Litter Box Woes - Carole Wilbourn
Carole Wilbourn, The Cat Therapist, has been the leading voice in feline therapy for over 5 decades. She has helped thousands of cat moms and dads explore, face, and resolve cat behavioral and health issues. Carole is truly the most trusted Cat Therapist in the United States.
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24 Dec Litter Box Woes

Posted at 15:50h in Blog by

Suzie’s guardians couldn’t understand why after four years of steady, on target, litter box habits, Suzie tinkled here, there, and anywhere.

Our Four Year Old Cat Always Used Her Litter Box Until Now
(Indiscriminate Urination — Litter Box Misbehavior)

Suzie 

“I get it,” said David. “So Suzie’s erratic litter box m.o. could go all the way back to her gestation. It’s like in the movie Mark and I saw, Three Identical Strangers, where although three brothers were separated at birth, later on in life, they exhibited similar behavior and hang-ups.”

Kitten Deprivation
Yes, I nodded and went on to explain that Suzie’s mother and/or father may have been in bad shape, and were limited in what they could give her. So Suzie probably suffered early kitten deprivation.
“But with the loving care you’ve given her since kittenhood, during these past six years, she didn’t have any major upsets until recently.”

“But why now?“ said Mark. “She didn’t have any litter box misbehavior until recently. Why was it dormant?”

“Until recently, she was able to hold it together.” I explained that it might have been one incident or a combination of several that triggered her emotional and physical muscle memory where she relived early traumatic memories which finally surfaced. This discomfort or stress was communicated by her indiscriminate urination. Her stress target is her bladder, and that is where her angst is communicated.

“Suzie has always been less interactive with us than Tuffy, her 16 year old companion — who’s very social,” said David. “Tuffy is Suzie’s mother figure, but sometimes Suzie is too playful for Tuffy.”
“Ah, that probably contributes to Suzie’s frustration,” I said, as I threw her a toy, and she took off after it.

Suzie and Tuffy. Tuffy is the mother figure.

Rivalry — Especially, Female Rivalry
While Suzie batted the toy about, Tuffy sprawled out on David’s lap.
I explained that rivalry, particularly female rivalry was relevant. Although Suzie wasn’t very affectionate or people interactive, she was bothered by Tuffy’s claim and acceptance of attention.

Suzie often watches Tuffy cuddle on our laps but seldom joins in

As David and Mark frequently were away on business trips, their absence was another piece of Suzie’s angst. Tuffy would welcome any newcomer whereas Suzie would withdraw. So what appears to be unsolvable misbehavior is symptomatic of Suzie’s residual, unresolved angst. Her intolerable bouts of “tinkles” is her signal for your help.
“So what can we do to ease Suzie’s angst?” said David.

Recommended Treatment To Ease Suzie’s Angst

  • ,Continuous replay of the music played during the session. This will reinforce and recreate the positive empowerment created.
  • Have the vet do an exam and urinalysis for Suzie, to treat any medical issue.
  • Be sure to verbally acknowledge Suzie whenever there’s any interaction or notice of Tuffy.
  • Place strips of paper towels or wee wee pads in a second litter box and near the box.
  • Engage a professional cat sitter so there aren’t any slip-ups.

There were some additional recommendations. I then reminded them to be in touch with progress reports and any questions. My feeling was that if they followed Suzie’s behavioral program, she would integrate new coping mechanisms, and they would all mirror her relief.

“Well again, I want to repeat that the movie Three Identical Strangers is so in sync with your Wilbourn Way of where bizarre behavior can take off,” said David.

(For more info re Indiscriminate urination
Scroll to Shared Bedtime Is Prime Time in the March 2017 Blog
Scroll down to My Two Cats Tinkle …… in June 2017 Blog
See Rhino’s Transformation in December 2017 Blog)