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Post by tonib on Mar 10, 2014 17:08:43 GMT
Recently we've discovered Penny urinating in various places around the house. Some may remember my previous post about the extension sockets last week & the fact the vet did suggest KalmAid when he rang us with Lexie's test results. Asit is probably stress related.
Well this weekend she excelled herself - very deliberate action on the sofa when Mark was sitting on it - nothing to do with Mark there was a scent on the sofa that seemed to attract her. I was out at a Cat Show with Ajax & her 3 cats so didn't see what happened. There have been a couple of other times as well in the hall.
She is on Metacam/Loxicom for her arthritis so I'm always concerned that that there is always a slight risk to her kidneys but it is a risk to be taken for her comfort. However we have been noticing she s more grouchy around the joints at the moment. Also her claws needed clipping. So there is at least 2 things which could be stressing her. She's also being sick a little more frequently - usually with a hairball as explanation. That's probably 'cos she moults well especially as her bed is in front of the radiator & is grumpy about grooming (down to the arthritis I suspect). I've got the scars to prove it.
So decided to get her to the vets today for an assessment & claws. The vet didn't think there was anything wrong with her other than arthritis but has given her antibiotics in case of an urinary infection (what fun that will be to give her!!!!!) However I then thought to mention I wondered if her eyesight was OK. Initial looking they seemed OK but as I'd mentioned close vision he tested it & she never moved or blinked at sharp movements & light near her face. We know she can see birds in the garden & hasn't shown any signs of hugging walls or furniture so she's not blind but it looks like her vision is deteriorating. This could well explain why she's getting more stressed & grumpy.
As she's 15 in April its deemed to be part of the ageing process so not much that can be done. Will just have to see what can be done to de-stress her. Waiting for the KalmAid to arrive, although may try the Beaphar Calming Spot-on as it won't add any more meds to her food. Also will be careful about changing any furniture positions.
Poor Penny - if only she could wear glasses like me! Oddly she seems quite relaxed since she's got back so maybe the claw clipping has also helped.
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Post by tonib on Mar 11, 2014 19:07:58 GMT
Could do with some advice on how to stop Penny urinating on our leather sofa other than ban her from the living-room, which is only going to stress her more.
She's now done it nearly every day for the past week. Its very deliberate & its not just a simple spray but quite a torrent. Its frequently been when one or other of us is sitting on the sofa as well.
We've cleaned the sofa with diluted distilled vinegar every time. Yesterday I then used the leather cleaner & protector but still she did it just now. We've bought a UV urine detector & I checked the sofa with it this morning & there were a few pin point spots which showed up & I cleaned those again but still it happened this evening!
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Post by SarahHound on Mar 11, 2014 19:16:24 GMT
Poor Penny. Sorry I have no advice, just wanted to say thinking of you and her. Hope the KalmAid helps when it arrives.
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Post by heartpawprints on Mar 11, 2014 20:05:57 GMT
Have you considered some of the other complementary therapies that may help? i.e. Reiki or acupuncture?
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Post by tonib on Mar 11, 2014 21:07:29 GMT
heartpawprints, I don't really know anything about those therapies so haven't considered them, what are their benefits & who can provide them?
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Post by lotsofcats on Mar 13, 2014 16:36:32 GMT
Poor Penny and poor you Toni. I've never come across this before so can't help you. Hopefully it is an infection and the antibiotics will help - good luck with giving her the tablets!
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Post by tonib on Mar 13, 2014 17:10:00 GMT
Thanks lotsofcats, the tablets is the least of our issues - after the first try to hold her still enough to open her mouth - to no avail. I remembered I had a tube of Arden Grange & wrapped the tablet (in half) in that & gave them to her on a plate (well saucer!) & they vanished so no problem. I bought some PVC yesterday & we've covered the sofa so at least if she does it again, it will be easy to clean & won't get into the seat cushions etc. I've bought some cheap throws to cover the PVC - washable of course. The test will be this evening as the last few days that has been when she's done it. Also sprayed Feliway over both layers as its supposed to stop them thinking they need to scent mark something, if that's what the problem is. Just keeping our fingers crossed that it can be solved soon.
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Post by lotsofcats on Mar 14, 2014 9:21:06 GMT
How did it go? Was Penny a good girl?
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Post by tonib on Mar 14, 2014 15:07:50 GMT
So far so good, although its nerve racking watching her when she's downstairs It was quite funny in the middle of the night, went to the loo in the en-suite, door shut of course, when I came out there was Penny waiting (she often likes to accompany me) but this time she scuttled in straight to the litter tray & used it was almost like a queue for the ladies or else I'd triggered her response Mind you she woke us both up this morning when she decided to jump on the bed, across me & attack Roman who had not long come in & snuggled up between us both! Little Miss Jealousy. Roman high-tailed it to the water bowl & drank then went into the other bedroom while she watched him! She's been fine with him since! At the moment she now seems to almost have diarrhoea which I have heard can be the effect of the antibiotics. She's also managing to take most of the KalmAid but not sure how much affect that is having bearing in mind this mornings behaviour! Oh well one problem at a time.
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Post by tonib on Mar 15, 2014 23:53:59 GMT
So far so good, although we are still wary but no Penny sofa usages since about 7:15 pm on Wednesday.
So somewhere between
antibiotics - which finish Monday Beaphar calming spot-on applied Wednesday is supposed to last a week Kalm-aid in her food since Wednesday evening Litter tray in the en-suite since Monday/Tuesday can't remember which(she spends her time in our bedroom & often Osiris sleeps on the landing outside the door so she may feel threatened Covering the sofa with PVC (from Wednesday night) & Feliway spray
the issue seems to have been cured (famous last words) so we'll have to see what happens from Tuesday after tha antibiotics stop.
Oh & her runny poos have started to frim up again.
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Post by smilesbetter on Mar 16, 2014 7:10:24 GMT
Glad to hear that things are getting a little better, hope the results last after she stops the medication! I've heard some cats when they get older can get a bit senile and start peeing in funny places, but it doesn't sound like that. My man had a cat that had been babied by her first owner then moved around a lot and suffered severe separation anxiety and would "protest pee" (more like out if fear I'd say) everywhere when he was out, but again if you are there at the time then it wouldn't be that. Perhaps something has caused pain on urination and she started holding on until she was bursting? Then if there was no litter tray near she just went for the soft furnishings as cats seem to prefer that. It must feel odd for you having to get comfortable on PVC covered couches haha! Hope it all gets sorted out soon. Do you have another litter tray near the couches? Or maybe one cat has laid claim to certain litter trays and she feels she can only use the one at your room. Does she have permanent access to it? Just a few ideas on possible causes, probably will make it easier to fix if you understand why she is doing it. I've not had an older cat yet as my cats are fairly recent and my first cat didn't use a litter test, he was a farm cat and was poisoned when we moved to our new house so I don't have any experience on these sorts of things sorry. The only other suggestion is, is the litter tray clean enough? My cat Carlotta is a clean freak and if the litter tray is not quite pristine enough for her she will first try to let me know and then pee on random objects around the flat. If there is too much wee in there she won't use it so I have to fully change it and scrub it clean very regularly. Or maybe there's been another cat in there when she wanted to go and so she went on the couch and then next time she needed she remembered going on the couch so just did it again. Strange about on the wires but maybe the area they were in felt like a cat toilet box (dunno if you use lidded ones or not). Also with the lidded ones cause they can't see out of it very well, if she's been in one and got a fright she might have decided to go elsewhere. Haha so many possible reasons why a cat might wee on furniture, and yet we still take them into our homes and dutifully clean up after them!
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Post by tonib on Mar 16, 2014 10:56:21 GMT
thanks for the ideas & suggestions smilesbetter Historically there were 2 litter trays in the house one upstairs & one down - the 2 boys go outside. When we got Lexie & found we had to keep her separate at feeding times & overnight we added 2 into the upstairs room that we use as her room. Penny has even used these happily in the past & Lexie doesn't use the original 2 as she prefers to go out. If we have to keep all the cats in we add additional trays. We haven't changed our litter or cleaning habits or Penny her usage, prior to any of this so don't think that's a cause (but you never know). We use open trays although the cattery has given Roman a covered one as he scatters his litter everywhere there (doesn't do it at home when he does use one). I wish I could find a large shallow one for Penny as she's not the tallest cat & might find stepping in a bit of a strain with the arthritis but its either kitten trays or normal sided upwards. Kitten is too small. To be honest I think its stress related or an infection. I think her age/arthritis is a contributory factor to her stress, increased by her deteriorating vision. Over the last month or so we'd had the odd small patch on the hall carpet where some cat balls were left for one of our other cats, Lexie. Often with one of the toys/ball over the spot. It was like a deliberate protest. These were small patches but the electrics & sofa were not. Again Lexie keeps walking behind the TV table to get her balls back & sits on the sofa & the first wetting of the sofa was a cushion she sits on. We've had cat cushions soaked before but, to the best of our knowledge, this was Lexie but Penny's recent behaviour makes us wonder a little bit - we know some were definitely Lexie & this behaviour has now stopped as she has settled down over the 2 years since we took her on. We've also covered the spare beds with PVC under the bedspreads so any accidents that do occur are easily cleaned & the PVC also seemed to reduce this behaviour. Unfortunately our cats don't really get on with our last addition, Lexie (a long story). It doesn't help that she chases anything that moves, which includes Penny, so they tend to steer clear of her. Osiris is quite grumpy at the moment & recently had taken to sleeping on the landing on the route to Penny's normal litter tray from our room, which is why we put one in our en-suite. I have a feeling Lexie's complete separation, a couple of weeks ago, whilst we sorted out her diarrhoea made the others relax a bit & her reappearance has caused the additional tension. As to sitting on PVC I got some throws to put over it so its not too bad but it does move when you sit down so we have to keep straightening it. However if in a couple of weeks when we reduce her calming supplements & there is no re-occurence then we may remove the PVC from the sofa, just leaving it on the seats we're not using or when we're out - just in case.
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Post by lotsofcats on Mar 16, 2014 21:19:27 GMT
Well, I think you have sussed it all out and you are all prepared with the PVC and throws. I hope that things improve for you.
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Post by smilesbetter on Mar 16, 2014 22:31:23 GMT
Yup sounds like it's just an age thing unfortunately. You could try building a little ramp into her litter tray so that at least it helps her arthritis a bit, being able to get in and out easier. You'd think they would make cat boxes for things like this! Loads of cats get arthritis and you're right that getting into a cat box could be quite a strain. Eventually they'd associate it with the pain or uncomfortableness and not want to go back. Hopefully her current treatment will help any way! Let us know how she gets on
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Post by peterwilliam on Nov 12, 2014 6:44:00 GMT
Well great to see the advice here by experts.
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