At wits end: Old cat, cat box

21 years ago in August, I got a little baby kitten. She's always been a
very good cat. Once, when she was just a few years old, I went away for
the weekend but forgot to leave the door to the deck (where her catbox
was) open. She was such a good cat that the only place she "went" was
in the bathtub. She's never had a problem with urinating in
inappropriate places.

Once she got to around 19 years, she really started slowing down, and
developed mild kidney problems. The vet has been monitoring her, and
says as long as she drinks lots of water (she does) it should be ok.
This year, she went on medication for high blood pressure. At 21, she
doesn't do much more than sleep, eat, and demand lap time.

Also this year, we've developed a cat box problem. She urinates out of
the box. She's standing IN the box, but seems to have trouble
squatting, so she urinates horizontally, right out the door of the
covered cat box. I've been trying various configurations trying to keep
the urine in the box, with no success. This weekend I found what seemed
like it might be the solution, a Booda "igloo" style box, with a ramp to
climb in, and designed in such a way as to make it difficult to shoot a
stream out of the box. For two days, it seemed like it would solve the
problem. But this morning, it looks like she urinated next to the box.

She knows when she does wrong, she usually complains loudly and bitterly
every time she misses. It's not related to catbox cleanliness, she
misses even when the catbox is freshly changed.

I love my cat dearly, but I'm just so tired of having to mop the garage
floor every couple of days, I'm so tired of the house constantly reeking
of cat urine.

Princess has always been a big complainer, she's a very vocal cat. So
it's a little bit hard to tell if she's in pain. She *always* complains
when she goes to the bathroom, has for several years. I'm pretty sure
she has some arthritis, and the vet agrees. She can still jump up on
the sofa, but she's very careful about it these days.

I love this cat so much that when she had a stroke last winter and
stopped breathing, I gave her mouth to mouth respiration until she
started breathing again, and didn't even blink as the medical bills for
the episode went over $1K. So it's not like I don't care.

I went over the last few months posts here, and the advice that I see
the most, that makes the most sense to me, is that the decision whether
or not to put the cat to sleep should be based on the cat's quality of
life. Princess still seems pretty happy overall, is always ready for
some lap time and petting, is always ready and eager for dinner, and can
get where she wants to go without assistance.

Her health seems to be slowly declining now, so I don't think that
there's that much time left. I think this winter will be hard for her.
I don't want to cheat her out of time she should have left, but I don't
want her to suffer. But it's just getting harder and harder to have
patience with the bathroom stuff.

Any thoughts or advice would be welcome.

Lisa

Lisa Horton wrote in
:

Also this year, we've developed a cat box problem. She urinates out
of the box. She's standing IN the box, but seems to have trouble
squatting, so she urinates horizontally, right out the door of the
covered cat box. I've been trying various configurations trying to
keep the urine in the box, with no success. This weekend I found what
seemed like it might be the solution, a Booda "igloo" style box, with
a ramp to climb in, and designed in such a way as to make it difficult
to shoot a stream out of the box. For two days, it seemed like it
would solve the problem. But this morning, it looks like she urinated
next to the box.


This is going to sound nutty, but... have you talked to your vet about
this?

Assuming there's no new health problem, maybe she just doesn't like the
new box, or having to climb up a ramp. Maybe you could, uh, lengthen
the runway. Reinstall the old box, but with an additional shallow box
just outside the open door. Fill the shallow box with a little litter
she doesn't like, so that she won't urinate while standing in the extra
box. When she stands in the old box, the stream will go out the door
and land in the new box.

Lisa Horton wrote in
:

Also this year, we've developed a cat box problem. She urinates out
of the box. She's standing IN the box, but seems to have trouble
squatting, so she urinates horizontally, right out the door of the
covered cat box. I've been trying various configurations trying to
keep the urine in the box, with no success. This weekend I found what
seemed like it might be the solution, a Booda "igloo" style box, with
a ramp to climb in, and designed in such a way as to make it difficult
to shoot a stream out of the box. For two days, it seemed like it
would solve the problem. But this morning, it looks like she urinated
next to the box.


This is going to sound nutty, but... have you talked to your vet about
this?

Assuming there's no new health problem, maybe she just doesn't like the
new box, or having to climb up a ramp. Maybe you could, uh, lengthen
the runway. Reinstall the old box, but with an additional shallow box
just outside the open door. Fill the shallow box with a little litter
she doesn't like, so that she won't urinate while standing in the extra
box. When she stands in the old box, the stream will go out the door
and land in the new box.

Gilbert Chew wrote:

Lisa Horton wrote in
:

Also this year, we've developed a cat box problem. She urinates out
of the box. She's standing IN the box, but seems to have trouble
squatting, so she urinates horizontally, right out the door of the
covered cat box. I've been trying various configurations trying to
keep the urine in the box, with no success. This weekend I found what
seemed like it might be the solution, a Booda "igloo" style box, with
a ramp to climb in, and designed in such a way as to make it difficult
to shoot a stream out of the box. For two days, it seemed like it
would solve the problem. But this morning, it looks like she urinated
next to the box.

This is going to sound nutty, but... have you talked to your vet about
this?

Yes, on more than one occasion. He assures me that there is nothing
"medical" causing this, although like me, he feels that at least part of
the issue is simply being too old to comfortably squat. He is
monitoring her blood pressure and kidney function.


Assuming there's no new health problem, maybe she just doesn't like the
new box, or having to climb up a ramp. Maybe you could, uh, lengthen
the runway. Reinstall the old box, but with an additional shallow box
just outside the open door. Fill the shallow box with a little litter
she doesn't like, so that she won't urinate while standing in the extra
box. When she stands in the old box, the stream will go out the door
and land in the new box.

And Karen Chuplis wrote:

Can you put *another* box in front of the door? Sort of extend it a bit? I
hesitate to have you change the box to a bigger open one since she is 21 and
way used to a covered one.

For more than 10 years she used the same box, which she seemed to like,
a medium sized regular covered box. Until I moved here in '96, her box
was always on the deck, here it's been in the garage. When the problem
started, I bought a very large covered box with a high step in sill.
She managed to get in there fine, and seemed to like the box well
enough, but when it didn't solve the problem, I switched back to her old
box. I also tried putting a plastic tub lid under the box, with a
little bit of the lid sticking out from the step in end of the box.
Often though, the errant stream reaches like 8 inches or even more
beyond the doorway. And then sometimes she would go in the undertray,
in the crystal litter than she detests. Although the undertray idea
offered some relief, it doesn't seem to be the answer.

I thought about a really big undertray, like an oil drip pan for a
driveway. While that would keep the urine off the floor (unfortunately,
somewhat slanted), it would still mean cleaning the undertray and bottom
of the cat box several times a week. I could be ok with once or maybe
even twice a week. It's a pretty big stinky job.

What do you think of the idea of having a REALLY big box made for her?
Something like 2 feet by three feet, maybe covered?

And thanks so much for your replies, I notice you two seem to be
regulars here.

Lisa

Gilbert Chew wrote:

Lisa Horton wrote in
:

Also this year, we've developed a cat box problem. She urinates out
of the box. She's standing IN the box, but seems to have trouble
squatting, so she urinates horizontally, right out the door of the
covered cat box. I've been trying various configurations trying to
keep the urine in the box, with no success. This weekend I found what
seemed like it might be the solution, a Booda "igloo" style box, with
a ramp to climb in, and designed in such a way as to make it difficult
to shoot a stream out of the box. For two days, it seemed like it
would solve the problem. But this morning, it looks like she urinated
next to the box.

This is going to sound nutty, but... have you talked to your vet about
this?

Yes, on more than one occasion. He assures me that there is nothing
"medical" causing this, although like me, he feels that at least part of
the issue is simply being too old to comfortably squat. He is
monitoring her blood pressure and kidney function.


Assuming there's no new health problem, maybe she just doesn't like the
new box, or having to climb up a ramp. Maybe you could, uh, lengthen
the runway. Reinstall the old box, but with an additional shallow box
just outside the open door. Fill the shallow box with a little litter
she doesn't like, so that she won't urinate while standing in the extra
box. When she stands in the old box, the stream will go out the door
and land in the new box.

And Karen Chuplis wrote:

Can you put *another* box in front of the door? Sort of extend it a bit? I
hesitate to have you change the box to a bigger open one since she is 21 and
way used to a covered one.

For more than 10 years she used the same box, which she seemed to like,
a medium sized regular covered box. Until I moved here in '96, her box
was always on the deck, here it's been in the garage. When the problem
started, I bought a very large covered box with a high step in sill.
She managed to get in there fine, and seemed to like the box well
enough, but when it didn't solve the problem, I switched back to her old
box. I also tried putting a plastic tub lid under the box, with a
little bit of the lid sticking out from the step in end of the box.
Often though, the errant stream reaches like 8 inches or even more
beyond the doorway. And then sometimes she would go in the undertray,
in the crystal litter than she detests. Although the undertray idea
offered some relief, it doesn't seem to be the answer.

I thought about a really big undertray, like an oil drip pan for a
driveway. While that would keep the urine off the floor (unfortunately,
somewhat slanted), it would still mean cleaning the undertray and bottom
of the cat box several times a week. I could be ok with once or maybe
even twice a week. It's a pretty big stinky job.

What do you think of the idea of having a REALLY big box made for her?
Something like 2 feet by three feet, maybe covered?

And thanks so much for your replies, I notice you two seem to be
regulars here.

Lisa

Lisa wrote:

Any thoughts or advice would be
welcome.

Since the problem is not that she doesn't use the box, but that she pees
over the side I have an idea that may work for her. Get one of those
tall plastic storage bins, but make sure to choose one that is not too
wide but is long. Being that your cat is arthritic, I would cut an
opening in the *side* of the box, rather than the end such as a standard
covered box has. Make it low enough that she can easily step in. The
reason I suggest that you do it on the side is because, if the box is
not too wide, she will not be able to stand comfortably facing the side
and will have to turn and stand with her rear facing the end where the
wall of the box is high. Even if she pees standing up it will still hit
the wall instead of going over it. I did this once before with a cat
that did what your cat is doing and it worked like a charm. Storage bins
are cheap and this would be worth a try.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

Lisa wrote:

Any thoughts or advice would be
welcome.

Since the problem is not that she doesn't use the box, but that she pees
over the side I have an idea that may work for her. Get one of those
tall plastic storage bins, but make sure to choose one that is not too
wide but is long. Being that your cat is arthritic, I would cut an
opening in the *side* of the box, rather than the end such as a standard
covered box has. Make it low enough that she can easily step in. The
reason I suggest that you do it on the side is because, if the box is
not too wide, she will not be able to stand comfortably facing the side
and will have to turn and stand with her rear facing the end where the
wall of the box is high. Even if she pees standing up it will still hit
the wall instead of going over it. I did this once before with a cat
that did what your cat is doing and it worked like a charm. Storage bins
are cheap and this would be worth a try.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

wrote:

Lisa wrote:

Any thoughts or advice would be
welcome.

Since the problem is not that she doesn't use the box, but that she pees
over the side I have an idea that may work for her. Get one of those
tall plastic storage bins, but make sure to choose one that is not too
wide but is long.

You're brilliant! I've been trying to think of how to make a
(preferably covered) cat box that's big, with tall sides, and with the
opening in the long side. I should be able to find an appropriately
sized tub, and I can certainly cut my own (narrow!) access hole in the
correct side. And the plastic would be easy to clean.

Looks like Princess will have a new custom cat box within a day or two

Lisa

wrote:

Lisa wrote:

Any thoughts or advice would be
welcome.

Since the problem is not that she doesn't use the box, but that she pees
over the side I have an idea that may work for her. Get one of those
tall plastic storage bins, but make sure to choose one that is not too
wide but is long.

You're brilliant! I've been trying to think of how to make a
(preferably covered) cat box that's big, with tall sides, and with the
opening in the long side. I should be able to find an appropriately
sized tub, and I can certainly cut my own (narrow!) access hole in the
correct side. And the plastic would be easy to clean.

Looks like Princess will have a new custom cat box within a day or two

Lisa

It sounds like your cat may have some of urinary or bladder infection
or other problem. Have you had an X-ray? Sometimes these things arent
detectable except by X-ray or something similar. It does sound medical
to me. Maybe you need a second opinion?