Inappropriate elimination

Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today - she pooped in her
travel box. In all the long years I've had her, she's never
*deliberately* pooped outside her box, though she has done so
accidentally a couple of times (while coughing up hairballs, from the
evidence).

She's also peed a bit inappropriately as well. She had recently had a
cystitis attack, but is now clear, and not showing the usual symptoms,
aside from peeing on my husband's papers. She's healthy, according to
the vet!

The only issue we're still working out is possibly chronic pain. She's
on Metacam, but we're considering putting her on a different painkiller.

We've been using the same litter for many years - Worlds' Best. I've
always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from inside
it. Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside it, also a
first. She has a new litterbox, but she started this behavior before
the new box - the new box was my latest attempt to help her, but
although I find it easier to clean, it has made no difference in her
behavior.

I'm worried about her but we can't figure out what's going on. There
have been no changes in her environment or food. Did Worlds Best
changed their formula when they changed their bags?

I can't quite figure out if this is a pain issue or not. Our house is
three stories. The litterbox is in the basement, and has always been
there. She goes from the main floor to the top floor readily, so I'm
not sure if her using the travel box - which is on the main floor - was
to avoid going down the basement stairs or not.

We need to figure out what's going on, and help her out somehow.

jmc

jmc wrote:
Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today - she pooped in her
travel box. In all the long years I've had her, she's never
*deliberately* pooped outside her box, though she has done so
accidentally a couple of times (while coughing up hairballs, from the
evidence).

She's also peed a bit inappropriately as well. She had recently had a
cystitis attack, but is now clear, and not showing the usual symptoms,
aside from peeing on my husband's papers. She's healthy, according to
the vet!

The only issue we're still working out is possibly chronic pain. She's
on Metacam, but we're considering putting her on a different painkiller.

We've been using the same litter for many years - Worlds' Best. I've
always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from inside
it. Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside it, also a
first. She has a new litterbox, but she started this behavior before
the new box - the new box was my latest attempt to help her, but
although I find it easier to clean, it has made no difference in her
behavior.

I'm worried about her but we can't figure out what's going on. There
have been no changes in her environment or food. Did Worlds Best
changed their formula when they changed their bags?

I can't quite figure out if this is a pain issue or not. Our house is
three stories. The litterbox is in the basement, and has always been
there. She goes from the main floor to the top floor readily, so I'm
not sure if her using the travel box - which is on the main floor - was
to avoid going down the basement stairs or not.

We need to figure out what's going on, and help her out somehow.

jmc



I have been using World's Best litter also, The last bag seemed
different and did not seem to control odor as well. So, now that I am
using the last of the bag, I have purchased a box of Tidy Cat to try.
TuTu uses the pan faithfully, but, Arm and Hammer was better at odor
control but was awfully dusty. Best wishes. MLB

"MLB" wrote in message
...
jmc wrote:
Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today - she pooped in her
travel box. In all the long years I've had her, she's never
*deliberately* pooped outside her box, though she has done so
accidentally a couple of times (while coughing up hairballs, from the
evidence).

She's also peed a bit inappropriately as well. She had recently had a
cystitis attack, but is now clear, and not showing the usual symptoms,
aside from peeing on my husband's papers. She's healthy, according to
the vet!

The only issue we're still working out is possibly chronic pain. She's
on Metacam, but we're considering putting her on a different painkiller.

We've been using the same litter for many years - Worlds' Best. I've
always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from inside
it. Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside it, also a
first. She has a new litterbox, but she started this behavior before the
new box - the new box was my latest attempt to help her, but although I
find it easier to clean, it has made no difference in her behavior.

I'm worried about her but we can't figure out what's going on. There
have been no changes in her environment or food. Did Worlds Best changed
their formula when they changed their bags?

I can't quite figure out if this is a pain issue or not. Our house is
three stories. The litterbox is in the basement, and has always been
there. She goes from the main floor to the top floor readily, so I'm not
sure if her using the travel box - which is on the main floor - was to
avoid going down the basement stairs or not.

We need to figure out what's going on, and help her out somehow.

jmc



I have been using World's Best litter also, The last bag seemed different
and did not seem to control odor as well. So, now that I am using the
last of the bag, I have purchased a box of Tidy Cat to try.
TuTu uses the pan faithfully, but, Arm and Hammer was better at odor
control but was awfully dusty. Best wishes. MLB

When cats get old and arthritic, they sometimes have a lot of trouble with
stairs......You should either get her an elevator, or put a litter box for
her on the floor where she normally stays.

Suddenly, without warning, Bill Graham exclaimed (6/19/2010 9:17 PM):

"MLB" wrote in message
...
jmc wrote:
Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today - she pooped in
her travel box. In all the long years I've had her, she's never
*deliberately* pooped outside her box, though she has done so
accidentally a couple of times (while coughing up hairballs, from the
evidence).

She's also peed a bit inappropriately as well. She had recently had
a cystitis attack, but is now clear, and not showing the usual
symptoms, aside from peeing on my husband's papers. She's healthy,
according to the vet!

The only issue we're still working out is possibly chronic pain.
She's on Metacam, but we're considering putting her on a different
painkiller.

We've been using the same litter for many years - Worlds' Best. I've
always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from
inside it. Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside
it, also a first. She has a new litterbox, but she started this
behavior before the new box - the new box was my latest attempt to
help her, but although I find it easier to clean, it has made no
difference in her behavior.

I'm worried about her but we can't figure out what's going on. There
have been no changes in her environment or food. Did Worlds Best
changed their formula when they changed their bags?

I can't quite figure out if this is a pain issue or not. Our house is
three stories. The litterbox is in the basement, and has always been
there. She goes from the main floor to the top floor readily, so I'm
not sure if her using the travel box - which is on the main floor -
was to avoid going down the basement stairs or not.

We need to figure out what's going on, and help her out somehow.

jmc



I have been using World's Best litter also, The last bag seemed
different and did not seem to control odor as well. So, now that I am
using the last of the bag, I have purchased a box of Tidy Cat to try.
TuTu uses the pan faithfully, but, Arm and Hammer was better at odor
control but was awfully dusty. Best wishes. MLB

When cats get old and arthritic, they sometimes have a lot of trouble
with stairs......You should either get her an elevator, or put a litter
box for her on the floor where she normally stays.

Actually, exercise is good for arthritis (I have some issues too and can
vouch for this), so I don't want to encourage her to not move around.
She gets up and down the stairs OK, actually, she usually races me.
Could still be uncomfortable doing it though. Spoke to the vet earlier
today, and it's her opinion it's certain types of movements - climbing
into the litter box, or squatting - that causes more pain. We're going
to try her on Tramadol and see how she does on that.

jmc

"jmc" wrote in message
...
Suddenly, without warning, Bill Graham exclaimed (6/19/2010 9:17 PM):

"MLB" wrote in message
...
jmc wrote:
Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today - she pooped in
her travel box. In all the long years I've had her, she's never
*deliberately* pooped outside her box, though she has done so
accidentally a couple of times (while coughing up hairballs, from the
evidence).

She's also peed a bit inappropriately as well. She had recently had a
cystitis attack, but is now clear, and not showing the usual symptoms,
aside from peeing on my husband's papers. She's healthy, according to
the vet!

The only issue we're still working out is possibly chronic pain. She's
on Metacam, but we're considering putting her on a different
painkiller.

We've been using the same litter for many years - Worlds' Best. I've
always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from inside
it. Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside it, also a
first. She has a new litterbox, but she started this behavior before
the new box - the new box was my latest attempt to help her, but
although I find it easier to clean, it has made no difference in her
behavior.

I'm worried about her but we can't figure out what's going on. There
have been no changes in her environment or food. Did Worlds Best
changed their formula when they changed their bags?

I can't quite figure out if this is a pain issue or not. Our house is
three stories. The litterbox is in the basement, and has always been
there. She goes from the main floor to the top floor readily, so I'm
not sure if her using the travel box - which is on the main floor - was
to avoid going down the basement stairs or not.

We need to figure out what's going on, and help her out somehow.

jmc



I have been using World's Best litter also, The last bag seemed
different and did not seem to control odor as well. So, now that I am
using the last of the bag, I have purchased a box of Tidy Cat to try.
TuTu uses the pan faithfully, but, Arm and Hammer was better at odor
control but was awfully dusty. Best wishes. MLB

When cats get old and arthritic, they sometimes have a lot of trouble
with stairs......You should either get her an elevator, or put a litter
box for her on the floor where she normally stays.

Actually, exercise is good for arthritis (I have some issues too and can
vouch for this), so I don't want to encourage her to not move around. She
gets up and down the stairs OK, actually, she usually races me. Could
still be uncomfortable doing it though. Spoke to the vet earlier today,
and it's her opinion it's certain types of movements - climbing into the
litter box, or squatting - that causes more pain. We're going to try her
on Tramadol and see how she does on that.

jmc

We have an old (formally feral) cat who doesn't jump anywhere anymore....He
prefers to climb wherever he goes, if possible. I think it's because of
arthritis in his rear legs and/or hips.

jmc wrote:
Suddenly, without warning, Bill Graham exclaimed (6/19/2010 9:17 PM):

"MLB" wrote in message
...
jmc wrote:
Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today - she pooped in
her travel box. In all the long years I've had her, she's never
*deliberately* pooped outside her box, though she has done so
accidentally a couple of times (while coughing up hairballs, from
the evidence).

She's also peed a bit inappropriately as well. She had recently had
a cystitis attack, but is now clear, and not showing the usual
symptoms, aside from peeing on my husband's papers. She's healthy,
according to the vet!

The only issue we're still working out is possibly chronic pain.
She's on Metacam, but we're considering putting her on a different
painkiller.

We've been using the same litter for many years - Worlds' Best.
I've always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from
inside it. Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside
it, also a first. She has a new litterbox, but she started this
behavior before the new box - the new box was my latest attempt to
help her, but although I find it easier to clean, it has made no
difference in her behavior.

I'm worried about her but we can't figure out what's going on.
There have been no changes in her environment or food. Did Worlds
Best changed their formula when they changed their bags?

I can't quite figure out if this is a pain issue or not. Our house
is three stories. The litterbox is in the basement, and has always
been there. She goes from the main floor to the top floor readily,
so I'm not sure if her using the travel box - which is on the main
floor - was to avoid going down the basement stairs or not.

We need to figure out what's going on, and help her out somehow.

jmc



I have been using World's Best litter also, The last bag seemed
different and did not seem to control odor as well. So, now that I
am using the last of the bag, I have purchased a box of Tidy Cat to try.
TuTu uses the pan faithfully, but, Arm and Hammer was better at odor
control but was awfully dusty. Best wishes. MLB

When cats get old and arthritic, they sometimes have a lot of trouble
with stairs......You should either get her an elevator, or put a
litter box for her on the floor where she normally stays.

Actually, exercise is good for arthritis (I have some issues too and can
vouch for this), so I don't want to encourage her to not move around.
She gets up and down the stairs OK, actually, she usually races me.
Could still be uncomfortable doing it though. Spoke to the vet earlier
today, and it's her opinion it's certain types of movements - climbing
into the litter box, or squatting - that causes more pain. We're going
to try her on Tramadol and see how she does on that.

jmc


Let us know how it works. Best wishes. MLB

On Jun 19, 12:28*pm, jmc wrote:
Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today
snip
*I've
always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from inside
it. *Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside it, also a
first. *She has a new litterbox, but she started this behavior before
the new box - the new box was my latest attempt to help her, but
although I find it easier to clean, it has made no difference in her
behavior.
snip

I have three of these jumbo boxes (see link below) and they work great
for my one cat that tends pee over the side of regular boxes. Three
sides are high and one is low. The cat can still pee over the low
side, but the odds are much better that it will hit a high side.

I would recommend putting one on every floor. I also like Arm and
Hammer
unscented litter. Yes it has a bit of dust, but better than most and
my cats seem to like it. It helps to control odor and is easy to
scoop.
Just my $.02 worth.

http://www.petco.com/product/108493/...d LitterBoxes

Debbie

Suddenly, without warning, dberrycat exclaimed (6/20/2010 2:29 PM):
On Jun 19, 12:28 pm, jmc wrote:
Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today
snip
I've
always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from inside
it. Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside it, also a
first. She has a new litterbox, but she started this behavior before
the new box - the new box was my latest attempt to help her, but
although I find it easier to clean, it has made no difference in her
behavior.
snip

I have three of these jumbo boxes (see link below) and they work great
for my one cat that tends pee over the side of regular boxes. Three
sides are high and one is low. The cat can still pee over the low
side, but the odds are much better that it will hit a high side.

I would recommend putting one on every floor. I also like Arm and
Hammer
unscented litter. Yes it has a bit of dust, but better than most and
my cats seem to like it. It helps to control odor and is easy to
scoop.
Just my $.02 worth.

http://www.petco.com/product/108493/...d LitterBoxes

Debbie

Sorry, mine's already peeing over the low side. Or up-and-over the high
sides, even if they're REALLY high (my current one is almost this high),
so I can't put a litterbox anywhere there's carpet - we rent. And yes,
I've tried covered boxes - she pees through the seam!

I do have plans to go get a really, really big plastic storage box, cut
the sides down to a few inches, and set the litter box *inside* this
one. I'd rather figure out why she does it, and correct that.

jmc

"jmc" wrote in message
...
Suddenly, without warning, dberrycat exclaimed (6/20/2010 2:29 PM):
On Jun 19, 12:28 pm, jmc wrote:
Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today
snip
I've
always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from inside
it. Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside it, also a
first. She has a new litterbox, but she started this behavior before
the new box - the new box was my latest attempt to help her, but
although I find it easier to clean, it has made no difference in her
behavior.
snip

I have three of these jumbo boxes (see link below) and they work great
for my one cat that tends pee over the side of regular boxes. Three
sides are high and one is low. The cat can still pee over the low
side, but the odds are much better that it will hit a high side.

I would recommend putting one on every floor. I also like Arm and
Hammer
unscented litter. Yes it has a bit of dust, but better than most and
my cats seem to like it. It helps to control odor and is easy to
scoop.
Just my $.02 worth.

http://www.petco.com/product/108493/...d LitterBoxes

Debbie

Sorry, mine's already peeing over the low side. Or up-and-over the high
sides, even if they're REALLY high (my current one is almost this high),
so I can't put a litterbox anywhere there's carpet - we rent. And yes,
I've tried covered boxes - she pees through the seam!

I do have plans to go get a really, really big plastic storage box, cut
the sides down to a few inches, and set the litter box *inside* this one.
I'd rather figure out why she does it, and correct that.

jmc

Well, I've heard of, "thinking outside the box", but until this thread, I
hadn't heard of, "peeing outside the box".

Suddenly, without warning, Bill Graham exclaimed (6/20/2010 8:12 PM):

"jmc" wrote in message
...
Suddenly, without warning, dberrycat exclaimed (6/20/2010 2:29 PM):
On Jun 19, 12:28 pm, jmc wrote:
Meep (14 years old now) did something alarming today
snip
I've
always had a problem with her peeing outside the box - but from inside
it. Just recently, she may have peed NEAR it while outside it, also a
first. She has a new litterbox, but she started this behavior before
the new box - the new box was my latest attempt to help her, but
although I find it easier to clean, it has made no difference in her
behavior.
snip

I have three of these jumbo boxes (see link below) and they work great
for my one cat that tends pee over the side of regular boxes. Three
sides are high and one is low. The cat can still pee over the low
side, but the odds are much better that it will hit a high side.

I would recommend putting one on every floor. I also like Arm and
Hammer
unscented litter. Yes it has a bit of dust, but better than most and
my cats seem to like it. It helps to control odor and is easy to
scoop.
Just my $.02 worth.

http://www.petco.com/product/108493/...d LitterBoxes


Debbie

Sorry, mine's already peeing over the low side. Or up-and-over the
high sides, even if they're REALLY high (my current one is almost this
high), so I can't put a litterbox anywhere there's carpet - we rent.
And yes, I've tried covered boxes - she pees through the seam!

I do have plans to go get a really, really big plastic storage box,
cut the sides down to a few inches, and set the litter box *inside*
this one. I'd rather figure out why she does it, and correct that.

jmc

Well, I've heard of, "thinking outside the box", but until this thread,
I hadn't heard of, "peeing outside the box".

lol. I call it, "following the letter but not the spirit of the law",
since she is IN the box every time

jmc