Litter Box Problems With a Grown Cat?

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I have a male neutered cat that is 4 years old and given to me over a year ago. He had no vaccinations when we got him and he had diarreah. We had him on stomach medicine for 10 days and then got his shots.

He's a VERY sweet loving gentle fat cat! But he gets spells of diarreah that seem to clear up in time whether he has medicine or not, and now he is throwing up every day, usually just once. It's always right after he eats and no hairball subtsance is coming up. The food and water are out all day, but he chooses to eat once, sometimes twice a day and usually only drinks water once a day.

The biggest problem is that he would go poop outside the litterbox when he had diarreah. It was a huge mess and so I finally put down an old tablecloth and he pooped on that. He finally ventured off of that and started pooping all over the room where the litterbox was. Well, that room got stinky real quick. So I moved the box to my bathroom (tile floor).

He goes in the box almost all of the time now, but he kept going back to the old room and pooping on the floor. I sprinkled with cayenne pepper to deter him. He didn't care. I finally had to just keep the door shut. Every once in a while, I will leave the door open for the day and he will always go in there and poop again.

Now, he has decided he will urinate on my bathroom rug! So now I fold the rug and lay it on top of the box. Yesterday, he came into the playroom and urinated on that carpet. I simply do not understand! I have used all kinds of litter to see if he had a preference. I cannot afford to keep running to the vet every time he has a spell. He is declawed, so I cannot put him outside. How can I get a grown cat to continuously us the litter box?

suzi_homemaker01

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By guest (Guest Post)

April 21, 20050 found this helpful

I would call my vet immediately and explain what is going on. Cats throwing up regularly is a cause for alarm. They can get very sick quickly. If they can't figure it out, ask your vet about food allergies. My trash dump kitty had constant stomach problems, but was only allergic to his food. My own vet didn't figure this out. I changed vets and changed cat food to Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and he got better almost immediately.

For kitty or doggie diarrhea, I put them on liquids only for a day -- water and light clear organic chicken broth, which they love. I give them each live active culture yogurt. For some I have to smear on their little mouths or paws to get them to lick it off, because they don't like it. Others would eat it voluntarily.

By Sarah_bellum (Guest Post)

April 22, 20050 found this helpful

We have a himilayan with a similar problem. He has polycystic kidney disease and he was peeing out of the box because of a kidney infection.

As for the loose stool, I changed his food until I found one that does not give him loose stool. Then the vet put him on renal food. This returned him to the same problem, so I now mix a little of his old food with the renal food and no more going outside the box!

I have found that if they have active bouts of stomach problems that if you give them rice mixed with hamburger instead of their food, it will help stop the dirrehea and bind them up, usually by the end of the day.

Sarah

Amy

April 22, 20050 found this helpful

My cat started to throw up alot and it was due to not drinking enough. I now have to give him and his sister 1 can of food in the monring and 1 at night. Before I go to bed they get some dry, if they don't eat the canned they can't have the dry as I will wake up to clean up puke.
I have also put a small water bowl in my bathroom for them, they seem to drink out of that bowl the most. He was getting into the tub and demanding me to turn the water on for him but now I don't have too.

By Nancy (Guest Post)

January 30, 20070 found this helpful

HELP ME AND "OSCAR" PLEEEASE! Anyone! My very handsome Kitty Kat, Oscar, is pooping outside his litter box, for about a month now, daily! It's so gross! I don't know what to do! He is very smart in all other ways! he is a Bombay Burmese. A year old. I live in a small Condo, and I don't have many places to put his litter. Any help is so helpful to me, and him!

Thanks so much! He is very healthy!

Nancy & "Oscar"

By Kelly (Guest Post)

July 19, 20070 found this helpful

I find usually confining the cat in a room w/ only the litter box, water, and food (maybe a bathroom) is the best way to remind them that they need to use their potty. You keep the cat confined for week. Taking him or her out for an hour or two each day to love them and pet them. After a week with no accidents inside the small confined room, let them out and give them a test run. If they poop or pee anywhere but the box, stick them back in confinenment for another week. You should only try this 3 times, after that a trip to the vet might be in order to make sure there's no infections that are causing kitty to not use the box.

By (Guest Post)

October 8, 20080 found this helpful

I have a two year old female who is fixed, who was well behaved even after my move into a new home. Then, one weekend she got outside for the first time and didn't come back for a few days. When she returned, things seemed normal enough, aside from the fleas, until she decided to poop in the living room. She repeated this the next day, then the day after she decided to pee in the same spot instead.

Finally I locked her upstairs in my room with her litterbox and food and water. After three days, we let her run free again, at which point it only took one day to pass before she pooped in the same spot again. Now, she's upstairs, going on four days, and last night she decided to poop on the pillow that was being used by a sleeping someone! What the heck could be wrong with her?

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