Great news Myles. I never would have thought about a harness helping with inappropriate elimination. Such a seemingly simply solution after everything you've tried. I hope it continues to work. Fingers & toes are crossed.
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My F2's inexplicable urine/litter behavior
- Thread starter Myles
- Start date
MM3
Site Supporter
Even tho my kitty is (almost) 1 yr old and 10.5 pounds she didn't approve of the size of litter boxes. She would turn and turn then jump in and out many times. Finally she had to go and would do her business. I looked on the internet for a bigger litter box and could not find one. Frustrated I went to Home Depot there I found a big black plastic box used to mix cement. She loves it, no more turning or jumping. Dr. Elyses clumping litter does not state anywhere on the bag caution cats may eat litter. My little one was eating it so now after trial and error of many different litters, she uses dirt and shredded paper. No problems now.
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Myles
Savannah Super Cat
We shall see. I'm going to run him through another 3 months or so of Valium it appears (today I requested a re-fill), possibly lowering the dose over that time, and hopefully returning full reign of the house, as the electric baby gate is a royal PITA.
I'll likely have to switch the harness for something else (if the effectiveness persists), as I think the existing one will generate sores (it's a dog harness adapted, as the "walking jackets" never seemed a good fit, it was easier to customize a medium dog one for his stature).
I'll keep this updated, hopefully this helps somebody else in the future as well
I hope it's a long-term effect!
Myles
Savannah Super Cat
Hrm,
Harness off for bed, he basically ran around for a few minutes, ate, then deficated without issue.
Immediately after I scooped the pan, he jumped back in to urinate, he urinated a little in the middle of the pan, then pretty casually hopped out after maybe 10-15 seconds, and he was still urinating, but very slowly/without any much pressure behind it.
I picked him back up (while he's still urinating, he didn't stop at all), placed him back in the pan and offered positive reinforcement. He continued to urinate for another 10-20 seconds despite the disturbance.
This seems consistent with behavior I've seen before (taking a seemingly long time to urinate, frequently around a minute or more). It's almost as though he thinks he's empty, and doesn't realize it's still coming out.
Note before jumping to UTI, this has been consistent/long term, and he's been tested over a half dozen times by several vets, by several methods (squeezing it out, direct needle to abdomen, pee into a clean pan + corn, etc.)
Does anybody here ever watch their cat pee/have an idea of how long it "normally" takes them? This seems quite related, maybe the harness is simply slowing him down before he jumps out (long enough to realize there's still a trickle), or simply putting pressure elsewhere so he knows when he is, and is not done urinating.
Harness off for bed, he basically ran around for a few minutes, ate, then deficated without issue.
Immediately after I scooped the pan, he jumped back in to urinate, he urinated a little in the middle of the pan, then pretty casually hopped out after maybe 10-15 seconds, and he was still urinating, but very slowly/without any much pressure behind it.
I picked him back up (while he's still urinating, he didn't stop at all), placed him back in the pan and offered positive reinforcement. He continued to urinate for another 10-20 seconds despite the disturbance.
This seems consistent with behavior I've seen before (taking a seemingly long time to urinate, frequently around a minute or more). It's almost as though he thinks he's empty, and doesn't realize it's still coming out.
Note before jumping to UTI, this has been consistent/long term, and he's been tested over a half dozen times by several vets, by several methods (squeezing it out, direct needle to abdomen, pee into a clean pan + corn, etc.)
Does anybody here ever watch their cat pee/have an idea of how long it "normally" takes them? This seems quite related, maybe the harness is simply slowing him down before he jumps out (long enough to realize there's still a trickle), or simply putting pressure elsewhere so he knows when he is, and is not done urinating.
My 4 SVs hold their pee until their tanks are full and pee for at least a minute. The litter clumps are huge.
Was there any discussion with vet about possible lower spinal nerve trauma? That could account for some of the behavior you've described. What about other anatomical irregularities -- penis or sheath all normal?
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Was there any discussion with vet about possible lower spinal nerve trauma? That could account for some of the behavior you've described. What about other anatomical irregularities -- penis or sheath all normal?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Well it is possible (not sure how likely) that he has some nerve damage so is not aware when his bladder is empty. I had a rumpy Highlander with this issue, but have never heard of a Savannah having it. It is also possible, if he has had previous UTIs, that he has developed urethral stricture which would make it more difficult, and take him longer, to urinate.
Myles
Savannah Super Cat
I've asked about an anatomical flaw before, but the vet didn't have any suggestions to test/remedy/etc.
I've never seen his "lipstick" before, even when he's cleaning it's not visible, so I'm not sure. I'm by no means an expert in this regard either, but no vet has ever indicated it was abnormal, etc.
Rylie
Diorcats
He is a beautiful boy! So sorry to hear of your woes, it definitely sounds frustrating.
I have been following your journey and wanted to chime in. Does it look like to anyone else more experience that he might have jowls? The picture on the top of page 4 looked a little reminiscent to me of stud jowls.
The tall trough like box with an open top sounds like a good idea; we had a client years ago with several indoor cats that actually used a plastic pool for a litter box, the kind you fill up in your yard in the summer for children. Granted, this is not the most economical idea due due to cost of filling, not to mention an it is definitely an eye sore, but still keep coming back to his box being a bit too small.
We used Natures Miracle with our stud for a year before switching to Anti-Icky-Poo and can't tell you the world of difference it made in frequency.
I know there are several on this forum that can custom make walking jackets with your boys stature and unique measurements that might not be so tight or irritating than your altered dog jacket.
Also, you are amazing to stick in there with your boy to try and narrow down what it might be!
I have been following your journey and wanted to chime in. Does it look like to anyone else more experience that he might have jowls? The picture on the top of page 4 looked a little reminiscent to me of stud jowls.
The tall trough like box with an open top sounds like a good idea; we had a client years ago with several indoor cats that actually used a plastic pool for a litter box, the kind you fill up in your yard in the summer for children. Granted, this is not the most economical idea due due to cost of filling, not to mention an it is definitely an eye sore, but still keep coming back to his box being a bit too small.
We used Natures Miracle with our stud for a year before switching to Anti-Icky-Poo and can't tell you the world of difference it made in frequency.
I know there are several on this forum that can custom make walking jackets with your boys stature and unique measurements that might not be so tight or irritating than your altered dog jacket.
Also, you are amazing to stick in there with your boy to try and narrow down what it might be!