my siamese

Question
Sheeba is 8 years old in April, she has been a super clean cat, but these past two weeks she has had 4 accidents, two right beside the litter box and two where my granddaughters puppy peed on the floor, this is so out of character for her, is she at a risk for kidney disease.  Or is there something else I should be concerned about.

Answer
Hi Red.  She may be reacting to the presence of the puppy.  Cats can react to changes that they're stressed over by not using the litter box.  A product that can help reduce stress is Feliway.  I use the plug-in diffuser at all times in my home.  It's expensive, but I've found it to be worth the cost, and you can usually find it for a little less online than at pet stores (I think amazon.com is the least expensive that I've seen).  You can learn more about how Feliway works at www.feliway.com  There is also a spray bottle of Feliway that may help to work on repeat accident areas.

Nevertheless, the most common reason a cat will suddenly have litter box accidents remains a physical illness.  Kidney disease is one reason, but more treatable problems like urinary tract infections are another common cause.  You'll want to catch this and begin treatment early before it causes kidney damage, and also before urinating outside the box becomes a solid habit, so a prompt vet visit is definitely the place to start.  

If all is found to be okay physically, then you may want to start thinking about anxiety issues with the puppy or maybe making some changes as far as the litter box itself.  You may need to add another litter box, try a different style of box or use a different litter.  There is one formulated by a vet to correct just this sort of problem.  It guarantees 100% litter box usage or your money back.  It's called Cat Attract, and you can find a retailer here - www.preciouscat.com  In the worst cases, if anxiety is suspected, an antidepressant may be used.  But they are rarely needed for lifetime use.

Good luck!