help! possible renal cat , food supp, phos blockers or is it behavioral?

I have a 22 year old cat. I have been unable to take her into my house because I live with dad and he is allergic. ahe is with a friend for now. he loves her and tries to take very good care of her he calls himself her daddy. he has been telling me that she is pooping and peeing like crazy all over the house the stench is horrible. I got her a litter box of her own(he has one cat of his own) i started to get scared because i'm out of work was unable to get her to a vet so, i was trying to treat it as behavioral at first, I got COMFORT ZONE SPRAY CONCENTRATE we cleaned up and got her her own litter box with a cover ecause she was only doing it in small hidden places so, after that she was fine.   he noticed that where ever she was, she was sleeping where she marked and not in the litter box. I keep getting worried because as soon as I hear of an accident, something contradicts and points to a logical behavioral i will list below:

1. eliminating outside litter . a) the cat she lives with has an open(uncovered) litterbox. she is used to her own covered litter.
2. I provided covered litter box . still has the problem but found out the other cat is now using HER litter box.
3. she is eating and drinking fine. runs to kitchen every time food is out  . loves treats still.
4. always purrs and is generally happy. is social and loves cuddling .
5. father (my friend) has heard occasional yawling at night . but we found a hairball spit up on floor . also she is banned from bedroom after she turned it  into her own toilet.
6. she has had a history of fighting with cat  apparently still does. wondering if thats stressful for her?
7. she loves treats still.
8. the peeing outside litter box started only a couple months ago.
I am wondering if anyone can give advice on this. i am starting a new career path this week because the job market *****. i am hoping this will allow me to get a new place for me and marley(the cat) in two months. I am ready to go the distance if she is but i want what she wants and want her to not suffer and be happy.

[zodiacqueen]

Well, I am a bit confused w/ your story here.  Is the cat being forced to be an outside cat because of the peeing and pooping?  Instead of assuming this is a behavioral problem, you need to take the cat to the vet.  This is very important since the cat is so old.  It is also possible that the cat is stressed out and going to the bathroom outside the litter box too.  It's also possible that the litter box isn't being kept clean enough either, and that could be another reason.  

Your best bet is to get the cat to the vet and eliminate as much stress as you can.  This older cat deserves to have the rest of the time he's got left to be peaceful and without having to deal with fighting with other cats.  That's got to be very very stressful to him.

[lindsay78]

marley is an indoor cat. she is just banned from bedroom. I am wondering how much i can  have with her. Id like a year but willing to take 10 months. i ideally want to make her last months or year as stress free and loving,patient as possible. the thoughts I have are weird too. I wouldn't be upset if she peed all over MY bed or stuff just as long as she's happy and comfortable.  also how long does it take for phosphorus blockers to work?

[zodiacqueen]

Okay, now I understand.  Does she have kidney disease, since you're talking about Phosphorous blockers?  Cats that have kidney disease will pee a LOT!  I don't think you'd see much difference w/ pooping.  I've had several cats that had this and don't think there were any poop changes.

My best advice to you is to take her to the vet to make sure of the cause.  Please don't assume that this problem is from kidney problems.  It could be something else that can be treated.

Please keep me updated.  Good luck!

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

Zodiacqueen is right, Lindsay, your kitty needs to go to the veterinarian ASAP.  

The very first rule in dealing with a cat who is defecating and/or urinating inappropriately is to rule out medical problems like diabetes, kidney disease or other concerns.  Then, if she has no medical issues, you can start really focusing on behavior issues.

As far as litterboxes go, the general rule of thumb for multiple cat households is one litterbox per cat plus one box.   In your friend's case, he should have three boxes.   The other issues to think about with litterboxes are placement of litterboxes (all on one floor, upstair/downstairs, etc).  Some older cats are arthritis and don't like to climb stairs to get to a box.

A new type or different type of litter is also a problem for some cats, they have preferences on litter just like food.

What are you using to clean up the "accidents"?   The areas need to be enzymatically cleaned so that she is not attracted back to the same spots.

I too am concerned about the phosphorus blockers you mentioned.  Were these prescribed by a veterinarian?   You might consider asking your question about the phosphorus blockers over on the Ask the Expert side of the forums here.   We have multiple DVMs that could help with an explanation of kidney issues and/or inappropriate elimination problems.

[zodiacqueen]

Wow, you've taught me something new!!!  =)  I've had cats for 30+ yrs and I did not know that litter boxes for multi-cat households should have more than one box and they should ALL be on the same floor.  My mom's got 5 cats and she's got 5 litter boxes and all of them are in the garage.  I didn't think to ask her why, though.  

Thanks for sharing that info.  

HMMMMMMMM, this might be a great blog idea for ya about multi-cat households!!!  =D

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

thanks for the compliment.   In actuality, litterboxes can be separated on different floors to help facilitate older cats who might not be able to climb stairs.   I think its a good idea (in multi-level homes) that there be at least one litter box on each floor.   Some kitties (like my chubby Vulcan) are just plain LAZY!!

I will consider that for a blog idea...thanks!

[lindsay78]

Thank you everyone for responding. I have a few more questions. i may or may not have a job this week, one thing for sure I am stuck but feeling creative so, I got a five day feeder for marley because the friend she stays with has to work across state for 4 days at a time . and yes, its the best situation possible for. This man doesn't even hurt flies! so he's patient, but I want her back! so I am wondering if I get powder phosforus binders and mix them in moist cat food with a little water, will they stay fresh and still work while they are sitting on two ice packs for a couple of days? is sq fluids once a week ok for her? i am prepared to give her the best last year of her life, I but I am two months away from that. do you think these measures would be enough to stabilize a cat with crf?

[lindsay78]

just to add on.... or do you think this will at least make her comfortable and feeling better?