Problems with Jenny

[Dan]

Jenny has been getting lazy using the litter box over the last few years. At first is was just an occasional accident on the rug near the litter boxes. Later on, she decided to use the day bed in the spare bedroom. She has refused to use her litter box regularly for several years now.

We have changed the litter numerous times, the box location, number of litter boxes, size of the boxes, separating the boxes from the one Scooter uses, and everything else we can think of. Sometimes the changes work for a while, but she eventually goes back to peeing and pooping wherever she feels like it. We've tried buying sprays that are supposed to have an objectionable odor. We've bought all new sheets, bedspreads, and comforters. We've put plastic on the day bed, and she just pulls it off and pees on the bed. Nothing works. For the last week, she has decided to use our bed, last night while we are asleep in it.

Both Sugar & I are at our wits end with her. We are concerned that Scooter is going to start thinking it's okay to pee and poop where ever he wants to as well. Sugar has talked about a no-kill shelter, but frankly that would be a death sentence for her. She is so neurotic, that being put in a cage would make her go crazy. She can not tolerate being locked in a box, and completely freaks out. The trip to the vet is bad enough, she couldn't live like that. She's so ornery that no one would ever adopt her, so she'd live out her life in a cage.

We are at a loss what to do with her. She is a feral cat, so her breeding (or lack thereof) is basically that of a wild animal. We've had her over 8 years, and she is getting worse rather than better even after all the attention and love she gets from us, as well as Scooter.

Help! does anyone have any idea what to do??? She can be loving when she curls up on the couch with us, but when she jumps off we have to follow her to see if she is headed to poop on our bed...

[Jackie]

O Dan...my heart goes out to you and Sugar!!! If you have checked that she doesn't have a bladder infection then you could always medicate her like we had to do with Emma.
Emma at one point got something similar to irritable bowel syndrome cause she was so uptight. The Dr gave her medication to relax her muscles then sprayed her areas that she like to sleep at with 'Feliway'.
That's the best I can do. Can't give her to anyone else...just passing along her problem.
Pretty tough call on your hands

[lynxlady]

I'm so sorry to hear about Jenny. I know how much you love her and have tried to give her a good life.
Since I have not had that problem with my cat's, I'm afraid may not be much help,but.. There is a natural relaxer called "Rescue Remedy" that can help with relaxing a person or animal.. I have used it on dogs before and it helps so much to calm them down so they aren't neurotic.. it could be worth a shot. We have a rule for the dogs and it's in the contract they sign.. if for ANY reason they can no longer care for the dog it must be returned to us, they can't sell or give them away. We have had some very scared and confused animals returned over the years, and the rescue remedy has done a lot to calm them down so we can work with them.
There is also a cat rescue called "Cat house on the Kings" in Calf. They do not kill, they have a large fenced in acreage and a huge house. The cat's are all loose to roam the property ( I believe they have something like 12 to 15 or more acres) and the cat's can go in and out of the house as well.. the house is over 4,000 sq ft.. maybe even 5,000.. I have seen it on TV and it is a no kill . They receive the best care and are never caged.. not sure it is the answer or that you will want to do it. So sorry.. I can't imagine how horrible the decision is for the both of you.
I had a very stupid Standard Poodle a very long time ago.. actually back in 1963, she was as stupid as they come.. I would walk that dog and take her to Central Park for the day. She would never go outside, but as soon as I came back to the apartment with her she would go straight for the bed and let it all out!! I tried everything but nothing worked.. I was out walking her one day and a lady said 'what a beautiful dog" So I handed her the leash and said.."She's yours" and left!!
I only had her for a year, but I know with jenny it is more then that.. 8 years is a long time, but it doesn't sound like she is happy or there is something wrong with her, other then mental??
Could be incontinence? So So sorry, I know you both love her, but you can't live like that either.. so very hard. Have you tried to confine her to a bathroom or smaller room ?

[Jackie]

Yes! I know of "Cat house on the Kings". A great and loving place for cats!

[ali]

I'm sorry to hear about the problems with Jenny too. I had a friend with a feral cat, and he tried everything to make his cat house friendly, but after two years, he finally built the cat an outdoor enclosure and let the cat stay outdoors. He'd leave him food and water and a nice porch area with a great heated blanket and he'd spend time with the cat outside, but my friend was worried about the cat hurting his other kitty who was very friendly and indoors. So, now he roams outside on the porch and the other kitty is inside. I like Arlene's suggestions, and I checked out the Cat House on the Kings website. It does look really nice. And they still try to find adoption houses for the kitties.

[deb]

Is there any way you can create a place for her outside or a way for her to get out and spend time there?

I'm totally against "shelters" that think keeping a social animal (not so much in Jenny's case) in a cage with limited contact is OK. The "Cat House on the Kings" sounds like something that would be good for her since there is space and she's not caged.

If you can't set her up outside or find a place that would be OK for her, my choice (if she were my cat) would be to PTS as that is more humane than letting her be frightened and confused.

Sorry you're having to deal with this Dan, I know how much you care about Jenny!

[lynxlady]

Couldn't sleep well last night trying to think of a solution for Dan ,Sugar & Jenny.
It's hard for us that don't really know her, but... was she like this when you had Forest? Perhaps she is just one of those cat's that wants and needs to be a only cat? Some of the feral cat's are just loners. Or they need to be the one and only lap cat for a old couple..Any competitions for their owners affection can cause some very adverse behavior. Also maybe take into consideration that the house is being worked on. The coming and going of workers, the new paint smell, all of it can cause her to think she needs to mark her territory again so everyone knows it's hers. We tend to forget that cat's use cent markings on us as well as things in the house. Usually they just rub the cent glads in their checks but for a feral cat, they use the other end
Our local shelter is a no-kill and they do not have cat's in cages, they have several different rooms the cat's can roam around, find a buddy or a bed they like, but the only ones in a cage are the sick ones or those that need medical attention.. other then that they are free to roam around and on occasion even in the lobby to greet guests.. so not all shelters keep them in cages..

[Dan]

Thanks everyone, it's good to know we have friends, many of whom we've never met...

We are going to the vet Friday to get her checked out. We need to eliminate any chance of it being medical, but I'm 99.9% sure it's not. We are also going to ask about some meds to calm her down, and ask about the Rescue Remedy, A couple of other friends have mentioned Kitty Xanax, or some other calmative you rub in their ear. Maybe there is some med that can make her less stressed. She is such a good girl sometimes, and I know she loves us. Her purr motor is unreal, and she tries so hard...

We have a small tract house, and no real room in the yard for an enclosure, so that idea is out. She's terrified of being outside anyway, so even if we could it would probably make her worse.

She was okay with Forrest, and up until a recently fine with Scooter. They'd take turns chasing each other through the house, and played all the time. Scoots sleeps at the foot of the bed, Jenny between Sug & I...

Last option would be a shelter, but it is an option. We'd have to find one that specializes in troubled animals. There is one in Kanab, Utah we visited recently, they have Michael Vicks dogs. Cool place, all donation funded, and they have everything from pot belly pigs to horses. She is so afraid of anyone other than us, I'm afraid she'd never adjust, even there. I have a good neighbor that comes over, feeds & waters them, and cleans the litter box when we are away. He called me once 12 days into a 14 day trip, and said he thought Jenny was dead, as he hasn't seen her once. That's how frightened she is of other people or places. It would destroy her...

I can't put her down either. I just can't. I realize it may be merciful, but I can't do it. I'd never forgive myself...

[deb]

I totally understand how you feel, Dan.

I can't see putting a social animal in a cage, no matter how open it is, with little to no human contact. To me, that is worse than being allowed to go in peace with the people you care about. It's one of my biggest issues with those that rescue dogs, too, especially bully breeds. If a dog that is supposed to be incredibly human social has to be put in a cage and pretty much left with no interaction, how can that be better than being let go in a place they feel safe. In the case of the dogs, if they are human aggressive (especially in bully breeds) people should humanely PTS instead of thinking they can save them all.

You are in an incredibly difficult place and I wish I could offer more help. My only suggestion would be to think of what Jenny would want and go with that decision.

Hopefully the vet will find something that can be fixed and she can go back to being her "normal" self.

[Jackie]

Well our Beautiful Emma peed on the furniture once again.
Gizmo ratted her out when I saw him sniffing it and then he looked at me with his mouth open. So I gave it a squirt of our Pee-eww and Bob's your Uncle. Emma has gotten so much better with people but we have had a lot of action in the last 2 weeks with workers coming in and out and staying in the house all day.
She and Blue need their shots anyway so we will have this addressed as well. Just wondering if she really isn't peeing and just has a leaky bottom
I hope you can find a good medication for Jenny Dan. Our cats are like our children aren't they

[Dan]

Well, Cat House of the Kings is out. They want $5000 to take in a cat...

[lynxlady]

$5,000 as in thousand?? I don't understand that.. She goes to shelters and takes them for nothing.. Oh well I understand it cost her around $45,000 a month to operate the facility..

I guess if Jenny is that afraid of people then re-homing her is also not a option.. I'm out of suggestions, sure hope the vet can give you something to help her cope with life a little better.

[Dan]

Oct 25, 2012 9:16:30 GMT -8 Jackie said:

Well our Beautiful Emma peed on the furniture once again.
Gizmo ratted her out when I saw him sniffing it and then he looked at me with his mouth open. So I gave it a squirt of our Pee-eww and Bob's your Uncle. Emma has gotten so much better with people but we have had a lot of action in the last 2 weeks with workers coming in and out and staying in the house all day.
She and Blue need their shots anyway so we will have this addressed as well. Just wondering if she really isn't peeing and just has a leaky bottom
I hope you can find a good medication for Jenny Dan. Our cats are like our children aren't they

What's up with that? Do you suppose Jenny has been secretly emailing Emma and lettting her know it's a good way to get extra attention???

[Dan]

Well. Good news, good news.

The trip to the vet went well. Jenny is perfectly healthy, and the vet said she is in fantastic shape for a feral cat. Said she'll live to be 15-16 easy. She was also good with the vet and technicians, which is unusual. We had one vet tell us to not bring her in unless it was an emergency. That's how hateful she was with them. This time, she was a sweetie. The vet suggested no Kitty Xanax or other meds like that. She sold us a spray bottle of pheromones that are supposed to calm cats down. It was spendy, $36.00 for a 4 oz spray bottle, but a bargain if it works. You are supposed to spray their areas, and it's supposed to have a calming effect.

Also, she has stopped doing her business where she is not supposed to for 5-6 days now. We let them free range when we are not here, but lock them in the back bedroom at night. No more sleeping on our bed. They have their litter boxes back there, a food and water bowl, the day bed and a window seat, so it's not like a prison. It's a second master bedroom, so it's plenty big too. There is no howling when we put them in, and they are not scratching to get out in the morning. In fact, when I open the door in the morning, they are both laying on the day bed, and are in no real hurry to leave.

My step mother was here for a few days last week, and stayed in "their" room. We are thinking this may have sent her off, and she was getting her/our scent back. I also think shaving her might have stressed her. It's been over a year since the last haircut (much longer than usual) and she may not have appreciated it.

We shall see. So far, so good. Keeping our fingers crossed...

[lynxlady]

Oh, that's great news Dan.. But if that is Jenny's way of covering up other peoples smells, you might want to rethink company I still say the Rescue Remedy would probably do the same thing and be a lot cheaper, but let us know how that expensive bottle works I hope it is the answer for you.
I'm guessing Jenny is not that happy to have your step mother around? ;D