Accidents Accidents do happen. Treat the spot with an enzymatic cleaner such as Natures Miracle from your local pet store. Make sure you get all the odor out to prevent future elimination in this area. But more important is to figure out why this happened in the first place & correct the problem if necessary. Medications Cyproheptadine often eliminates marking behavior. Also Prozac or Elivil may work with this type of problem if it is stresssed induced. These have to be purchased thru your vet. Other Aids Cat Attract litter usually works when other litters don�t. Sometimes Feliway spray or Feliway Zone Control helps. Declawing Many times declawing results in marking behavior because the cat feels vulnerable and defenseless without its claws. This may not happen right away but when a stressful situation as perceived by your cat arises such as a strange cat on its doorstep or near the window, new pet or person in the household, child/another cat bothering him/her or taking over one or more of its favorite spots. The kitty feels he/she cannot protect themselves or their territory without their claws giving rise to inappro. This is one of the reasons declawing is not acceptable. Household Dynamics - esp for declawed kitties When did the kitty start doing this? Something must have changed in your household or surroundings (inside or outside near your home) to stress your kitty. New child, new pet, new partner, strange cat outside your building etc? Is a child or other pet is intimidating the kitty in any way? Preventing him/her away from the litterbox? Taking over his/her favorite napping spot? Looking outdoors spot? You should watch the dynamics in your household carefully to try and pinpoint an aggressor. It may be subtle to you but not to your cat. Maybe put the kitty in a separate room with her own litterbox- at least temporarily to calm him/her down for a month or so. Then slowly re-introduce the kitty and watch carefully to see if any other person or pet starts bothering or upsetting her in any way, causing him/her from using the litterbox. Indoor-Outdoor If these do not solve the problem and if you live in a safe neighborhood and he is not declawed, you may see if having him as an indoor - outdoor kitty solves the problem. You would have to supervise his outings at first to make sure he doesn�t get confused and knows how to get back into your house thru a kitty door. You would also have to make sure he is in before dusk and not let out until well after dawn because of predators. Enclosure Or better yet, for safety concerns or if your kitty is declawed, you could try building or buying a large fenced in enclosure preferably attached to your house and entered via a cat door where the kitty can go outside to eliminate. (Or a dog kennel and cover top with fencing or netting.). I've especially have had luck with declawed cats with this type of setup as they cannot be made to be indoor-outdoor cats as they are defenseless without their claws. In the meantime, maybe supervised outings in your yard? Barn Home Or try and find the kitty a barn home if he/she is not declawed. The cat would have to be kept warm while in a cage for a minimum of 4 weeks with no chance of escaping to acclimate to his new surroundings or the cat will become disoriented and disappear. |
| LITTERBOX PROBLEMS 2 |
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