Erratic litter box behavior & depressed?

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Laura Davenport

Laura Davenport

Member Since 2016
Hello!

My sweet boy Brady was recently diagnosed with FD and I'm giving him insulin shots twice a day. He has developed neuropathy in his hind legs which is restricting his activity. He used to go out in the backyard a lot and now has no interest. Brady is 10 years-old and prior to FD, was a pretty active and playful cat.

Do cats experience depression due to this disease?

The main reason I'm posting is about the litter box behavior. Before FD, he was very good about using his litter box or just going outside. Now, it's very erratic. Some days he uses it, other days he just goes on the floor nearby! I keep the box pretty clean, so I don't think it's an issue of the box not being tidy.

Has anyone experienced this before - and if so - any advice would be appreciated! He has been urinating and "going poo" on my floors for a couple months now - and it's driving me mad!

Help!

Laura
 
Sometimes the sugar in their urinary tract can cause irritation and/or uti. That can make it very painful to use the litter box and kitties will go in other places in the hopes that it won't hurt. UTI"s are common in diabetic cats. I had a cat who peed in the kitchen sink to get my attention .
That was her way of saying "mommy, it hurts" The best thing to do is get him to the vet. ASAP. Males can get a blocked urethra and that can be life threatening. He isn't being bad, he is in pain
 
donnalea said:
Sometimes the sugar in their urinary tract can cause irritation and/or uti. That can make it very painful to use the litter box and kitties will go in other places in the hopes that it won't hurt. UTI"s are common in diabetic cats. I had a cat who peed in the kitchen sink to get my attention .
That was her way of saying "mommy, it hurts" The best thing to do is get him to the vet. ASAP. Males can get a blocked urethra and that can be life threatening. He isn't being bad, he is in pain
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Thanks for your fast response! What is it about the litter box that is painful? Or is it the idea of going pee that he is avoiding (because it hurts) and then when he can't help it, he just goes wherever? I did have him tested about 1 month ago and he did not have a UTI - but I'll check again.
 
You might want to start him on Zobaline for Cats too.....it's worked some pretty significant miracles in cats with diabetic neuropathy

You crush the pill and sprinkle it on food...it's tasteless

Here's a great video on how far back they can come

Make sure his litterbox has a very low edge so he doesn't have to "jump" into it
 
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And if he doesn't have a UTI, it could be something as simple as he just can't hold it any longer so goes where he is (with diabetes, there's so much more urine output that it happens) or he could have something like sterile cystitis ....it can be very painful even though there's no infection

Getting his blood glucose under better control as soon as possible should help with things if it's just that he can't continue to hold it

Here's some good info on cystitis
 
How high are the sides on his litter box? With the neuropathy, it may be that he's finding it difficult to get into the box. Maybe you could get a box with lower sides to make it easier for him to get in and out. If the box has a top on it, take the top off as that makes the entry way smaller and harder to access especially with weak back legs.
 
Another idea: are you home testing Brady's blood glucose levels? Some cats will miss the litter box when they're near hypo levels, whether from weakness, disorientation, etc.
 
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