weeing problems.

[catrinsparkles]

Hiya,

Hope someone will be able to offer some advice. I put a thread up about 6 months ago about Meka weeing in the bedroom.....this was resolved by putting litter trays in there.

Since then we have discovered that she has early stage kidney disease and is on renal diet now. She was doing well, but seems to be loosing weight now so is going back to the vets this week.

However, she has started weeing in the bedroom again, sometimes right next to a clean litter tray. She has two big litter trays in there and happily uses them, but then sometimes wees on the carpet instead. The other night i found her having a poo on the carpet, she didn't seem bothered, so i slipped the litter tray underneath her.......and she carried on.

She is coming up 13, and is the first cat i have had. Could this behaviour be a combination of the kidney troubles and signs of her going senile?

Any ideas how to stop it?! I've thought about putting a long dirt trapper mat under the litter trays so then at least i can wash the mat in the washing machine if she has an accident. Trying to get the smell out of the carpet is driving me mad!


Here's the little beauty.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii64/catrinsparkles/meka.jpg

[Elaine]

Poor baby and poor you. It may be the case that she has a touch of senility but at 13, she really isnt that old tbh. Has cytitis or urinary infection been ruled out? Cats with impaired kidneys are more prone to urine infections. Do you know what her blood levels were i.e. urea and creatinine. If it were a urine infection, she may well associate the litter tray with the pain of going. A mat might be a good idea for her mishaps.
You say she is losing weight, is she eating well enough? I dont mean that to0 sound like "are you starving her":lol: , what I mean is how is her apetite? Is she eating the renal food?

http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=25488
http://www.felinecrf.org/
http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments.htm#inappropriate_elimination
You may find these links useful.

[catrinsparkles]

Hi, Thank you for the links, i will have a look at them.

She is eating, but she has had the renal diet for 7 weeks now i think and the vet said that one bag should last her a month.....she's not even half way through it yet. But saying that, she really doesn't do anything but sleep all day and wonder round the flat in the evenings. I think she sometimes goes into the garden at night, but nothing strenuous!

I wondered about a urine infection, the odd thing is that she can we next to the litter tray, and then use it a couple of hours later, i sort of pressumed that she would go off using it for longer if she was developing an aversion to it.

She did have some blood tests 7 weeks ago, but don't know the details of it sorry, apart from that it showed she was in the early stages of kidney disease.

I will make an appointment to see the vet next week and mention the weeing. I want her to be happy - but also want a bedroom that doesn't smell of cat wee uuuurrrggghhh!

My friend is going to lend me their carpet cleaner ad i think i will get th mat to put down as soon as the carpet is clean. I might even put a towel on top too so that it's easy to see when she has weed and i can wash it straight away.

Thanks for the links.

[dandysmom]

What a lovely cat! Sorry you're having these problems; hope the vet visit will give you some idea what might be causing it and it can get sorted. Agree the mat/towel is a good temporary solution; also that she's quite young for it to be feline dementia. Good luck, keep us posted, please.

[Elaine]

Apparently the best thing to use is non biological washing powder and water for getting the urine smell out of carpets. I am sure Mags or Dinahsmum will be able to help with the correct amounts.
Is she vomitting any froth? It could be that she is not eat much due to excess tummy acid, this is a common complain with CRF cats and is easily treated with an antacid from your vet and/or slippery elm bark. Once treated your kitty will feel more like eating. Many cats will not eat much (if at all) of the prescription food available. It is much more important that your cat eats something than very little. A cat who can maintain it's weight fairs much better with this illness.
You may also want to talk to your vet about apetite stimulants and maybe even phos' binders, in order to help her eat well.
Also B vitamins are invaluable to your CRF cat.

[catrinsparkles]

What a lovely cat! Sorry you're having these problems; hope the vet visit will give you some idea what might be causing it and it can get sorted. Agree the mat/towel is a good temporary solution; also that she's quite young for it to be feline dementia. Good luck, keep us posted, please.

Thank you - she is a real sweety, we think she is coming up thirteen but as i only rescued her in 2004 we can't be sure. I will definately do the mat thing.

Apparently the best thing to use is non biological washing powder and water for getting the urine smell out of carpets. I am sure Mags or Dinahsmum will be able to help with the correct amounts.
Is she vomitting any froth? It could be that she is not eat much due to excess tummy acid, this is a common complain with CRF cats and is easily treated with an antacid from your vet and/or slippery elm bark. Once treated your kitty will feel more like eating. Many cats will not eat much (if at all) of the prescription food available. It is much more important that your cat eats something than very little. A cat who can maintain it's weight fairs much better with this illness.
You may also want to talk to your vet about apetite stimulants and maybe even phos' binders, in order to help her eat well.
Also B vitamins are invaluable to your CRF cat.

Thanks for the advice. It is difficult to say about the sickness thing, because she often brings up hair balls, and who knows how long she has been going down hill really, but having said that she has been sick a few times recently and i wonder if it is getting more than usual...........another thing to add to the list of things to talk to the vets about!

I have tried the biological washing powder, i think i made a mistake the very first time she did wee as i washed it straight away with the washing powder without soaking up as much of the wee as i could first....then i read that doing this will spread the wee smell around more.

[Elaine]

Just another wee tip,
Write down all your questions and topics you want to discuss with your vet. Better to be armed than to forget something which might be important;)
It also helps the vet understand whats really going on with her and helps you to build a good working relationship with the vet in order to help her.
All the very best and please let us know how you get on.

[catrinsparkles]

Just another wee tip,
Write down all your questions and topics you want to discuss with your vet. Better to be armed than to forget something which might be important;)
It also helps the vet understand whats really going on with her and helps you to build a good working relationship with the vet in order to help her.
All the very best and please let us know how you get on.


Thank you - I will do an update later in the week!

Will definately write a list, being pregnant I am getting used to have to write down lists of things i have to remember and do.........spongey brain now! :)

[dandysmom]

Thank you - I will do an update later in the week!

Will definately write a list, being pregnant I am getting used to have to write down lists of things i have to remember and do.........spongey brain now! :)

Oh, congratulations! When is your baby due?

[catrinsparkles]

Thank you - due date is 3rd June. Not long to go now really!

[catrinsparkles]

Update!

Took Meka to the vets today and she has lost over ten % of her body weight in 6 weeks.

The vet also thinks that all the odd vocalisations and other behaviour is about her not feeling well generally.

He wants me to feed her whatever she wants to eat for two weeks and then take her back to be weighed. If she has put on weight then we will discuss action, if she hasn't then he will do another bout of blood test.

If those come back clear he wants to sort out her teeth. (she has gingevitis but i feel really guilty that i do not have the £200 - £300 it is going to take to get it done. She is insured, but it is having the money to pay them in the first place that is the problem at the moment)

I took her home and gave her a pouch of wet cat food and then some haddock poached in milk, which she gobbled down.

[Elaine]

Oh dear i am sorry to read this, the thing is that bad teeth can contribute to further damage to the kidneys and may also be a great deal to do with her weight loss.

[dandysmom]

That is sad news. Any chance of discussing payment terms with your vet?

[catrinsparkles]

Oh dear i am sorry to read this, the thing is that bad teeth can contribute to further damage to the kidneys and may also be a great deal to do with her weight loss.

Yes i feel guilty about it, but we just don't have the money at the moment at all. My partner has had three days work this week, and it looks like he will have three days next week and the week after ....which will ease the money issues, but unfortunately the clients have 30 days to pay so we won't benefit imediately (he was made redundant in November - can't remember if i said)

That is sad news. Any chance of discussing payment terms with your vet?

The vet had said that he would like to take payment directly from the insurance company but the practice manager won't let him, he has asked if they could make an acception but they just won't do it.


The good news is that she has eaten lots today. She didn't want the haddock but has eaten almost two pouches of chicken in jelly. Initially she licked all the jelly off the meat chunks, so i added another pouch and mashed it all together with a fork and she has eaten the lot. She is eating again now, which is great, and she really seems to be enjoying it. I wonder if she just didn't like the renal diet, or maybe she prefer the wet stuff because it is more gentle on her teeth.

She did have some work done on her teeth four years ago.

Fingers crossed that she will put on weight in the next two weeks and we see some more money coming in to be able to pay for more treatment asap.

She seems happy today and is really interested in the goings on in the kitchen and the new food.

[dandysmom]

That's good news that she's livelier and eating so well. I think it's better they eat what they like even though it's not what the vet recommended...it may not be the perfect diet but at least they're keeping their weight up, which is bound to help allover health more than half-starving because they hate the prescription food. I agree the wet food may be easier on her teeth. A pity the vet's manager is so inflexible ......

Keep us posted how she's doing.

[Elaine]

That is good news, I am sorry about your partner being made redundant, it must be very worrying financially. I am also sorry the practice manager wont allow any sort of lee way with payment.
With respect to her eating again, I am very pleased. I take it the renal food you were feeding was the dry food? With CRF wet food is always considered to be best due to water content and CRF cats not being able to retain enough fluid. The wet food would also be less painful for her to eat regarding her dental issue. You may also want to try adding a little boiled water to her wet food, let it cool before feeding, but by doing this you will enhance the smell of the food for her as well as topping up her fluid level a little.

[dandysmom]

Oh, I agree completely about adding the warm water to the wet food; have been doing that for Leia since she had a bout of cystitis...she likes the additional "gravy" ; and hasn't had an attack since.

[catrinsparkles]

That's good news that she's livelier and eating so well. I think it's better they eat what they like even though it's not what the vet recommended...it may not be the perfect diet but at least they're keeping their weight up, which is bound to help allover health more than half-starving because they hate the prescription food. I agree the wet food may be easier on her teeth. A pity the vet's manager is so inflexible ......

Keep us posted how she's doing.

That is good news, I am sorry about your partner being made redundant, it must be very worrying financially. I am also sorry the practice manager wont allow any sort of lee way with payment.
With respect to her eating again, I am very pleased. I take it the renal food you were feeding was the dry food? With CRF wet food is always considered to be best due to water content and CRF cats not being able to retain enough fluid. The wet food would also be less painful for her to eat regarding her dental issue. You may also want to try adding a little boiled water to her wet food, let it cool before feeding, but by doing this you will enhance the smell of the food for her as well as topping up her fluid level a little.

Oh, I agree completely about adding the warm water to the wet food; have been doing that for Leia since she had a bout of cystitis...she likes the additional "gravy" ; and hasn't had an attack since.

Hello everyone. Thank you for your comments. Goods news on a number of fronts.......

OH has had lots more work recently and has a full week next week too so we may be able to afford to get Meka's teeth done sooner rather than later.

Meka has been eating like a horse, really enjoying it. She is eating about 3 - 4 pouches of food a day and seems much happier all ready. She isn't wandering around so much, hasn't been sick for ages and seems far more content. Her coat seem less dull and greasy as well. Of course, she is weeing far more, but doesn't seem thirsty, as i suppose she is getting lots of fluid from the wet food. I will also try adding some water to her food too.

She is going back to the vets next friday for a weigh in so we shall see how she is then.

[dandysmom]

Good news all around, your OH and the eating! Hope you'll have more come next Friday.

[Elaine]

Great news, I am very pleased for you all:D

[catrinsparkles]

Another update!

Meka went back to the vets yesterday and has put on lots of weight! The vet just thinks she didn't want to eat the renal diet. She has been eating like a horse for the past two weeks and is much happier.

Vet doesn't want to do anymore bloodtests as Meka looks so much better, but we will be getting her teeth done next month.

:)

[dandysmom]

Great news about the weight gain, so pleased for her!

[calismum]

Just catching up with this thread. Glad to hear she is eating well. Long may it continue.