old cat wont use boz

Question
Hi, my name is jennifer. I have a 13 yr. old cat and a 3 yr old hymalayn. My older cat is has been urinating outside the box for sometime now. Just recently we found out she has a high thyroid count. We are getting that under control. She now is pooping out side the box, My vet told me to confine her to one space, so i put her in my basement (only at night or when we went away). That didn't work either, so i put her in a cage with a box, and she still chooses not to use it, what do i do? I am ready to put her to sleep.

Answer
Jennifer,

Besides the high thyroid count, there may be other physical problems brought on by the thyroid difficulties.

You should have the vet also check her anal glands to see if they may need to be expressed.

I am including a link to an excellent article written by a vet on feline house soiling problems:

http://www.netcat.org/housesoiling.html

If you are going to confine her to a cage, then, except for food and water dishes, the entire bottom of the cage needs to be "wall-to-wall" litter pans.

To clean an area where she has gone, you need an enzyme based cleaner specifically for pet odors and pet stains.  These are available at your local pet supermarket or farm store.

Good luck and best regards... Norm.