Moon's Graden

Hi, Do any of you have any suggestions for a cat with FUS. I changed her
food, she's been to the vet twice and the last time was just about a month
ago and had 15 days of 2 pills a day and was doing well but she is back to
peeing on a rug in the bathroom and in another room. I'm at my wits end and
wonder if it hasn't become a behavi***problem.

Our cat had that and if there is still *** in the urine, she is not over it.
Bring her to the vet to make sure it is not crystals in her bladder.  I know I
had to discard may throw rugs, and shampoo with major amounts of an enzyme pet
odor cleaner.

Victoria

There are basically two types of housesoiling: inappropriate
urination, and  urine spraying.  The former is urination on horizontal
surfaces outside the litter box (squat), and the latter is urine
spraying on vertical surfaces outside the litter box.

With inappropriate urination, the cat's behavior may be entirely
normal or a pathophysiological state may underlie the behavior
problem. Urine spraying is a normal marking behavior in cats.  Cats
that approach the litter box and eliminate in its vicinity are
communicating some dissatisfaction with the litter box. You need to be
very observant as to what precedes the "accident".

If no medical cause can be found, the problem is most likely
behavi***- but before treating the problem as behavior related, you
*must* be sure there is no underlying medical problem.  The most
accurate method of determining the health status, is by a full
diagnostic work-up (chem screen, urinalysis, fecal analysis).  If all
these tests come back normal, then there are a few thing you can try.

This section isn't up on my site yet...(although, it should be..too
much more medical stuff to go up first), but I'll post part of it.
Perhaps one of the suggestions will help:

*Pick out the litter box daily and clean it thoroughly.

*Provide at least one litter box per cat, distribute in more than one
location, and avoid high traffic or high noise areas.

*Move the food bowls away from the litter box.

*If the litter box is a covered type, provide an additional large,
plain litter box.

*Offer a different litter in a alternate box.

*Do not use a liner in the alternate box.

*Place an alternate box over sites of accidents. When in regular use,
move the box several inches per day to a site more acceptable.

*Use deterrents at the site of inappropriate elimination.
Possibilities include unacceptable substrate such as aluminum foil or
plastic sheeting and odor deterrents such as citrus spray.

*For problems of long duration, it may be necessary to confine the
offending cat in a small room, remote from the sites of elimination.
Provide a litter box, food, and other necessities. When regular litter
box use has been achieved or when well-supervised, the cat can be let
out of the room for increasing periods of time.

*Behavior modification techniques include rewarding the cat for the
use of the litter box with a favored treat.

*Punishment associated with sounds or movements by the owner will
condition the cat to avoid the owner.

*Counterconditioning may be used by feeding or playing with the cat at
elimination sites.

Rule out any possible medical problems first, OK?

Good luck.

Phil.
--
"He who knows the mind of the Cat
  knows all things" --Nguyen Hue
Feline Healthcare: http://www.moonsgarden.com/

Take her back to the vet and have her urine checked again. It could be
that the medication prescribed wasn't effective and you'll need to try a
different one. This has happened to my cats Teddy and Isabella. If you
haven't done so, getting x rays would be a good idea, as stones in the
bladder are always a possibility. You shouldn't assume it is behavi***
until she is checked again, and it is confirmed by your vet that she is
healthy. Sometimes it can take a month or more to clear up a bad UTI.

Megan