Cat Links
Below are links on numerous topics regarding cat behavior, caring for your kitty, what you should know, etc.
You will also find our "Ask Lapcats" section further down the page.
You will also find our "Ask Lapcats" section further down the page.
Ask Lapcats
YOUR SUBMITTED QUESTIONS AND OUR SUGGESTIONS TO RESOLVE!
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Question: Our new kitten has just been spayed and she has a little bit of bruising on her stomach. What should we do?
Suggestion: If there is bruising around the surgery site, you should probably take her into your vet just to make sure it's not infected. If you adopted from the shelter or from LapCats, you were given a free visit to the vet which you can use. If you don't have a vet, please look at the list of vets on the back of the vet voucher that was given to you in your adoption packet. Question: Our two cats were fine until we moved to a smaller space. Since being in the new space ZenBoy has been blocking Sugar from the food bowls, hissing & hitting at her and has gained quite a bit of weight. Sugar has begun hiding throughout the day and night under the dresser, not eating, only drinking water once in a while. What can we do? Suggestion: Feeding the cats separately is the answer to keeping Zen Boy away from Sugar's food so she can eat in peace. If he wants to be with her during the day and you're keeping them separated that tells me he likes her unless he's trying to attack her. Obviously since this behavior has not always been a problem you've had him almost 8 months, something is bothering him or he just needs to be separated at feeding times. |
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Question: I have a kitten that decided to sneak out of our house. When he came home he was mangled by an animal. I took him to a vet and it turns out that his femur is completely fractured at the knee joint.The vet says the only option is surgery due to the location of the break... I can't afford surgery. Are there options to help me with the cost?
Suggestion: There are grants to help in situations like this. We have a link to Financial Aid on our website to guide you to them. I know Red Rover-United Animal Nations is a great one. There are also some ways to gather donations and we will try to put the word out to see who can help.
Question: My cat just started urinating just outside of her litter box on a towel we keep on the floor in front of her box to catch any cat litter on her paws as she steps out of her box. That towel has been there ever since we brought her home. This is extremely unusual behavior, for her. She has never done this before. In fact, I have never had a cat that did this. She did continue to urinate and poop in her box as well throughout the day and, today, she has not urinated outside her box at all. We did not put a towel back in its place. But we do have a store bought "catch mat" designed for litter tracking. Have you ever heard of a cat doing this or do you have any idea about what may cause her to do this?
Suggestion: The litter box issue is not uncommon. If you know she doesn't have a urinary tract infection, the next step is to try and figure out the behavior. We use a litter developed by a vet (Dr. Elsey) that is low dust and is called Precious Cat. He also makes a litter called Cat Attract which is specifically for cats with litter box issues. You might want to look into getting some of that if she continues to urinate inappropriately. We have a great little booklet at the adoption center that has some trouble shooting guidelines in it for litter problems as well. Feel free to stop by and grab one. We have them outside the center by the calendar and also inside the meet and greet. There are also coupons inside for Dr. Elsey's products. A few suggestions other than trying a litter additive (cat attract additive) are to add a second box (I assume you only have 1)? The general rule for cat boxes is to have a box for every cat in the house PLUS ONE. So if you have 1 cat, that means 2 boxes. If you have 4 cats, that means 5 boxes. Sometimes just that small adjustment will make a difference. Also if you have a 2 story house, you should offer a box on each floor. Since you know she's peeing on the towel and isn't doing it when the towel is gone, simply don't put the towel back down. That might be the answer and all the other stuff is mute. Sometimes the feeling of certain fabrics or textures are attractive to the cat and a soft, moveable item that she can "dig" like a towel directly outside the box might be a mixed message for her to be marking it due to the proximity of the towel to the litter box. Sounds weird I know, but they are so fastidious about things-especially with litter.
Question: I have a friend with two cats that need fostering. She is in a skilled nursing facility, is getting better, and hopes to be home soon - but in the meantime, needs someone to take in her cats. What can you suggest?
Suggestion: Can you or your kids go to her house to take care of the cats in their own environment? That is the best option for them. Maybe a volunteer from one of the shelters or church group could help her.
Question: I was open to having a new pet and a cat ended up on my front porch. She seemed like a nice cat and so I started to feed it. I was in the process of making friends with her and she went into heat before I could get her over to her spay appointment. When the appointment date arrived, she was already showing and I did not have the heart to abort her kittens. Now I have a very pregnant cat and really need some advice!
Suggestion: It is imperative you take this cat in right now to the county shelter and have her spayed. No appointment necessary. She is a community cat and the surgery will be free. Please do not let her have kittens. You have the power right now to stop the potential for possibly 10 more lives to be born with no homes in site.You do not have the means to take care of a semi-feral mom and all her babies for 8 weeks until they are big enough to be weaned and spayed and neutered. Trust me, it's a lot of work and very expensive. There are also no guarantees there will be GOOD lifelong homes for them. We have too many moms and babies in our shelters waiting for homes unsuccessfully.
Question: I found a litter of kittens, the mom got spooked and ran away. Now what do I do?
Suggestion: It is important to know that you should not take the babies away from the mom. Even though she got spooked she will be back for them. She and the babies should be trapped and taken to the shelter. The shelters are over there are no guarantees they will not be euthanized but you should not allow them stay in the yard and continue reproducing especially if no one is caring for them and fixing them as they are growing.
Question: My husband and I are looking for a forever home for our 4 ½ year-old Maine Coon male cat. He is neutered and is a sweet loving companion. We have a total of four cats and this cat has become territorial and has been spraying some of our furniture. We have taken him to the vet and have tried working with pet rescues but all has been to no avail. He had a urinary tract infection about a year ago and needs to be on a special diet – only urinary health food. I have contacted all of the local rescues and no one is accepting animals at this time. He has had this problem (off and on) for several years. He recently had a bladder infection and that triggered an new bout of spraying. We have two large litter boxes that are in a room of their own. The cats are comfortable with them and we have not had problems with them using the litter. Nothing has changed in over four years. He has gone outdoors, but has always been supervised. We have taken him to the doctor and she informed us that it was a mental not physical problem.
Suggestion: I have a cat that does this on occasion and it's because he wants to go outside. I had to make a choice either let him go out at his will or allow him to spray. Obviously I chose the first option.
If you have four cats you should have more than two litter boxes. Have you tried Cat Attract Litter? Anti-anxiety meds? A calming collar? Even though the litter boxes and litter have remained the same for four years, there have been cases where adverse behaviors start rearing their ugly heads as a cat ages.
Yes it sounds behavioral and my advice to you is to try installing cat fencing or a cat enclosure to keep him happy. We have options for the fencing and catios is on our website under the "resources" link. You can do it very inexpensively or very elaborately. This will allow him access to the outdoors and keep him safe in your yard. If he has to stay outside exclusively in order to curb the behavior, it is better than being rehomed into a situation that may not be forever.
Question: I have a 5 year female that has taken to wetting on our bed and floor. We do have multiple cat's and are only have problems with her. I do have two cat boxes and make sure they are changed regularly. Is this a habit that can be broke or do I need to look into surrendering her. (Yes I have taken her to the vet and there was nothing wrong. We have 3 cats. We are using Johnny Cat and change every 2 - 3 days in each box. We only have a 1 story house. One litter box is covered and one is not.
There are no new humans or pets. She is declawed. I am not sure if there is something that is upsetting her or not.)
Suggestion: Is the litter scented? Clumping? Declawed cats can sometimes have an aversion to certain litter. Check out Dr. Elseys Precious Cat litter. They have Cat Attract and also a litter for declawed cats. He is a vet and has developed litter for cats because one of the #1 reasons cats are surrendered to shelters is because of litter box issues. You can visit their website for more info as well. www.preciouscat.com/litter-box-solutions/. Copy and paste this link.
I would also suggest another litter box. Make sure it is big enough for the cats to stand up in, move around in, dig deep in the litter. Personally, I use Rubbermaid storage containers. I put a small stool next to it so they can get in and out easily. The box "rule" is 1 box per cat+1 which means you should technically have 4 boxes.
How long have you had her? Are you sure the other cats aren't blocking her from access to the boxes?
Pick up bathroom rugs that have a rubber backing. Some cats like to pee on those.
Maybe you should keep the door closed to your bed if that's where she's peeing.
Don't give up on her.
Question: I have a cat, a former stray who used to just hang out in our yard, that refuses to use the litterbox. He wants to use my carpet. Always. He has free access to the outside because we have a little dog and a doggie door. But still he wants to use our carpet. He is estimated to be about 12-13 years old. He checked out in good health at the vet. We feed him healthy food. I have tried cleaning the box all the time. I've tried a second box. I've tried changing box location. I've tried removing one side of the box so he didn't have to step over. We do have a second cat who uses the litter box. I can't give each their own because the second cat uses both. I've cleaned all the places he goes instead extensively... any suggestions? I like the cat. The cat loves the dog. He is so old I hate to just leave him outside.
Suggestion: If there are certain areas on the carpet he favors, put a litter box on top of that area. Use Cat Attract litter (unscented of course). There are various types of Precious Cat/Cat Attract litter and you could try all different kinds. Perhaps he has an aversion to the type of litter you are using in the boxes. Try adding another litter box and make sure they are both uncovered, covered, and large enough to move around in and stand up in. Use enough litter to allow him to dig deep-in other words, don't fill the litter box with shallow litter. Cats like to dig to China.
If he has been checked by a vet and urinary track infection, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes have been ruled out, this is behavioral and I would definitely try the ideas mentioned above with multiple litter boxes. One last thing to try is using a Rubbermaid container. I use those exclusively instead of litter boxes and I put a step stool next to them for my older cats so they don't have trouble getting in. The nice thing about a Rubbermaid container is they are tall and wide and cats really like using them. I would suggest adding that to the choices of boxes.
Suggestion: There are grants to help in situations like this. We have a link to Financial Aid on our website to guide you to them. I know Red Rover-United Animal Nations is a great one. There are also some ways to gather donations and we will try to put the word out to see who can help.
Question: My cat just started urinating just outside of her litter box on a towel we keep on the floor in front of her box to catch any cat litter on her paws as she steps out of her box. That towel has been there ever since we brought her home. This is extremely unusual behavior, for her. She has never done this before. In fact, I have never had a cat that did this. She did continue to urinate and poop in her box as well throughout the day and, today, she has not urinated outside her box at all. We did not put a towel back in its place. But we do have a store bought "catch mat" designed for litter tracking. Have you ever heard of a cat doing this or do you have any idea about what may cause her to do this?
Suggestion: The litter box issue is not uncommon. If you know she doesn't have a urinary tract infection, the next step is to try and figure out the behavior. We use a litter developed by a vet (Dr. Elsey) that is low dust and is called Precious Cat. He also makes a litter called Cat Attract which is specifically for cats with litter box issues. You might want to look into getting some of that if she continues to urinate inappropriately. We have a great little booklet at the adoption center that has some trouble shooting guidelines in it for litter problems as well. Feel free to stop by and grab one. We have them outside the center by the calendar and also inside the meet and greet. There are also coupons inside for Dr. Elsey's products. A few suggestions other than trying a litter additive (cat attract additive) are to add a second box (I assume you only have 1)? The general rule for cat boxes is to have a box for every cat in the house PLUS ONE. So if you have 1 cat, that means 2 boxes. If you have 4 cats, that means 5 boxes. Sometimes just that small adjustment will make a difference. Also if you have a 2 story house, you should offer a box on each floor. Since you know she's peeing on the towel and isn't doing it when the towel is gone, simply don't put the towel back down. That might be the answer and all the other stuff is mute. Sometimes the feeling of certain fabrics or textures are attractive to the cat and a soft, moveable item that she can "dig" like a towel directly outside the box might be a mixed message for her to be marking it due to the proximity of the towel to the litter box. Sounds weird I know, but they are so fastidious about things-especially with litter.
Question: I have a friend with two cats that need fostering. She is in a skilled nursing facility, is getting better, and hopes to be home soon - but in the meantime, needs someone to take in her cats. What can you suggest?
Suggestion: Can you or your kids go to her house to take care of the cats in their own environment? That is the best option for them. Maybe a volunteer from one of the shelters or church group could help her.
Question: I was open to having a new pet and a cat ended up on my front porch. She seemed like a nice cat and so I started to feed it. I was in the process of making friends with her and she went into heat before I could get her over to her spay appointment. When the appointment date arrived, she was already showing and I did not have the heart to abort her kittens. Now I have a very pregnant cat and really need some advice!
Suggestion: It is imperative you take this cat in right now to the county shelter and have her spayed. No appointment necessary. She is a community cat and the surgery will be free. Please do not let her have kittens. You have the power right now to stop the potential for possibly 10 more lives to be born with no homes in site.You do not have the means to take care of a semi-feral mom and all her babies for 8 weeks until they are big enough to be weaned and spayed and neutered. Trust me, it's a lot of work and very expensive. There are also no guarantees there will be GOOD lifelong homes for them. We have too many moms and babies in our shelters waiting for homes unsuccessfully.
Question: I found a litter of kittens, the mom got spooked and ran away. Now what do I do?
Suggestion: It is important to know that you should not take the babies away from the mom. Even though she got spooked she will be back for them. She and the babies should be trapped and taken to the shelter. The shelters are over there are no guarantees they will not be euthanized but you should not allow them stay in the yard and continue reproducing especially if no one is caring for them and fixing them as they are growing.
Question: My husband and I are looking for a forever home for our 4 ½ year-old Maine Coon male cat. He is neutered and is a sweet loving companion. We have a total of four cats and this cat has become territorial and has been spraying some of our furniture. We have taken him to the vet and have tried working with pet rescues but all has been to no avail. He had a urinary tract infection about a year ago and needs to be on a special diet – only urinary health food. I have contacted all of the local rescues and no one is accepting animals at this time. He has had this problem (off and on) for several years. He recently had a bladder infection and that triggered an new bout of spraying. We have two large litter boxes that are in a room of their own. The cats are comfortable with them and we have not had problems with them using the litter. Nothing has changed in over four years. He has gone outdoors, but has always been supervised. We have taken him to the doctor and she informed us that it was a mental not physical problem.
Suggestion: I have a cat that does this on occasion and it's because he wants to go outside. I had to make a choice either let him go out at his will or allow him to spray. Obviously I chose the first option.
If you have four cats you should have more than two litter boxes. Have you tried Cat Attract Litter? Anti-anxiety meds? A calming collar? Even though the litter boxes and litter have remained the same for four years, there have been cases where adverse behaviors start rearing their ugly heads as a cat ages.
Yes it sounds behavioral and my advice to you is to try installing cat fencing or a cat enclosure to keep him happy. We have options for the fencing and catios is on our website under the "resources" link. You can do it very inexpensively or very elaborately. This will allow him access to the outdoors and keep him safe in your yard. If he has to stay outside exclusively in order to curb the behavior, it is better than being rehomed into a situation that may not be forever.
Question: I have a 5 year female that has taken to wetting on our bed and floor. We do have multiple cat's and are only have problems with her. I do have two cat boxes and make sure they are changed regularly. Is this a habit that can be broke or do I need to look into surrendering her. (Yes I have taken her to the vet and there was nothing wrong. We have 3 cats. We are using Johnny Cat and change every 2 - 3 days in each box. We only have a 1 story house. One litter box is covered and one is not.
There are no new humans or pets. She is declawed. I am not sure if there is something that is upsetting her or not.)
Suggestion: Is the litter scented? Clumping? Declawed cats can sometimes have an aversion to certain litter. Check out Dr. Elseys Precious Cat litter. They have Cat Attract and also a litter for declawed cats. He is a vet and has developed litter for cats because one of the #1 reasons cats are surrendered to shelters is because of litter box issues. You can visit their website for more info as well. www.preciouscat.com/litter-box-solutions/. Copy and paste this link.
I would also suggest another litter box. Make sure it is big enough for the cats to stand up in, move around in, dig deep in the litter. Personally, I use Rubbermaid storage containers. I put a small stool next to it so they can get in and out easily. The box "rule" is 1 box per cat+1 which means you should technically have 4 boxes.
How long have you had her? Are you sure the other cats aren't blocking her from access to the boxes?
Pick up bathroom rugs that have a rubber backing. Some cats like to pee on those.
Maybe you should keep the door closed to your bed if that's where she's peeing.
Don't give up on her.
Question: I have a cat, a former stray who used to just hang out in our yard, that refuses to use the litterbox. He wants to use my carpet. Always. He has free access to the outside because we have a little dog and a doggie door. But still he wants to use our carpet. He is estimated to be about 12-13 years old. He checked out in good health at the vet. We feed him healthy food. I have tried cleaning the box all the time. I've tried a second box. I've tried changing box location. I've tried removing one side of the box so he didn't have to step over. We do have a second cat who uses the litter box. I can't give each their own because the second cat uses both. I've cleaned all the places he goes instead extensively... any suggestions? I like the cat. The cat loves the dog. He is so old I hate to just leave him outside.
Suggestion: If there are certain areas on the carpet he favors, put a litter box on top of that area. Use Cat Attract litter (unscented of course). There are various types of Precious Cat/Cat Attract litter and you could try all different kinds. Perhaps he has an aversion to the type of litter you are using in the boxes. Try adding another litter box and make sure they are both uncovered, covered, and large enough to move around in and stand up in. Use enough litter to allow him to dig deep-in other words, don't fill the litter box with shallow litter. Cats like to dig to China.
If he has been checked by a vet and urinary track infection, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes have been ruled out, this is behavioral and I would definitely try the ideas mentioned above with multiple litter boxes. One last thing to try is using a Rubbermaid container. I use those exclusively instead of litter boxes and I put a step stool next to them for my older cats so they don't have trouble getting in. The nice thing about a Rubbermaid container is they are tall and wide and cats really like using them. I would suggest adding that to the choices of boxes.
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info@lapcats.org
Lapcats is a non-profit organization 501(c)(3) 47-3066321
info@lapcats.org