topic Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box in Community Chat

Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

Madisson — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:09:49 GMT

Hi - just wondering if anyone has tried Feliway for their cats? The vet said he thinks my 15 year old cat has an anxiety problem. She was hiding, peeing outside the box, and not eating. Also drinking a lot of water. All the lab work came back fine. No diabetes, no UTI, no hyperthyroidism, kidneys are fine, chest and abdominal x-rays are fine, and ultra-sound is fine. Whew! $450 later, the vet said he thinks it is anxiety and recommended Feliway.

She is a long-hair cat and hates to be combed or groomed in any way. She was getting matted, and the vet shaved her good. He says the mats can cause anxiety. She is eating now, but is still peeing outside the box...wherever she lays. She is usually a very active cat.

I haven't changed the litter at all. The box is clean. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

Catitude — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:14:51 GMT

Try buying a brand new box. Is the existing one hooded?

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

dooBdoo — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:31:52 GMT

I've only used Feliway when moving to a new home, to help calm my cats.

As Opurrra said, the first thing that comes to mind is a covered/hooded litter box. It can be a problem for cats for many reasons, but especially with long-haired kitties (their fur might have static electricity, they might feel the space is too tight, etc.).

As cats age sometimes arthritis begins to set in and simply stepping over the higher sides of certain litter boxes can be uncomfortable. Also, even though the litter brand is the same they might have changed the formulation in some way.

Is the cat always indoors? Have any other cats outside caused upset for her, or can you think of anything else that's altered her sense of her environment?

The symptoms you mentioned would cause me to think about a second opinion from another vet. When one of my cats began to have thyroid issues, he had all the symptoms you mentioned (drinking more water, peeing outside the box, hiding, not grooming his fur, anxiety, not eating well).

I wish you and your kitty the best, Madisson.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

Madisson — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:35:04 GMT

Hi ladies. Thanks for your input. No the box is not hooded, but I am thinking about buying another box. Something is going on. I guess if I don't get an answer soon, a second opinion would be a good option. Thanks so much again.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

straykatz — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:40:24 GMT

One of my kitties would step into the box with her fornt paws...squat nad do her business while the rest of her body was outside the box....we ended up having to buy a large size container and we cut out one side of it for her to get in and out but we made it high enough that it forced her to get all the way into the box.....when I was at the container store looking for the large container the girl at the store said her parents had the same problem with an older overweight cat....my cat is overweight so I guess the box we had before was too small.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

gazelle77 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:41:41 GMT

I would get a second opinion from another vet. Better safe than sorry if he is misdiagnosing her for not having kidney failure. Why chance is just because it is the only vet you go to? All signs point to kidney failure on the worst diagnosis or some sort of kidney issue causing pain when she pees.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

terrier3 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:49:26 GMT

I inherited my 18 year old kitty when my aunt passed away.

Murray always went in his closed box. He does suffer from kidney failure and I hydrate him at home.

He started going a little in his box and then on the opposite wall and floor. I tool the lid off his box and put a second box where he was going. Now he does a little in both boxes...I'm thinking it might be senility...like an old guy missing the bowl!

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

gazelle77 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:53:35 GMT

On 3/27/2014 terrier3 said:
I inherited my 18 year old kitty when my aunt passed away.

Murray always went in his closed box. He does suffer from kidney failure and I hydrate him at home.

He started going a little in his box and then on the opposite wall and floor. I tool the lid off his box and put a second box where he was going. Now he does a little in both boxes...I'm thinking it might be senility...like an old guy missing the bowl!

I went through this same thing with my 19 year old Siamese kitty years ago... watching him go down hill was so hard to do. He went from a plump sassy cat to a scrawny weak senile old fellow who would actually fall over when walking. It was hard to watch.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

terrier3 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:58:15 GMT

On 3/27/2014 gazelle77 said:
On 3/27/2014 terrier3 said:
I inherited my 18 year old kitty when my aunt passed away.

Murray always went in his closed box. He does suffer from kidney failure and I hydrate him at home.

He started going a little in his box and then on the opposite wall and floor. I tool the lid off his box and put a second box where he was going. Now he does a little in both boxes...I'm thinking it might be senility...like an old guy missing the bowl!

I went through this same thing with my 19 year old Siamese kitty years ago... watching him go down hill was so hard to do. He went from a plump sassy cat to a scrawny weak senile old fellow who would actually fall over when walking. It was hard to watch.

You know how tough it is. My aunt and uncle are both gone and Murray was their baby. She never thought that she would pass before he did.

He's not suffering and is tolerating the hydration well...but he's skinny and a little out of it. He's my last living link to my beloved godmother.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

gazelle77 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 18:06:35 GMT

On 3/27/2014 terrier3 said:
On 3/27/2014 gazelle77 said:
On 3/27/2014 terrier3 said:
I inherited my 18 year old kitty when my aunt passed away.

Murray always went in his closed box. He does suffer from kidney failure and I hydrate him at home.

He started going a little in his box and then on the opposite wall and floor. I tool the lid off his box and put a second box where he was going. Now he does a little in both boxes...I'm thinking it might be senility...like an old guy missing the bowl!

I went through this same thing with my 19 year old Siamese kitty years ago... watching him go down hill was so hard to do. He went from a plump sassy cat to a scrawny weak senile old fellow who would actually fall over when walking. It was hard to watch.

You know how tough it is. My aunt and uncle are both gone and Murray was their baby. She never thought that she would pass before he did.

He's not suffering and is tolerating the hydration well...but he's skinny and a little out of it. He's my last living link to my beloved godmother.

I totally understand. You are so kind and good to help the little guy during this time. I did it as I saw my kitty was not giving up... he would go outside and walk the yard each day like he use to when he was well .He would walk to a little pond I have set up in the back yard to drink some water.... he would fall over getting there as he got worse and I would right him and help him. It made me cry but he was so insistent to get to that pond each day.... he finally curled up one day and went to sleep... for three days... and died in his bed curled up. I petted him and talked to him those three days. It was so much better than taking him to a vet and putting him to sleep.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

FlowershopGirl — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 18:12:13 GMT

My good friend tried this, the plug ins, and he also bought a more shallow pan for his old cat as a litter box. The cat seemed to respond well to both. His cat was doing the same thing and he also started cleaning the box twice a day.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

terrier3 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 18:16:34 GMT

On 3/27/2014 gazelle77 said:

I totally understand. You are so kind and good to help the little guy during this time. I did it as I saw my kitty was not giving up... he would go outside and walk the yard each day like he use to when he was well .He would walk to a little pond I have set up in the back yard to drink some water.... he would fall over getting there as he got worse and I would right him and help him. It made me cry but he was so insistent to get to that pond each day.... he finally curled up one day and went to sleep... for three days... and died in his bed curled up. I petted him and talked to him those three days. It was so much better than taking him to a vet and putting him to sleep.

My mom died from kidney failure.

Her doctor's said it is a very painless way to die (if that helps you think of your kitty).

I am keeping Murray at home too...he HATES the vet, which is why I learned to use a needle and take care of him.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

Madisson — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 18:22:58 GMT

Thank you for all the tips, everyone. It's so hard to hear all the sad stories about older kitties, but we know that time is always going to come. It's so nice to hear how good all of you kitty caregivers are. There is surely a special spot in heaven for pet caregivers.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

sidsmom — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 19:18:01 GMT

Poor kitten cat. Peeing outside the box...wherever she lays. That's so un-cat like...she's just trying to tell you something. In fact, she's probably yelling it to you..."help me". I would definitely get a 2nd option....to solve the underlying cause of anxiety. Taking a drug is just a bandaid...good luck.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

hckynut — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 20:01:12 GMT

We have used it before and it didn't do anything for our problem felines.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

kittymomNC — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 20:05:16 GMT

Does she pee wherever she happens to be, or does she seem to try to get to the box? I wonder if she could be losing control of her bladder and just can't hold it? If it were me and this continued, I think I would get another opinion. I have used Feliway to calm one of my cats who is afraid of just about everything, and it seems to help a little, but she still runs and hides when anything a little unusual happens, even thunder.

I have also used Feliway to try and stop a cat from going where she wasn't supposed to, but it really didn't work for that. I have a cat with kidney disease who gets subq fluids twice a week, and she goes to the water bowl many times a day. So I use a lot of kitty litter. But there was a time when she would go where she wasn't supposed to -- it didn't appear to be the usual "marking", where they spray straight out behind them--she would just go, on a table, once on a couch (I wound up covering every piece of upholstered furniture). It would be infrequently, but just when I thought she wouldn't do it again, she did. Do you have any other cats? The reason I ask is that since my boy Mikie died at age 16, about a year and a half ago, she has never done that again, even with the extra fluids in her. So I think that it had something to do with the territorial thing, or something he did that she didn't like.

I wish you luck - it's very hard when they start getting older and have problems that can't always be accurately diagnosed.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

Madisson — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 00:30:58 GMT

Well, I went out and got the Feliway spray, a small new kitty bed, and a new litter box (small). She is only 8 lbs. I put them in a totally separate room from the other one, as I do have another cat who is twice as big. I also set the little kitty up with her own food and water in the other room. The little stinker jumped right into the litter box and peed in it. Maybe it is a a territorial thing between the two cats. I sprayed Feliway wherever I did not want her to pee, so we'll see how that goes.

It's weird as they have been siblings for years, but they might be getting older and crankier. I know they both refuse to get up on the bed when we are in it now. They used to both get up there at the same time. Now they hiss at each other.

Thanks for all your advice, everyone. I'll keep you posted on this one. I'm praying it is just an anxiety issue and not some physical problem.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

sidsmom — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 00:35:13 GMT

What's the story w/ the other cat? Younger? Male/female? Had him/her for a period of time?

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

kittymomNC — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 01:36:03 GMT

It's very hard to figure out the territorial "thing" and also who's the boss! When I had three cats -- one female, one male (three years younger than the first female), then another female (three years younger than the male) --I thought the male was the "boss". The first female "adopted" the male when he came as a kitten, and when he grew up, he was the largest one. Then the second female came and she was almost a year old. So the first two were like Mom and Son, and the other one was kind of like "two's company, three's a crowd". It wasn't until the oldest female passed away, and the situation changed between the other two, that I realized the oldest female had been the "boss", not the male. And at that time, apparently the male took over as the boss and started getting along better with the youngest female. It was a whole different dynamic. Although my situation seemed fairly evident after a while, sometimes you just can't figure out what changes the dynamics.

Re: Has Anyone Used Feliway for Their Cats--Peeing Outside the Box

redtabby — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 02:33:21 GMT

It is now being said in cat circles that you need one pan per cat plus one extra. So the new pan may help. I am using Feliway spray to stop furniture scratching and it has worked so far. Then I bought the diffuser to help calm the older kitty because the kitten harasses him. It seems to have helped, he is back to sitting next me (something he stopped doing when she showed up) and they seem to be wrestling less. He is a fairly mellow cat anyway. I would try the diffuser, it may help and can't hurt.