Plan B for Miley girl - she is gone now...RIP Sweetheart

[sasvermont]

After months of dealing with inappropriate pooping, my sweet cat Miley, has been confined to a cage for the time being. We are going on day #2. How appropriate!

After a little over 24 hours in the cage, she did use the litter box but she also used the throw rug and sleeping pad that I had on the bottom of the cage, to poop on....and then cover up......

I am exhausted from dealing with this issue. She had some good days, and then whammo, another gift for me. I also have been finding poop (dried) in places I would never have looked.

Miley has FIP (tested positive) a couple of years ago, and also has IBD. She is a candidate to surgery to have a section of her intestine removed, but not a good candidate since the FIP test was positive. The other post script to this concept of surgery, is that there is a good chance she will continue with the stool problems. She is taking prendisone in heavy doses and it is keeping the blood from appearing and her stool are a tad less liquid.

I have considered having her PTS. That sounds so cruel, but you have to live with this little girl to know how much confusion takes place in my house when she is pooping all over and hissing at the other cats, and fighting....and then more pooping....stresses me out beyond belief. I will wait until she exhibits signs of being in pain, to have her put down, and it appears that she is not right now. So, my vet suggested confining her. I bought a huge, huge cage, called a cat hotel and that is where she is right now.

Has anyone else here ever tried confining a cat? She seems to not mind it so far. I am afraid that once I let her out, she will never want to go back in to it! I have been feeding her in there, of course.

The fact that she missed the litter box yesterday, upsets me. I thought for sure she was being chased from the litter box by the other cats, but apparently not.

I am so frustrated now. And I was just giving out advice yesterday.

SAS

[Logan]

Sallyanne, I am so sorry that things have worked out this way for our Miley, who you know, we all love so much. Hopefully the new enclosure will offer her some reassurance and she will figure things out. I can't imagine what you are dealing with.

You and Miley will be in our prayers.

Logan

[Karen]

Awww, Sas, think of it at Miley's “private suite, with room service included” not as a jail cell. Give her some love from us, and tell her we hope she feels better.

[Barbara]

Sallyanne, I am sending big hugs for you and kisses for sweet Miley.
I know at least how it is to have her and poop all over the place and I hoped so much she would be better as it obviously stressed her to have us there.
I know that whatever solution you chose will be the most comfortable one and I also hope she can get the love she also needs so badly.
I am so sorry- Miley is such a lovely lovely girl.
You have to go through so much these years.

[sasvermont]

Thank you for your kind words.

I love my Miley girl so much. But, I also cannot have her pooping at will. Can you imagine that? I guess I will lower my standards and allow the pooping in the cage ??? until I cannot tolerate that. Right now she has only one blanket to sleep on (the shelves are carpeted)...... She has four shelves, one big one, where she sleeps and then the bottom of the cage, where her littler box resides. I hope she doesn't start with the shelves..... The smell is horrible.

I am sure I am not the first person to go through this, but gee, I surely feel like it! How can this be happening to such a sweet kitty? She loves me so and vice versa, but I just cannot have her pooping....well......you know the drill. Thanks for listening. I feel a tad better having told the world about my poopy cat, as I call her!

[emily_the_spoiled]

One of my guys was diagnosed with IBD last summer after similar problems to Miley. I don't know if it will help but I took him off all commerically prepared cat food and he was much better within a couple of weeks. It seems that the corn and the preservatives/colours were messing him up. We still have problems once in awhile but nothing like it was last year...

I am sorry that you are having all these problems with Miley

[Edwina's Secretary]

Oh Sas! I am so sorry to hear this about Miley. I have always heard (from a mutual friend or two... ) what a very special girl she is.

Perhaps she will be happy with a smaller world. I hope so.

[Rachel]

This is such a sad scenerio and I realize it is torture for you as none of the solutions is very satisfactory for either you or Miley. Miley has always been a favorite of mine and I know of a specific difficult decision you had to make because of your need to protect and care for her. I am holding out hope that *these episodes will pass*. I don't know how long this has been going on already, but sometimes things do unexpectedly change for the better.

ETS's suggestion sounds like an excellent one to try.

[jenluckenbach]

I understand. Lucas did not have IBD, but for 9 months before we actually determined that he had cancer, the boy pooped on my rugs practically daily..............LIQUID DIARRHEA! We tried everything under the sun to help those poops firm up. but nothing worked. The clean-ups were horrendous. But I knew my boy and I knew that none if this was spiteful. He was sick and I forgave him everytime. But, I did place large plastic tarps on many of his favorite pooping spots, to help make clean up easier. (this would be the second time I "plastic-coated" my house for a cat. The first time was when Y.Lee had diabetes and could not hold his urine)

The point is.....we do what is necessary. Cleaning up a cage is going to be easier than cleaning up the whole house. And maybe a different type of diet will help her poops to firm up making it easier for her to go in the box.

[sasvermont]

No accidents in the cage today. She has only her one little blanket right now.

She and the others, are all on very, very expensive prescription diet. I have been feeding them all the same (can't hurt the healthy ones) .... and this is for Miley's problem only. She (they) are on Science diet hypoallergetic...XD...I think.....I may change them soon, and if Miley stays confined, she can have the expensive stuff.

I just don't know where this all is going to lead me. I am getting more used to seeing her in a cage. The whole concept creeps me out, as I think cats should be free to roam. I just don't know what else would work for me.

I already have the tarp thing going on for the bunnies, on the porch. Miley doesn't pick places to go, that are tarp friendly. She usually picks hardwood floors, which, for the most part, are easy to clean. I am just tired of cleaning up cat poop. And the smell...... at 3 AM, isn't the most fun.

Anyway, by this weekend, I will probably have come up with an updated Plan B, trying to find out how to get Miley back in the cage and using her litter box! Here's hoping!

[Pam]

Sallyanne I am so sorry. Sorry for both you and Miley. Miley girl has been a favorite of mine for years. This little girl has endured so much, losing brother Graemer and some very trying times for her when Ti was in residence. We all understand the need to try every option and are with you 100% of the way.

Has anyone else here ever tried confining a cat? She seems to not mind it so far. I am afraid that once I let her out, she will never want to go back in to it! I have been feeding her in there, of course.

I did accidentally confine Andy for a whole day in a dog crate. I feed Trevor and Andy separately because Trevor eats special food and is a fast eater. If I fed them together Trevor would eat both his and Andy's food. I put Andy in a crate two times a day at feeding time. One morning I forgot to let him out and he spent more 8 hrs. in there. He never held it against me and did not hesitate to go back in.

(((hugs))) to you and Miley both.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Sallyanne, I'm sorry to hear about Miley's inappropriate pooping problem. I've also been dealing with this for quite some time with Starr. He's also on pred in the morning and pepcid ac in the evening. He's doing much better but still has his bad days. He has colitis and both of his small and large intestines are affected by food allergies. He's been on several different diets and is currently on Innova Evo dry which is almost like a raw diet but without being raw. He was also on the wet but had more problems with it over time.

Has Miley gained weight from being on the pred? Starr has and now he can barely clean his bottom area. I'm taking him to a holistic vet this Thurs. and I hope that she'll be able to help him and get him off of his meds. I may even start feeding him a raw diet. You might want to try giving Miley some pepcid ac at night to help calm her tummy. Starr is on the liquid kind and gets 5mg in the evening. It usually helps him to make it to the litterbox in time but he still has some accidents. I'm sure that over time Miley will get used to her cage. I hope that she'll continue to improve. Good luck.

[shais_mom]

I don't have any advice but I do hope that Miley will find comfort and peace in her new smaller world...

[Medusa]

No advice from me either; just want to lend my support. I feel for you and Miley.

[Bengalz]

Sallyanne,

You have been through so much with Miley in her life and this must seem terribly unfair on all sides. I hope the new arrangements work and are comfortable for that sweet little girl and that you are able to feel more relaxed with her condition. Please give Miley lots of hugs and kisses for me.

Also, many hugs to you dear lady for being such a great meowmie