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Sleep:
8ish hours and groggy. Slept late sort of, was exhausted through brunch, and then came home to nap instead of continuing with post-brunch funtime adventures at the marina.
Dream:
I've been processing through personal relationship issues that stem from my sheer terror at falling in love with someone who will die on me. Been praying for an ( Read more... )
Cats have limited ways to communicate with us; it can be difficult to figure out if the issue is behavioral or medical.
Some cats will.. inappropriately urinate when they are upset for some reason:
- anger - they'll urinate someplace personal like the bed or shoes or something that smells like you;
- stress - find some dark safe feeling space like in a closet;
- chronic UTIs - that can cause litterbox issues; I think males are especially prone to certain urinary problems. Look for signs of distress such as meowing, pacing near the litterbox and attempting to pee, but not being 'productive'. Also, drinking lots of water.
Declawed cats have litterbox issues, something about the litter irritating their paws.
Cats don't understand lack of affection, and will not connect their behavior with your (lack of) behavior. Hope you figure out what is wrong.
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Cats don't like to eat or drink near their litterbox, usually. I mean, they'll eat treats if you offer them, but they won't necessarily make the connection between the positive experience of the treat with the litterbox. There's an ingrained aversion to eat or drink near where they urinate or defecate, though of course there's individual differences. We have our litterbox in our bathroom, next to the toilet and have had really good luck with that. When we first got our kittens recently, when they were in the litterbox and using it, I would just try to watch out of the corner of my eye to make certain they were using it correctly, and then immediately afterwards verbally praising and lots of pettings so there would be a positive association (never punish or scold if they don't perform well, they'll just develop an aversion to using the litterbox, the area where the litterbox is, and to you). For Spartacus and Rumi the praise really wasn't necessary, but I wanted to emphasize that being in the litterbox and the bathroom was a Good Thing. Cats like to have their litterbox in a space that feels private and safe. Cats will have different opinions on whether they want a litterbox with a dome over the top or not, some like it, some don't. I've seen more than a few cat owners use the dome top style, and then put the litterbox in the corner of a room.
Once a cat gets in the habit of urinating in an inappropriate place, it can be very very difficult to remove the scent that they leave. We can't smell as well as they do, so you'll clean up a mess, only to have them repeat over and over. The best product I've found for this problem is this stuff called Nature's Miracle. It's not the cheapest thing around but the only one I've found that really works. Mimosa was nearly blind and had a lot of accidents, so I've had years to test out every product on the market.
I've never had a declawed cat, so I can't tell you specifics, but they are notorious for having litterbox issues, the litter granules irritate their mutilated paws. Declawed cats show up at kill pounds/shelters for this reason. The internet suggests a variety of things like Arm and Hammer clumping, Yesterday's News, Petsmart unscented scooping litter, World's Best Cat Litter (clumping), or any fine sand-like clumping litter. A vet may have specific recommendations. It may take testing a couple of varieties to see what works best. IME, the 'natural' varieties aren't very good when it comes to odor control. I always try to keep a giant box of baking soda around, and whenever I clean the litterbox, add a liberal amount in with whatever type of litter is used. Baking soda is pretty amazing....
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One thing that can help if the cat is stressed or upset is a special cat pheromone, Feliway is the name of the product. This stuff is *really* not cheap, but can be invaluable. It comes in a variety of forms, I have the kind that plugs into a wall socket. I use it when moving or when cats are upset (like back from the vet post-op), or during a period of time when introducing cats. Some people use it all the time. How well it works depends on the individual cat, some seem to respond more than others. IME, it just sort of takes the 'edge' off of their tension, but for some people it has worked miracles (resolved litterbox issues). YMMV. It's a handy thing to keep around, if possible.
Cats want to be happy, but they aren't as interested in pleasing others like dogs. And punishment for when they do something wrong is really really tricky, because you have to figure out why they're doing that wrong thing. Is it a purposeful message or are they ailing and can't help it? If it's purposeful, is it a cry for help or are they acting out of anger. And their number one association with punishment isn't to link it to their behavior, but simply to avoid/distrust the owner since the owner appears to be capriciously angry. Cats can be really sensitive and get stressed by sounds, smells, and the empaths will pick up your emotions (well I mean they all do, but the empaths get actively involved, they'll try to comfort you when you're upset/sick and they'll be freaked/stressed out if you are). My brother was very unhappily married, then had a 2 children in a short time during said marriage and was seriously contemplating divorce. He adopted a kitten in the middle of this domestic mess, and the kitten immediately had difficulty adjusting to the dysfunction and stress, and would hide in a closet, urinating. At the time, my brother wasn't strong in the emotional awareness department, and returned the kitten to the humane society, never understanding that he'd brought a kitten into a toxic environment, and the poor thing was coping as best it could. I'm not saying the same thing is happening to Gato, just trying to explain that cats can be sensitive to things that might not phase other creatures, and a sensitive cat who is adopted by a not particularly sensitive human can have a really rough time of things.
If you're still reading after that essay - I'd recommend trying to track down where else he might be peeing immediately, or watching him (not too obviously) when he's using the litterbox to see if he might be peeing at least a little. If he's not peeing at all, anywhere, it's a medical emergency. You can also start trying other types of litter. For cats, it can be as simple as just finding what they prefer, and then no more litterbox issues.
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