Desperate plea for help

[catmandu]

I Am So SOrry That You Are Having This Trouble With Jill.
I Wish I Could Help, But I Dont Honestly Know What I Would Do If A Found Cat Started Doing That.
I Am Praying That You Dont Have To Turn Her Into A Shelter.

[CagneyDog]

If you don't want to hear good advice from people who KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT - DON'T ASK!!!!

She's trying her best guys, there's no need for comments like that.

I don't know anything about cats, but I wish you the best of luck. It must be frustrating.
{{{hugs}}}

[catnapper]

I'm sorry you feel jumped on. We're really just trying to help

This morning, I woke up to finding pee on the kitchen counter, right on top of all the baby bibs stored in a basket. Last night, someone peed on the table in the front room, mere inches away from the litterbox. Someone is sick and trying to tell me that (thats someone is almost assuredly Pouncer). I called the vet and have an appointment for Tuesday (being a holiday weekend and all, thats the first appointment) I can pretty much tell you what my weekend is going to be: finding pee in places it isn't supposed to be. I know WHY he pees, so I'm a lot more tolerant. I know I wouldn't be so lax if he peed for no apparent reason. He started to show signs of being sick last week, but I let it go as behavioral since my son came home from college last week and he got upset at the change in flow around here. I've been watching his behavior like a hawk and decided that he's sick... but I want the vet to confirm it before I start him on Clavimox.

In my experience, Pouncer does not change his cranky ways when he's sick. He still torments Abby and wrestles with Allen. He still TRIES to play with Flutter (she will play to a point then he gets too rough and scares her off ) All in all, his hissy highness is the same as when he's not sick. Please look up my initial threads about him being sick back last summer/fall; you'll see that the thing that confused me the most was that he was 100% normal in every way, except the pee thing. Turns out he was VERY sick and at one point close to being completely blocked. Luckily, he passed the stone that was blocking him. It took THREE MONTHS of antibiotics and steroids to finally clear up the cystitis. And here we are, him sick again.

I'm only trying to help you see that just because she's acting the same doesn't mean it couldn't be a medical issue. Please, I speak from experience here. I SWORE that he was just being a hissy brat, until it was blatantly obvious that he was sick.

And regarding litterboes: My 7th litterbox is on the 3rd floor just outside my daughter's room tucked between the radiator and a storage cabinet. I scoop that once a week, but its there because before it was there, someone thought it was perfectly acceptable to pee on her bed. As soon as I put the box there, no more pee. Its only used two or three times a week -- always pee, never poo. Its not pretty (I'll readily admit that) but I prefer to look at an ugly litterbox than wash the smae sheets and comforter 3 times a week.

I really do wish you luck, but I would make sure that she has no health issues before assuming its behavioral. You'll be spinning your wheels if it is health because your remedies aren't geared towards the problem.

[emily_the_spoiled]

I know this is really hard for you because I went through something very similar with Emily. I had reached the point where I actually thought about having her PTS. I wasn't willing to dump her outside and the shelters where I was living at the time were very high kill.

I spent lots of money on antibiotics and tests for her. The only thing we could come up with is that she is very sensitive to UTI's. I am still really careful when she starts to pee outside the box.

I did try a few things that seemed to help alot. This is going to sound crazy but a night-lite actually helped quite a bit. I am not sure why but it works (maybe I have a cat that is afraid of the dark...)

Another thing I found helpful was to have covered litter boxes. I don't have a door on the front, but they have a top to them. (not only do I have cats that are afraid of the dark, I also have cats that get embarassed easily )

It is a matter of trial and error to find out what will help...

[Dixie Belle]

I have owned many cats in my life, so I will put in my 2 cents worth. I agree that taking her to the vet is a good idea. Extra attention might help. But I had a cat that was outdoors only growing up. As she got older, we started letting her in on cold nights, and when she ate. She didn't like the litter box either. Why? Because she was use to dirt. Started filling the litter box with good old dirt from outside, and she used it. You have to change it every day because of the smell, but maybe worth a shot?

I really hope you can get this problem solved. I know how frustrating it is.

[moosmom]

Sara,

How are things on the home front with Jill??