deficating issue!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jamie N Gizmo

Jamie N Gizmo

Member Since 2014
My cat gizmo was diagnosed with diabetes about 2 months ago. I moved out of my parents last year. My parents kept my two cats since I moved to an apartment. Gizmo stopped cleaning himself,was withdrawn from playing. About a month later, he started dedicating in my parents laundry pile and in the laundry basket. I took him to the vet and his sugar was over 600. For the most part, his sugar levels have been under control. He uses the litter box, but I have to constantly watch and make sure there's no blankets or laundry on the floor or he might go in it. By dedicating, I mean peeing and pooing outside the box. Its not that he can't make it to the litter box..he's gone in my laundry basket right next to his box. He's only done this since being diabetic. I'm new here, any help? My vet had no solution or help confused_cat
 
here is a list I compiled previously. Some of the items may not apply.

***********************************************************************

You might try an integrated approach using multiple options from the list below on a consistent basis:

* start with crating, using a medium large crate (30" long is big enough for cat and a litterbox) until progress. She probably won't go where she'd have to lie in it ... but if she does, something is wrong and it may be medical.

* tarps and newspapers may be easier on clean up if you don't crate her

* feeding on a schedule and then placing her in the litterbox (maybe in a crate) within 15-20 minutes after eating, until she goes, then praising and letting her out.

* Feliway/Comfort Zone - friendly facial pheromones which reduce stress and may reduce marking behavior. Cheapest prices are usually on the net (ex http://www.LambertVetSupply.com ) I've used it and it helps.

* Cat Attract litter - supposed to help attract cat to litter box

* rule out arthritis or constipation - pain causes box avoidance

* watch if the other cats ever attack her in the box and if so, you may need to keep her separated from them. I've got one the others attack, completely unprovoked.

* littebox should be 1.5 times length of cat, litter cleaned frequently, but avoid really strong smelling cleaners as cats may avoid them due to the scent.

* you've got to get residual odors out from areas which were 'nailed' - Nature's Miracle is one option and has good reviews. It _can_ require repeated applications.

* regular play sessions of about 15 minutes to reduce stress and promote bond with you

* reward desirable behaviors - if you see her use the box, praise and treat her

* put unpleasant textures in places she has peed to encourage avoidance

* read some of this author's books: http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/ she's pretty good - ex "Starting from Scratch"

Good luck.
 
What's his blood sugar like? Are you home testing? My bailey did that at first because he wasn't well controlled and I think the high blood glucose made him feel bad and out of wack. The issue resolved when I got his sugar under control.
 
Usually he runs high in the morning..around 250 to 300..but most of the day he's around 115 or so. The vet told me its probably due to high sugar and he gets confused.. But I tested him right after he did it yesterday and it was 255(I have an alphatrak2). He's not marking, or tagging the same spots. If I keep him in my room he'll use his box. He was OK for like a month and I thought he was good, then it suddenly returned Saturday. My roommate left laundry on her floor and he pooed and peed in it, then buried it. I have him on holistic food called purrfect bistro that has no grains in it since the science diet DM was shooting his sugar way high. He's on prozinc insulin 1 1\2 units once a day. I'm just at a loss what to do. I thought maybe the litter box was too small..but my parents had one that was 4 feet by 3 feet, and he was still doing this. I don't want to put him down, he's only 8 1\2. I can't have him destroying my roommates things..
 
This is a hard problem because there are so many different possibilities. It can be that he wants a cleaner box or a bigger box or one with a cover. Is there any chance he hurts or did hurt when he went? Was he constipated at some time in the past? If it hurts to go when he uses the box, he avoids it. There are also possible pschological issues that are much harder. How does he relate to your roommate? There was a kitty on the forum once who disliked the bean's boyfriend and would use his side of the bed as a litter box. It took some meds to solve the issue. Have you introduced a new animal to the house? Is he sharing the box with anyone?

Is there any chance you can figure out when he poos and put him in a room with the litter box until he goes? My cat goes at about the same time every day; I could use him as an alarm. :mrgreen:

And your vet and Wendy could be right - it may be a problem with regulating the diabetes. Here is our protocol for ProZinc. Maybe it will shed some light:
[url=http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=109077]viewtopic.php?f=24&t=109077[/url]

BJ also gave you some great suggestions.
 
Don't leave laundry on the floor and don't give him access to the laundry basket. :mrgreen: For whatever reason he associates those things with a place to poop and pee so just remove them or keep them behind closed doors and he won't do it.
 
He has his own litter box only he uses. We have another cat, but they don't fight or attack eachother. Think I'll just try a bigger box with different litter. Someone suggested a smart box? Anyone have experience on them?
 
phoenixfire122 said:
...He's on prozinc insulin 1 1\2 units once a day. ..
Click to expand...

Really only once a day??? That could be a signigicant contributing factor to the problem. ProZinc needs to be given every 12 hours as 1 shot lasts about 12 hours. Dosing like this would have glucose going up and down like a yoyo between the shot and no shot periods. The uncontrolled glucose level when you don't give a shot could provoke the urination, as the glucose is excreted through the bladder.

How about shooting every 12 hours with 1 unit steadily for several days and see how that goes.
 
You should definitely follow everyone's advice and make sure the issue is not related to Gizmo's diabetes first.

But I had great luck with Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter additive when we moved into our new house and my cat thought it would be fun to start using the rugs by the front door instead of his litter box. It looks like catnip and comes in a container that looks similar to bulk spice containers. You just sprinkle some on top of the cat litter and mix it in. I found it at PetSupermarket, and some Petsmarts. He started using the litter box immediately from then on. I haven't needed to use in about 2+ years! I didn't try the actual Cat Attract (also Dr. Elsey's) litter, because it was so expensive for such a little amount of litter. But I would imagine it works just as well!
 
BJM said:
phoenixfire122 said:
...He's on prozinc insulin 1 1\2 units once a day. ..
Click to expand...

Really only once a day??? That could be a signigicant contributing factor to the problem. ProZinc needs to be given every 12 hours as 1 shot lasts about 12 hours. Dosing like this would have glucose going up and down like a yoyo between the shot and no shot periods. The uncontrolled glucose level when you don't give a shot could provoke the urination, as the glucose is excreted through the bladder.

How about shooting every 12 hours with 1 unit steadily for several days and see how that goes.
Click to expand...
Every 12 hours was suggested by the vet, but when his shot time came around he was always around 115. His shot time is 730am and 730 pm. I found after the 7am shot, it would be 1am the next morning and its still around 135. I don t want to bottom him out. I did test a lot in the beginning..it doesn't usually get any lower then around 75. He is high in the morning, around 350. That's testing before his morning shot.
 
So, to get him off this roller coaster of highs and lows, you can shoot half that dose twice daily, every 12 hours. he is getting too much (and maybe dropping low before you test ) and it is lasting longer than normal (which can happen when the dose is too high). When it wears off, he quickly rises and is in high numbers the rest of that 24 hour period until he is at a higher number and the too high dose is shot again.

So the logical approach is to at least half the dose you are giving once a day and give it twice a day, every 12 hours. Get some midcycle numbers (between 5-7 hours after the shot) to see how the dose is working and raise or lower, a tiny amount, based on those numbers. Warning, you probably should stick with this new schedule for 5 days or so without raising to let his body adjust. If he drops below 40-50 midcycle, you will need to reduce.

His highs and lows probably have a lot to do with his litter box issues. Human diabetics say that going from lows to highs feels awful.

Here is our protocol for ProZinc

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=109077
 
phoenixfire122 said:
...Every 12 hours was suggested by the vet, but when his shot time came around he was always around 115. His shot time is 730am and 730 pm. I found after the 7am shot, it would be 1am the next morning and its still around 135. I don t want to bottom him out. I did test a lot in the beginning..it doesn't usually get any lower then around 75. He is high in the morning, around 350. That's testing before his morning shot.
Click to expand...

Logically, if giving a 1.5 units results in a number too low to shoot at the next time, you reduce the dose. Please drop him to 1 unit every 12 hours. ProZinc generally lasts about 12 hours in the cat. After that, the glucose is going to go up. Also, the lowest glucose level after the shot, the nadir, is between 5 to 7 hours after injection.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top