Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Feline Inappropriate Elimination: Battle Plan

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Spraying cats are a nightmare. Trying to ascertain exactly which of our cats are the culprits has been extremely stressful. Since we have not observed any of the cats "marking", getting a handle on who is at fault is next to impossible. While we suspect that  Lucyfur is responsible, it is not impossible that the other two cats are spraying in response. The strangest  part of all  is that they spray only in our bedroom. There has been no trace of marking behavior in any other part of the house. At least that is something positive.
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Dr. Holder just came by for a follow up house call. Since Trouble has to undergo a 24- hour test for Diabetes Insipidus, after a long discussion,  we decided  it would be prudent to have he and Lucyfur boarded at her clinic for a few days while we are working on cleaning up the bedroom. It would be far too easy for one of them to escape with the workers opening and closing the front door.

We are installing brand new matting and carpeting after sealing the cement floor carefully to get rid of any trace urine odor. As it is totally impossible to get rid of the urine stench in our bed, we will be replacing it as well. Hush Puppy will remain at home,carefully  ensconced in the back bedroom until the workers have finished. If we do not see evidence of fresh spraying, at least this may help to rule out one of the cats involved.

It is very quiet here with only one cat. I miss them already and they have only been gone for an hour.

I fervently hope that we will find a solution to this spraying issue. I am hopeful that it is a medical condition which can be resolved appropriate medication and  a whole lot of patience.

I am just so blessed with the great support that my veterinarian and friends have been offering.  It is good not to feel alone.

4 comments:

Kathryn Levy Feldman (Kit) said...

My heart goes out to you--this sounds like an expensive and complicated (not to mention stressful) situation. I hope all your work solves the problem and that you will not let the cats back into your new bedroom until you are sure that it has!
I am thinking of you....
Kit

Anonymous said...

Wheezel is fine too, no puddles anywhere, and she's only been on the amitrip for like a week or 10 days. She stays on close to a month, then we consider a taper. She's one mellow lady right now. :)

Anonymous said...

Jo,
My female dog lifts her leg (yes lifts) to pee in the house. She used to come indoors and knows better. I have noticed the places she does it at is where Ziggy likes to be! I do believe in this case it is jealousy!
Geez, you are going though so much! I guess it is like using tomatoe juice on a dog who got with a skunk. The smell has to wear off I have found. And cat pee...... Bless you dear lady!

Anonymous said...

How is this battle going? It appears Wheezel was the culprit for ALL the um, accidents around the house. She trips out (no pun intended) on amitriptiline 10 mg every morning. Close to the end of her 30 day RX, I'm to call the vet and discuss her behavior. Looking back, we had done this one before, and calming her down for a month or so kept her on an even keel for a couple years. But at least now I KNOW who the vandal is..something that is really hard to figure out when you have more than one cat...not to mention 6.

Hope the carpet replacement went well, sealing the concrete did the job and all the new "stuff" eliminated their need to uh, eliminate there.

Maybe invest in some of the 'plug in' Feliway's for a little while? I know they're expensive, but I use them periodically too.

Donna