11 August, 2016

Chucky, the Cat Bomb

I just love this boy!

Lots of box tops around our house!

WARNING!  TALK ABOUT CAT BATHROOM HABITS AHEAD!


Chucky is not using the litter box anymore for #2.  This is why we have been to the holistic vet, since the 'regular' veterinarian's do not seem to have a handle on it.  However, the holistic vitamins and even a chiropractic adjustment have not changed this fact.  Because he's not constipated nor has diarrhea, we really aren't even sure if he HAS Irritable Bowel; we've just been giving him the meds for it because at one time they worked.

The Hubby and I feel that Chuck is actually AFRAID to go poops.  He holds it and holds it, until he cannot anymore, which is why it's like a cat bomb when he finally 'let's go'.  Often, he's asleep somewhere, and he wakes up in a panic...because he has to 'go' RIGHT NOW!  His recent procedure is this: he poops right where he was napping, then races around as if the demons of h*ll are chasing him, and he leaves a little trail in his wake.  He'll finally settle in a corner or a window sill, breathing hard and looking scared. Chuck is very unhappy when this happens.

For awhile, he would only do this ON SOFT CLOTH, meaning the bed or any towel/blanket.  Lately, he manages to only dirty a box, or the hardwood floor.  This makes cleanup easier, however we are clueless now how to help him return to the litter box.  Is this a behavioral issue, or is he in some kind of pain or discomfort?  We could put diapers on him, and it may come to that.  We have also tried Zoloft, in the hopes he would settle down a bit, but have no positive results.  For about 15 minutes every other day, Chuck goes off like a cat bomb; at ALL other times he is his usual, loving and luscious self.

A long time ago, we kept Chuck inside a large room, with his own litter box, bed, etc.  He went crazy (peed and pooped everywhere!) after a couple of days and we scuttled that experiment. I've even talked to three animal psychics; their information did not help us either.  There is no specific time of day that the bomb explodes, so locking him in a room overnight won't mean anything.  We added a new litter box, and cleaned and sanitized all of them, and filled all with new litter.  He uses them for #1, after all!

It's a puzzlement.

P.S. Angel is eating almost at 100% again, thank goodness!  When I set down the two food bowls this morning, both Angel and Chuck got to eating immediately.  The Hubby made fun of me, saying out loud, "Fat cats make Mama happy!"  Go ahead, joke all you want, but having a cat bomb and a non-eating cat at the same time was testing my ability to keep it together!  Plus having our old veterinarian shut me down yesterday, did not help my mood.

15 comments:

  1. We're very glad Angel is eating again! Now Chuck... boy oh boy, what can fix you? Mom says she'd probably try some more anti anxiety medication and see if that helps.

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  2. Yay for Angel eating! Oh no about Chuck...sending purrs and prayers, "when it rains it pours!!" catchatwithcarenandcody

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  3. dood....ask yur mom ta look into cat attract.....purrhapz sum thin scared ya when ya waz USIN de box & ya haz that memo ree sticked in yur minds eye...may bee ??

    heerz a link strait two ther site but yur mom can get thiz any wear

    https://drelseys.com/product/cat-attract

    angel...we iz BUZZED happee yur eatin yur foodz again...HOORAY !!! ♥♥♥

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  4. I am glad Angel is eating. Not sure what you can do about Chuck. Have you tried using Feliway spray or a diffuser around the house to keep him calm? Maybe if he felt calm, he wouldn't hold it in. Wish I had more to offer.

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  5. We are sorry to hear that Angel has been off her food,nut happy she is eating again.
    As for Chuck, we do not know what to suggest.
    Maybe try giving him a treat whenever he uses the
    box and hope it will encourage him to poop there.
    We send lots of purrs for a solution.

    Purrs Georgia and Julie,
    Treasure and JJ

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  6. It's quite like me ! when I moved to Bangkok ! Mom notices I couldn't smell the litter because most cat litters here has perfumes ( I sniff before I get in ) , Mom guess I couldn't tell the litter box clean so I won't dare to get in you know =^x^=

    Mom help me by grabbed and dropped me inside the box. After mom found the normal litter ( I like clumping ) I do use it . And now even better because she makes a outdoor garden for me and changed the whole garden soil ( old soil was like mud ). Now I just use litter like normal. For me... Natural is da best !

    Chuck, I hope you find your way to use your litter. Sending purrs to you
    =^x^=

    PS : My kitty cousins use sand.

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  7. Oh no. We hope you can find a solution for Chuck. That has to be so frustrating. But thank goodness Angel is eating again.

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  8. We're glad to hear Angel is eating!

    But poor Chuck. :-( Our old sis Pee Queen (Gracie) would never pee in the box because of having been interrupted once by a dog (before she was dumped at the shelter and adopted by our mom), but she peed on a rubber mat Mom put down just for her. Then Mom used emergency litter 4 or 5 months back which sent Ivan into complete orbit--he too held it until he exploded in a basket and then shortly after peed on the couch. (The emergency litter was replaced and disposed of immediately.) Then there's Caroline, who every now and then will simply not use the box. She might be doing that because she feels harrassed by Ivan (and while not thrilled, Mom is glad it's not pee). So...no particular lesson here, only to show that lots of us have faced litter box issues at one point or another. Wish we did have a magic solution!

    Have you tried Feliway near the boxes? We've never used it but have heard from others it's helpful.

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  9. I'm so glad Angel is back to eating!
    But I'm sorry about Chuck...poor baby. I have no idea what would help him. I hope you can find solution for him xo

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  10. Isn't it a comfort to see our cat(s) back to eating again? Poor Chuck. I have never heard of this behaviour before so this is new to me. It is usually best to bring the cat to a vet to rule out any medical issues. So then if it is not medical it is a behavioural issue. I used to work in pet supply stores and did this for around ten years. I did not sell any animals, only supplies and I was often called upon by customers in reference to their cat's behaviour and I was able to help them with advice but this one is really new to me. If the litter box is in a quiet area and you haven't changed the brand of litter I really don't know what else to say on this one. I wish you all the best.

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  11. Isn't it a comfort to see our cat(s) back to eating again? Poor Chuck. I have never heard of this behaviour before so this is new to me. It is usually best to bring the cat to a vet to rule out any medical issues. So then if it is not medical it is a behavioural issue. I used to work in pet supply stores and did this for around ten years. I did not sell any animals, only supplies and I was often called upon by customers in reference to their cat's behaviour and I was able to help them with advice but this one is really new to me. If the litter box is in a quiet area and you haven't changed the brand of litter I really don't know what else to say on this one. I wish you all the best.

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  12. We are so sorry this is happenin'. It's purrobably miserable fur Chucky who doesn't completely unnerstand it all. We do hope ya'll can help him get better. Me had just da opposite purrobablem fur a while. Mommy did a lot of descnetin' da areas me was usin' and did a lot more purrayin'. Me now uses da pawdee box 100% of time. We's sendin' lots of purrayers your way.

    Luv ya'

    Dezi and Raena

    PeeEss: A suggestion: Mommy would watch me and ketch me befur me started peein' and pick me up and rush me to da pawdee box. She would stand there with me tellin' me she luvved me and dat me was a big girl, her smarty girl, and dat everythin' would be okay. You might try dat ifin it's a fear thing. Mommy also has to leave da bathroom light on fur us so me doesn't get scared.

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  13. Yippee, Angel! Chuck, you'll get a yippee once you are figured out. Our Mom agrees with the Feliway suggestions the others have, the use of Cat Attract litter, and uber-super clean litter boxes and floors where Chuck may have pooped. And lots of love and praise.

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  14. Okay, this is completely out of line, and I have absolutely no basis for this recommendation/suggestion other than this post.. but.. (look at me, I'm going to do it anyway)

    Part of me wonders if he might not have something growing in his colon that makes it painful for him to poop. Has the vet or the holistic vet recommended that you do a scope of his intestines?

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    1. Nope, no one has mentioned a scope. Of course they've x-rayed and ultrasounded...if that's a word. I will speak to his heart vet about it soon, thanks for the suggestion!

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