By Fiona Vernon
Inappropriate elimination in cats can be difficult to resolve – especially when the cause of the problem is not evident. Although some situations can be resolved easily and in a short duration of time, there are other situations where the issue could go on for months. For pet owners in the Kent area and beyond, this can be a trying time. In fact, inappropriate elimination – also known as FIE—is one of the primary reasons cat owners choose to give their feline up for adoption or have their cat euthanized. However, what may seem like a cat acting out just to act out could actually be caused by stress, a health condition, an unclean litter box, and much more. For this reason and many others, Uniontown Veterinary Clinic near Green encourages cat owners to contact them at the first sign of litter box trouble.
With the help of their knowledgeable veterinarians, cat health problems such as a urinary tract infection (UTI), feline interstitial cystitis, and other painful health conditions can be ruled out as the cause of the litter box trouble a pet owner is facing. After all, with medical conditions like these, the cat can begins to associate the litter box as the cause of their pain. Even senior cats that are suffering from arthritis may avoid their litter box because of the pain caused by going up or down stairs to get to it, resulting in inappropriate house soiling. Often, the feline will return to regularly using their litter box one the medical conditions has been determined and treated. However, there are other reasons behind litter box aversion that could be causing a cat to urinate or defecate outside of the litter box inside their Rittman, Stow, or Kent area home.
One of the primary causes of litter box trouble is an unclean litter box. Often a cat’s protest of an unclean litter box can be determined by their defecating or urinating near the litter box itself. Frequent cleanings can help prevent this from happening, reducing these behavior problems in cats within the household. To help reduce the changes of these behaviors beginning, there should be a litter box available for each cat inside the household plus one more. For example: if multiple cats are using the same litter box inside a home in Stow, elimination problems can become more frequent as they become unclean much faster. Cat health problems can also occur if a litter box is not cleaned properly, leading to the possibility of more inappropriate elimination problems.
Behavioral problems in cats – including aversion to the litter box—can be caused by more than health issues and an unclean litter box as well. In some cases, elimination problems in cats stem from a need to mark their territory. This can often happen if there is more than one cat in a household or there are cats outside of the home they can smell. If their litter box is in a location with loud appliances or in an area with other loud noises that may frighten them when using it, they may also develop an aversion to their litter box. Anxiety from moving, a new family member, and much more can also cause elimination problems in cats.
To help pet owners determine the cause of this inappropriate elimination, Uniontown Veterinary Clinic near Green offers affordable veterinary services for cats. Through blood work, physical exams, and more, their knowledgeable veterinary staff can rule out potential cat health problems that could be causing a feline to house soil. If no health condition is found, this local veterinary clinic’s friendly staff will gladly help pet owners rule out other possible causes of inappropriate elimination inside their Rittman area residence by their feline friend.
For more information on Uniontown Veterinary Clinic, visit their website at www.uniontownvet.com . Otherwise, feel free to call 330.699.9937 to speak to one of their friendly staff members today.
Uniontown Veterinary Clinic
3435 Grovemont St NW
Uniontown, Ohio 44685
www.uniontownvet.com
330.699.9937