Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Ask a Vet (Pet Health) (Expert Forum)
Re: Our deaf cat
Answered by
Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M. - Small Animals, dogs, cats
Randolph - NJ
This forum is for pet health questions! Dr. Cheng's interests include: Small animal medicine & surgery, Veterinary Acupuncture and Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine and Veterinary NAED, Allergy diagnosis & treatment
Re: Our deaf cat
by Laurie60, Jul 16, 2008 08:59PM
We adopted a deaf cat from the outdoors 3 years ago when he was about 10 years old. With persistence, we were able (for the most part) to train him to use the litter box. A week ago, all of a sudden he urinated on our bed. The following morning, he did the same thing and defecated as well. We scolded him a bit with gestures, mouthing NO NO NO to him and tried putting him in the litter box a few times, with no success. I took him to the doctor who took blood and urine samples, as well as performing a physical exam. According to the test results, nothing is wrong. I have two other cats, a 12 year old female and another male, about 7 years old. They get along reasonably well, although the deaf one keeps his distance most times. His appetite is normal, yet he is normally very verbal and "social"; now he hides under our bed constantly and refuses to use the litter box. Any suggestions as to what else could have "spooked" him would be much appreciated. I am at my wits end. (PS I am not using a new brand of litter, so I don't know what else could have changed for him.)
Doctor's Answer
by Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., Jul 18, 2008 06:09PM
, Jul 18, 2008 06:09PM
I am glad there is no physical problem associated with the inappropriate urination and defecation, however purely behavioral causes for inappropriate urination and defecation may be difficult to root out.
There should be a single litter box for each cat plus one additional one. The litter boxes should not be moved once an area is established. You may have to monitor behavioral patterns for all the cats until you have this problem solved, even if you must use video camera's aimed at the litter boxes to see if the deaf cat is pounced upon when he tries to use a litter box. A more dominant cat may have become aware that it is very easy to sneak up on your deaf cat and finds it fun, or, just wants to dominant the deaf one. This may be a cat low on the pecking order, who does not have any other cat to dominant except your deaf one.
If you are able to discern this behavior, you will have to catch the perpetrator in the act and scold him with a shaken can of coins, or a water pistol squirted in his face.
If all else fails and you are unable to find the cause, try Feliway the cat pheromone that gives cats a feeling of well being, or you may have to resort to medications prescribed to behavioral abnormalities for you cat. Good Luck!
There should be a single litter box for each cat plus one additional one. The litter boxes should not be moved once an area is established. You may have to monitor behavioral patterns for all the cats until you have this problem solved, even if you must use video camera's aimed at the litter boxes to see if the deaf cat is pounced upon when he tries to use a litter box. A more dominant cat may have become aware that it is very easy to sneak up on your deaf cat and finds it fun, or, just wants to dominant the deaf one. This may be a cat low on the pecking order, who does not have any other cat to dominant except your deaf one.
If you are able to discern this behavior, you will have to catch the perpetrator in the act and scold him with a shaken can of coins, or a water pistol squirted in his face.
If all else fails and you are unable to find the cause, try Feliway the cat pheromone that gives cats a feeling of well being, or you may have to resort to medications prescribed to behavioral abnormalities for you cat. Good Luck!
Post Comment
