will gladly help.

If he IS going to a new home, I think being an 'only cat' in an indoor home would be preferable.

during the summer Ash lived in her family's cottage.
Now that school started I am not sure where she is living, if it the dorm or what.
I trust Ash entirely, and she will do what is right by Jasper.

[Catty1]

Thanks, Staci - I didn't realize that. By her screen name, I thought she had dogs as well...but likely not, depending where she is living.

It does seem a shame that Jasper hasn't had this checked by a vet...and as you say, Ash will do right by him.

Wishing the best for Jasper - he is a beautiful boy! :)

[shais_mom]

She does have dogs.
Jack lived with her this summer while she was at the cottage but other than that they live at home with her parents and siblings.
She's a young adult doing the best she can, she can only fight so much.
People seem to forget that in some situations. When it was another member and it was her mom's decision to keep the dog outside no one argued, BUT if it is a cat issue the young person is crucified.
I sure don't get it.

[Catty1]

I know what you mean, Staci - but I honestly wasn't trying to crucify her (not that you were saying I was ;) ). This is a sad situation, and I trust she will do what she can.

[ramanth]

I truely sympathise Ash. My parents cat(s) have been peeing outside of the litter box. They talk about rehoming them.

My suggestions of vets, new food, and such fall on deaf ears. In the end, it's their cats. I may not like it, but that's life.

*HUGS*

[kt_luvs_kitties]

First, I think he should get a urinalysis done. I know that she doesnt want to take him, BUT it really could help.

Also, he might be stressing out, so you could try feliway spray.

IF that does not work, see about putting him on something like prozac or amitriptolyn. Prozac really helps cats with peeing/behavioral problems.

Either way, she would need to vet him to get him meds and such.


Only thing not vet related she could try is new litter, and new/more boxes in the areas he goes most. and the feliway.

GOOD LUCK!

[jenluckenbach]

I am so sorry. :( But there really is no solution that I can think of WITHOUT taking him to a vet first. The two most common reasons for a cat to pee outside the litter box are UTI (urinary tract infection) and crystals......a urinalysis would test for these. YES, it could be behavioral, but you can't begin any treatment without knowing.

So the best way for you to help is to convince your parents to at least try urinalysis. After all, urinary tract problems cause pain, and won't resolv themselves. :(

Good luck.

[sugarpaws]

Jasper is absolutely gorgeous. I do to hope you can convince your mom to take him to the vet first, if her mind is set on rehoming him. Just last week our 1 year old orange tabby boy was diagnosed with crsytals and UTI and I can tell you he still is in a lot of pain when urinating. As I am sure you know, boys hurt much worse than girls when they have UTIs, and the change in behavior can be dramatic. Pls keep us posted. Prayers for this beautiful boy!!!
Marina

[Medusa]

Your mom may not want to have him checked by the vet because you've indicated that Jasper has been peeing off and on for the last couple of years rather than daily, thus she's probably convinced herself that it's behavioral rather than medical. So here's an idea: I have 4 pee cats and I know I sound like a broken record sometimes but they're on medication for it and it's saved my sanity. Tell your mom about a medication called Clomicalm. It's usually to treat dogs w/behavior problems but it has been used successfully w/cats. I can testify to that. Now, your vet won't put Jasper on it w/out checking him out first, so that way he can be checked to see if he has a UTI or crystals and, if not, (hopefully), he can be started on the med. If she or your vet doesn't want to try Clomicalm, there is also kitty Prozac and I believe that it even comes in a patch, although your vet could tell you that for sure. Some people have had good success w/kitty Prozac. There are also Feliway plugins, which others have used successfully as well. I know it's tough w/pee cats, believe me, and it's really tough when you don't have much say in the matter as to whether or not Jasper goes to a new home. I can't imagine that he'll fare too well being an indoor/outdoor cat if he's been an indoor boy all along but I could be wrong. So why not give my idea a try and see what happens? Good luck and please keep us posted. :)

[Cinder & Smoke]

Hey Ashley ~

Tell Mom that your PT Friends want to help Jasper!

If she'll Take him to the Vets, I'll bet we can start a Jasper Phund and
pay for the visit and the Lab Costs before she can get the appointment!

Well, maybe not quite that phast - but pretty close. ;)
Give it a try ... talk *nice* - and whimper/whine a lil bit. :p

GOOD Luck!
And let us know where to send the Contributions to the Jasper Phund!

{{{Hugs}}}

[mruffruff]

I understand the problem completely!

I have 12 cats. For the past year or more, I have been finding puddles and spray spots in my kitchen. There are three specific spots that get it most. I have had my cats to the vet and no one is sick. I contacted a pet psychic, who told me the problem was simply "too many cats". While I agree, I can't change that.

So I increased the total number of litter boxes in the cat room. No help. I added a litter box to the den and the bedroom. Total litter boxes now up to 8. And there are 5 more litter boxes outside in their enclosure.

I finally have had four days of a pee-free kitchen and the rest of the house, too. I hope it lasts.

Sometimes the solution is the simplest kind.

[k9krazee]

Thanks guys for all of your help and understanding, and Staci for explaining the situation a little better. I'm attending college and living in the dorms currently, you know that age where you don't really call your parent's house "home" anymore? Anyway this issue is with her cat, Jasper, who I ultimately have no control over what happens. There are four dogs at the house (I personally own one) and three cats.

The only reason I don't think it's medical is because this has been happening for a year now - since we added Motchka and Batman to the family...and he has been to the vet during that time. If it was an UTI or Crystals I'm sure we'd know because he'd be in pain and not using the litterbox often at all. He does use the box, just at times we find that he has pee'd in the house. I will certainly continue pushing to getting a urinalysis done though. Then we can check up on the drugs, or feliway spray.

As far as the only indoor cat home, I don't that it would be best suited for Jasper. He IS an indoor/outdoor cat now, we had all intentions of keeping him inside but with the dogs and how often the door is opened and closed it was practically impossible to keep him in when he always wanted out. But I do understand how that might be best for him. I am concerned about the home she is thinking about because he'd be an indoor/outdoor cat with two other cats. How is that any different from how he's living now? If anything it's likely he'll be more stressed out.

More litter boxes (we only have one for three cats :/ ) and a vet check are in order, it seems. I appreciate all of the help!

[jazzcat]

More litter boxes (we only have one for three cats :/ ) and a vet check are in order, it seems. I appreciate all of the help!

I believe this might be a big key to the problem. Some cats don't like sharing boxes or using dirty boxes. I think if your mom is serious about correcting the problem she should start by having at least one box for every cat. I'd even recommend one extra.

Because this has gone on for so long it may take retraining Jasper to the litterbox - by confining him to one room with box until he gets back into the habit.

I am dealing with an inappropriate pee'er in my house and I know how frustrating it can be. The others are right, there is medication that can help. As soon as I figure out who the culprit is in my house they will be going on Prozac.

If your Mom isn't willing to increase the number of boxes or to medicate Jasper I'd say he's probably better off in a new home as long as those people know what they are getting in advance. I really hope your mom tells them about his peeing so he doesn't end up being thrown out or in a bad situation.

[jenluckenbach]

Knowing that there is only 1 litter box with 3 cats, I'd say that is a GREAT place to start as a reason for rebellion.

[catmandu]

WE HOPE THAT YOU CAN CONVINCE YOUR MOM TO TRY THE VET WITH JASPER.
I HAVE THAT ISSUE WITH TUBSTER PANTHER AS HES STILL A BIT FERAL, BUT FOR SOME REASON USES THE DOWNSTAIRS BOX WHEN HES ALONE IN THE CELLAR.
MAYBE JASER NEEDS A BOX THAT HIS , AND HIS ALONE.
WE ARE PRAYING FOR JASPER :love::love: HES SUCH A GOOD CAT :love::cool::love:

[Catlady711]

As you already know, being checked out medically is always the first step. Jack, who incidentally looks like Jasper, once had a UTI and started urinating on my bed, even when people were still in it!!! We did a urinalysis and found out the poor dear had the UTI, got him on antibiotics and the peeing stopped.

If everything checks out medically I'd highly recommend reading this website....
http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm


It's a long read but just about covers everything litter box related. In addition I highly recommend a rubbermaid tub, Cat Attract litter, Feliway spray, and a good enzyme cleaner for the already stained areas.

Good luck.