incontinent senior citizen kitty :-(

My older cat, now 18 years old, started peeing on the kitchen floor
earlier this spring. I've done all the obvious things; took her to
the vet at the first sign of trouble, but that turned up no new
medical problems; put another box down in the kitchen, which she used
consistently for a month or so before starting to use the floor
occasionally again; made sure I'm changing the litter in all the boxes
extra-frequently; use an enzyme cleaner to try to clean up the urine
smell on the floor; etc. I haven't changed the brand of litter, the
placement of the other boxes, or anything else in the household
routine.

Slinky's in decent health otherwise. She does have hyperthyroidism
which has been under control with medication for about 5 years. The
vet says she's been showing signs of mild kidney disease for a while,
but hasn't suggested medication or treatment for that yet. She does
both drink and pee more than she used to, and I noted that I was
having to clean the litter boxes more frequently well before she
started peeing outside the box. She's not as agile or energetic as
she used to be, but she generally seems like a happy cat and isn't in
any obvious distress. I, on the other hand, am not at all happy about
having my house stunk up with cat pee. :-(

So, what to do? It would be easier to make a decision about
euthanasia if she were obviously sick, but she's not. Keeping her in
a cage doesn't seem like a particularly nice way for her to live out
her old age, either, but I don't really have a good place in my house
where I could confine her where her "accidents" would do a minimum of
damage. (She's a 100% indoor cat, BTW.) I've been taking a
wait-and-see attitude about it so far, but now she's about due for one
of her regular check-ups at the vet, but I was wondering if other
people had any thoughts or advice before I talk to the vet about the
options....

-Sandra

Has she been checked for diabetes? I somehow think your vet is being lax in
this case (ie mild kidney disease). I would get another opinion.
Gail
"Sandra Loosemore" wrote in message
...
My older cat, now 18 years old, started peeing on the kitchen floor
earlier this spring. I've done all the obvious things; took her to
the vet at the first sign of trouble, but that turned up no new
medical problems; put another box down in the kitchen, which she used
consistently for a month or so before starting to use the floor
occasionally again; made sure I'm changing the litter in all the boxes
extra-frequently; use an enzyme cleaner to try to clean up the urine
smell on the floor; etc. I haven't changed the brand of litter, the
placement of the other boxes, or anything else in the household
routine.

Slinky's in decent health otherwise. She does have hyperthyroidism
which has been under control with medication for about 5 years. The
vet says she's been showing signs of mild kidney disease for a while,
but hasn't suggested medication or treatment for that yet. She does
both drink and pee more than she used to, and I noted that I was
having to clean the litter boxes more frequently well before she
started peeing outside the box. She's not as agile or energetic as
she used to be, but she generally seems like a happy cat and isn't in
any obvious distress. I, on the other hand, am not at all happy about
having my house stunk up with cat pee. :-(

So, what to do? It would be easier to make a decision about
euthanasia if she were obviously sick, but she's not. Keeping her in
a cage doesn't seem like a particularly nice way for her to live out
her old age, either, but I don't really have a good place in my house
where I could confine her where her "accidents" would do a minimum of
damage. (She's a 100% indoor cat, BTW.) I've been taking a
wait-and-see attitude about it so far, but now she's about due for one
of her regular check-ups at the vet, but I was wondering if other
people had any thoughts or advice before I talk to the vet about the
options....

-Sandra

"Gail" writes:

Has she been checked for diabetes? I somehow think your vet is being lax in
this case (ie mild kidney disease). I would get another opinion.

Yup, she's had a complete set of blood work and urinalysis. In fact,
she'd just had a routine set of tests around Christmas before I
brought her back for another set in the spring when the trouble
started. I'm not sure I want to keep pouring money into expensive
tests that aren't showing any physical problem; or even if there *was*
some serious problem revealed, I'm not sure I'd want to pour even more
money into expensive treatments that are not going to make a great
deal of difference in extending her life at this point.

-Sandra

My thoughts were just that a medical reason could be causing the
incontinence........If you treat the medical problem, you resolve the
problem.......
Gail
"Sandra Loosemore" wrote in message
...
"Gail" writes:

Has she been checked for diabetes? I somehow think your vet is being lax
in
this case (ie mild kidney disease). I would get another opinion.

Yup, she's had a complete set of blood work and urinalysis. In fact,
she'd just had a routine set of tests around Christmas before I
brought her back for another set in the spring when the trouble
started. I'm not sure I want to keep pouring money into expensive
tests that aren't showing any physical problem; or even if there *was*
some serious problem revealed, I'm not sure I'd want to pour even more
money into expensive treatments that are not going to make a great
deal of difference in extending her life at this point.

-Sandra

"Gail" writes:

My thoughts were just that a medical reason could be causing the
incontinence........If you treat the medical problem, you resolve the
problem.......

Well, yes; like I said in my original message, that was one of the first
things I tried, but the vet didn't see any medical problem.

-Sandra

"Sandra Loosemore" wrote in message
...
"Gail" writes:

My thoughts were just that a medical reason could be causing the
incontinence........If you treat the medical problem, you resolve the
problem.......

Well, yes; like I said in my original message, that was one of the first
things I tried, but the vet didn't see any medical problem.


Your cat really is old. Many cats don't live to see 18. I think maybe
the vet expects lots of things to start going wrong--which is not to
say she should not be treated, of course. But you will have some very
important judgments to make fairly soon.

"cybercat" writes:

Your cat really is old. Many cats don't live to see 18. I think maybe
the vet expects lots of things to start going wrong--which is not to
say she should not be treated, of course. But you will have some very
important judgments to make fairly soon.

Yes. :-( Was basically hoping to hear from people who've "been there,
done that". If you've had an older cat with incontinence problems,
how did you cope? I understand that euthanasia would be the right
solution if she were to develop a serious illness, but I don't really
like the idea of going down that route when she doesn't really seem to
be sick, just occasionally forgetful.

-Sandra

Sandra Loosemore wrote:
Your cat really is old. Many cats don't live to see 18. I think maybe
the vet expects lots of things to start going wrong--which is not to
say she should not be treated, of course. But you will have some very
important judgments to make fairly soon.

Yes. :-( Was basically hoping to hear from people who've "been there,
done that". If you've had an older cat with incontinence problems,
how did you cope? I understand that euthanasia would be the right
solution if she were to develop a serious illness, but I don't really
like the idea of going down that route when she doesn't really seem to
be sick, just occasionally forgetful.

-Sandra

De-lurking - consider perhaps your cat might be arthritic: I've also had a
cat this age that sometimes peed outside the box when her arthritis wasn't so
well-controlled - you mention she's not as agile or energetic - has she
visibly lost muscle mass on her back or front legs? can she still jump &/or
climb stairs? she may be having problems getting in & out of the box. My
cat's back legs at times were so stiff that she couldn't bend them to squat &
pee so it really wasn't incontinence because she always went as close as
possible to her box. I did have fantastic results for her last 4 years using
2 caps Cosequin (glucosamine) daily & she weighed about 7 lbs, a chewable non-
flavored baby aspirin twice a week, & in her last year another stronger
liquid anti-inflammatory whose name I've forgotten. These drugs weren't that
expensive & she took her meds willingly. The Cosequin caps are sprinkled over
the food. She was euthanized at almost 21 years last year for another non-
treatable problem.
M.

--
Message posted via CatKB.com
http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200607/1

"mariib via CatKB.com" u22469@uwe writes:

De-lurking - consider perhaps your cat might be arthritic: I've also had a
cat this age that sometimes peed outside the box when her arthritis wasn't so
well-controlled - you mention she's not as agile or energetic - has she
visibly lost muscle mass on her back or front legs? can she still jump &/or
climb stairs? she may be having problems getting in & out of the box.

I don't think that's it, either. I live in a 3-story townhouse and
she has no problems with the stairs or with jumping on the bed or her
favorite sleeping chair. The one thing she can't do any more is jump
straight up from the floor to my desk or the kitchen counter; she
needs to use a chair as an intermediate step now. She also seems to
have no problems squatting to pee whether inside or outside the box
(yes, I've caught her in the act). Best as I can figure, she's just
gotten senile in her old age. :-P

-Sandra

I don't think that's it, either. I live in a 3-story townhouse and
she has no problems with the stairs or with jumping on the bed or her
favorite sleeping chair. The one thing she can't do any more is jump
straight up from the floor to my desk or the kitchen counter; she
needs to use a chair as an intermediate step now. She also seems to
have no problems squatting to pee whether inside or outside the box
(yes, I've caught her in the act). Best as I can figure, she's just
gotten senile in her old age. :-P

-Sandra

Hi Sandra,

My older cat Molly (17 years plus) has similar issues. She tends to pee in
the same two or three spots so I finally got disposable pads (the name
escapes me now but "puppy pads" is close!). Those get picked up and tossed
regularly--she's pretty good about urinating in the same areas but there are
still accidents in other places. I'm fortunate that I have tile floors that
are easy to clean up--not much carpeting in the areas of the house that she
frequents. I use an enzymatic cleaner to clean up spills so the other cats
don't join her in stinking up the place! I do confine her to the utility
room at night--she seems to have more accidents at night. In there, the
floor is covered with a couple of larger washable pads and those are washed
very frequently.

With Molly, I think she is senile. She'll stand in a corner and yowl
loudly until she figures out how to get herself turned around. She still
seems to enjoy life (and food!) but she is definitely declining in her
abilities. It's tough to see them get older and more frail.

I wasn't sure from your initial post--has she been checked recently for a
urinary tract infection? Have you talked to your vet about medication for
incontinence? I don't know much about it but there are medications that do
help with certain types of incontinence. Currently, I feel I can deal with
the hassle but the time may come when it's too much. It's a difficult
decision to make!

Good luck with Slinky,

Bonnie