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There's a cat litter called "Cat Attract" that contains some sort of herbal substances that... as the name implies... attracts cats. It's a good tool to use when trying to train cats like your girlfriend's kitty to use the litter box again.
Try switching to cat attract in conjunction with using the medication the vet prescribed. I know it's not easy to pill a cat, but 3 days is not enough time to let the medicine work. You could also ask the vet if the medication comes in a liquid form, some people find it easier to medicate a cat with liquid.
Also, be sure you're thoroughly removing the odor of cat urine from the bed, sofa, anywhere else the cat has peed. That smell is going to be competing with the litter box. You can buy stuff at pet stores that break down the urine and either spray it on the spots, use it in the washing machine, or use it with a small carpet cleaning machine. (We had to do this after a previous cat had a bad run of UTIs.) I can't think of the name of the product, but any big pet supply store will have it.
All of your posts have been very helpful. Thank you! I know ultimatums are never received well and usually have a reverse effect. This is why I have not demanded it. I have respected the fact that her cat is this way. I have gone out of my way and bent over back words trying to help resolve the issue, clean up stuff, and even separate my clothing and most of my belongings from the area where the cat is at. However, it is causing more and more problems with us personally and not just financially.
My girlfriend is genuinely frustrated about the situation and wants to resolve the issue. Her cat has been tested and does not have any urinary tract infection. The problem at the end of the day is a mental instability with the cat. The cat is nervous most of the time and hides whenever people come over. The cat does like me. The cat will run from everyone but us.
The vet gave us medicine in liquid form since the cat does not take well to pills already. My GF is going to get another opinion from the vet about what we can do. However, this can be a lot of cost and experimenting before we might find something for the cat.
My girlfriend does not want to confine the cat to just one area, because she feels it would be unfair to the cat. So this is where I am at cross roads....
However, this cat has a history of pissing on furniture, and various areas of he house.
I had a roommate like that...I jest. But seriously I did have a cat that did this however it turned out he wasn't fixed and that was the problem. There's really not much you can do other than talk to your girlfriend about the living arrangement. It's impossible to keep up with a cat that pees everywhere and on everything, you can't clean enough to get the smell out. Did it get worse after you moved in? Sometimes cats freak out when their environment changes. Obviously something has to give in this situation.
We have tried just about every solution you can think of from plug ins, change litter box until we found one she likes. So that is why I am at wits end.
All of your posts have been very helpful. Thank you! I know ultimatums are never received well and usually have a reverse effect. This is why I have not demanded it. I have respected the fact that her cat is this way. I have gone out of my way and bent over back words trying to help resolve the issue, clean up stuff, and even separate my clothing and most of my belongings from the area where the cat is at. However, it is causing more and more problems with us personally and not just financially.
My girlfriend is genuinely frustrated about the situation and wants to resolve the issue. Her cat has been tested and does not have any urinary tract infection. The problem at the end of the day is a mental instability with the cat. The cat is nervous most of the time and hides whenever people come over. The cat does like me. The cat will run from everyone but us.
The vet gave us medicine in liquid form since the cat does not take well to pills already. My GF is going to get another opinion from the vet about what we can do. However, this can be a lot of cost and experimenting before we might find something for the cat.
My girlfriend does not want to confine the cat to just one area, because she feels it would be unfair to the cat. So this is where I am at cross roads....
If the meds are in liquid form, how on earth is she having difficulty administering them? She just needs to shoot it into the cat's mouth like in the video I posted or, even easier, mix it with some wet food. Don't leave food out in the cat's bowl overnight, and make sure the meds are mixed with its morning meal. If the cat is hungry, it will eat. I know wet food isn't the best for cats, but it's either that or the cat suffers.
And if the cat is "nervous," the cat is suffering. Maybe it's mental, but it's still suffering. Just like a human with severe anxiety who needs Xanax, the cat needs its meds.
As for cost, that is no excuse. If she can't afford a pet, she shouldn't have one. I had a bird that had epilepsy. It took three opinions and two hospitalizations to get the right diagnosis. All told, it was $3,000 before one vet said, "It's epilepsy, give him phenobarbital orally twice a day, $75 please." Was it frustrating? Yes. I wish I had known about that vet sooner. I also had to make sure I was home to give the bird his meds, which meant some changes in evening schedules. But this is part of the territory of pet ownership. Do right by your pets or don't have them. End of story.
I don't see where the OP is issuing any ultimatums, like it's him or the cat. He said he would love for her to keep the cat, but just wants it to use its litterbox.
Instead of jumping to conclusions and castigating him, why not step back and look at where the real fault lies? A woman who will not take appropriate care of her pet.
I said IF he is thinking about making her choose, he should be prepared to get an answer he doesn't like.
I agree, the GF is not taking appropriate care of her pet and I suspect there are ways to fix or minimize the problem.
All of your posts have been very helpful. Thank you! I know ultimatums are never received well and usually have a reverse effect. This is why I have not demanded it. I have respected the fact that her cat is this way. I have gone out of my way and bent over back words trying to help resolve the issue, clean up stuff, and even separate my clothing and most of my belongings from the area where the cat is at. However, it is causing more and more problems with us personally and not just financially.
My girlfriend is genuinely frustrated about the situation and wants to resolve the issue. Her cat has been tested and does not have any urinary tract infection. The problem at the end of the day is a mental instability with the cat. The cat is nervous most of the time and hides whenever people come over. The cat does like me. The cat will run from everyone but us.
The vet gave us medicine in liquid form since the cat does not take well to pills already. My GF is going to get another opinion from the vet about what we can do. However, this can be a lot of cost and experimenting before we might find something for the cat.
My girlfriend does not want to confine the cat to just one area, because she feels it would be unfair to the cat. So this is where I am at cross roads....
It is also unfair to the cat to not give it medicine it needs and to set it up for failure. GF knows it will pee on the bed/furniture/clothing but lets the cat continue to do so, stuff gets destroyed, atmosphere in the house gets tense, etc. Animals pick up on all of that.
I do feel for you. It is not a fun situation for anyone involved, and it really isn't fair to just expect you to be okay with your stuff being ruined and having to shell out a bunch of money to replace it.
If the meds are in liquid form, how on earth is she having difficulty administering them? She just needs to shoot it into the cat's mouth like in the video I posted or, even easier, mix it with some wet food. Don't leave food out in the cat's bowl overnight, and make sure the meds are mixed with its morning meal. If the cat is hungry, it will eat. I know wet food isn't the best for cats, but it's either that or the cat suffers.
And if the cat is "nervous," the cat is suffering. Maybe it's mental, but it's still suffering. Just like a human with severe anxiety who needs Xanax, the cat needs its meds.
This is SO true. A physically healthy animal may be suffering mentally, and it's unfair to let them suffer.
I would love for her to keep the cat if it would just use the cat littler box. How do I tell her enough is enough with the cat ?
You don't, at least not in the sense that "enough is enough" connotes an "it's me or the cat"-type stance, which appears to be how a lot or respondents are interpreting your post, even if that's not what you intended. You can say "enough is enough," in the sense that this is a sanitation issue, and you have every right to restrict the cat's access in order to minimize damage if it is functionally incontinent.
Look, I get that it's a pain in the ass to have a pet with behavioral and/or medical issues. I adopted a dog once with significant issues, and had to deal with them. But people's pets are a personal thing. Laying down the law about somebody else's pet isn't likely to go well, to be honest. It's just kind of life, if you're with somebody with pets (particularly if the pet predates you). The cat may or may not use the litter box. If she's had the cat for a long time, and this isn't a new issue, it's pretty clear that she's already decided she can live with it. I will say that she needs to be a responsible pet owner and administer necessary medication as directed, and if it's not working, do the responsible thing and follow up.
If your girlfriend decides for herself that the cat is more than she can handle, and chooses to rehome it (good luck with that) or otherwise surrender it, that's one thing. You dictating it (if an eventual ultimatum IS something that's lingering in your mind) isn't likely to end well.
Restrict the cat's access, confine it to parts of the house that are less susceptible to being damaged/are easier to clean, keep the cat out of your bedroom, etc. If it won't/can't use a litter box, the only real compromise is that it be confined to an area where the damage is minimized. But, it's her cat, so she's actually the one who gets to decide when enough is enough (unless it's your house/apt., in which case it's obviously up to you to decide who gets to live there and how they are to keep things). Hopefully, she gets the cat the medical care it needs, but recognize that this may or may not solve the issue.
I presume that you knew about the cat and its issues before you chose to live together.
The vet gave us medicine in liquid form since the cat does not take well to pills already. My GF is going to get another opinion from the vet about what we can do. However, this can be a lot of cost and experimenting before we might find something for the cat.
Yep...a tough reality of pet ownership. Healthy pets aren't that massive of a financial commitment, typically. Sick pets are another thing altogether. Something you HAVE to be conscious of when you sign on for pet ownership.
Quote:
My girlfriend does not want to confine the cat to just one area, because she feels it would be unfair to the cat. So this is where I am at cross roads....
While it is unfortunate that the cat's range probably needs to be limited, your girlfriend needs to understand that sick cats do get quarantined, and that pets with behavioral issues are typically subject to boundaries and confinement. Unfortunate, but the cat obviously has health issues, so it is what it is. When my dog was sick, it wasn't "fair" that he couldn't go to the dog park, but...he was sick, so he couldn't go to the dog park. Due to his behavioral issues, it wasn't "fair" that he had to be crated for his own safety whenever he was alone...but it was necessary. 'Tis life, and if you have a pet that has medical issues, it's a different situation than when you have a pet that doesn't.
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