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swingchickiepumpkin, our little orange kitty that jack adopted 4 or 5 years ago, needs a litter box intervention. she loves to pee -- in the litterbox, around the litterbox, on our rugs. by the front foor, by the back door. on the bed. this has been going on for all of her life... she was raised in a barn (literally) and then became an indoor cat, so she knows how to use the box but also feels that she should have the freedom to go anywhere else she chooses. when jack took her in, it was because the elderly couple who owned her couldn't handle her and her peeing anymore and were thinking of putting her to sleep. and it's awesome that he saved her life, but now the problem is his/ours to handle.
jack has tried everything to manage the problem -- the first vet put her on an anti-anxiety med, which turned her into a zombie... then he kept her in the basement, which stopped the problem for a few weeks until she started choosing favorite "pee places" down there too. i know i've posted before about the giant patchwork quilt of wee-wee pads that the floors in my house have become, we put them down anywhere she likes to pee to at least save some cleanup. we've thrown out 2 pee-soaked area rugs in 5 months. we've bought 7 litterboxes to try to give her more options. but as she chooses more and more spots to go, we're running out of options ourselves.
which means, pumpkin is on her way to an animal behaviorist in a couple of weeks. we've booked a consult with one of the best in our area, so i'm hoping she'll have some more suggestions for us. the appointment is almost 3 hours long, and we have to bring all 4 cats with us (!!!!!!), and it costs a nice chunk of change... but if we can walk away from it with a training plan that works, i swear will go back to that hospital and kiss that vet so hard.
jack has tried everything to manage the problem -- the first vet put her on an anti-anxiety med, which turned her into a zombie... then he kept her in the basement, which stopped the problem for a few weeks until she started choosing favorite "pee places" down there too. i know i've posted before about the giant patchwork quilt of wee-wee pads that the floors in my house have become, we put them down anywhere she likes to pee to at least save some cleanup. we've thrown out 2 pee-soaked area rugs in 5 months. we've bought 7 litterboxes to try to give her more options. but as she chooses more and more spots to go, we're running out of options ourselves.
which means, pumpkin is on her way to an animal behaviorist in a couple of weeks. we've booked a consult with one of the best in our area, so i'm hoping she'll have some more suggestions for us. the appointment is almost 3 hours long, and we have to bring all 4 cats with us (!!!!!!), and it costs a nice chunk of change... but if we can walk away from it with a training plan that works, i swear will go back to that hospital and kiss that vet so hard.
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Date: 2010-06-18 07:40 pm (UTC)Jack is lucky to have you, as is Pumpkin.
Let me know how it goes with the behaviorist. Right now, Monkey is locked in the basement during the day unless one of us is home. H wanted to give her another chance to be upstairs during the day until I told him that he is safer not giving him another chance because if we lose another carpet I will lose my shit and I can't promise that I will be ok with her staying in our home. Anyway, basement seems to work for now, but he doesn't like it, she doesn't like it and I feel like the Grinch. On the other hand, we haven't lost a carpet since.