Do You Know If his Is A Sign Of Old Age. My Cat Murphy Sometimes

[DEM FAN]

Does His Duty On The Floor Instead Of The Litter Box. And Just In
Case You Are Wondering The Times He Does This The Litter Box Is Not
That Full Where It Could Not Be Used. :shrug:

[eyesroll]

1. He could have a urinary tract infection

Take him to the vet.

[Bertha Venation]

3. exactly right -- get him to the vet right away

UTI can kill a cat quickly. Good luck.

[Dookus]

2. I'm not sure

but I think using initial caps is a sign of old age :)

Actually, it could be a few things. Is he doing it on the floor NEAR the litterbox? How old is he? Is it pooping only, peeing only or both?

If there's a medical condition (such as a urinary tract infection) that causes pain on elimination, cats will often associate the pain with the litter box, then try to go elsewhere. Worth a checkup with the vet.

If he's just old, yeah, sometimes old cats just get a little confused.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

4. I agree

My late kitty Fergus developed the habit of peeing and pooping outside the litter boxes for the last couple of years of his life. I put a bunch of newspapers around the boxes, and he'd either go on them or on the cement floor, but always in the general area of the boxes. I tried getting a "dog" litter box with a really low entry in front, but he didn't use it. I tried a bunch of kinds of litter, but he didn't use it. He did have a history of UTIs, but really hadn't had a lot of problems with that in the last couple of years. I do think he had chronic renal failure, however. He was 19 when he died, and I don't know if it was the renal failure or if he just decided he liked the hard floors.

Have Murphy checked out with blood work and a physical exam. Have the vet check his kidney function. Make sure the litter boxes are kept clean. Maybe if you catch him in the act pick him up gently and place him in the litter box to redirect him to where he should go.

Most of all, good luck. I hope this problem can be nipped in the bud, but if not, be gentle with him and accommodate his changing needs.

[joshdawg]

5. Having a cat who turned 18 last month,

I will say that his missing the litter box is due to old age. My cat gets close, and sometimes actually gets into the box to do his thing, but mostly it is outside the box. The litter box is in one of my closets and I have now turned that closet, the whole thing, into a litter room for my four-legged, furry, feline friend and companion. He seems to be content now that he is not limited to a small space to do his "dooty."

[curlyred]

6. try a box inside another box

We, too, have an old cat. We put the regular litter box inside a larger plastic container.....I think it's one of those under-bed storage boxes. That helps contain those near misses from our cat, who like to pee right at the edge of the box.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

7. I forgot about dog "wee-wee pads"

They are treated with pheromones to attract dogs to do their business on them. They are very absorbent and disposable. They work for cats, too! Ferg would use them. They can be kind of expensive; I paid about $27 for 50 pads at Petco. They come in smaller, cheaper packages at grocery stores. Newspapers can get messy if the cat is peeing on them; you may not want newsprint on your concrete floors!