Will my kitty be okay?

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I am having problems with my twelve-year-old female Persian mix becoming too vocal and going outside of her litter box. She has been declawed for almost most of her lifetime, spayed and been using her litter box at a young age, doesn't live with any other cats, and my family adopted her 4-5 years ago from our old neighbors because she was unhappy due to their new puppy and one of the dogs she grew up with passed away months before. She is also allergic to anything with fish in it because eating it makes her throw up.

For over a month she's been meowing constantly, usually when no one's around. It’s the worst at night when she wakes me and my parents up around midnight and early in the morning, usually around 4 and 6 am. The meow is not like when she wants to talk. It sounds like complaining, crying or whining. She also wants to go outside onto the back deck or into the garage at least once a day. My cat enjoys lying out in the sun on warm days on the deck. She also is refusing to go in her litter box once a week at least but is still using it. When she goes outside of her litter box, it’s in the hallway in front of the upstairs bathroom, in the upstairs bathroom or my parents' bathroom. What really doesn't help is that every room, except for the kitchen and laundry room, has carpeting.

We tried cleaning out her box every other day, ignoring her, telling her to be quiet and squirting her with a squirt bottle full of water whenever she gets out of line but so far it hasn't worked. For cleaning the mess we tried using Resolve, Resolve Pet Stain, Spot Shot and other carpet cleaners and stain removers but she'll go in or near that area the next day or so. We don't want to pay an arm and a leg just to make sure she doesn't urinate in that same area again.

She has plenty of food and water and is eating and drinking it so that's not the problem. However, she sometimes pushes the food into her water and we have to a separate bowl of clean water for her to drink from when that happens. We haven't changed the brand of litter for years and the brand of dry food for months. I took the lid of her litter box since I read that covering it makes it smellier and I can't move its location due to lack of private areas in the house. She doesn't meow or complain while in the litter box so I don't think she's in pain when she urinates.

I like having her around but I'm tired of her misbehaving and my mom yelling, threatening, hitting, punishing her and sometimes picking her up and tossing her to the floor. She avoids her whenever she goes outside of it or has gotten into trouble in the last couple of days. I want her to be well-behaved and healthy and not worry about the extra costs of seeing a vet and getting medication. Money and time has been tight for me due to high gas prices and college.

Here's a picture of her. It may be a few years old, but she hasn't changed in appearance.

It sounds like she may be suffering from an early form of dementia. She needs to see a vet if thats the case.

Also, for the carpet, try regualr white vinegar. Yea, it smells like crap, but the cat smell is completely gone, and most cats hate the smell.

I have a cat who is age 11 and he does this every night when we are sleeping, usually around 3-4am. I've put it down to wanting to know where everyone is, as once he hears my voice or sees me, he generally comes up to me for a hug and stops meowing.

I'm not sure if it's the same for your cat though.

As for your mother hitting her, thats completely unacceptable and cruel.
Maybe your cat is meowing like that because she is scared. If I were a your cat, I probably would be too!

Your mother seems like a real b***h, but most mothers are. I hope that you can get help for your cat. Maybe you can keep you mum away from your cat. Why are mothers such plonkers?

there is a good book called the cat detective,that deals with exactly this problem and a lot of others.
sister got it when one of her cats had behavioral problems,it completely changed Rubys behavior.

though am thinking it could be dementia to,like kip.
it does happen in cats.

could be lots of things goin wrong in older cats

my firend had a 14 yr old cat that would thrash it's food and water bowls and do other non-typical annoying behaviors.... they took her to the vet and she had a thyroid problem... got her on meds and she stopped all those behaviors.

cats are smart... she was just telling my friend that she did't feel good... and i guess being destructo-annoying cat is the only way she could get the message across.

i'd at least take her to a vet. though it could just be changes in her social life... i know pets will do the same sort of stuff when they're older and one of their "Sibblings" dies... or you get a new pet... things like that.

hope she gets better.

and your mom is being terrible btw.

Your cat may have a urinary tract infection. It could be dementia, too, although my cat has always done the meowing/whine thing, even as a baby. Vet check time. There are meds for both.
Cat Dementia
Get a large dog crate and put food and water and a small litter box in it for night crating. Cover the sides and part of the front with a cloth, just leave enough for ventilation. The confinement will give the kitty a sense of security and you will get some peace for sleep.
If you can't find a cause and/or treatment, you will need to get your kitty a new home. Your mother is abusing the kitty.

Agreed!! !
Tell your mom that she should never hit the cat, as it will probably just make her act out and make the behaviour much worse!! !

By the way, cats are extremely good at hiding pain. The fact that she doesn't show discomfort when in her box doesn't mean that there's no infection. If you have an animal, you MUST pay for the vet checkups. It's not optional, like deciding to put off changing the oil in your car (though that's not good, either...). Lack of appropriate medical care is also animal neglect. Call your local Humane Society to see which vets will work with you on fees, possibly some free work.

One health problem that affects older cats is hyperthyroidism. My roommate's cat has this and she is a huge pain in the butt. All she does is cry and whine. She runs around the cat like she's a kitten again (she's 15 or 16)....he name is "fat cat" because she used to weigh 20lbs, but now she weighs about 9lbs....but she eats constantly. She eats so much she pukes at least once a day. She has been good about using the litter box though.....but she doesn't puke there...ick...

Hyperthyroidism can be treated with medication from your vet. Ours won't take her medicine, even though it really does help her. We are looking at getting her a transdermal ointment containing her medication.....if not that than it's radioactive iodine for her.
Leaving it untreated can damage her kidneys.

Anyway...I'd suggest you take her to a vet. It could be something that some kittie meds could fix.

Have a pet - be responsible to provide them the best care, including visits to the vets.

I really really think that's the principle go by. It's not like we're rich any longer, we're poor, gas is also high here and school's expensive, but our cats are still a responsibility that we feel we must pay for.

She's gotten a lot better since I've been keeping an eye and her and giving her attention. Princess is going in her box, not meowing at night and is enjoying everyone's company. I'm going to get her some canned (wet) food next time I go shopping to get her the protein she needs. She hasn't has any for months since it was a treat for her when she was good. Big mistake. I think it was the weather that was making her do this because it has been fluctuating from hot to cool the last week. We haven't even used the squirt bottle in a while.

*hugs*
I hope your kitty feels better!

She's EXTREMELY cute by the way

Firstly declawing is WRONG and illegal in most countries including in Australia where I live that is abuse.Secondly I agree your mum shouldnt hit the kitty maybe try a spray bottle it works wonders.

In the United States declawing is common and not considered abuse.

Sounds like it may be a urinary tract infection. Please take her to the vet.

That is a total contradiction.

If you have a pet you are responsible for its health care, and that includes visits to the vet when required.



Regardless of what Americans may think, the risk of painful side effects is high, and therefore it is abuse.