Here's the situation. We have two 19 year old cats. Love them to pieces. One old grey tabby, who is now a bit cranky and very deaf, is mine (from before I even met J...if I can imagine such a time ever was) and the other brown ball of purring is his. They now co-habitate and both keep me company while I am at home dealing with chemo. I am allergic to cats but these guys don't bother me much. They are worth the odd sniffle :)
Now, the thought of confining him to a bedroom for the large part of the rest of his life (when we are not home or asleep) is heartbreaking...I can hear him meowing now already while he is kept separate until J get home and we can go out to get fresh litter for him. It would appear that, ultimately and sadly, we can't leave him alone when we aren't home (or when we are asleep) since it appears he will continue to make a mess occasionally. And occasionally is enough on wood laminate floors. I was sincerely hoping that when we replaced the floor he would not do this...but I suppose it was wishful thinking. We can't afford to replace flooring over and over again...
I sleep with these guys. They read with me. They curl up beside me on the couch and purr and keep me going on days when I feel poorly...My poor husband is having enough trouble dealing with me being sick... this is really not something to deal with on top of that right now. Living in Canada, it's below 0 a good 6 months of the year. Were it summer they could live happily on the screened in deck, but in winter they cannot go out so we have to find a solution. The thought of having to put a cat down for peeing is absolutely the last resort, so I am psyching myself up for lots of new and frequently cleaned litter boxes and putting him in a room while we are away/at night. It seems terribly cruel and I don't know if that is a life for a cat...but he continues to make messes in the house... we have to do something. My J loves that cat to distraction. I know I know...ultimately...it's just a cat. But if you've had a pet you know...it's so much more...
I know I'm just moping, but this just really isn't the thing I'd like to be dealing with right now...I'm trying to get better so I can live the rest of my life...but I think for starters I need to take Gavin to the vet just to see if he has any new hidden health issues to start. I have a feeling it may just be old age and we'll be throwing money away at vet bills...
Anyone have any advice? I'm confused and rather mopey and would welcome it...
7 comments:
I'm so sorry! Our dog became incontinent in the last year of her life, and it was heartbreaking and stressful. As you say, the opposite of what you need right now. The only thing I can think of is to buy a bunch of puppy training pads and put them all over the floor. Or you can check if anyone makes kitty diapers. Or CALL the vet first, then see if you need to bring him in. They may have some advice they can give over the phone. I'm sure they've dealt with this before.
Fingers crossed, and <>.
is what that last bit is supposed to say.
Dang it, HUGS! :)
oh dear that's not good :(
The vet sounds like a good idea - maybe there's something that can be fixed without too much hassle -I'm sure they will understand and you never know - well worth ruling it out I would have thought. Otherwise, I was also thinking puppy pads. Is there an area you can set aside for him where you can line it with puppy pads? (maybe a bit gross actually now that I think about it). For male greyhounds, they have these things called belly bands that they can wear - kind of like diapers I suppose, but I don't know if cat anatomy would work.
Hugs all round though - it's a tricky one and there may not be a right answer :( good luck x
I don't know about cats, but for aging incontinent dogs there are drugs that work for some. (Not a vet--just work for some.)
And many hugs for you and petting for the cats!
Mary Anne in Kentucky
Oh Im so so so so sorry.
xoxo
That is hard. Our cats started doing this a while back, and while it got better it has not stopped completely. I put up with it because...well, I just do.
Anyway, we use a product called Nature's Miracle to clean up, it's an enzymatic cleaner and it seems to work pretty well. I also started buying puppy training pads to put in spots where the cats tend to go back to - protects surfaces and makes clean up easier. On the advice of our vet, we switched to unscented litter and we have 4 litter boxes. Oh, and we have tried Feliway diffusers (you can also get a spray) which are supposed to help if the cat is stressed and marking territory.
It's all a lot of work, and it feels like progress is slow. I can understand how that might be a too much when you are already dealing with more than the average person.
I feel for you, it would break my heart to lose one of my cats before I had to (actually, even when it becomes inevitable it will break my heart). :(
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