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

Madisson · ‎10-13-2011

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. ${#emotions_dlg.blink}$ 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!

Some people do drugs. I do shoes....Celine Dion

Catitude · ‎01-09-2014

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

dooBdoo · ‎06-27-2010

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.

Few things reveal your intellect and your generosity of spirit—the parallel powers of your heart and mind—better than how you give feedback.~Maria Popova

Madisson · ‎10-13-2011

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.

Some people do drugs. I do shoes....Celine Dion

straykatz · ‎03-09-2010

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.

gazelle77 · ‎03-01-2013

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.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

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!

gazelle77 · ‎03-01-2013

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.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

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.

gazelle77 · ‎03-01-2013

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.