Help solving litter-tray related issue!

summerlady_2

Is your cat a bit tense about using a covered tray? Perhaps for example another cat has startled him when he came out?


If so he may be rushing to do his business and not quite finishing.


You could try taking the cover off.


Also make sure you have enough trays in the house so he is not have to use a tray used by another cat as this could lead to stress.

Fireflyaway

My cat isn't a very good aim so I put old newspapers under and around the tray. If there are any accidents it can be scooped up and binned. Rather that than have to clean the floor.

Adly812

If you have a garden make him go outside ? Quite frankly i think litter trays are filthy so avoid if you can
Worm him too, and make sure he's tolerating his diet and that's not the issue

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Pop_Up_Pirate wrote: »

No, they don't. This is a modern man's idea.

A healthy cat on a normal cat diet does not ever need anal glands expressed by a human.

My MC had one block because she'd managed to get a clump of fur tangled up over it. As I removed the clump, and she was tensing and releasing the muscles whilst working out the best way to fight me off/escape/growl and yowl at me for daring to snip away at her long, fluffy personage, it emptied.

_pale_

First I knew of the issue was seeing her scooting across the one rug in the house after coming out the litter tray.


Changed her to gluten free shortly afterwards and haven't had a repeat of the experience.

boots_babe

I'll try to reply at all the questions, thanks for those who replied.

Stools all seem perfectly normal. He's wormed regularly.

He's always been on half wet, half dry diet. He had FLUTD years ago and so I've never wanted to put him fully on dry. But also wouldn't like him to be fully on wet, as I know that can cause dental issues.

I can't 'make him go out', that seems odd advice. As it happens our 2 cats never had a litter tray in the house, except for if they had to be kept in for short periods for medical reasons. However when our 1 cat died and we adpoted a new rescue cat as a friend for our remaining cat, we found the new cat was very reticent to step outside at all. We've had him for 2 years and now although he will go outside, it's not very often. So we really had no choice but to get a litter tray.

Further updates on the situation since I last posted:

One day we suddenly noticed a bad limp on him, took him to the vets. They couldn't see anything obvious wrong, so gave him painkillers and suggested that if it didn't improve within 48 hours we brought him in for an X-ray.

After 48 hours his limp disappeared, so we've not had the X-ray done - given his age and the obvious risk with anaesthetic for the X-ray, we can't justify doing this.

However it has made me wonder whether he still has a remaining issue with his leg, even though we can no longer see an obvious limp. Whereas the first couple of times he went to the toilet outside the tray, he chose spots randomly elsewhere in the house, that's not happened since. But what does happen say 2 or 3 times a week, is there's be some little poos just outside the edge of the litter tray, sometimes scraped along the edge of it.

So it's as though he's tried his best to go where he knows he should, but couldn't quite get it right. Which makes me think perhaps a mobility issues with his leg still.

I therefore put a 'normal' non-enclosed litter tray next to the other one, to give him the option to use that. But it's not been touched.

Not sure what to do, as we've already seen the vet for his leg twice, and I know the next step would be an X-ray, but even the vet said this would be quite a risk at his age.

So for now I'm minded to put up with it and/or see if it improves. Of course putting aside the litter tray issue, I'm also worried that if he does have a problem with his leg, that he's suffering pain with it, and would hate to think that was the case.

I think we'll just have to see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

GwylimT

Its the other way around, dry food causes dental problems.

Its good he is attempting to use the tray, that suggests it isn't litter tray avoidance due to uti etc.

When he sits down, does he appear to be sitting normally on the problem leg?

peachyprice

boots_babe wrote: »

Further updates on the situation since I last posted:

One day we suddenly noticed a bad limp on him, took him to the vets. They couldn't see anything obvious wrong, so gave him painkillers and suggested that if it didn't improve within 48 hours we brought him in for an X-ray.

After 48 hours his limp disappeared, so we've not had the X-ray done - given his age and the obvious risk with anaesthetic for the X-ray, we can't justify doing this.

However it has made me wonder whether he still has a remaining issue with his leg, even though we can no longer see an obvious limp. Whereas the first couple of times he went to the toilet outside the tray, he chose spots randomly elsewhere in the house, that's not happened since. But what does happen say 2 or 3 times a week, is there's be some little poos just outside the edge of the litter tray, sometimes scraped along the edge of it.

So it's as though he's tried his best to go where he knows he should, but couldn't quite get it right. Which makes me think perhaps a mobility issues with his leg still.

I therefore put a 'normal' non-enclosed litter tray next to the other one, to give him the option to use that. But it's not been touched.

Not sure what to do, as we've already seen the vet for his leg twice, and I know the next step would be an X-ray, but even the vet said this would be quite a risk at his age.

So for now I'm minded to put up with it and/or see if it improves. Of course putting aside the litter tray issue, I'm also worried that if he does have a problem with his leg, that he's suffering pain with it, and would hate to think that was the case.

I think we'll just have to see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

Ok, well, if he has an issue with his hind leg it may be that when he's in the tray he may not be steady enough to be able to raise his tail enough to poo properly, cats need to be able to raise their tail to toilet and it's not uncommon for cats with hind leg issues to have toileting problems.

Perhaps try taking the cover off so that he has room to get comfortable, if it's still happening take him back to the vet to get his leg checked out.

boots_babe

peachyprice wrote: »

Ok, well, if he has an issue with his hind leg it may be that when he's in the tray he may not be steady enough to be able to raise his tail enough to poo properly, cats need to be able to raise their tail to toilet and it's not uncommon for cats with hind leg issues to have toileting problems.

Perhaps try taking the cover off so that he has room to get comfortable, if it's still happening take him back to the vet to get his leg checked out.

As I've said I've already taken him to the vet for his leg, twice. And the next step would be an x-ray which they don't recommend due to risk, unless he seems to be in pain or really struggling.

I'll try taking the lid off as suggested, although the 'normal' litter tray I've placed next to it hasn't been touched. But it's worth a go.