Asked on the Cat Forum by Cipher on 6/3/2004, 5:14 pm
Q: Cat-Byproduct Land Mines
My cat has me pulling out his hair. For about a week now we've been finding cat feces in random places on the floor--never the same place twice! Initially I thought he might have a UTI, so I took him to the vet on Monday. They took some urine from his bladder with a syringe (which was interesting but uncomfortable to watch) and said that he has no bacteria, no crystals, and no blood in it. The vet thinks that it is stress due to the rash of thunderstorms we've been having, so she gave me a prescription for Amitriptylline. I haven't filled it yet because we haven't been having storms (none since this weekend) and I thought the problem might diminish. He hadn't done it for a couple of days and then yesterday he went on the floor, and today when I came home I found three cat presents, one on the floor, one on the kitchen counter (lysoled that sucker), and one on top of his covered litter box. The litter box is pristine. He tinkled in it once today, and that's it. I haven't found any signs that he's urinated outside the litter box.
The stools are quite firm (although they aren't fresh so I'm not sure if that isn't due to age), so I was wondering if he might be constipated rather than having a UTI? He used to have a problem with very soft stools which was even messier as it would get caught in his fur and tracked around, but that went away when we switched his food from Purina to Eukanuba.
Or is it probably just stress and I should fill his prescription?
Then as a matter of curiosity I was wondering why it is so common for dogs to guard food and objects from people, but I haven't really heard of cats doing this although they'll guard things from other cats. My cat will get things he isn't supposed to have, like tissues, and run away with them when I come over to take them, but he never protests. Is it because they think of us as mommy cats?
Answered by Cher11 on 6/3/2004, 10:26 pm
A: Cat-Byproduct Land Mines
> My cat has me pulling out his hair. For about a week now
> we've been finding cat feces in random places on the
> floor--never the same place twice! Initially I thought he
> might have a UTI, so I took him to the vet on Monday. They
> took some urine from his bladder with a syringe (which was
> interesting but uncomfortable to watch) and said that he has
> no bacteria, no crystals, and no blood in it. The vet
> thinks that it is stress due to the rash of thunderstorms
> we've been having, so she gave me a prescription for
> Amitriptylline. I haven't filled it yet because we haven't
> been having storms (none since this weekend) and I thought
> the problem might diminish. He hadn't done it for a couple
> of days and then yesterday he went on the floor, and today
> when I came home I found three cat presents, one on the
> floor, one on the kitchen counter (lysoled that sucker), and
> one on top of his covered litter box. The litter box is
> pristine. He tinkled in it once today, and that's it. I
> haven't found any signs that he's urinated outside the
> litter box.
>
> The stools are quite firm (although they aren't fresh so I'm
> not sure if that isn't due to age), so I was wondering if he
> might be constipated rather than having a UTI? He used to
> have a problem with very soft stools which was even messier
> as it would get caught in his fur and tracked around, but
> that went away when we switched his food from Purina to
> Eukanuba.
>
> Or is it probably just stress and I should fill his
> prescription?
>
> Then as a matter of curiosity I was wondering why it is so
> common for dogs to guard food and objects from people, but I
> haven't really heard of cats doing this although they'll
> guard things from other cats. My cat will get things he
> isn't supposed to have, like tissues, and run away with them
> when I come over to take them, but he never protests. Is it
> because they think of us as mommy cats?
To address the end of your question first, my cat also has a 'thing' for tissues, Q-tips, anything paper-like--I ask myself: "Is he a Billy-goat in disguise?" lol I keep ALL those types of things out of his reach, and so should you! If my cat tries to run with something he knows he shouldn't have, he gives me quite a hard time taking it away from him. But all cats are different. Yes, he regards you somewhat as a mom-cat, because you provide him with food and loving, but sometimes cats don't care about that, if they're 'guarding' their 'prey'. I do believe they're much different than dogs in that respect, as you point out. If you suspect constipation, which is a possibility with inappropriate elimination, he could be ingesting pieces of tissue, causing his stools to be harder than usual (my cat has 'eaten' tissue in the past). I do think that if they're not fresh when you find them, the stools ARE hardening with age and exposure to the air.
You mentioned that you have a covered box. He may not like this, and wish to have the box UNcovered. Try this, and see if it makes a difference.
I agree with you not wanting to use the medication right away. That's a pretty heavy med., and if you can use some alternative, and receive the same results, I'd opt for that if it were my cat. The storms may be contributing to his problem, but have you had any other changes or 'stressors' within your household recently?
There's a product called 'Feliway' which is composed of synthetic feline facial pheremones, and it has a calming effect on most cats. This may help him through the storms and help his toilet habits return to normal. Here's more info on the product (it's sold at stores like Petsmart/Petco, and also, online):
http://www.catfaeries.com/
It comes in a spray form, and also, as you can see in the picture, a plug-in 'diffuser'. This works like the plug-in air fresheners, but has no discernable scent (to humans).
Also, on this site, you see 'flower essences'. These are used for humans, and domestic animals alike. There is another site with 'Bach's Flower Essences', which you can research, and the one for stress is called 'Rescue Remedy'. This may work for your cat to calm him, without the heavy-duty medication. Read all instructions online, etc., re: dosage.
Good luck!
Cher : )
>
Answered by Cipher on 6/4/2004, 12:17 pm
Q: Cat-Byproduct Land Mines
Oops--I said he had me pulling out *his* hair, but I'm really pulling out mine! He had me so distracted last night that I threw three socks in the trash instead of the washer and put the mustard away in the kitchen sink.
He hardly ever gets kleenex now. Mostly he sneaks into the bathroom and steals them from the trash, but we keep the door closed and the trash emptied now that we know about that preference.
Regarding other stressors, he is an indoor only cat with access to the outside a couple of times a week on a leash. We are in an apartment on the second floor, and he has a sliding glass door that he can look out all the time. He also likes to sit in the windows on the same side of the building in the bedroom when I'm home (I have gerbils so I close him out when I'm gone). I haven't seen any other cats roaming around recently. I did take him to spend the weekend at my parent's house the weekend before this started while my husband was out of town on business. Do cats pick up on emotional stress? My husband and I have had some marital tension lately, but my cat doesn't seem to change his behavior according to my mood. I didn't think he was psychologically socially advanced enough to really notice.
I'm still concerned it might be constipation because while I was cleaning up I noticed some hair in the feces, and I read after posting this that hairballs can cause constipation in cats. Also the evening we went to the vet I fed him dinner and he ate some and then threw up twice. Fortunately the second time I managed to move him off the carpet onto the linoleum while he was still retching! He hasn't done it since then so I thought it was just stress from the vet visit. But I read that hairballs can also cause occasional regurgitation. He has medium-long fur and I've been slacking off with brushing him lately. :P
Answered by Cher11 on 6/4/2004, 8:50 pm
A: Cat-Byproduct Land Mines
> Oops--I said he had me pulling out *his* hair, but I'm
> really pulling out mine! He had me so distracted last night
> that I threw three socks in the trash instead of the washer
> and put the mustard away in the kitchen sink.
I realized you were upset and 'understood' your mistake lol : )
> He hardly ever gets kleenex now. Mostly he sneaks into the
> bathroom and steals them from the trash, but we keep the
> door closed and the trash emptied now that we know about
> that preference.
My cat used to do the same thing, re: 'stealing tissues' and I solved the problem in the same way, putting the trashcan behind closed doors, in the bathroom! In the other bathroom where the litterbox is, and we CAN'T close the door, I have a covered trashcan.
>
> Regarding other stressors, he is an indoor only cat with
> access to the outside a couple of times a week on a leash.
> We are in an apartment on the second floor, and he has a
> sliding glass door that he can look out all the time. He
> also likes to sit in the windows on the same side of the
> building in the bedroom when I'm home (I have gerbils so I
> close him out when I'm gone). I haven't seen any other cats
> roaming around recently. I did take him to spend the
> weekend at my parent's house the weekend before this started
> while my husband was out of town on business. Do cats pick
> up on emotional stress? My husband and I have had some
> marital tension lately, but my cat doesn't seem to change
> his behavior according to my mood. I didn't think he was
> psychologically socially advanced enough to really notice.
Not only can he pick up on the marital or heightened emotional tension in the house (or in YOU), but, changing HIS safe environment by taking him to your parent's house, could yield this type of result, also. Unless he's been to your parent's house many times before and feels as comfortable there, as in his own home, that weekend could have very easily made him upset enough to abandon his good toilet habits.
>
> I'm still concerned it might be constipation because while I
> was cleaning up I noticed some hair in the feces, and I read
> after posting this that hairballs can cause constipation in
> cats. Also the evening we went to the vet I fed him dinner
> and he ate some and then threw up twice. Fortunately the
> second time I managed to move him off the carpet onto the
> linoleum while he was still retching! He hasn't done it
> since then so I thought it was just stress from the vet
> visit. But I read that hairballs can also cause occasional
> regurgitation. He has medium-long fur and I've been
> slacking off with brushing him lately. :P
--------------------------------------------------------
Ingesting excessive hair from grooming can cause hairballs, constipation, and/or obstructions (if very bad), among other problems, and because he has medium-long fur, he really should be brushed/combed daily, to cut down on the incidence of hairball-related problems. Try to make it part of your bedtime routine, if that works for you, and just do it for a few minutes--it'll also be a nice 'bonding' time for you two. My cat LOVES to be combed and purrrs to beat the band! : ) It's very possible that he did throw-up after the vet visit because he was upset (btw, did he receive any medication or vaccinations at that vet visit?) at the whole ordeal, and/or that he felt the need to regurgitate immediately after eating because he had fur from grooming, tickling his throat.
Lazypazy has given you some good advice re: cleaning the areas where he soils (except the litterbox, of course) with an enzymatic cleaner, so he doesn't return to those spots--a good one is called 'Nature's Miracle'. I thank her for adding this information, which I forgot to include.
I must reiterate that I'd definitely try the Feliway diffuser, the increased brushing, and some extra loving before giving your cat such a heavy-duty medication. If the problem continues, even after trying the aforementioned suggestions for a while, I'd try to get a second opinion from another vet. It seems to me that your vet didn't do enough in the way of tests or taking into account all the emotional factors going on in your household right now, before 'jumping' to prescribe the medication. I don't mean to offend, that is just my personal opinion, after reading about all of the current circumstances, the vet visit, time at away from his own home, etc.
Keep us posted, and let us know how he's (and you're) doing!
Cher : )
