End of my cat pee-pee rope!

Most of you know me from me posting here over the last - who knows how
many years. I don't give up easily and I don't advocate drastic
measures. But I am at the end of my rope with Mimi.

Mimi is my tortie I have had since she was 7 weeks, and she's 17.5
now. Off and on over the last 5 or 6 years she's peed outside the
litterbox, I thought, as an accident - she'd hang her butt over the
edge and pee. It would happen every few weeks. No big deal. Well,
since we lost Peewee, it got worse - I thought it was the litterbox,
so I changed to a covered box. That worked great for about 2 or 3
months. Now she's (I think) hanging her butt out the end of the
covered box and peeing on the floor. It's happening every day now,
and it's frustrating as hell. She's got beginning stages of CRF, so
she's peeing more than normal. She's been to the vet and other than a
bit of arthritis in her back hips which she's had forever, and the
CRF, everything else checks as normal. I have tried (over the years
and the last few months) huge, wide and low boxes, a box with the
side cut down so she didn't have to step much into it, Jumbo pans and
the covered pan. The litter she likes is unscented and I stick with
it. I tried a couple others and it made the peeing worse.

At this point, I have to think it's behavioral, and the vet agrees. I
am completely fed up with cleaning up copious amounts of pee every day
- as horrible as that may sound to some, it's the truth. I don't
really know what to do about it. I'm considering making her a heated
house outside (storage shed), and putting a sandbox in the yard. The
dog could be out there with her, and she could pee wherever she
wants. The yard is completely fenced, and I doubt she would leave the
yard. I see this as preferable to euthanizing her, and I *really*
don't want to do that over a behavioral issue. But dammit, I
seriously can't cope with the peeing. Euthing her would kill me -
living outside is a solution I am thinking may be the only thing we
can try.
(I live in OR - the weather is moderate here, so freezing isn't a
problem.)

I guess I'm posting mainly to get this off my chest. I keep thinking
about Rhonda from alt.cats who eventually had to euth her white long-
haird cat years ago, after she pooped and peed on the floor forever,
and Rhonda had tried everything. I never wanted to be in her shoes,
and here I find myself, 6 years later (or so). :/

-L.

On Oct 13, 9:00 pm, "-L." wrote:
Most of you know me from me posting here over the last - who knows how
many years. I don't give up easily and I don't advocate drastic
measures. But I am at the end of my rope with Mimi.

Mimi is my tortie I have had since she was 7 weeks, and she's 17.5
now. Off and on over the last 5 or 6 years she's peed outside the
litterbox, I thought, as an accident - she'd hang her butt over the
edge and pee. It would happen every few weeks. No big deal. Well,
since we lost Peewee, it got worse - I thought it was the litterbox,
so I changed to a covered box. That worked great for about 2 or 3
months. Now she's (I think) hanging her butt out the end of the
covered box and peeing on the floor. It's happening every day now,
and it's frustrating as hell. She's got beginning stages of CRF, so
she's peeing more than normal. She's been to the vet and other than a
bit of arthritis in her back hips which she's had forever, and the
CRF, everything else checks as normal. I have tried (over the years
and the last few months) huge, wide and low boxes, a box with the
side cut down so she didn't have to step much into it, Jumbo pans and
the covered pan. The litter she likes is unscented and I stick with
it. I tried a couple others and it made the peeing worse.

At this point, I have to think it's behavioral, and the vet agrees. I
am completely fed up with cleaning up copious amounts of pee every day
- as horrible as that may sound to some, it's the truth. I don't
really know what to do about it. I'm considering making her a heated
house outside (storage shed), and putting a sandbox in the yard. The
dog could be out there with her, and she could pee wherever she
wants. The yard is completely fenced, and I doubt she would leave the
yard. I see this as preferable to euthanizing her, and I *really*
don't want to do that over a behavioral issue. But dammit, I
seriously can't cope with the peeing. Euthing her would kill me -
living outside is a solution I am thinking may be the only thing we
can try.
(I live in OR - the weather is moderate here, so freezing isn't a
problem.)

I guess I'm posting mainly to get this off my chest. I keep thinking
about Rhonda from alt.cats who eventually had to euth her white long-
haird cat years ago, after she pooped and peed on the floor forever,
and Rhonda had tried everything. I never wanted to be in her shoes,
and here I find myself, 6 years later (or so). :/

-L.

I think you've probably heard me tell this story before about Yoda. It
made
me join the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" club. Long story short,
Yoda
pees on anything in floor. I started putting a clean towel down, every
day, next
to the litterbox.
He pees on it, and I toss it in the washer. We're both a lot happier
now.
Anyway, I was wondering if you can't put down a towel folded next to
the box,
where she "hangs over". Might make cleanup a little easier?

Sherry

"-L." wrote in message
ups.com...
Most of you know me from me posting here over the last - who knows how
many years. I don't give up easily and I don't advocate drastic
measures. But I am at the end of my rope with Mimi.

Mimi is my tortie I have had since she was 7 weeks, and she's 17.5
now. Off and on over the last 5 or 6 years she's peed outside the
litterbox, I thought, as an accident - she'd hang her butt over the
edge and pee. It would happen every few weeks. No big deal. Well,
since we lost Peewee, it got worse - I thought it was the litterbox,
so I changed to a covered box. That worked great for about 2 or 3
months. Now she's (I think) hanging her butt out the end of the
covered box and peeing on the floor. It's happening every day now,
and it's frustrating as hell. She's got beginning stages of CRF, so
she's peeing more than normal. She's been to the vet and other than a
bit of arthritis in her back hips which she's had forever, and the
CRF, everything else checks as normal. I have tried (over the years
and the last few months) huge, wide and low boxes, a box with the
side cut down so she didn't have to step much into it, Jumbo pans and
the covered pan. The litter she likes is unscented and I stick with
it. I tried a couple others and it made the peeing worse.

At this point, I have to think it's behavioral, and the vet agrees. I
am completely fed up with cleaning up copious amounts of pee every day
- as horrible as that may sound to some, it's the truth. I don't
really know what to do about it. I'm considering making her a heated
house outside (storage shed), and putting a sandbox in the yard. The
dog could be out there with her, and she could pee wherever she
wants. The yard is completely fenced, and I doubt she would leave the
yard. I see this as preferable to euthanizing her, and I *really*
don't want to do that over a behavioral issue. But dammit, I
seriously can't cope with the peeing. Euthing her would kill me -
living outside is a solution I am thinking may be the only thing we
can try.
(I live in OR - the weather is moderate here, so freezing isn't a
problem.)

I guess I'm posting mainly to get this off my chest. I keep thinking
about Rhonda from alt.cats who eventually had to euth her white long-
haird cat years ago, after she pooped and peed on the floor forever,
and Rhonda had tried everything. I never wanted to be in her shoes,
and here I find myself, 6 years later (or so). :/

If you don't mind giving one last thing a try, PetsMart has an igloo looking
litterbox. The cat has to walk up a spiraled ramp on the *inside* of the
box and make a complete 180 then to *down* the ramp slightly before reaching
the litter. Since it's a ramp it shouldn't be hard on her arthritis (I have
a feeling that was one reason for the design) but another benefit is they
can't hang their butt over the side to pee. I know if it's totally a
behavior problem she may just not bother with the litter box at all, but
it's a shot. Knowing you, I'm sure you've ruled out any medical problem,
UTI, interstitial cycstitus, etc. But it could be something as simple as
aging eyesight or a touch of alzheimers.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck and please keep us posted about Mimi.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Hugs,

CatNipped



-L.

CatNipped wrote:
If you don't mind giving one last thing a try, PetsMart has an igloo looking
litterbox. The cat has to walk up a spiraled ramp on the *inside* of the
box and make a complete 180 then to *down* the ramp slightly before reaching
the litter. Since it's a ramp it shouldn't be hard on her arthritis (I have
a feeling that was one reason for the design) but another benefit is they
can't hang their butt over the side to pee. I know if it's totally a
behavior problem she may just not bother with the litter box at all, but
it's a shot. Knowing you, I'm sure you've ruled out any medical problem,
UTI, interstitial cycstitus, etc. But it could be something as simple as
aging eyesight or a touch of alzheimers.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck and please keep us posted about Mimi.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Hugs,

CatNipped

Thanks, guys, for the input. I'll see if I can find this box, and
also look for the Pee Pads. Towel is a great idea, Sherry, but not
practical for me at this point (I am doing way to much laundry as it
is). I'm not giving up on her yet - just really, really
frustrated. :/ We know her eyesight is not the best, and that may be
part of it too. I leave a light on for her, so she can see the box at
night.

Thanks again - you guys are great.

-L.




-L.

"-L." wrote in message
oups.com...

CatNipped wrote:
If you don't mind giving one last thing a try, PetsMart has an igloo
looking
litterbox. The cat has to walk up a spiraled ramp on the *inside* of the
box and make a complete 180 then to *down* the ramp slightly before
reaching
the litter. Since it's a ramp it shouldn't be hard on her arthritis (I
have
a feeling that was one reason for the design) but another benefit is they
can't hang their butt over the side to pee. I know if it's totally a
behavior problem she may just not bother with the litter box at all, but
it's a shot. Knowing you, I'm sure you've ruled out any medical problem,
UTI, interstitial cycstitus, etc. But it could be something as simple as
aging eyesight or a touch of alzheimers.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck and please keep us posted about
Mimi.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Hugs,

CatNipped

Thanks, guys, for the input. I'll see if I can find this box, and
also look for the Pee Pads. Towel is a great idea, Sherry, but not
practical for me at this point (I am doing way to much laundry as it
is). I'm not giving up on her yet - just really, really
frustrated. :/

I know exactly how you feel - one of my children was a bed wetter and it was
very hard and frustrating to constantly have to change his bedding,
sometimes two or three times a night. As much as you love your family, you
can't help but be exasperated when they cause you constant extra work and
aggravation.

Hugs,

CatNipped

We know her eyesight is not the best, and that may be
part of it too. I leave a light on for her, so she can see the box at
night.

Thanks again - you guys are great.

-L.




-L.

On Oct 14, 7:52 am, "-L." wrote:
CatNipped wrote:
If you don't mind giving one last thing a try, PetsMart has an igloo looking
litterbox. The cat has to walk up a spiraled ramp on the *inside* of the
box and make a complete 180 then to *down* the ramp slightly before reaching
the litter. Since it's a ramp it shouldn't be hard on her arthritis (I have
a feeling that was one reason for the design) but another benefit is they
can't hang their butt over the side to pee. I know if it's totally a
behavior problem she may just not bother with the litter box at all, but
it's a shot. Knowing you, I'm sure you've ruled out any medical problem,
UTI, interstitial cycstitus, etc. But it could be something as simple as
aging eyesight or a touch of alzheimers.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck and please keep us posted about Mimi.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Hugs,

CatNipped

Thanks, guys, for the input. I'll see if I can find this box, and
also look for the Pee Pads. Towel is a great idea, Sherry, but not
practical for me at this point (I am doing way to much laundry as it
is). I'm not giving up on her yet - just really, really
frustrated. :/ We know her eyesight is not the best, and that may be
part of it too. I leave a light on for her, so she can see the box at
night.

Thanks again - you guys are great.

-L.

I hear that. If I had laundry to do for a whole family instead of just
us 2, it would be different. I think you're just venting though, and I
also think that's perfectly natural. We all have days where there's
too much litter kicked in the floor, too much hair all over our
clothes, too many hairballs to step in. Plus a family to clean up
after, no matter how much we love the family *and* the cats, it's
enough to make you want to throw your hands up sometimes.
Sherry

Sherry wrote:

I hear that. If I had laundry to do for a whole family instead of just
us 2, it would be different. I think you're just venting though, and I
also think that's perfectly natural. We all have days where there's
too much litter kicked in the floor, too much hair all over our
clothes, too many hairballs to step in. Plus a family to clean up
after, no matter how much we love the family *and* the cats, it's
enough to make you want to throw your hands up sometimes.
Sherry

I think that's it, in a nutshell. I am stretched pretty thin lately
and the cat pee is more than I can take some days. I have had a bad
run of bad pees this week. :/

By the way, it was Renee B. (not Rhonda) and her cat Cleo, with the
story in alt.cats, if anyone wants to read her story. It was a sad
story. It has stuck with me for a long time.

-L.

"-L." wrote in message
ups.com...

Mimi is my tortie I have had since she was 7 weeks, and she's 17.5
now. Off and on over the last 5 or 6 years she's peed outside the
litterbox, I thought, as an accident - she'd hang her butt over the
edge and pee. It would happen every few weeks. No big deal. Well,
since we lost Peewee, it got worse - I thought it was the litterbox,
so I changed to a covered box. That worked great for about 2 or 3
months. Now she's (I think) hanging her butt out the end of the
covered box and peeing on the floor. It's happening every day now,
and it's frustrating as hell. She's got beginning stages of CRF, so
she's peeing more than normal. She's been to the vet and other than a
bit of arthritis in her back hips which she's had forever, and the
CRF, everything else checks as normal. I have tried (over the years
and the last few months) huge, wide and low boxes, a box with the
side cut down so she didn't have to step much into it, Jumbo pans and
the covered pan. The litter she likes is unscented and I stick with
it. I tried a couple others and it made the peeing worse.

Can you get some kind of large tray to set the litter box in, so that any
urine that goes over the side just drips into the pan, which can be easily
pickd up and rinsed out? It would probably take up quite a bit of floor
space but if you have the room, it's another option.

Stinky, one of our cats at work, will sometimes end up dripping outside the
box. She backs up into a corner and many times some of the urine ends up
outside. It happens with covered & uncovered boxes (we have 4). I don't
think her problem is behavioral, more like she had her back end up a little
too high that time. Most of the urine is in the box. We have one big, tall
storage tub that I use as one littler box and all urine stays in that one.
She has no trouble getting in & out of boxes but an arthritic cat might need
a step to help her access a tall box.

--
Liz

-L. wrote:

Thanks, guys, for the input. I'll see if I can find this box, and
also look for the Pee Pads. Towel is a great idea, Sherry, but not
practical for me at this point (I am doing way to much laundry as it
is). I'm not giving up on her yet - just really, really
frustrated. :/ We know her eyesight is not the best, and that may be
part of it too. I leave a light on for her, so she can see the box at
night.


Hey Lyn,

If she is hanging her rear over the end, can you find a litter box with
taller sides? It sounds like the current entry is too low. We've even
resorted to looking in the Rubbermaid/plastic container section of
stores for tall-sided things to use as litter boxes.

Hope you find a solution. Is this on a carpet? If so, you can get a big
scrap of linoleum to put under the box.

Good luck,

Rhonda

Response from "-L." :

Sherry wrote:

I hear that. If I had laundry to do for a whole family instead of
just us 2, it would be different. I think you're just venting
though, and I also think that's perfectly natural. We all have
days where there's too much litter kicked in the floor, too much
hair all over our clothes, too many hairballs to step in. Plus a
family to clean up after, no matter how much we love the family
*and* the cats, it's enough to make you want to throw your hands
up sometimes. Sherry

I think that's it, in a nutshell. I am stretched pretty thin
lately and the cat pee is more than I can take some days. I have
had a bad run of bad pees this week. :/

By the way, it was Renee B. (not Rhonda) and her cat Cleo, with
the story in alt.cats, if anyone wants to read her story. It was
a sad story. It has stuck with me for a long time.

I don't suppose you have a Message-ID for it do you? I did a little
search and only came up with someone running their trap something to
the effect of every animal Renee has ever had has been euthanized.

I also saw you come to her defense. : )

Or do you know the title of the post?

Thanks, and I hope your poor kitty and you can come to a reasonable
solution. I think the outside shed idea is perfect by the way.

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.