Question
Our Cat
Hi Dr. Connell,
I need your help. I have a female snowshoe aprox. 7 years old who is causing my husband and I problems all of a sudden. Once or twice every week for about a month she has done her business on our bed. (poo and pee) I have never had an issue with her before. We have moved in July to a new apartment and she hangs out in the bedroom a lot but does come out more much more often now. She is loving as can be. Purrs all the time. Demands attention, which she gets. She doesn't seem to be in any pain or have any health issues. I have had her since college and we have moved a lot w/o any issues (about 4 times) But this is causing so many problems with us. Our bed is new and cannot afford to replace. I am almost in tears because I don't know what to do. Any help will be greatly appreciated. My husband and I work such long hours and can't come home to a ruined bed and any more nights on the couch. Any ideas what's going on with my baby? Thank you in advance.
AnswerHi Erin,
First off I want to make it clear as my profile says that I am not a vet, but a Registered Veterinary Technician.
Having said that, we see a lot of cats with issues like this.
First thing that should be done is have an exam by a veterinarian to make sure there are no health issues. I say this because cats will signal a problem to their owners by doing just what your cat is doing, having inappropriate elimination issues. They can't tell us in words that something is wrong so they get our attention in other ways.
Secondly, you say you have moved four times with no problems before. Well, that doesn't mean it wasn't a problem for the cat. Cats do not like change, they do not like disruptions of their habits and when you do this as many times as you have in her life, she is going to stress out.
And she is telling you now that you moved one too many times.
New apt, new noises, new place for her litter box- all too much for a senior cat. Yes she is a senior now.
She could also be having issues with her diet which is probably the same one she has been on for ages (which isn't bad) but when they reach 6-7 yrs they need to be switched to a lower protein senior diet.
That way there is less strain on the aging kidneys and liver to process higher amounts of protein.
I know it is very frustrating to have this happen to you. A friend of my daughters had the same exact issue with her cat from simply moving the litter box into a hallway that had too much traffic. Once she moved it to a quiet place on my suggestion, the entire soiling problem went away.
So get her in first for an exam and then see what you can do about de-stressing her. Feliway is a pheromone made for cats that is supposed to help them feel better about their surroundings. I don't know if it works but your vet can tell you and they have it there.
Putting citrusy things on the bed might help as they don't like the smell of anyting citrus and as a last resort, setting mouse traps and putting them upside down (quite a trick in itself) on the bed (so she doesn't get caught in one) scares them pretty badly. Or cover them with a soft washcloth so that they can't snap on her foot but just go off.
I hope some of this helps. Please let me know what progress you make with her.
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