Hello all!
I am so sorry that you all have kitties with health problems as well. I"m looking for support in keeping an incontinent cat. I found Faolan in July and noticed he wasn't going to the bathroom even though he frequently tried. I took him to my vet and found out he had megacolon. I decided to keep him (even though, I'm sure my vet wanted me to put him down) and he had surgery to fix the colon and I also had him neutered at that time (again, my vet thought I was nuts but knew I didn't want him go to go through surgery again and at this point I knew he was the newest member of my family). We've been to the Ohio State Vet Clinic a number of times and with the use of cisapride and lactulose, pooping is going fine. it's the urinary issues that have become a problem. He was started on bethanecol but we stopped that about a month ago. He seems to pee when he is very relaxed or if he's bathing his pubic region. I have another appt. with OSU next month to reevaluate. the vet there has been very good.
I"ve had Faolan confined to the small bathroom and two days ago he started spending time in a "cat playpen." he's very unreliable as to when he will pee and how often. My brother lives with me and is less than supportive, very few of my friends understand and the rest of my family looks at me with pity. Everyone wants me to put him outside or to put him down. they feel he is costing me too much money and it's not worth the effort to try and keep my house odor free. I can't get people to stop and listen that he is healthy otherwise. Anything you can suggest will be much appreciated. every day is a struggle to try and keep my sanity, keep Faolan alive and make sure my other two cats (age 7 and 16) arent' stressed as well.
I've read something about urinary sphincter incompetence. do you know anything about that?
I"m going to do some research on the "button" that Coco has as well.
We think that Faolan is about 2 years old and was probably hit by a car that fractured his tail and his right hip. This happened way before I got him and the bones have already healed.
Thanks for reading all this. I appreciate it.
no support for incontinent cat
Re: no support for incontinent cat
Licalme-
I am in a similar situation that you are in. I adopted a manx kitten from a rescue group a month ago. The lady that we had gotten her from was told by her vet that the manx cats can have issues with defecating and urinary incontinence. She saw the kitten use the litter box and thought everything was ok. The fist night we got her she peed in her bed. (Which I thought was normal since she was 9 weeks and in a new house). But then she kept peeing in her sleep and then she didn't have a BM for a few days we became concerned. After about 5 vet visits in a week we found out she has a form of spina bifida and possible nerve damage that is causing these problems. We have her on a special diet of little fiber high end food and a large dose of lactulose to help with that end. the urinary incontinence is something we are tackling right now. She is to young and small to try bethanicol right now so this is what we are doing. We express her bladder 3-4 times a day but I check regularly to make sure it is not too full because if it is it will leak out. I don't know if you have tried this yet but if your cat isn't emptying their bladder completely then this could be part of the issue. I also keep her in our bathroom at night ad she sleeps on pee pads that I place on her bed. That way it is easy to clean up and prevents smell. I am trying to get her used to diapers right now so that we can leave her out when we are not home. Since we started expressing her bladder she leaks less and we hope with adding in the meds later in life it could stop it more.
In your situation i suspect that the your cat has some nerve damage that prevents total control of her bladder and when she relaxes some urine will leak out. My best tips would be to check you cats bladder regularly and feel how full it is. If you catch it right after they use the litter box then you can determine if it is having problems emptying its bladder completely. I would also try diapers.
Originally when we found out all of her problems we were heart broken but we decided that if she could have a quality of life that she was still happy then we would try our hardest to keep her healthy. Our kitten is very easy going so we have been lucky since caring for a cat that has issues like this needs to be poked and prodded.
Best of luck
I am in a similar situation that you are in. I adopted a manx kitten from a rescue group a month ago. The lady that we had gotten her from was told by her vet that the manx cats can have issues with defecating and urinary incontinence. She saw the kitten use the litter box and thought everything was ok. The fist night we got her she peed in her bed. (Which I thought was normal since she was 9 weeks and in a new house). But then she kept peeing in her sleep and then she didn't have a BM for a few days we became concerned. After about 5 vet visits in a week we found out she has a form of spina bifida and possible nerve damage that is causing these problems. We have her on a special diet of little fiber high end food and a large dose of lactulose to help with that end. the urinary incontinence is something we are tackling right now. She is to young and small to try bethanicol right now so this is what we are doing. We express her bladder 3-4 times a day but I check regularly to make sure it is not too full because if it is it will leak out. I don't know if you have tried this yet but if your cat isn't emptying their bladder completely then this could be part of the issue. I also keep her in our bathroom at night ad she sleeps on pee pads that I place on her bed. That way it is easy to clean up and prevents smell. I am trying to get her used to diapers right now so that we can leave her out when we are not home. Since we started expressing her bladder she leaks less and we hope with adding in the meds later in life it could stop it more.
In your situation i suspect that the your cat has some nerve damage that prevents total control of her bladder and when she relaxes some urine will leak out. My best tips would be to check you cats bladder regularly and feel how full it is. If you catch it right after they use the litter box then you can determine if it is having problems emptying its bladder completely. I would also try diapers.
Originally when we found out all of her problems we were heart broken but we decided that if she could have a quality of life that she was still happy then we would try our hardest to keep her healthy. Our kitten is very easy going so we have been lucky since caring for a cat that has issues like this needs to be poked and prodded.
Best of luck
Re: no support for incontinent cat
Zoe and Licalme!Licalme, I suggest you try expressing; many, many tips are in the sticky post at the top of this bb. If his bladder seems too spastic, which Beth. increases, you can try phenoxybenzamine (PBZ). Zoe has given you some GREAT tips!!
Both of y'all are our kind of people, and we'd like it if you'd stick around.Re: no support for incontinent cat
Thank you both for your words of support. Zoe, you are so well adjusted for dealing with your kitty for just a month! I've had Faolan since July and I'm still a wreck. I appreciate all the suggestions. I have tried many of them. Faolan is hard for me to express because he does have quite a bit of function. He was in the litter box a few days ago and I could actually hear the force of the stream.
How do you all deal with other people and the looks they give when you talk about your special needs animals? This is becoming the most difficult thing for me. I know they think I'm crazy and ask why I dont put him down or take him to a shelter. I can't explain in a way that makes people understand that there's nothing wrong with him (or me) and that he isn't suffering. They keep talking about the smell in the house (which I'm constantly worrying about, I don't want a house that smells like cat) how much work it is, how expensive it is and how THEY would never do it. I'm sure there are many conversations about how I"m the crazy cat lady and when people ask me about it, you can see the pity they have for me. My brother is moving out in the spring because of Faolan and I'm anticipating how my parents are going to react. I feel like I'm choosing a cat over my brother.
I know, I know. This is my choice and people should accept my decision but no close support of people who understand is making this difficult.
any support you can offer is much appreciated. Thanks for reading my rambling. It sounds like you all understand.
How do you all deal with other people and the looks they give when you talk about your special needs animals? This is becoming the most difficult thing for me. I know they think I'm crazy and ask why I dont put him down or take him to a shelter. I can't explain in a way that makes people understand that there's nothing wrong with him (or me) and that he isn't suffering. They keep talking about the smell in the house (which I'm constantly worrying about, I don't want a house that smells like cat) how much work it is, how expensive it is and how THEY would never do it. I'm sure there are many conversations about how I"m the crazy cat lady and when people ask me about it, you can see the pity they have for me. My brother is moving out in the spring because of Faolan and I'm anticipating how my parents are going to react. I feel like I'm choosing a cat over my brother.
I know, I know. This is my choice and people should accept my decision but no close support of people who understand is making this difficult.
any support you can offer is much appreciated. Thanks for reading my rambling. It sounds like you all understand.
Re: no support for incontinent cat
My mom is my biggest critic (very controlling kind), but even she's finally learned to keep it to herself, for the most part. She's snarkier than a middle school girl.
Re: no support for incontinent cat
LOL. what animals do you have?
Re: no support for incontinent cat
Cats at the moment.
Re: no support for incontinent cat
Licalyme,
I find that most people look at me weird when I talk about our kitten especially when it has to do with poop and pee. But my saving grace is the people I work with. Since I work in a toxicology lab at a crime lab and medical examiners office we see it all so when I bring up cat incontinence no one even blinks an eye. My parents on the other hand I just will say our cat is doing good or bad and end at that and not add any details. I worry about the smell too and the cleanliness of the house. What I have done is I have her bed, covered in pee pads, in the bathroom with her litterbox (its the only small room my husband and I could agree upon) if you don't have a small room you could use a dog crate. We put her in there at night and during the day (while we are at work) If I worry about an accident while she is out and about I have figured out since she had some issues with diapers. I have a harness which I attach mitten clips to which I then attach a panty liner to. This prevents leaks from getting on our floor or furniture.
I also started associating eating with using the litter box. I did this by feeding her near the litter box then when she was done eating i put her in the litter box. she started getting interested in going in the litter box after. Another way to attract the cat to the litter box was to clean it. Now she almost always eats the uses the litter box. Since she tends to have issues with BM's and needs to be wiped after I know when she will go and it prevents her from getting poo all over.
My last little bit of advice is to what people tell you about your cat. If you believe your cat is happy and your vet confirms that your cat is healthy then that is all that matters. Its your money, its your choice, you are a good person for what you do. As long as your health is not in jeopardy for taking care of this cat then continue with your efforts.
Best of Luck
I find that most people look at me weird when I talk about our kitten especially when it has to do with poop and pee. But my saving grace is the people I work with. Since I work in a toxicology lab at a crime lab and medical examiners office we see it all so when I bring up cat incontinence no one even blinks an eye. My parents on the other hand I just will say our cat is doing good or bad and end at that and not add any details. I worry about the smell too and the cleanliness of the house. What I have done is I have her bed, covered in pee pads, in the bathroom with her litterbox (its the only small room my husband and I could agree upon) if you don't have a small room you could use a dog crate. We put her in there at night and during the day (while we are at work) If I worry about an accident while she is out and about I have figured out since she had some issues with diapers. I have a harness which I attach mitten clips to which I then attach a panty liner to. This prevents leaks from getting on our floor or furniture.
I also started associating eating with using the litter box. I did this by feeding her near the litter box then when she was done eating i put her in the litter box. she started getting interested in going in the litter box after. Another way to attract the cat to the litter box was to clean it. Now she almost always eats the uses the litter box. Since she tends to have issues with BM's and needs to be wiped after I know when she will go and it prevents her from getting poo all over.
My last little bit of advice is to what people tell you about your cat. If you believe your cat is happy and your vet confirms that your cat is healthy then that is all that matters. Its your money, its your choice, you are a good person for what you do. As long as your health is not in jeopardy for taking care of this cat then continue with your efforts.
Best of Luck
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cricketsmom
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:04 pm
- Location: Nebraska
Re: no support for incontinent cat
Licalyme,
I am also a "parent" of an incontinent kitty. I got her six months ago as a kitten from the vet clinic where I work. She'd had an injury in the area where the tailbone starts, right over the pelvis. So poop just kind of fell out whenever and she couldn't pee on her own. Her owner abandoned her, and no one else wanted her, so I took her home.
Where I work, the vets work on more cattle than small animals, so the concept of caring for a handicapped animal is a bit silly to them. Also, my parents are practical people. I grew up on a farm, and although my dad is a big softie and all the barn cats love him, they don't believe in spending much money on the pets.
My handicapped pet doesn't really "fit" in most of my social circle either. I know it can make you feel small to hear people say you're crazy and to see the disbelieving looks when they learn that you help the pet go to the bathroom every day and that they wear diapers or whatever. I'm with you there. My best advise is to do your best to keep your pet clean and presentable to outside people, and for people that ask questions, give brief polite answers without unnecessary detail. It won't make them understand, but at least you can preserve your own self-respect in those situations. Hope that helps!
I am also a "parent" of an incontinent kitty. I got her six months ago as a kitten from the vet clinic where I work. She'd had an injury in the area where the tailbone starts, right over the pelvis. So poop just kind of fell out whenever and she couldn't pee on her own. Her owner abandoned her, and no one else wanted her, so I took her home.
Where I work, the vets work on more cattle than small animals, so the concept of caring for a handicapped animal is a bit silly to them. Also, my parents are practical people. I grew up on a farm, and although my dad is a big softie and all the barn cats love him, they don't believe in spending much money on the pets.
My handicapped pet doesn't really "fit" in most of my social circle either. I know it can make you feel small to hear people say you're crazy and to see the disbelieving looks when they learn that you help the pet go to the bathroom every day and that they wear diapers or whatever. I'm with you there. My best advise is to do your best to keep your pet clean and presentable to outside people, and for people that ask questions, give brief polite answers without unnecessary detail. It won't make them understand, but at least you can preserve your own self-respect in those situations. Hope that helps!
vet tech and pet mom
Re: no support for incontinent cat
Licalyme,
It is your brother's choice to leave. You are not 'choosing'. He is not as compassionate as you, more the pity. Sounds like you keep things clean & smelling nice, and other family is remarking 'to bring you to your senses' about your guy. They just do not understand animals are not disposable if they take a little time & money and not 'perfect'. I bought that Tshirt years ago, & still wear it, PROUDLY. My family eventually got it a bit. I just told them if you ever problems, well, I'll be there for you, too. I am someone you can depend if the going is less than perfect. Your brother is evidently not to be counted on for support but you are. I think your sense of responsiability, compassion, & devotion to giving your kitty a quality of life, that he is pain-free & so happy to have one, are ADMIRABLE. You go, girl, you are no weirdo, but are one of the best! Just tell folks his disability is no big deal, & if someone wants to know more, well,honk your own horn. Anyone who goes out of their way for a stray like that is going to make some kind of a friend!!!
jane
It is your brother's choice to leave. You are not 'choosing'. He is not as compassionate as you, more the pity. Sounds like you keep things clean & smelling nice, and other family is remarking 'to bring you to your senses' about your guy. They just do not understand animals are not disposable if they take a little time & money and not 'perfect'. I bought that Tshirt years ago, & still wear it, PROUDLY. My family eventually got it a bit. I just told them if you ever problems, well, I'll be there for you, too. I am someone you can depend if the going is less than perfect. Your brother is evidently not to be counted on for support but you are. I think your sense of responsiability, compassion, & devotion to giving your kitty a quality of life, that he is pain-free & so happy to have one, are ADMIRABLE. You go, girl, you are no weirdo, but are one of the best! Just tell folks his disability is no big deal, & if someone wants to know more, well,honk your own horn. Anyone who goes out of their way for a stray like that is going to make some kind of a friend!!!
jane
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Bendy Kitty
- Founding Member
- Posts: 2674
- Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2001 7:00 pm
- Location: central NC
- Contact:
Re: no support for incontinent cat
a lot of people don't understand why we keep Mimosa, our very brain damaged girl. we express her, and she lives in a playpen most of the time. her life is limited, but overall content.
we use a variety of odor absorbing things around the house to help with the smell.
there are around 40 cats here, tho the number goes up and down depending on fosters and adoption rates. mom tells people that she has no tolerance for kids, but infinite toelrance for cats and she doesn't mind caring for them at all.
or if someoen says "oh, i couldn't do that" mom will say, "well, i couldn't take care of a bunch of kids especially (insert toddler, teen, infant or whatever teh other person seems to have).
when people ask how many cats she has she says things like "i refuse to coutn" or "10" and she DOES have 10 cats, she just doesn't ONLY have 10 cats!!!!!
she has also been known to say 'my cats are my life and i like it that way. they are nicer than people.'
I"m glad you found us!
bendy
we use a variety of odor absorbing things around the house to help with the smell.
there are around 40 cats here, tho the number goes up and down depending on fosters and adoption rates. mom tells people that she has no tolerance for kids, but infinite toelrance for cats and she doesn't mind caring for them at all.
or if someoen says "oh, i couldn't do that" mom will say, "well, i couldn't take care of a bunch of kids especially (insert toddler, teen, infant or whatever teh other person seems to have).
when people ask how many cats she has she says things like "i refuse to coutn" or "10" and she DOES have 10 cats, she just doesn't ONLY have 10 cats!!!!!
she has also been known to say 'my cats are my life and i like it that way. they are nicer than people.'
I"m glad you found us!
bendy
In loving memory of Bendy Cute Kitty 9/15/00-4/23/12
Meet the cats at Bendy's Home http://www.alittletlc.com"
Meet the cats at Bendy's Home http://www.alittletlc.com"
Re: no support for incontinent cat
Ooooo, GOOD answers!Bendy Kitty wrote:
or if someoen says "oh, i couldn't do that" mom will say, "well, i couldn't take care of a bunch of kids especially (insert toddler, teen, infant or whatever teh other person seems to have).
when people ask how many cats she has she says things like "i refuse to coutn" or "10" and she DOES have 10 cats, she just doesn't ONLY have 10 cats!!!!!
she has also been known to say 'my cats are my life and i like it that way. they are nicer than people.'
bendy