Our cat’s toilet habits are becoming a right royal pain in the bum…

Other than the poo-mageddon she’s started inflicting on us, she only seems to suffer from a bit of stiffness, so despite being 16/17 I think she’s largely healthy.

Anyone had similar and managed to cure it? Any suggestions other than a cork or lethal injection welcome…

I’m sorry, all I can offer is that when our last two got old, we tried everything, Vet was at a loss and it continued until the end.

Cat flap in the shed. Not left alone in the house.

There’s no point prolonging the inevitable.

It doesn’t sound too nice but my tactic is to get another one before disposing of the one that’s one the way out. It makes it easier to deal with.

We’ve kept her as an outdoor cat all year (don’t worry cat haters, I can assure you the volume of poo in my own yard means I’m pretty certain no-one else has had to put up with it), but now the weather’s turned colder we’ve let her back in on a night.

A shed cat-flap might the way forward… For now… Although I’m pretty sure my 10yo won’t be happy at her not being allowed in. Also, I’m not sure filling my shed with cat poo is that much more preferable…

Regarding Rob’s tactic. For my 10yo’s 8th birthday she got a kitten 🙂

Delicately put.

Mine went the same way and I ultimately had to make the difficult decision. She was 18, broke my heart it did.

I don’t think there’s much you can do other than make her comfortable in her twilight years, maybe restrict which rooms she has access to and make sure litter trays are accessible. A loss of mobility might well explain why she’s doing the do where she is rather than getting to the designated place.

I assume you’ve already tried different litters? We’ve tried pretty much all of them and have now settled on this:
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_litter/greenwoods_cat_litter/greenwoods_clumping_wood_litter/475317?rrec=true

But we have to make sure it’s cleaned very regularly otherwise she’ll do her business elsewhere!!

Ours has kidney problems so drinks a lot but a change in food has helped that and calmed her pissing down a bit too.

Our cat is about 19 now but we’ve been thinking she’s on her way out for the last 3 or 4 years…..

Depends on the cat. We have two. When we go on holiday my dad puts food in the shed for them. No access to the house. One of them hardly notices we are gone. The other takes to pestering neighbours for some human contact. If you have a shed which has a wooden floor and is wind and water tight and in a good sheltered position a cat would be fine all year round if it was happy being alone most of the time.

Let it in to the house, ground floor only when the family are about to throw it out if it needs to poo. If it has lost control of it’s functions to the extent it’s soiling the carpet even when in a room with people then it may be time.

The last old cat we had put down was soiling our carpet. Even if we were it the room it would get in behind the TV before we noticed. It had other health issues as well but that was the final straw.

Never easy taking a pet to the vet for the last time but when it’s time it’s time. Our cat had a long happy life with us so no regrets.

I’m going to be frank. Ours – 12 – are pissing me off.

Constant meowing, 1 of them shitting on things randomly and farting all nite. I’ve never owned such a high maintence cat(s) before. They don’t even give anything, one doesn’t like being stroked, the other once you stroke him won’t leave you a alone resorting to rubbing his teeth on your toes.

Bricks bags & canals are starting to spring to mind*

*They aren’t but you get the idea.

no ideas.

Resorted this summer for the first time to a very excellent crapatorium in the larder. I had absolutely no idea what output two aging cats were capable of (a lot), though at least it’s getting less randomly spread around the basement. In fact they clearly now hold it in and come into the house for a good dump. Idiots. They’ve also become incredibly needy of affection. My wife’s had enough and wants a dog. Cue new thread.

Thanks for the replies.

Ultimately it’s my wife’s cat and she does all the cleaning up after her (and decides whether a one-way trip to the vet is in order). We’ve tried “Senior” food and different types of litter. She’s always been “quirky” with her toilet habits (the cat, not the wife), but this last year has been hard work.

I’d say she’s about as affectionate as she’s always been, eats well and while obviously stiff when getting up after a sleep, she manages to get up and down stairs OK (still the cat).

I suspect the near-final straw for MrsV has been finding that the cat had wee’d in her handbag (not her shoes, otherwise vet-bills could be avoided with judicial use of bombers) at the weekend.

For a while we’ve been keeping her shut in an easy to clean room on a night, but that doesn’t help during the day and she manages to sneak into the house occasionally.

I had the vets trip I was dreading last week. 17 and a bit years.
Still miss the annoying little sh!t like crazy.

Moved her onto Natures Menu a few months back after advice on here, they do pouches that she really liked, that sorted the, “how can something so small create something that smells like that!, sorted the farting cat problem as well.”

She was having problems getting in the tray as time went on, ended up with newspaper on the floor the last few weeks. We’d decided that as long as she could walk, get up the stairs or on the sofa and feed herself we’d put up with the odd accident, she did always manage tray or newspaper.

Got home from work last Thursday and she was struggling to walk, so did the final vets visit.

Part of me still would prefer the occasional soggy newspaper to the empty house.

[Blink and Edit: We found the lip on the tray cover was stopping her getting in easily and the tray was in a corner that she had trouble turning round in with being old and stiff so managed to get her back in the tray by moving it and taking the cover off if that helps.]

Interesting thread. Ours is about 8 and still plays with balls of string/vaults fences/stalks other cats etc

Those of you with older cats when did you notice they were getting old

Ours slowed down a lot, stopped jumping around as much. Walked more than ran.

She was doing quite well up until the last few weeks though, but was losing muscle.

Be careful you don’t write the little one off too early. We got a kitten a few months after we bought our first house. 21yrs later she is still part of the family. Both my kids have never known life without Lucy and she has been perfect for them as they grew up.

About 5yrs ago (16) she started to lose weight drastically. She nearly died. I am ashamed to say we didn’t get her to the vets earlier but she had some kind of thyroid problem and once the drugs got that under control (£25 per month) she was back to normal. 5yrs later and she is still on the pills, poo’s like something from Evil Dead and is a bit of a PITA.

BUT we owe her more than rushing her off to the vets. All the times she sat there whilst my kids pulled clumps of fur out of her as babies. The times she sat in front of a screaming baby and caught their attention enough to stop them crying. She is full of arthritis in the back end so she struggles sometimes to do her business in the tray and misses. Sometimes there is a wet patch beside the tray too. The furr balls are more common and I have to use nail clippers every so often to keep her claws in check.

But she keeps bothering the kids for cuddles, she sometimes gets a burst of energy and is almost playful. She loves to sleep in front of radiators and tbh, until she looks like she has given up, I am not giving up on her.

Cats don’t give up; they don’t know it’s an option. They keep struggling on no matter how painful the arthritis, kidney problems etc. get.

Experience with both cats & dogs has taught me that too early is better than too late.

Bollox.

So I have already pointed out that she manages to get about. I have pointed out that she manages the basics (Give or take the odd mistake) and that she is pretty happy in herself and enjoys life. But because she finds moving about a bit painful, she should be finished off. TBH I have shonky knees myself, riddled with arthritis. Maybe I should be finished off too.

BUT we owe her more than rushing her off to the vets. All the times she sat there whilst my kids pulled clumps of fur out of her as babies. The times she sat in front of a screaming baby and caught their attention enough to stop them crying.

So similar to our experience – brings back great memories…

But because she finds moving about a bit painful, she should be finished off.

“A bit” painful, of course not, but there comes a point where it’s no longer fair to the pet. The rule of thumb I always used was, who are we doing this for, me or the animal?

My kitty was 18, she’d been a constant friend and companion for most of my childhood and my 20s. By the end she was going to the toilet all over the place and so badly arthritic in her hind quarters that she could barely walk.

I got the vet to do a house visit, and she passed away on her rug on front of the fire with me fussing her. It was the hardest decision and the most difficult thing I’ve ever done (I’m actually tearing up just writing this, many years on), but it was absolutely the right thing to do. It wasn’t humane to watch her suffering every day, it was selfish.

But because she finds moving about a bit painful, she should be finished off.

This is too close for me, it’s only a week. I didn’t want to go to the vets with the cat but when she could barely stand I knew it was time.

She’d been moving around last Thursday morning and by Thursday evening was on her way out.

Only a week later and I still keep expecting to see her – I certainly didn’t “rush” her to the vets and had been happily spending a fortune on thyroid drugs and fancy food to give her the best life until the end.

Only a week later and I still keep expecting to see her

Yeah, don’t expect that to go away any time soon.

I agree cougar but ‘that point’ must be down to the owner who knows best if their pet is content or is indeed struggling.

Every time we go on holiday we say she probably wont be here when we get back (We pay for home care). Every time she comes bounding up and its like she is saying ‘you cant finish me off you sods’. Yes when she starts not using her litter tray or cant get about i will consider it, i wouldn’t let her suffer.

But while she enjoys sleeping by the radiator, or in the summer following the sunshine around the garden, i consider it retirement for her and she can continue to be a pita.

Hey allan, i don’t refer to you. As i just said, you know your pet and you decide. I was trying to show that even when we thought ours was on her way out 5yrs ago, we dealt with it and have had another 5 great years. Mine is at the point where if she gets worse, i will have to act and it will be difficult

I am now crapping myself for going home in case i spot anything worse than usual. I feel sick…..

Ours got to 16, started the random poo and basically wetting itself, I made the call for the one way trip when she struggled to sit and eat food, she would lay down. I knew at that point she was suffering and it was better for her to be peacefully put to sleep which is horrible thing to have to do.

My cat is in the same situation as yours TheLittlestHobo. She’s around 17 years old (rescue cat, vet thinks she was 2 when we got her) and has had the losing weight/thyroid tablets this summer. She sill bounds around occasionally when she feels like it so she’s still enjoying life. She craps and pees outside at the bottom of the garden so that’s not a problem but I know that her time is coming to an end as she’s getting more affectionate and obviously slowing down. Trouble is we’ve thought this every year for the last 3 so have no idea how much longer she will go for!

We had to make the decision with her sister last year when she just stopped doing anything, including eating so I know we can make the decision when the time comes. Doesn’t make it any easier though.

I agree cougar but ‘that point’ must be down to the owner who knows best if their pet is content or is indeed struggling.

When you’re emotionally invested it can take someone else to point out that it’s time. This has happened with me more than once. It can be so hard…

Hey allan, i don’t refer to you.

Yeah, I know. Just a bit raw at the moment – really should leave thread alone.

If it’s any consolation we had an idea she was getting weaker but the actual point where it was obvious came quick enough that it wasn’t too difficult a decision. 🙁

This is too close for me, it’s only a week. I didn’t want to go to the vets with the cat but when she could barely stand I knew it was time.
She’d been moving around last Thursday morning and by Thursday evening was on her way out.
Only a week later and I still keep expecting to see her – I certainly didn’t “rush” her to the vets and had been happily spending a fortune on thyroid drugs and fancy food to give her the best life until the end.

You’re not alone in this experience. I still wait for my ‘flat mates’ greeting when I return home… over 18 months and I still expect to see the the wee man.

Well STW coincidence strikes again, Monday was a thread about Decathlon down jackets and that night I came home to find the wife had bought one. Tonight I come home to a present on the doormat from one of our cats 🙂

Had both cats put down this year, 21 and 17.

The 21 year old started to go deaf and have weak rear legs & ankles a few years ago, but did not have thyroid or serious kidney problems until she was 21, the night before I had her put down she was still meowing to be picked up and eating well, but would collapse and be unable to get in to the litter tray. Her weak back legs meant I would often find her with her front legs in the tray, but weeing outside.

The 17 year old started to soil the carpets, the Vet said it might be because she felt vulnerable as the arthritis in her legs got worse. The Vet suggested using catsan rather than the compressed wood pellet liiter and adding zylkene to her diet, it worked (she also recommended hills feline t/d, both cats had a full set of teeth and no dental work in the ten years since I started giving it to them).

I did’nt think that when I got a cat in my late twenty’s that I would still have her in my fifty’s, the window sill near the front door seems very empty when I get home.

Man, what a depressing thread! 😥

THREAD REVIVAL

We’ve just got back from Mia’s final trip to the vets. Since the original post, her health had got worse. She was eating less and less and bringing up the few bits she did eat. The weight loss had got quite dramatic and while she was still mobile and affectionate, she was clearly too unwell to keep going.

Not a happy day, not looking forward to my 10yo getting home from school.

🙁

Oh no 🙁

I know how tough this is. Take care.

What a lovely cat.
You’ve got me in tears now.
A friend of mine is getting his put down today and that had me in tears when I read it in FB this morning.
Was reminded last week that it was about 3 years since my Oscar had to be put down and it still hurts.
😥 😥

🙁

Tough desicion to make, she looked lovely!

Mine (Mel) is still going strong, putting on weight and making a nuisance of herself. If anything she’s got better and ‘younger’ than she was at my last post on this thread.

Cats are awesome.

I know how tough this is. Take care.

+1. You have my sympathies.

You’ve done the right thing, it gets to a point where it’s cruel and selfish not to do it. We treat animals better than we treat people in this regard.

Sad news. I may be an insensitive bugger but you have my sympathies.