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My 15 year old male cat who has never urinated in the house before suddenly went to a corner in the house and urinated on the curtain. He didn't spray, just urinated. My grand-daughter who is 2 years old came that morning and she does tend to follow him around a bit, but at that time she was nowhere near him. We thought it might have something to do with that. Anyway, yesterday he went into the bathroom and skulked behind the door as if he was going to urinate in there. My husband got him outside and he urinated in the garden. He did the same thing this morning.

Is this a sign of dementia or not? Thanks for your assistance.

Sue

Submitted: 95 days and 5 hours ago.

Category: Cat

Value: $15

Status: CLOSED

Pet's Sex: Male
Pet's Age: >12

Already Tried:
We have locked all the doors to the living room so he can't get near to the curtain that he urinated on. We have also locked all the doors upstairs so he can't get into the rooms. He has the use of the dining kitchen and he can get in and out of his catflap to the garden.

Posted by ERAnimalNurse 95 days and 4 hours ago.

Answer

Hello,

I am sorry your kitty is having trouble. I do not think that your kitty is experiencing problems with dementia, but rather has a urinary tract infection and or an illness that has predisposed him to a UTI. Cats are considered to be geriatric at 8 years old and can be prone to illness as they age. The 3 most common ailments known to afflict elderly cats are diabetes, kidney disease and hyperthyroidism. The symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, increased water consumption, increased urination, dehydration, weakness, weight loss, muscle wasting, poor hair coat, changes in appetite, changes in behavior and increased vocalizations. Your kitty does not need to be showing all of the symptoms to have an illness, and since cats instinctively hide illness, it is not uncommon for a kitty to be healthy one day and pretty sick the next. I am concerned that your kitty may be diabetic, or that he may be experiencing some kidney insufficiency. The reason he is urinating out of the box is because he is uncomfortable, and he is associating that discomfort with the litter box. He is urinating out of the box in the hopes that it won't hurt as much. A UTI can be very serious, especially in a geriatric male kitty because the risk of urinary blockage is high. Urinary blockage is a life threatening complication, and is very painful. If at any point your kitty is unable to pass any urine, he needs to see a vet ASAP. Please see the following website for more information on urinary tract infections.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=O&C=O&A=2457

Please see the following website for more information on urinary blockage.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=O&C=O&A=1111

It would be best to have your kitty seen by his vet today, for an exam, urinalysis and some blood tests. He cannot wait too long to be seen as complications can arise quickly. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. If this has been helpful, please hit the green accept button. Best of luck with your handsome man, I hope he feels better soon :)

95 days and 4 hours ago.

Reply

I appreciate your advice, but he does not have a litter box. He has never needed one as we got him as a 4 year old stray, so why would it be uncomfortable to go outside as he normally does. Incidentally he had a UTI about 4/5 months ago, but he didn't act like this, he just went downhill fast. At the moment he looks quite healthy.

Accepted Answer

The fact that he has no box does not change anything. The point is that he is urinating in the house, which is very unusual for him. Just because he had an infection several months ago and is not reacting the same way does not mean that he does not have an infection now. And, he may not have an infection at all, but an illness that is causing him to urinate more frequently....this can make him feel uncomfortable enough that he is going in the house. The outdoors is his litter box, so to speak, and he is giving you very clear indication that something is wrong. You need to have him seen today to investigate the cause. The longer it takes to have him seen, the more difficult and expensive it can be to make him feel better, especially given his age. As I stated above, a kitty can look very healthy and still be pretty sick as cats instinctually hide symptoms of illness. While your kitty is not acting ill otherwise, he is telling you something is wrong by urinating in places that are unusual to him. Please have him seen today so that he can feel better.

Accepts:
Expert:	ERAnimalNurse
Pos. Feedback:	99.4 %
Answered:	8/18/2009

Emergency Critical Care Nurse

16+ years of veterinary experience

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