Cat Urine and Behavior change

Question
Hi there,
I have a 12 year old female cat, spayed and declawed. Over the years we have moved about 6 times. This July I bought a brand new home and everything has been going well until the last 2 weeks. Her behavior has totally changed, She is peeing on my brand new carpets, she is crying to get outside all the time, and she is not affectionate at all. She totally focuses on the front door of my house and cries all the time. I've let her out a few times and all I do is worry that she will get attacked my another cat or that she will get hit by a car. I'm really getting frustrated with all of this. And the smell of my brand new house has now turned into a URINE smell...What should I do?? I've noticed a black cat outside my home, is it possible she wants to interact with this cat, or is she hormonal? She's never been like this.

Answer
Bree,

Your cat is 64 years old in human years. At that age they do not take to stress and change easily. She is missing her old home with the familiar smells and her old routine.

Cats do not have reasoning ability. She probably is under the assumption that if she goes outside it will still be her 'old' outside and she is looking for something familiar.

She is letting you know that she is upset at you because she associates you with all this upheaval in her life. As she gets elderly things start going wrong and a lot of stress may hasten it. I would take her to the vet for an 'older cat' checkup. Have her kidney function, liver, and thyroid tested. She may have kidney problems which is making her have 'accidents'.  A vet can also prescribe some 'kitty Prozac' (or similar medication) on a temporary basis to help her relax and adjust. I would talk to him about it.

If you can afford it I would get her a 'dog run' cage. Somewhere about 6'x4'x4' and put her in there with some kitty climbing trees, and places to hide in. And a litter box. That way she CAN go outside, but safely.

An electric odor neutralizer would be perfect for your home. That way..no smells. They use them in hospitals and nursing homes, etc. But you can get a smaller version.

I am including a link to a website that has a lot of very good articles and information on the elderly cat. Copy and paste, or type, the whole link into your address browser:

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

I hope this helped. Feel free to write as many times as you have questions or problems.

Tabbi