Siamese Cat

Question
Our 10 yr old siamese cat has started sleeping in the litter box for the past week in the dark behind a door.What would make a cat suddenly start doing this?  

Answer
Hi There! It sounds like it's time to get your kitty to the vet. A sudden change in habit usually means the kitty's not feeling well. In my experience, sleeping in the litter box or in the dark usually indicates a fever, as these things keep the cat cool. Most infections causing fever are treatable.

A change in habit can also indicate the cat is suffering. I wouldn't get worried just yet, but cats of your kitty's age very often have kidney failure. It tends to be especially common in Siamese, and it's a leading cause of death in all cats 10 and over. Lymphoma is another condition that is more common in the Siamese breed than in many others. There are many, many conditions that can cause a cat to feel under the weather. Some are manageable, while others aren't, but you'd need to have the kitty diagnosed in order to find out.

Does your cat have other symptoms? Cats who are very sick will often start hiding. I have a blue point Siamese who always sleeps in the same cardboard box when she starts feeling sick. That's when I know she needs to go to the vet.

I definitely would start there. If the vet finds nothing significant, I'd probably add another litter box, hoping he'd use one for sleeping, and the other as it was intended.

Some cats suffer from Cognitive Dysfunction, which is pretty much the same thing as human Alzheimer's. It's not a painful condition in cats, but it causes confusion. The most common symptoms are disorientation, getting "stuck" in a corner, over vocalization, litter box problems, and unprovoked aggression. There's no treatment as of yet, although dogs are being treated with some medications experimentally.

I hope all is okay with your kitty. Please let me know if I can be of any help in the future.

I hope this has been helpful and I wish you the best of luck!Please keep me posted and give that doggie tons of kisses for me!Sending wagging tails your way!
Nicole.D.