Inappropriate Elimination Disorders in Cats
The term "elimination disorder" is used to describe cats that do not use their litter boxes for urination and/or defecation; instead, these cats eliminate somewhere in the house. Elimination disorders are the most common behavioral problem of cats. Because most owners take pride in their homes, house soiling by the cat can strain the owner-pet relationship to the breaking point. Unfortunately, in some cases, frustrated owners give up their cat to an animal shelter or elect for euthanasia.
Contributing Factors
In some cases, a medical problem can be related to inappropriate elimination. When this is the case, improvement can be expected if the medical cause can be successfully treated. In most cases, however, inappropriate housesoiling is primarily a behavioral problem.
The more cats there are in a household, the greater the chances that inappropriate elimination will occur. One study found that for every cat present there is a 10% chance. This means that if there are 6 cats in a household, there is a 60% chance of inappropriate elimination occurring.
Prevalence
A recent study performed by an animal behaviorist at the University of Pennsylvania reported that 40 to 75% of all cats presented with behavior problems had an elimination disorder. It appears that longhaired cats are over-represented as compared to shorthaired cats.
Causes
As mentioned above, after medical causes of these problems have been ruled out, the source of the problem is considered a behavioral disorder. Behavioral causes of inappropriate elimination fall into two general categories: 1) a dislike of the litter box, and 2) stress-related misbehavior.
One of the main reasons for the cat avoiding the litterbox is because the box has somehow become objectionable to the cat. This usually occurs because it is not cleaned frequently enough or because the cat objects to the type of litter used; this is called substrate aversion. Sometimes, the cat dislikes the location of the litterbox (avoidance of location). Substrate aversion is by far more common than avoidance of the box because of its location.
There are many possible related causes. Some of these can include the following:
1. A new person (especially a baby) in the house
2. A person that has recently left the house (permanently or temporarily)
3. Several new pieces of furniture or rearrangement of existing furniture
4. New drapes or carpet
5. Moving to a new house
6. A new pet in the house
7. A pet that has recently left the house
8. A new cat in the neighborhood that can be seen by the indoor cat
9. A cat in heat in the neighborhood
10. A new dog in the neighborhood that can be seen or heard by the indoor cat
Therapy
Most successful treatments rely on a combination of behavior modification techniques and drug therapy.
A. Behavior Modification
Behavior therapy involves a dual approaching involving (1) Aversion Therapy and (2) Attraction Therapy. The former repels the cat from the inappropriate location, and the latter encourages the cat to choose an appropriate location.
The purpose of Aversion Therapy is to make the area of inappropriate urination or defecation undesirable for the cat. There are many ways to do this, but the following steps have proven successful in a high percentage of cases.
1. A product to neutralize the odor of urine or stool should be used in places where inappropriate urination or defecation has occurred. Several products are available for this purpose. When using one of these, try it on a hidden piece of carpet (in a closet, etc.) to be sure it does not stain your carpet.
Although many of the available products do a good job, none of them will undo months or years or repeated soiling. The sooner the affected area is treated, the better. If the objectionable location is on carpet, it is necessary to treat the carpet and the pad below because most of the odor will be in the pad. This usually means soaking the carpet with the neutralizing product so it penetrates into the pad.
2. If the soil in potted plants is being used, place a lemon-scented air freshener at the base of the plant. This will usually repel the cat. In some cases, the plant may need to be removed.
3. Cover the area(s) with aluminum foil and secure it to the carpet or furniture with masking tape. Aluminum foil is a surface on which most cats will not walk.
The purpose of Attraction Therapy is to make the litter box more desirable than the inappropriate site. The following are usually successful:
1. Purchase a new, non-hooded litter box; even well cleaned litter boxes have odor deep in the plastic. Although we like our privacy, most cats find a hooded litter box undesirable presumably because it traps odors inside.
2. Put non-scented clumping litter in the new litter box. If your cat has not been using this type of litter, it will usually find it more desirable than the clay types. In generally, most cats seem to prefer these newer litters because they have a more "natural" feeling to the feet. Some behaviorists theorize that these new litters are more reminiscent to the cat's ancestral elimination substrate - desert sand.
3. Place the new litter box near the area of inappropriate urination until it is used for several days, and then move it 2-3 feet (0.7-1 m) per day back to the desired location. Eventually, there will be two litter boxes side-by-side. When your cat clearly chooses one or the other, remove the extra one.
4. Keep the existing litter box in the normal location in case the aversion therapy causes your cat to return to it.
B. Medical Therapy
This usually involves one of three types of medications.
1. Anti-anxiety drugs, including amitriptyline and buspirone
2. Tranquilizers, including diazepam and phenobarbital
3. Hormones, including megestrol acetate and medroxyprogesterone acetate
While none of the oral medications have been approved for use on cats, most have been in use long enough to give us reason to believe that they are very safe.
C. Another Option
Recently, a pharmaceutical company introduced an aerosol spray, called Feliway, which can be used in the area of appropriate elimination. The solution contains a synthetic derivative of feline hormones, called pheromones. It is thought to have a calming and comforting effect on some cats. It has not been completely studied by independent researchers but is thought to show some promise in decreasing, though not totally eliminating, inappropriate elimination in cats.
Prognosis
The prognosis for improvement is more likely if several of the following are true:
1. The duration is less than 1 month when treatment begins.
2. There are only one or two locations in the house that the cat uses for inappropriate elimination.
3. It is possible to identify and relieve the stress-causing situation.
4. It is possible to neutralize the odor caused by the urine or stool.
5. You have only one cat.
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