The Cat Bible Q&A
Tracie welcomes any and all questions about cats AND dogs on both her live radio shows. Call in to DOG TALK on Saturdays from 11-Noon (EST) to 800-394-8830 or Wednesdays 8-9 PM (EST) to CAT CHAT 866-675-6675. (You don't need to have Sirius to call in!)
Wife Wants To Give Away A Pee-Outside-Box Kitty
Can you help me? My 13-yr-old female cat Leclaire has been pooping outside the box for the last 4 years. Her box was in the laundry room since we moved in our house 8 years ago. Then 4 years ago the door to the adjacent crawlspace was left open, and we didn't see her poop in the box anymore. After closing off the crawl again, she started pooping outside the box.
While we had the laundry room and basement floor resurfaced last year, she was boarded for a week and used the box at the vet's. We closed off the laundry room to her, moved the box to the downstairs bathroom. Then she used the box to poop. For about two weeks. Now it's back to using the floor for pooping. Even with fresh litter cleaned every day.
Help! My wife wants me to get rid of the cat, whom I rescued off the street 12 years ago. She has some long hair under her belly. She's gained weight in the last four years, I think. Is she trying not to get poopy litter stuck on her? She does still faithfully pee in the box... This is my favorite pet I've had the longest, I can't put her to sleep just because of this...
Chuck Braun, Wheeling, IL
Hi Chuck -
You may be right about her not wanting to get litter on her bloomers.
How about offering her a second litter box - use a big rectangular Sterilite under-bed box - and experiment with a different non-clay type of litter.
Dear Sally, the behavior consultant on CAT CHAT, tells me that she recently heard of just using the puppy pee pads in one litter box in place of litter.
Also, it sounds like there may have been a "bad encounter" in the crawl space?
Sally and I wish people wouldn't wait so long before seeking help when a situation has gotten out of control - when a person's spouse feels so pushed to the limit that they recommend a death sentence for a pet family member (at age 12 with these issues, your beloved cat would surely be euthanized at whatever shelter might take her)
So please consider a personal consultation with Dear Sally (her page is on www.CatChatRadio.com) if the brief ideas here do not work.
Good luck,
Tracie Hotchner
The information contained in the answers posted on this board comes from THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You To Know, and from CAT CHAT™ The Radio Show, broadcasting live on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Channel 112 on Sirius Satellite Radio, every Wednesday from 8-9 p.m. EST.
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DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that the advice I give on the air or in emails – or those you see posted here – are not intended to take the place of a veterinarian's advice or expertise. I say this to protect myself from being misunderstood or from your over-reliance on my advice in situations where your pet may be seriously ill and you would mistakenly delay seeking medical intervention. While I am confident in the research-based facts and common-sense advice I can offer, it is never meant to be used at the exclusion of trained, accredited and board certified professionals. But I also have this disclaimer to protect your dog – because what you learn from me is not intended to take the place of medical care or professional evaluation – on the contrary, my desire is to equip you with information that will allow you to enjoy your pets to the fullest, and also to encourage you to seek professional medical attention whenever there are physical symptoms or an overall change in your pet's attitude.
Tracie welcomes any and all questions about cats AND dogs on both her live radio shows. Call in to DOG TALK on Saturdays from 11-Noon (EST) to 800-394-8830 or Wednesdays 8-9 PM (EST) to CAT CHAT 866-675-6675. (You don't need to have Sirius to call in!)
