Wedding Etiquette Forum

NWR- Cat people please help!

So I'm basically a lurker but you ladies are always very helpful, and I've seen you post pet questions in the past, so I thought I would try it out and see if anyone had advice.  I'll try to keep this post as not-gross as possible.

So Monday morning when I came out to my living room I noticed a smell and that one of our cats (we have 2) had left a lovely "cat present" on our sofa. I cleaned it up and, based on the texture, figured that maybe one of them wasn't feeling well, something along those lines.

Then on Tuesday nothing had happened by the morning, but then I left for a work errand (I basically work from home), was gone for an hour and a half, and there was another "gift" in the same spot on the sofa when i got home- but this one had #1 and #2, so the sofa is pretty much ruined. The smell will never go away!

Now I'm kind of upset and confused. So last night, not wanting a repeat on our other upholstered furniture, I put both cats in the basement.  Its a big carpeted basement and i gave them their food and water, plus the box is down there, hoping that would work.  Nope- kitty present on the stairs this morning.  It was much easier to clean up than on soft furniture, but still aggravating. 

So- any suggestions or thoughts?  Basic background- they are brother and sister, they'll be 2 years old this summer, we've had them a little over a year, no problem like this before, even when they were tiny babies.

I apologize for the length- and I'll answer any questions that come up! Thanks!

Re: NWR- Cat people please help!

  • We use Resolve for Pet Stains, because our older cat gets sick a lot.
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  • I agree with Habs. It could be a UTI. Take them to the vet. Something similar happened to my cat a few months ago. It was a UTI. It is really important to get them treated for it as soon as possible. Just to be safe, take them to the vet. 

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  • Ditto everything PPs said.

    Also, you should definitely get a second litter box, if they're sharing one right now. This will prevent the infection from spreading. Cats are often really bad at sharing litter boxes.
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  • AJG456AJG456 member
    Fifth Anniversary 10 Comments
    edited January 2012
    some answers: we don't know which cat did it, thought that would make it easier of course.  I was thinking illness or infection, but its really more #2 than #1 and the consistency is the same as what I've cleaned out of the litter box.  I will take them both to the vet though, and go back to the old litter, and make sure the box is cleaned every day.  Plus getting everything really clean.  Thanks for the tips everyone!
  • I've got an 8-year old male cat...he's had urinary problems for years. He's had 2 or 3 surgeries for it, very serious. We knew there was a problem because he was peeing all over the place. We ended up with 11 litter boxes...I just kept putting more in the places he was peeing, lol. The poor thing would pee right in front of us...sometimes ON us! He was in pain, and wanted us to know it. After the most recent surgery, which was to remove several VERY large stones, he was OK for several days. Then it started again. Finally, we tried him on a small dose of Prozac. 3mg daily mixed into his food. The peeing, which had been a problem for at least 5 years, stopped dead. A urinary tract infection can kill a cat in a day. Take them to the vet...good luck!
  • I agree with everything posted above. Also, I assume that both of your cats are spayed/neutered and if not they should be. Doing so may also lessen the occurence of this, and other, undesirable behaviors.

    Once both kitties have been given a clean bill of health and you've done everything that PP's have suggested, if you are still having problems, consider this: Has anything changed in the household recently? This could be something as small as new curtains, a rearranged room, a new routine for the humans (beginning work after being unemployed or vice versa, or working the night shift instead of the day shift, or even working more hours)? Sometimes changes like this, no matter how minor they may seem to you, can cause major anxiety in cats, even if things like that haven't seemed to phase them in the past. If you suspect this might be the case, I recommend getting a Feliway diffuser (or several depending on the size of your home). They are fairly pricey, but worth every penny even for cats who don't appear to have anxiety issues.

    http://www.amazon.com/Feliway-Plug--Diffuser-Refill-Milliliters/dp/B000WHUOEI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326296173&sr=8-2

    If nothing else works, you can also try using a cat attracting litter or just use the additive in your kitties' favorite brand. Also pretty expensive but it works wonders.

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpets&field-keywords=cat+attract&x=17&y=26

    Hope this helps and good luck!

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  • I've seen a recommendation that if N is the number of cats you have, you should have N+1 litter boxes.  2 cats?  That means at least three litter boxes at different places in the house.

    Sounds like one of your cats has a digestive issue, and possibly a kidney issue.   Take them both the vet and see what they say.

    Ditto Nature's Miracle for the furniture.  And if you don't already own a steam cleaning machine with upholstery attachement, then you should get one:-)   I've used a Bissel for years.  Best money I've ever spent:-)  That in addition to Nature's Miracle got me a few deposits back on rental apartments that I never would have got back otherwise....
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  • I too suggest Nature's Miracle--it is great for getting the smell out. Sometimes also using a steamer to clean up the cushion helps as well (just make sure to let it dry for awhile. Also make sure you have at least two litter boxes and that they are in easily accessible places for the kitties to get to. Sometimes they'll get territorial over one box and not let the other cat use it. 

    Have there been any changes in routine or in their home life at all? My oldest cat (he's 3) does not like change, and makes sure to let me know. He managed to move halfway across the country with me with no problem, but if I buy a different brand of litter, or if I change up our routine (say by feeding them a little later, or not letting him into my room at night) he makes sure to let me know (he tends to like the cushions on our dining chairs Yell).

    Definitely take him to the vet though, because you never know if it's something medical that needs to be taken care of, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

    Good luck!
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  • I agree with PPs.. please don't try to guess what is wrong with the cat, and be a do it yourself vet. Just take the cat to the vet and they will find out what is wrong. No cat should be pooping outside of the litter box unless there is a problem with it, whether medical or psychological. Either they are sick from something, or they are mad about something.
  • I agree with the PP that it sounds like a litter problem since it's more poop than pee. But definitely get them checked out by the vet to be sure. My 2yo male cat had several bladder issues that ended up giving the poor guy bladder stones. It was painful for him to urinate so he associated the pain with the litter box. So he went out of the box instead. $2000 later, he's all better! Now he has a prescription diet & been clear for over a year.

    Also, cats aren't spiteful. They don't poop/pee in spots to annoy humans. Spite is a human personality trait. My vet explained very clearly that their behavior is always caused by a physical or mental issue, NOT emotional.

    It is likely a small problem, like new litter, but don't sit on it. It can be a very large and possibly life threatening issue. Don't mean to scare, but it's true.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-cat-people-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ee2bd08b-21cd-4bab-9e6c-b64549dbbd5aPost:eed049c6-939d-4255-8e5a-751dfc536875">Re: NWR- Cat people please help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: NWR- Cat people please help! : I have to respectfully disagree with this. When I first moved out of my parents house, I had to leave my two cats there. The one cat didn't go around anyone but me and my mother. After I moved out, she started peeing on the floor right next to her litter box. A year and a half later I moved back in and she stopped. When I moved out the last time, she started doing it again, but not as frequently.<strong> I definately see that as her being upset because I left, and peeing on the floor is her way of showing us she isn't happy with it.</strong>
    Posted by raes19[/QUOTE]
    True. Cats do have some emotions. According to research, since I'm obviously not a cat to tell you myself, they can feel the basic emotions of happy, sad, fear, anger, possibly a few more. What I meant was, their emotions aren't as complex as ours. They're not sitting around analyzing why their owner left & devising the best way to get back at them. That's what we do & we often like to personify our pets. I do it all the time, even though I know I shouldn't. <div>
    </div><div>Your cat was clearly sad and possibly fearful. Maybe she was afraid of what would happen to her if you weren't there? Who knows. Can't blame her!</div>
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-cat-people-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ee2bd08b-21cd-4bab-9e6c-b64549dbbd5aPost:a6893df9-5ed3-4345-b71d-9f6e6bbf0829">Re: NWR- Cat people please help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]The cat that DH used to have before we met, used to pee on EVERYTHING in the house. (he didn't always do it, just started doing it one day and never stopped). He took the cat to the vet a bunch of times - they weren't able to find anything physically wrong with him and they said it could be a mental issue, or he was trying to mark his territory. He tried everything that was suggested to him to resolve it, but the cat refused to stop peeing outside the litter box (like on the tv, furniture, etc). He finally had to give the cat up :(
    Posted by cindyn9178[/QUOTE]
    Aw, yeah. My dad's cat is like that too. There is no explainable reason for the behavior. She's just old & crazy. We give her the Science Diet Age-Defying cat food & she seems to be less irritable. It hasn't helped the bathroom situation, though. 
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