Sunday, October 25, 2009

Poop, Poop Everywhere!

My honeymoon with the new kitten is over. Over!

The poor little guy has had diarrhea since about eight hours after he arrived. I've tried various different foods, including all the tried-and-trues for stopping diarrhea. And yet the flow continued, unabated. He didn't like using the litter box, no matter how frequently I scooped. So he would empty his intestines on my bed, on Ridley's bed, on the comforter I laid on the guest room floor for him to sleep on, on both rugs in my family room, and so on.

I took him to the vet on Thursday afternoon and got meds. After three doses, his stool had form and he was using the litter box. But now he's decided to urinate in all the places he was previously pooping.

My entire house smells like feline urine, and I am very*very*very upset about this. I do not want a house that smells of feline urine!

The babes stayed with me last night. This morning I got up to go to the bathroom, and suddenly heard Boston scream, "Grandma!!" at the top of his lungs. I could hear the exclamation marks in his tone of voice. I raced off the toilet back into my bedroom, thinking the house was on fire. The kitten had peed on my bed and gotten Boston's pajama sleeve.

Sigh.

Is this kitten ever going to learn? How long does one keep a rescued kitten before giving up and taking him back to the shelter? He is a real sweetie pie, is pretty, is affectionate, is docile. But he pees inappropriately. Let me reiterate: I don't want a house that smells of feline urine.

What if I invent a cat diaper? Do you think I'd instantly be the wealthiest woman in the universe?

3 comments:

brookeslanina said...

there's usually a reason that cats mark...i know you already have a cat in the house, so the little one could be attempting to get territorial and declare their place in the home. is he spayed? if not, he'll keep it up until you get him fixed. my beau has 2 male cats who visited my house (which has female cats) and those buggers sprayed every time i turned around! and that was in maybe a 30-minute span of time. they just were really excited...but since being spayed, they don't mark very much (only once in awhile, usually if theyve been left alone for long hours)

however, if he is spayed and continues doing this, it might be a health issue...maybe an infection? has he been treated for worms? i would be sure he is medically sound before investing in a cat diaper (lol).

finally, there are products you can purchase that discourage spraying...and water and vinegar make a great, earth-and-animal-friendly cleaning solution. contrary to popular belief, cat behavior can be modified with dedication and patience. i'm sure there's tons of great tips on the internet (my cats are all wild and untamed but i don't mind, lol).

just keep trying! please don't take your rescued friend to a shelter where he would be possibly passed over and left for a long time or killed (angels is esp. deceptive about being no kill -- they kill ALL THE TIME!!!).

good luck and please let us know how he turns out!

Jan Crews said...

Brooke - thanks so much for this. I am so troubled by this situation.

He was already spayed when I got him. It doesn't feel like it's marking his territory -- it feels more like laziness or he just forgets where he needs to go.

I think I'm going to have to take him back to the vet to get checked again -- not an easy thing with my schedule and my commute. Oh well.

I really don't want to get rid of him. He's such a sweetheart and the grandkids love him, especially B.

Got him from Cat Ladies Society -- I think they are truly a no-kill shelter.

Thanks, Brooke. You're the best!
Jan

brookeslanina said...

ah yes, cat ladies is pretty good about no kill...but i would suggest a thorough vet check up...lost of parasites and nasty stuff in kittens...it's routine for them, esp. rescues who dont have a mama to keep 'em cleaned up...keep me posted!