Strange behaviour....

[PrincipessaP]

Hi, my 13 yr old ginger tabby Kimi went missing recently for 6 weeks, fortunately someone found her and to our delight we were reunited. We took her straight to vets and apart from weight loss she was fine. We kept her in for about 3 weeks so she went back to using her litter tray.. However once we were happy to let her out again, we got rid of the tray...but she has started urinating on the floor in the little outhouse where the tray was and where she sleeps and occasionally she will poop there, sometimes after she has been outside! She does seem to drink quite a bit too.. About 200ml a day... Im not sure whether that's a normal or not... I can't decide whether she is being lazy and can't be bothered to go out or there is something wrong.... Xx

[booktigger]

I'd start off with putting the tray back, much easier to clean that than the floor. I'd also get her blood tested to rule out any health issues.

[meriad]

agree, get that tray back asap and then a vet visit for the drinking

And you may need to accept that something happened in those 6 weeks she was missing and she's now a bit scared / worried about toileting outside and would prefer having a litter box, ie the box will have to be a permanent thing

good luck and let us know how you get on

[PrincipessaP]

Hi Guys
Thanks for your replies - I didn't really want her to go back to the tray as she has managed very well without it for the last 13 years, and she has never once urinated on the floor - so it is quite out of character, she knows she should go outside....however obviously there is something wrong in her little world so as you say, maybe letting her use the tray again may help her if she is stressed. I will keep an eye on her and if she doesn't settle I will take her to the vets to get her checked out as she may have some sort of infection perhaps which is making her decide to do her toileting in the house....I'll keep you posted!!!
Thanks again xx

[meriad]

At age 13 it could also be that she just isn't as fast as she used to be and knows that she's more vulnerable hence preferring to do her business indoors, esp given the weather.

Also, given her age I definitely would urge you to keep a litter box in the house all the time going forwards; it's often the first place you'll notice that something isn't quite right with your girl. A very natural progression of age is kidney issues which may result in more drinking, more frequent visits to the litter box etc... In human years your cat is about 68 / 70 years old, so not exactly a sprightly spring chicken; and as she ages even more there are certain allowances that just need to be made for an ageing pet

Fusses to her x

[lilynmitz]

Definitely put her litter tray back where it was. I agree with Ria, you have no idea what happened to her outside, and she may be very wary of it now. Cats will only toilet where they feel safe, and right now the big wide world does not have the same connotations it used to have for her. Surely cleaning out the tray is easier than cleaning the floor?

And as Ria says, monitoring the litter tray contents is an excellent way to keep tabs on their health, particularly given her age.

As for the increased thirst, I would definitely get her to the vet about that. It can be an indicator of quite a few medical conditions common in older cats, which are mainly treatable but the sooner you get on top of them the better. These usually need blood tests to confirm (always a good idea in cats over 10 years old anyway to monitor early onset of conditions like hyperthyroidism, kidney disease and liver function).

So pleased to hear she's back with you, but don't expect her to be the same cat she was. She's been through a tough time, and needs your support right now.

[OHWS]

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[PrincipessaP]

Thanks again guys - I will definitely put the tray back...came down this morning and she had peed all over the floor again...a trip to the vets I think is on the cards too.....the only thing is, if I leave the tray down I think she will always use it in preference to the big outdoors ... but I guess if that is what it takes to make her feel settled....maybe after a while she might stop using it and go outside again....here's hoping xx

[PrincipessaP]

Hi Guys - just an update....I took Kimi to vets today he ran some tests and she has got kidney failure! This explains the urination and thirst....her creatinine and Blood Urea Nitrogen levels are very high - so she has about 50% kidney function The prognosis is not great - he has given me some tablets and injected her with various things - but I need to change her diet to a low protein one....I think I am still a bit shocked! If any of you have any advice on kidney disease in cats I would be most grateful.

[lilynmitz]

I've posted on your new thread, but urination and thirst were key indicators for two of my cats who had renal problems. Glad your vet's got to the bottom of it, now for the treatment. Don't panic, it can be managed. See our advice on your other thread.

[PrincipessaP]

I've posted on your new thread, but urination and thirst were key indicators for two of my cats who had renal problems. Glad your vet's got to the bottom of it, now for the treatment. Don't panic, it can be managed. See our advice on your other thread.

Thank you Lilynmitz - I will read your other post now xx