by Shojai, Amy
An adult cat without elimination problems uses the litter box on average five times per day. The more cats you have, the greater your chances of bathroom problems. Felines have very specific ideas about who should go where, and which cat owns what litter box. Ages of cats and placement of facilities have a great impact. Strays rescued from the neighborhood or shelter that spent previous years outdoors may not have a clue about using an indoor litter box.
CALMING SIGNALS: WHO DID THE DIRTY DEED?
In multiple cat households, you must identify the culprit(s) in order to treat the right cat. Confinement may help, or ask your veterinarian about “pilling” each cat in turn with fluorescein dye, suggests Dr. Seskel. Six dye strips placed in a gelatin capsule given orally to the cat causes the urine to fluoresce a bright yellow-green color (under a black light) for 24 hours after ingestion. For inappropriate defecation, add shavings of different colored non-toxic crayons to the food of each cat.
HAIRBALL HORRORS
Barefooted owners discover wads of wet fur—hairballs—decorating the most stainable portions of the carpet during the wee hours of the night. Hairballs challenge all cat owners but multi-cat homes must manage more hair. Cats spend up to 50 percent of awake-time grooming themselves. Friendly cats also groom each other, so the more cats, the greater becomes the problem. Swallowed fur that doesn’t pass into the litter box becomes hotdog or cigar-shaped wads when vomited.
An occasional hairball, especially from longhaired cats during shedding season, isn’t unusual. But large amounts of swallowed fur can block the digestive tract. Fifty percent of feline constipation is due to hairballs, and when cats suffer painful bowel movements they often “blame” the box, and stop using it. There are inexpensive and effective means to prevent hairballs.
· Regularly comb and brush your cats, to reduce the amount they swallow through grooming themselves and each other.
· Feed a “hairball diet.” Commercial formulas include added nondigestible fiber that helps push swallowed hair through the digestive tract and into the litter box.
· Mix a teaspoon of plain bran or Metamucil into canned meals. Some cats enjoy grazing on wheat grass, available in grow kits from pet products stores. Flaxseeds or psyllium husks, available in health food stores, also act as natural laxatives and work well. Add ¼ teaspoon of flaxseeds or psyllium for every meal.
· Digestible fats such as butter cause diarrhea or are absorbed before they move the hairball, but non-medicated petroleum jelly works well. Spread the jelly on Sheba’s forepaw for her to lick off.
· Canned pumpkin is very rich in fiber, and many cats like it as a treat. Serve a teaspoonful over the cat’s regular food a couple of times a week. Divide the can into teaspoon-size dollops and freeze in an ice cube tray, so you can thaw one serving at a time. Commercial products also help the hairball pass more readily.
VET ALERT!
Cats have been known to suffer hairballs as big as baseballs that require surgery to be removed. Frequent vomiting signals intestinal blockage. Hairballs also can cause diarrhea, loss of appetite, wheezing cough or dry retching, or a bloated abdomen. See your veterinarian immediately if your cat exhibits any one or more of these signs.
COVERING BEHAVIOR
Pet cats get rave reviews on cleanliness because they come preprogrammed to cover waste in the litter box. But one of the top behavior complaints of cat owners involves litter box behavior, including cats that refuse to cover.
Covering waste is not a universal cat behavior, and the opposite may be your cat’s normal. Feral cats may cover waste if nearer to home and young kittens. Covering or burying waste reduces the scent signals that might alert predators to the presence of defenseless offspring. Feral cats in managed colonies may be more fastidious, as well, in part because the territory is shared. But typical feral cat behavior shows us that wild felines rarely bury feces. They use it to mark territory and so display it. Feral cats often leave waste on grassy tussocks that elevate and make it even more prominent.
To put this in a pet cat perspective, most household cats do bury the waste probably because it’s so close to their eating and sleeping areas. Consider that an outdoor free-ranging cat’s territory might encompass more than two miles. Locating your cat’s litter box across the house from a feeding station is still virtually in the cat’s face.
House cats that choose not to cover waste inside the box or that leave a deposit outside the box may simply be doing what comes naturally. One study followed female pet cats out and about and observed them defecate 58 times—and only twice did the cats try to dig a hole first, or cover it afterwards.
Humans also may have encouraged “clean” covering behavior in our pet cats by selectively choosing (and breeding) the ones that cover up waste. But cats that leave their creativity uncovered for the world to admire are not abnormal—they’re just being cats.
Cats that previously dug-and-covered in the litter box which suddenly leave a deposit uncovered should be evaluated to ensure it doesn’t point to a potential health problem. When the cat receives a clean bill of health, look for potential behavior causes. For instance, this may be the cat’s way of sending a smelly signal to other cats (or even a stray hanging around outside the window) that the territory is owned.
MISSING THE MARK
In multi-cat households, hit-or-miss bathroom behavior can be a real problem as cats wrangle to claim position and territory. Problems are split evenly between spraying (urine marking), and urination/defecation misbehavior. Cats squat to empty their bladder and urinate downward on horizontal surfaces, and urinating outside the litter box constitutes “house soiling.” Normal marking behavior (spraying) consists of backing up to the target to spray urine on a vertical object, and almost never takes place in the litter box.
Cats do NOT target owner belongings to “get back” at some imagined slight. For some cats, problems result from leaving Mom-cat too early before learning proper bathroom manners.
Hand-raised orphan kittens or those adopted younger than 8 to 10 weeks often must be taught the basics by owners. Transitioning adult outdoor cats to an indoor lifestyle also requires re-training. Many cats develop a routine, and defecate once or twice a day usually at the same time—and urinate two to six times a day. However, it’s not unusual for some adult cats to urinate only once every 36 hours or so. You can use this information to monitor and manage your cats’ bathroom activities. A sudden loss of litter box allegiance means either the litter box is unacceptable, the cat feels bad, or the other cats make her avoid the bathroom.
More than 1/3rd of cats with elimination problems have an underlying health condition and if Sheba refuses to use the box to urinate (or defecate) but not both, look for a medical problem. Cats are instinctively clean and want privacy, so they “go” elsewhere if the box is dirty or in a high traffic area. When one cat guards the bathroom facilities, the others leave deposits under the potted palm. A bully may dominate access to the litter box by sleeping in or near the pathway that leads to the toilet, or glaring to keep hopefuls at bay.
Punishment won’t work. You must first identify and then remove the cause; re-establish good habits; and prevent a return to the scene of the crime.
· Many cats don’t want to “go” after another cat. Others demand a separate box for urine and another for feces, and some dominant cats guard the facilities and won’t let the others use it. Use the 1+1 rule to solve litter box woes: provide one litter box for each cat, plus one (that’s three boxes for two cats, for example).
· Keep the toilet clean by scooping waste and discarding it at least twice a day. The more cats you have, the greater the amount of waste and ensuing smell which offends you and the cats.
· Adding an automatic litter box helps enormously, because the litter ALWAYS stays clean. However, it may take some training to teach cats to use this facility.
· Be sure to empty and clean the entire box at least once a week. Use scalding hot water but no harsh-smelling disinfe
ctants, because the detergent smell can be just as off-putting to the cats.
· Clean soiled areas thoroughly or the scent will draw Sheba (even innocent bystanders!) back to the scene of the crime. Avoid using ammonia-based products, which cats think smells like the ammonia in their own urine. Use an enzymatic odor neutralizer such as Petastic that literally eats the odor. Anti-Icky-Poo and Zero Odor get raves from behaviorists and pet owners.
· To find hidden urine accidents, invest in a quality “black light” and shine it around after you’ve turned off lights in the suspect areas. Cat urine glows under the black light.
· If your cats target plastic or rubber-backed bath mats, toss out the mats. The backing hosts various microorganisms designed to keep the carpet stain-resistant, but it smells like urine to cats, and many felines eliminate on these mat because they already smell like a litter box.
· Cats prefer certain kinds of texture, granularity, and coarseness in the litter. Offer a “smorgasbord” of litter substrates for cats to choose their ideal. Offer sand and potting soil mix for cats used to doing their “duty” outside.
· Change the depth of litter (increase or decrease) or remove the plastic liner to make the box more attractive. Cats that scratch to cover their waste may dislike catching their claws in the plastic liner.
· Once you find a litter your cats like, don’t mess with success. Cat Attract Litter (www.preciouscat.com) contains a proprietary herbal blend most cats find irresistible that helps litter box allegiance.
· If your cats prefer the linoleum, wood floor, or bathtub, offer an empty litter box, and then gradually add litter.
· Buy a new box. Plastic holds odor and smelly old boxes offend cats even when you’ve scrubbed them. Cats that “blame” the old box for a scare or discomfort often eagerly embrace a new facility.
· Covered boxes help contain litter when energetic diggers throw sand everywhere, but they hold odors, and your shy cats may fear being trapped inside and avoid using them. Offer different types of toilets—uncovered or covered—to encourage kitty to choose one. Very large cats may not be able to pose in a standard size box without dropping deposits or urinating over the edge. Offer a much bigger container such as a clear plastic storage bin to accommodate these cats.
· A storage bin type container works well for up to three small to medium cats willing to share, so you can reduce the total numbers of boxes.
· Very young, elderly, or ill cats have trouble reaching the box in time. Provide a toilet on each floor of multi-story homes, or at each end of single-story floor plans to give these felines a better opportunity for a pit stop.
· For tiny kittens, or very arthritic older cats, a regular box may be too large for him to climb in and out, so offer a cookie sheet or cut down the sides of the box.
· If you know or suspect one of your cats guards the toilet from the others, be sure to position litter boxes in more than one location. Sheba can’t guard them all at once, and that way at least one is available to the rest of the cats at all times.
· Be sure boxes are in a low traffic area, and quiet location such as a closet or storeroom. Laundry rooms where a dryer buzzer frightens the cat in mid-squat, may be less than ideal.
· Sometimes placing the new litter box right on top of the soiled area encourages cats to use the box in that location. Once they again use the box, gradually move it to a more appropriate area a foot or so a day.
· Make the illegal location unattractive so they willingly use the proper toilet. Give the soiled area a different connotation by placing favorite cat toys, food bowls, bed or scratching post on top of the soiled area, once it’s been cleaned.
· The longer house soiling goes on, the harder it is to correct. To reestablish good habits, temporarily confine the problem cats to a small area with a litter box whenever they can’t be supervised. Usually cats prefer to use a box rather than having to live with the accident. Behaviorists recommend one week’s confinement for every month Sheba has been soiling, but that ratio can be decreased if the problem has been in existence more than six months.
VET ALERT!
“Sixty-five percent of cats with blood in their urine are diagnosed with idiopathic [unknown origin] cystitis,” says Dr. Elsey. According to research at Ohio State, although their urine looks normal, the bladder lining is inflamed. That makes the cat hurt when urinating, so she blames the box and goes elsewhere. “We can’t routinely detect the inflammation,” he says, “so owners just think they have a bad cat.” The drug amitriptyline won’t cure but can help cats feel better by reducing their stress levels. “Switch from dry to canned food,” suggests Dr. Elsey. That doubles the amount of water intake and helps dilute urine to help ease the condition.
TARGET PRACTICE
Urine spraying almost always involves problems between cats. While only about 25 percent of households with a single cat deal with this, every household with ten or more cats suffer this problem. The more cats you have, the greater the likelihood of tiffs resulting in one or more cats “baptizing” your belongings.
Common targets include vertical objects such as windows, computer equipment, curtains, and sliding glass doors. Horizontal targets often include clothes, beds, backpacks, briefcases, and plastic bags. Spraying arises out of anxiety. You must figure out why the cat sprays before you can fix the problem, so determine the social significance of the target’s location.
Draw a map or videotape the cat-to-cat interactions to find clues. Perhaps a cat dominates territory with stares and posturing, strays trespass in the yard, or you spend extra time at the computer.
If you can’t pinpoint the reason, try many things all at once to manage the environment. After the spraying stops, you can try reducing these options one by one to find the least amount that works.
· Neutering eliminates spraying behavior in 90 percent of the boys; spaying eliminates the behavior in 95 percent of the girls. Get your cats fixed!
· Create a “house of plenty” with lots of food, toys, and territory available so less squabbling occurs.
· Small apartments or homes with many cats must increase the vertical space in the environment. Adding cat trees, bookcases, window perches, and other second-story real estate reduces anxiety between cats so they stop spraying.
· Create a routine. Cats thrive on the status quo, and anything unexpected sends stress levels soaring, potentially increasing the urge to spray.
· Clean illegal targets with an odor neutralizer to help prevent the cat from refreshing the scent again and again. Use odor neutralizers – “Anti-Icky-Poo” http://www.antiickypoo.com/ created by chemist for pet odor problems, is highly recommended by behaviorists.
· The pheromone product, Feliway, helps calm stress related to the environment, and cats tend not to urine-spray on top of the Feliway cheek scent. The product comes as either a spray, or a plug-in diffuser. It works best when used every single day for up to 30 days. After you’ve cleaned the illegal targets, spray them with the Feliway and use the plug-in in the room where the cat most often sprays.
· If your cat sprays consistently in only one or two places, make the targets unattractive by covering them with aluminum foil. When the urine hits, the sound startles the cat and stops him in his tracts. It also tends to splash urine back onto the kitty and she’ll not like that. The foil lining also makes cleanup easier.
· When you see the cat preparing to spray—backing up with tail erect—interrupt the behavior. Don’t yell. Ideally, the interruption should come out of the blue with the cat unaware it came from you. Toss a beanbag, Ping Pong or other toy near the cat (don’t hit him) to startle and stop the pose.
· Redirect the behavior. When you see the cat sniffing a danger zone, engage her with a favorite toy. Place toys, a scratching post, or a food bowl in the area to give it a different association instead of the “potty” place.
· When you can’t be there, the Ssscat® aerosol (http://www.ssscat.com/) may keep cats away from high-risk ta
rgets. It sprays a hiss of air when the cat triggers the built-in motion detector.
VET ALERT! ANTI-ANXIETY DRUGS
Not all cats respond to environmental management, and this can be a challenge to owners who love their cats but hate living with urine. When spraying arises due to fearfulness, stress, and/or anxiety, veterinary behaviorists recommend you discuss drug therapy options with your veterinarian.
· Two studies have reported that 80 percent of treated cats improved using clomipramine (Clomicalm ®). However, there are serious side effects to consider including potential toxicities.
· An equally effective drug called fluoxetine (Prozac ®) works well with less serious side effects, but spraying behavior returns if the cat goes off the drug. Behavioral and environmental management must continue, along with any drug therapy. Some cats respond as early as the first or second week of treatment, while others require three weeks or more to see results.
CALMING SIGNALS—PET DOOR TRAINING
When you have a safe outside enclosure for your cat to play and potty, installing a cat flap in a window or patio door allows your cats to come and go rather than you becoming the doorman. Cats naturally rub against objects to leave behind their scent. Use this natural inclination to teach Sheba to push through the cat flap.
Prop the door flap open so the cats can see through to the other side. Use a favorite treat or toy to repeatedly lure her back and forth through the opening until she become used to the idea. Next, leave the flap closed, but find an alluring scent that cats can’t resist. Catnip, peppermint, or tuna juice painted on the pet door may prompt a cheek rub or forehead butt.
Reward even a nose touch to encourage the behavior. When the first cat pushes through, have a favorite treat waiting and reward her while the others watch. Once they understand that there MAY be a treat waiting, they’ll be more inclined to use the cat door (and the bathroom facilities or play opportunities) whether a treat awaits or not.
