Cat behaving really strange

Question
Hi

I have two eight year old cats, both female and both from the same litter, Apache and Salem. They were both neutered about 18 months ago.

Apache is the one with the problem. She has recently begun to sleep in the cat litter tray. At first it was only when there was clean litter, but now she just doesn't care.

She also eats cat litter.

About six weeks after the neutering we found her collapsed on the floor.  She could not move and it took weeks of taking care of her to get her back to 'normal'. I had to feed her with a pipette as she could not hold her head up or move her mouth, we had to carry her to, and hold her over, the cat tray when she needed to pee (she would miaow to let us know she needed the toilet) and she had no control over any of her limbs. The vet said it could have been a stroke or fit and nobody expected her to live.

She now seems to be back to full fitness, but her personality has changed, she is far more loving, but also hides away a lot more. She has also developed a twitch, that seems to go through her tail and follow on through the rest of her body.

She began to use the mat at the front door as a litter tray, but only at night when everyone was in bed.  She spent most of her time in the utility room - where the washing machine, dryer etc. are, and where we keep the cat litter tray and put out their food.  Still she would walk past the litter tray and go to the front door and use the mat.  So, about six months ago we began closing the utility room door at night to prevent this.

We have one fairly large tray for both cats to use during the day and this one stays in the room where Apache is.  We also have a second smaller tray that is just used at night for Salem.  As this second tray is emptied more or less daily, we recently bought a cheaper cat litter for the second tray (the one that Salem uses at night). The litter used in the main tray is the brand we have been using for years.

However, this tray cannot be left anywhere in the vicinity of Apache as she has taken a liking to eating the litter.

Obviously, once this packet of litter has gone we will not be buying it again, but we still don't know what to do about her stinky habit of sleeping in the litter tray.

We wondered if it is possible that her collapse has damaged her brain or if this is just 'normal' strange behaviour.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Jackie

Answer
Hi Jackie,

Please take your cat back to the vet (or perhaps a different vet) right away. As you know, eating litter is very dangerous it can lead to a blockage of the intestines. And a cat who lays in a  dirty litter box is very very sick, because no healthy cat would ever sleep in their own waste.

Since she collapsed 6 weeks after her surgery, I'd be inclined to belive that the events are related - a reaction to the anesthetic or something went wrong in the surgery. I don't like how dismissive your vet was, can you get another opinion? (Other than me, because it's difficult to help with something like this over the Internet).

Can you get x-rays taken to see if there is a blockage inside? Did the vet do blood tests for potassium and calcium levels, kidney and liver function? Or did he just tell you it was a stroke and do nothing to diagnose her?

What do you feed her?

If this were my cat I'd find another vet, get a full blood panel and x-rays done and then start looking for answers. Right now you have no idea what could be wrong with her.

Please feel free to get back to me with a follow up if you get more information such as blood test results and x-rays.