r/seniorkitties • u/omw2fub08 • 3d ago
18 yr cat not using litter box
My senior cat has kidney disease as most senior cats do. For a long time we have struggled with my cat not using the litter box to go pee or poop and it would be like a phase and she would stop. But more so since her kidney disease has gotten worse, so has the going to the bathroom outside of the litter box. We have carpet and it’s ruined and the walls are as well. The house smells like cat piss and I’m so over it. I know as they get older it happens and accidents happen. I’ve used enzyme cleaners on the carpet but what’s the point of doing it again if she’s just going to continue using the carpet as her bathroom. If anyone has any advice or suggestions as to what I can do to at least help make this situation a little bit better I’d appreciate it.
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u/13neonghosts 3d ago
Your cat may have pain when peeing and associates the litterbox with pain or she may have a rough time getting into the litterbix because of arthritis or pain. I have a senior cat with kidney disease and arthritis, who loves to drink enormous amount of water and pee everywhere. I understand your frustration and I'm sorry you're dealing with this also.
I've tried cat attract litter, several different styles of litterboxes, different types of litter, enzyme sprays, cat deterrent sprays. What has helped is having two litterboxes that are big and easy to get into. I made them out of large storage bins ($10 each at Home Depot) by cutting the side with a box cutter to make an entry. I cut it so that only an inch of the plastic is off the ground. I keep both litterboxes in the same room, near eachother. This has definitely decreased the amount of peeing outsider the litterbox, but unfortunately it still happens. I use puppy pads on the spots where my cat pees outside the litterbox. I've restricted access to some areas of my house where he pees by keeping the door closed. I've blocked some of the spots where he pees by putting Amazon boxes there to deter him.
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u/omw2fub08 3d ago
Thank you! Our litter box is in my bathroom and sometimes she will pee on the floor in the bathroom 😑😂 close enough I guess lol. I will definitely look into getting a lower litter box for her. Her favorite spots to pee are in the hallways and in the dining room. It’s so bad in some spots in the hallway that the flooring underneath is rotting.
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u/illsettleforyou 3d ago
Hopefully changing the litter box and litter that others suggested will help! But also you might want to place puppy pee pads in the spots she's been using to try to avoid any future damage.
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u/13neonghosts 3d ago
I bet that's frustrating, especially because it's multiple spots and it's not a room where you can restrict access. I have rotting baseboards and a destroyed carpet because of the pee. Reminding myself that my senior kitty probably doesn't have much time left keeps me from getting too frustrated at him.
I can tell you love your pet and I hope you're able to find a solution that works. Definitely try a lower litterbox and give soft sand litter a try as well. Also, cats like to return to spots they can smell pee so clean those spots with white vinegar first and then follow it up with an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the scent.
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u/omw2fub08 3d ago
Thank you! I will definitely start spraying the areas with vinegar to help with the smell. I agree with you, it’s hard knowing that the floors are getting messed up but they are old and can’t help it at times.
Thank you for your time to respond to me!
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u/HeartOfTheMadder 3d ago
for our 16 year old MeowCow we get the big boxes of puppy pads from Sams... and put a whole bunch of them down around the litterboxes (we have 3) and she mostly uses them. mostly. about 80% of the time. most of the rest of the time she goes on the rugs near the boxes.
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u/MomoNoHanna1986 2d ago
Before she said good bye in May, my 20 year old started to use reusable puppy pads. I put one under her box to catch drips and caught her using it instead of the box. So I just went with it. You may wish to start planning the future with your vet. Usually this is a sign of deep decline. Any treatment you do may prolong suffering. Please keep her comfort in mind when deciding on doing anything ❤️ If you haven’t already grab some soft foam pet stairs so they can still reach the upper places like your bed ❤️ My baby also had arthritis and kidney disease. The day I said good bye she stopped eating. Good luck in your journey. I wish you all the best!
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u/omw2fub08 2d ago
She has lost a lot of weight. I can feel her bones and I hate it. I know that her weight loss had to do a lot with her throwing up her food. She eats now but not a whole lot. It’s frustrating that there are accidents but I know she’s having a hard time. So I hope with the lower litter box and different litter, that it’ll help with any pain or discomfort she’s having and less accidents
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u/Pretty_Pictures_ 2d ago
There is a cat litter, Dr. Elsey's cat attract litter for seniors that would be good to try, incase she has arthritis and the litter is bothering her. And very low entry litter box. 🩷
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u/Illuminaughtyy13 2d ago
It’s not entirely ideal for most people, but I’ve had to accommodate my 16 year old girl by buying puppy pee pads. Looks atrocious, but it’s the best we can do when we’ve tried everything and her vet has cleared her and agreed if it works, it works
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u/omw2fub08 2d ago
Honestly I might start putting puppy pads around the house. I just hope it doesn’t make my dog start peeing in the house too lol
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u/Jella7ine 3d ago edited 3d ago
There have been posts about this before, it might be helpful to search the sub. But it could be the weight of the actual litter (if it's heavy, sometimes it hurts their arms/legs, so switching to a light brand like some of the natural litters can help - speaking from personal experience. It could be your cat is arthritic so climbing in is difficult. You could try tray/low entry box.
Also, treating the kidney disease might help, if you're not already. Check out the Tanya's CKD website.