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Operation Juicebox posted:Okay so looks like we have a flea problem. I've always relied on Frontline for Harvey, never had any issue with fleas at all and then suddenly BOOM. He's an indoor cat, and it's been really hot here so I assume they've just been dorment in the carpet. For the cat, check out the Seresto flea collar - used it on mine and it got rid of fleas when Frontline utterly failed. I know conventional wisdom is that flea collars don't work, this is a new kind of flea collar, protects the entire cat, lasts for 8 months. Several vets on Reddit recommended it and reviews are positive. Capstar pills will kill all the fleas currently on the cat. It's a good alternative to a flea bath if your cat will accept a pill. For treating the house, a lot of people recommend diatomaceous earth - sprinkle on the carpets, work it in with a broom, leave it for a day or two and then vacuum it up. I've also been told that sea salt works well. I ended up just using some Raid spray and vacuuming daily for a few weeks. Because they can live for a while as eggs or whatever, you'll want to repeat whatever treatment you did after a couple weeks. In my case they subsided after the spray and started to come back a little more after about a month. But basically, treat your carpets/furniture with something -- hopefully someone here can weigh in -- and vacuum/do laundry like mad every day. If your vacuum uses bags, throw away the bag after use .. if it's a canister, empty it outside away from the house every time.
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Aug 31, 2015 17:47
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Operation Juicebox posted:Okay so looks like we have a flea problem. I've always relied on Frontline for Harvey, never had any issue with fleas at all and then suddenly BOOM. He's an indoor cat, and it's been really hot here so I assume they've just been dorment in the carpet. Sorry you have to deal with fleas. I had to once at my mom's pace and it's the worst. What worked for me over the course of a few days was Borax powder sprinkled all over the carpet. They hate that stuff. You can find it in a box in with the laundry detergent. Also, get used to loving your vacuum cleaner and immediately empty it out and get the contents out of the house when you're done, get any clutter off of the floor they can hide in, wash any clothes and such you think they got into, and if you can, give the pet(s) a bath with Dawn dish detergent. They hate that as well. Don't bother "bombing" your house with those foggers or whatever. It doesn't work. Good luck. Charles Martel fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Aug 31, 2015 |
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Aug 31, 2015 17:50
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Operation Juicebox posted:Okay so looks like we have a flea problem. I've always relied on Frontline for Harvey, never had any issue with fleas at all and then suddenly BOOM. He's an indoor cat, and it's been really hot here so I assume they've just been dorment in the carpet. Frontline isn't effective anymore. Capstar will kill fleas on the animal but won't keep them from coming back. Revolution still works pretty well, but it's Rx only. Vacuum and steam clean everything. Wash all clothes, linens and towels. Spray raid/bugbomb your house, repeat as needed. Also anything Puppy Galaxy said is good too.
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Aug 31, 2015 17:52
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Also, a good way to track your progress is to set up flea traps in areas where your cat likes to hang out - just some soapy water in a tupperware container or shallow bowl. Also helps with the inevitable psychosis of "is that a flea bite? did I feel something jump on me? am I itchy or just making myself itchy?"
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Aug 31, 2015 18:12
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Disco Salmon posted:^^^ I was going to suggest leaving a little token bit of waste behind, too. Had a self-appointed litterbox cop I've mentioned here before who also got perturbed when all the deposits went away.  He wouldn't leave surprises outside a box if everything was gone, but he would visit all four boxes and dig, dig, dig. I finally caught on to what was triggering him and the behavior went away when I let one of their offerings to the hungry poo ghosts remain in each box. It was a four-cat household, so I'm glad he wasn't particular that the treasure should could come from only his hoard.
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Aug 31, 2015 19:14
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Operation Juicebox posted:I'm looking for something to put on/inside the cat and something to do the carpet with. Spray? Powder? Sacrificing my firstborn? Whatever kills fleas dead. Fire.
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Aug 31, 2015 21:42
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I'm at the end of my rope here and don't know what to do. I took my 14 year-old cat to the vet a year ago because she was losing weight, the vet told us she was being stressed out by our other cats and to maybe put her on prozac. We didn't do that but a few months later she started spending a lot of time upstairs where there are only 2 other non-aggressive cats. Well, she still kept losing weight so we took her to the vet again a month or two ago and actually put her on the prozac. It seemed to help a little but getting pilled, even in liquid form, seemed traumatizing for her and after a few days of it she started hiding. So we discontinued the prozac and tried Feliway instead. She was still getting thinner and we started to doubt at that point that stress was the issue so we took her to a vet hospital for a second opinion. They ran hundreds of dollars of blood tests and all they could say is that she had a high white blood cell count and borderline hyperthyroidism, but that her organ function seemed good. Since then she's just continued to be lethargic, barely eating, losing weight and so forth. I don't know what do at this point because neither of the vets I took her to gave any kind of definitive answer about what's wrong. She's going to the vet tomorrow for another office visit and maybe to get hyperthyroid medication but at this point I'm wondering whether the answer is to have her put to sleep. She was an 11 pound cat 2 years ago, an 8 pound cat a year ago, and now she's probably 4 pounds at most, just absolute skin and bones. I know whatever it is isn't stress at this point because as she started to get very thin the other cats stopped messing with her at all. Edit: I came to the realization that it was her time and took her to the vet. I don't think she's really enjoyed life for a week or two now. TOOT BOOT fucked around with this message at 06:37 on Sep 1, 2015 |
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Aug 31, 2015 23:56
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Is there a reason that my 2 year old rescue (whom I've had for 5 days) won't eat unless I bring her to her food? She hides out under my bed or in a little cubby or under my table all day and comes out when I'm there to coax her, but apparently she won't go anywhere unless I'm there for her. She didn't touch her food that I put out this a.m. but ate an entire 5.5oz can of wet + some kibbles when I wrangled her to her food bowl just now. I'm guessing she's still scared of her new environment? It's like she's not scared of me but is apparently afraid of an empty apartment.
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Sep 1, 2015 01:59
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gaan kak posted:Is there a reason that my 2 year old rescue (whom I've had for 5 days) won't eat unless I bring her to her food? She hides out under my bed or in a little cubby or under my table all day and comes out when I'm there to coax her, but apparently she won't go anywhere unless I'm there for her. She didn't touch her food that I put out this a.m. but ate an entire 5.5oz can of wet + some kibbles when I wrangled her to her food bowl just now. I'm guessing she's still scared of her new environment? It's like she's not scared of me but is apparently afraid of an empty apartment. As far as she knows, there's a predator lurking in every unseen nook and around every corner of your apartment. It's going to take a while before she figures out she's the only one there and it's safe to come out. Give her time. Lots of pets and attention, play and food will gradually settle her down. She needs to get comfortable with the environment and get her own odors on everything. She may be smelling some other animal that was there long ago or a neighbor's dog or something. It's going to take some time.
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Sep 1, 2015 02:06
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gaan kak posted:Is there a reason that my 2 year old rescue (whom I've had for 5 days) won't eat unless I bring her to her food? She hides out under my bed or in a little cubby or under my table all day and comes out when I'm there to coax her, but apparently she won't go anywhere unless I'm there for her. She didn't touch her food that I put out this a.m. but ate an entire 5.5oz can of wet + some kibbles when I wrangled her to her food bowl just now. I'm guessing she's still scared of her new environment? It's like she's not scared of me but is apparently afraid of an empty apartment. You might want to move the food over to her hiding place. It sounds like you have the food farther away, so she has to go out into the open to get to it. Better to keep it where she doesn't have to expose herself too much to get to it, and then slowly move it to its final spot as she relaxes.
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Sep 1, 2015 04:04
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Deteriorata posted:As far as she knows, there's a predator lurking in every unseen nook and around every corner of your apartment. It's going to take a while before she figures out she's the only one there and it's safe to come out. Give her time. Lots of pets and attention, play and food will gradually settle her down. Pucklynn posted:You might want to move the food over to her hiding place. It sounds like you have the food farther away, so she has to go out into the open to get to it. Better to keep it where she doesn't have to expose herself too much to get to it, and then slowly move it to its final spot as she relaxes. Yea, that's what I figured. She's adjusting pretty well when I'm home - she warms right up and loves to explore, with the caveat that every few minutes (or if there's a noise or something) she will run back to me before heading out again. I had her food by her initial hiding spot in the kitchen but her newest camp-out is under my bed. Sometimes it's under my kitchen table on a chair, but usually my bed. Tomorrow before I head to class I'll park her food wherever she's decided to sit and see if she goes for it then.
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Sep 1, 2015 04:29
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Maybe put a shirt of yours somewhere safe that she can sleep on whiile you're gone?
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Sep 1, 2015 06:32
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gaan kak posted:Is there a reason that my 2 year old rescue (whom I've had for 5 days) won't eat unless I bring her to her food? She hides out under my bed or in a little cubby or under my table all day and comes out when I'm there to coax her, but apparently she won't go anywhere unless I'm there for her. She didn't touch her food that I put out this a.m. but ate an entire 5.5oz can of wet + some kibbles when I wrangled her to her food bowl just now. I'm guessing she's still scared of her new environment? It's like she's not scared of me but is apparently afraid of an empty apartment. Solution: feliway.
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Sep 1, 2015 08:09
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My cat now shits whenever he is in his carrier. Twice now for 50 min drives each time. First time was one log, thought maybe he really had to go and hadn't had a chance before I grabbed him. Nope, second time was a bunch of little poo poo balls he squeezed out throughout the drive. rear end in a top hat.
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Sep 1, 2015 18:52
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What is the general consensus on Hill's prescription? Last night my 8 year old male kept trying to urinate (no vocalizing, just sitting there and giving up after the tiniest of tiny drops, did this about 4 times with different litter boxes in 30mins as I watched). Emergency vet said no obstruction, xray shows no stones, kidneys functioning OK, urine off to labs for tests but it wasn't bloody. Results aren't back yet, but they sent me home saying he 'likely' has feline idiopathic cystitis FIC: chronic inflammatory condition of the bladder. the papers they gave me say stress is an important factor which I agree was probably it. Our feliway ran out a while ago + I accidentally bought a different brand scented litter and used it, so it was probably the perfect storm. He has been prescribed drugs for 5 days: buprenex for pain (he is obviously enjoying this, all he wants to do is roll around on our bed and get his head rubbed, for hours) and prazosin. I really hope it's not FIC but if it is... they are encouraging prescription diet. Putting him on all wet food I don't really want to do because he has bad teeth but we can live with that. Is Hill's prescription C/D really going to help prevent it or is it bullshit to sell overpriced food?
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Sep 2, 2015 05:11
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Works for Pudding. He was on S/D until his crystals cleared up, and it's C/D now until forever to keep it them from forming up again. They both come in wet and kibble varieties. It's not as palatable as regular cat food though so I've had to watch both my cats during feeding time to make sure they eat the proper food. The first time he was on the food I didnt realize it was a permanent diet, so he was back on regular food after the bag was finished. A few weeks after that, boom crystals again. Synthbuttrange fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Sep 2, 2015 |
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Sep 2, 2015 05:15
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http://www.petfooddirect.com/product/8805/hills-prescription-diet-cd-feline-mulitcare-with-chicken-urinary-care-health-dry-food "Monitors urine pH levels" How can a food 'monitor' this in an animal?
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Sep 2, 2015 05:23
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Ranter posted:http://www.petfooddirect.com/product/8805/hills-prescription-diet-cd-feline-mulitcare-with-chicken-urinary-care-health-dry-food nanomachines, son
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Sep 2, 2015 05:25
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Yeah all it does is produces lower ph piss (or is it higher?). All this could be avoided if my stupid butthead would just drink more water but what can you do.
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Sep 2, 2015 05:27
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Ranter posted:I really hope it's not FIC but if it is... they are encouraging prescription diet. Putting him on all wet food I don't really want to do because he has bad teeth but we can live with that. Is Hill's prescription C/D really going to help prevent it or is it bullshit to sell overpriced food? I seem to remember reading that wet food is actually better for teeth than dry food because it doesn't stick to teeth in the same way (think about what happens with food of different texures and how easy or hard it is for it to get stuck on your teeth). But I can't remember where I read that so I can't say how reliable the source is...
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Sep 2, 2015 05:32
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Organza Quiz posted:I seem to remember reading that wet food is actually better for teeth than dry food because it doesn't stick to teeth in the same way (think about what happens with food of different texures and how easy or hard it is for it to get stuck on your teeth). But I can't remember where I read that so I can't say how reliable the source is... Not what our regular vets tell us.
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Sep 2, 2015 05:32
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SynthOrange posted:Yeah all it does is produces lower ph piss (or is it higher?). All this could be avoided if my stupid butthead would just drink more water but what can you do. I have encouraged my cats to drink more water by moving the water away from the food, and by having multiple sources of water in different spots. They drink WAY more now. One of the spots is a fountain, which my male cat likes a lot but the female doesn't. You'll figure out which kinds they like best.
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Sep 2, 2015 05:42
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Oh yeah I did put fountains and water bowls all over the place. My non flutd cat drinks a ton now. The one with the problems still rarely does.  Its at the point where I can tell who's pee it is by the size of the clump.
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Sep 2, 2015 05:45
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the urinary diets from Hills (or the SO from Royal Canin) are salted to encourage drinking along with being like low phosphorous or calcium or something to inhibit stone growth. It also can dissolve certain type of bladder stones - I can't ever remember if it's struvite or calcium stones. I wasn't totally convinced by it but I've seen it work multiple times and if it's between having a blocked cat and feeding a "sub par" diet, I'll feed the prescription diet any day of the week. Just note, since your cat is drinking more he will pee more. I feed my cats the new Hills Weight Loss + Urinary diet because we got a bunch of bags for free at work and they drink so much water. Upside is that nobody has had any FLUTD episodes after our last trip away! If you're totally adverse to it just give an all wet food diet. It wont be 100% the same but it's better than nothing.
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Sep 2, 2015 12:18
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Any tips for getting him off dry? Not sure if it's the meds but he's not eating enough.
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Sep 2, 2015 14:37
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Yet another inappropriate poop/pee situation, but wait—I really have tried a lot of solutions! This has been going on for awhile and at this point I’ve even considered giving him up, which I never, ever thought I would do. Problem Cat is sweet and lovable, but the elimination issues are making my life hell. I’ve considered allowing him to be indoor/outdoor (he shows no interest in going outside) but he’s front-declawed and I don’t think it’s safe. I adopted a three year old cat, Problem Cat, from the shelter two years ago. He is front-declawed (by previous owners, not me) and neutered. His previous family had given him up due to inappropriate elimination issues, but the shelter staff said they hadn’t noticed him doing that in his cage, so it might have been situational. He eats a combination of dry Kirkland food in the morning, and either Wellness or Earthborn wet food at night. His feces look normal. We play with Da Bird and other toys daily. He is cuddly and otherwise seems fine. Timeline: - Adopted about two years ago. I had one prior cat. They get along alright, and play together occasionally, but they’re not cuddling or super affectionate with each other. Problem Cat is literally twice her size and seems to have no fear of her. - Within a few months, he started occasionally pooping right next to the box. Never anywhere not right next to a litter box. I start trying the various methods detailed below. - A year ago, I took in a shy semi-feral cat with a broken pelvis (she got hit by a car on my block). My current cats are not fans, and generally chase her and corner her if allowed to be in the same space as her. I keep them separate unless I am right there, and even then it’s a very slow process. Problem Cat is still pooping next to the boxes occasionally, but this doesn’t change frequency when Shy Cat moves in. - In May, I went out of town for two months. Friends that Problem Cat knows and likes move in to my home. Unbeknownst to me, Problem apparently starts peeing inappropriately. Mostly in the bathroom next to his primary litter box, but other places too. He continues to poop outside the box. Friends clean regularly but not always with enzymatic cleaners. Problem Cat gets out once and is found the next day right next to the house, wailing to be let back in. - When I returned at the beginning of August, I thoroughly cleaned EVERYTHING with enzymatic cleaner. Now, Problem Cat exclusively poops on the floor next to a box, and about twice a week pees in various places around the house. Things I have tried: - Vet visit. He has a clean bill of health. Slightly overweight, but considering his body frame, “not too bad” according to the vet. A year ago I put him on cat Prozac, with no effect. - Cleaning everywhere he has peed/pooped with, at different times: multiple brands of enzymatic cleaner, white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, bleach wipes, regular floor cleaners. - Adding more boxes. There are four, for three cats. They are spread out throughout the house. - Changing litter. I’ve tried unscented versions of Cat Attract, Precious Cat, Arm & Hammer, World’s Best, Tidy Cat. I’ve also tried using the additive form of Cat Attract with the other brands. - Putting potting soil (!) in a litter box in the spot he most often poops. He just seemed confused by the soil, and pooped next to it. - Temporarily locking him in the bathroom (the spot with most of the problems) with bedding, toys, food, and two litter boxes overnight and in the day. He pooped next to the box even when he was locked in there with it. - Getting rid of all the area rugs in the house. - Praise when he uses the box, and treats because he’s very food-motivated. - Yelling (not proud of this). - Getting bigger litter boxes. They are now large Rubbermaid-style clear plastic tubs; one with high sides, two medium-high, and one low to the ground. - I’ve TNRd all the neighborhood feral cats. - Making sure the boxes are impeccably clean, using non-scented dish soap to clean the sides/bottom, scooping 1-2x/day. - Taking his poop off the floor and putting it in the box, so he learns that’s where it goes (I feel insane). - There are no litter liners in any of the boxes. - Putting down tinfoil on the places he misuses most. This morning, I woke to see he had peed ON the tinfoil. - Using more litter (~4 inches). Using less litter (<2 inches). Using in-between amounts of litter. - Feliway, both room-filling and spray versions. I put them around the house but not right next to the boxes. - Anti-stress collars (he’s wearing one now). - More playtime. More cuddling (he is a cuddle fiend). - More perches. He uses them and seems to like them, but no change on behavior. - Crying. Having lengthy discussions with him about my needs. Etc. I would love to hire an animal behaviorist but money is very tight right now. Any suggestions? I’m desperate. He does this whether or not I’m home, though never in the same room as me. Picture of him looking mournful: 
Hella Nervous fucked around with this message at 00:39 on Sep 3, 2015 |
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Sep 2, 2015 15:11
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Did the vet mention FIC (feline idiopathic cystisis)? basically, for reasons unknown (possibly you leaving for a few months), cat gets stressed which somehow triggers inflammation of the bladder. Urination becomes painful and the cat begins to associate the litter box with pain, so the inappropriate elimination can continue even after the pain is gone. Unfortunately if that is the case the course of treatment is almost everything you listed, although in my case the vet prescribed some pain killers for a few weeks (which resulted in the cat getting hilarious high after each dose) and another med I can't remember the function of, I think an anti-inflammatory? I don't know what solved the problem as we also did a lot of the same stuff you did (extra litter box, kept them clean as hell, enzyme cleaners, threw out rugs she wouldn't stop peeing on, kept her the hell away from laundry baskets). But maybe the meds played a role as well. On a practical note, at the height of things when she was constantly peeing near the litterbox but not in it, we resorted to covering the area with puppy pads. I would consider taking him to a different vet (if you can afford it) to see if the first one missed something.
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Sep 2, 2015 18:05
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Having just gone through dealing with a cat suspected of FIC (and he has in the past randomly peed on rugs/clothes but only once every couple of months) I have done a ton of reading in the last 2 days and posted up above in this thread. Take everything I write with a grain of salt, I could be wrong here. One thing I didn't see mentioned in your post is addressing your cats diet, though it is still linked to not having a clean bill of health and possibly suffering from FIC like puppy galaxy said. What I've read is that dry food + felines having low thirst drive = dehydrated cat. Dehydrated cat = urinary problems = pain = not using litterboxes and in bad cases blockages and possible death. Everything I'm reading says switch to all wet food, because it's >70% content water vs. dry <20% water. Try to wean him off dry slowly (so as not to risk him stopping eating and getting fatty liver and almost dying like my other $8000 miracle cat with feeding tube that I posted about years ago) and add more water around the house away from his food source. Cats apparently have issues with their clean water being tainted with their dead animal food, so separating where you feed vs. where their water goes is commonly recommended. Also water fountains are apparently good because cats associate running water with clean water. Mine doesn't like fountains and only prefers tap being left dripping unfortunately. Whether dry food is better for their teeth seems mixed. Are teeth issues and getting them extracted at great cost worth a happy pain free cat that doesn't piss on your stuff? Maybe try moving towards 100% wet food and see if the problem gets better. If it does then you can weigh up the decision again teeth health vs. urinary health. Both can cause pain. My FIC-suspected kitty also has a history of teeth issues on a mostly dry food diet. I have done everything you mentioned too. I think it's just the bloody dry food slowly doing him in. Bald Stalin fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Sep 2, 2015 |
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Sep 2, 2015 20:11
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Thanks for your replies. The vet didn't mention FIC, but I can bring it up with them. Still, FIC doesn't seem like it would explain the years of pooping on the ground next to the litter box. Getting rid of the urine issues would be a wonderful start, but I'm so tired of cleaning up poop and sanitizing the floors every day. He weighs about 18 pounds, so feeding him wet food alone would mean about two (or slightly under) 5.5 oz cans per day, by my calculation. With high-quality wet food (and two other cats to feed), it's going to get expensive real fast. I can give it a try for awhile and at least see if it helps. There are multiple water dishes and one dog-sized water fountain in the house, and I see him drinking regularly (it's very cute, he daintily dips his paw in the water and drinks off his paw). I'd be surprised if he was dehydrated. I have been to two vets over the years, and neither had any other solutions (other than the Prozac, which didn't work). I can try to take him to a third place nearby (it's a much bigger pet hospital facility), but if I'm going to do that I wonder if I shouldn't just save up for a behaviorist instead.
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Sep 3, 2015 00:35
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If you're feeding at strict mealtimes you can just add water to your kibble before giving it to your cat. Mine's greedy enough to slurp down all the water before finishing all the kibble so its a good way of watering him.
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Sep 3, 2015 00:52
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I wasn't happy with the first vet I tried, so I found a cat-only practice. 25mins drive away with no traffic but I feel it's worth it.
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Sep 3, 2015 01:19
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Ranter posted:Not what our regular vets tell us. It is a myth that wet food is worse for teeth, even among vets. I was fortunate enough to have a veterinary dentist at my vet school when I was a student, and she said that the idea that dry food is better is like saying that eating chips is good for teeth, or that brushing your teeth with sugar is ok because the sugar is hard. Brushing your pet's teeth is the #1 best thing to prevent dental disease; if it's already pretty bad, then a full dental prophylaxis with your vet is the way to go.
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Sep 3, 2015 02:02
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Braki posted:It is a myth that wet food is worse for teeth, even among vets. I was fortunate enough to have a veterinary dentist at my vet school when I was a student, and she said that the idea that dry food is better is like saying that eating chips is good for teeth, or that brushing your teeth with sugar is ok because the sugar is hard. Brushing your pet's teeth is the #1 best thing to prevent dental disease; if it's already pretty bad, then a full dental prophylaxis with your vet is the way to go. That was my suspicion, and good to hear it from someone with qualifications rather than catinfo.org WHY WON'T YOU DRINK MORE, GUY?!   Not shown: right now he's tripping balls on his pain relief narcotics and catnip toy.
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Sep 3, 2015 02:39
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Ranter posted:WHY WON'T YOU DRINK MORE, GUY?! Cats are goddamn idiots.
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Sep 3, 2015 05:37
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Puppy Galaxy posted:
Independent pet shops and groomers usually know who is the best vet is in the area. Pop into the pet shop or groomer buy a cat toy for $6 or less and have a chat, walk out with a vets business card. This is how i found out about my cheap, amazing vet. Consider protecting your floors with cheap Vinyl sheets (stay away from sticky back stuff) http://www.bunnings.com.au/ideal-diy-floors-1-83m-sand-speckle-economy-vinyl-sheet_p6612126 The blue bunny fucked around with this message at 09:53 on Sep 3, 2015 |
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Sep 3, 2015 09:50
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I apologize for asking a question that comes up over and over, but here we go: in about a month, I am moving ~2,500 km with my two cats. Both are male and neutered, and one is about seven and the other is eight. Cat #1 (Jim) is generally shy and skittish and doesn't like strangers, but he is super chill in the car and has handled several 500 km drives like a champ. Cat #2 (Luke) has a friendly and laid-back personality and generally acts like a dog most of the time, but he loses his mind in the car and shits / pisses himself and yowls like he's dying for most of the drive. He is an enormous tabby that I found in the woods - he's several cm taller and longer than my other cat, and his weight is in the ballpark of 10 kg / >20 lbs (especially since my parents have been taking care of him for the past year and a bit and they really overfed him). Anyway, a 2,500 km drive with a 6-hour boat ride in the middle is not something that any cat would like, so of course I have considered flying (which would be a direct 2.5 hour flight). The problem is that I think that Luke is a) too big and too heavy to be carry-on, and would need to go in the cargo, and b) might literally hyperventilate or have a heart attack and die from stress since he can barely deal with a car ride. Jim will NOT deal well with hotels, and I don't think either will like the boat ride, but I feel like driving is the lesser of two evils. At this point I am 99% sold on driving out over the course of about three days, and I was planning to use something like this thing in the car to give them as much space as possible while keeping them well-contained. Ideally I would have the middle zipped down to max out their room and would chuck a small littler box in there with them.  Any tips on moving long-rear end distances with nervous cats? Both are chipped and are used to wearing collars with address info. This would be a lot easier if I didn't like my dumb cats so much 
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Sep 3, 2015 12:45
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See if you can get your vet to perscribe some sedatives/relaxants for the trip.
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Sep 3, 2015 12:55
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Hella Nervous posted:
I think the declaw is your problem. Digging in the litter may be painful for his feet. Maybe try a box with shredded paper as litter? Many many many many declawed cats are found in shelters because their previous owners couldn't deal with the improper elimination issues that often come with a declaw. You are a good cat guardian for working with him so much on this. I must say he is quite handsome 
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Sep 3, 2015 14:20
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edit ^^^^ woah, I didn't even think of that. That would tie things up nicely. Hella Nervous posted:Thanks for your replies. The vet didn't mention FIC, but I can bring it up with them. Still, FIC doesn't seem like it would explain the years of pooping on the ground next to the litter box. Getting rid of the urine issues would be a wonderful start, but I'm so tired of cleaning up poop and sanitizing the floors every day. Was the pooping outside the box going on long before the peeing? He might have had bouts of FIC in the past and just started associating the litter box with pain. it doesn't make a whole lot of sense why he'd be ok with doing 1 but not 2 in the box, but older shelter cats develop strange behaviors over time because cats are weird. Anyway, my point is, if the pain surrounding the litter box can go away, perhaps he will start using it appropriately. Ranter, good call on the wet food - I forgot that's another thing we did when we dealt with the problem. In this cat's case we just replaced the evening dry food re-up with wet food for a few weeks. I don't have any experience with a behaviorist so I can't comment on whether or not that's effective.
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Sep 3, 2015 14:29
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Thanks y'all. Yes, the out-of-box pooping started LONG before the peeing; he started pooping next to the box almost two years ago, but the frequency has steadily ramped up to the point where now he ONLY poops next to the box. The peeing seems to have started while I was out of town for two months; he'd never done it before. The vinyl tile is a great idea, too-- I might put some in an empty litter box and see if I can re-train that way... I'm going to try the shredded paper and all-wet food. The declawing is really unfortunate. His vet records indicated his owners did it because he "scratched the furniture." He is seriously the most affectionate cat I've ever encountered, so the thought of mutilating his paws to save a couch just breaks my heart.
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Sep 4, 2015 02:52
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