controlling odor

[Tina B and crew]

Ok...I need some major help here. As many of you know our cat Gizmo (almost 16 with CRF and hyperthyroid) resides with my parents next door because we just don't have room for him her considering the issues between him and Willow in the past. His litter box, as well as his bed and an automatic waterer are all in one of the spare bedrooms (litter box to one side, waterer/bed to the other). I was using just plain clay litter at the vets advice because he had taken to not using the litter box and after a full health check that found no health issues (aside from the existing CRF and thyroid issues) we decided it was behavioral. Switching helped for a while but the clay litter just does not control odor outside of changing it daily. Gizmo once again started "missing" the litter box with his BM's. He's fine with the peeing in the box though. I have recently switched to scoopable litter simply because I can scoop out the urine. He's shown some signs of using the box for his BM's better, but not totally all the time. I clean out the box completely every week, including washing it. We have a hepa air cleaner in the room as well. I just replaced the old litter box with a new one and I wipe down the floor (it's laminate...no carpet) with those litter box wipes at least 3 times a week. Now, I have a pretty sensitive nose and I notice NO odor whatsoever in the room with the box but my mother swears it just about knocks her down when she goes near the room.

So....let's say just for argument sake that my sense of smell has declined or I'm "use to" the cat smell....is there ANYTHING I can do outside what I'm doing to control the odor? I personally think part of it psychological for her. She had and issue with losing weight in the last few months and lost her appetite. Her gasteroenterologist told her it was likely the odor from the cat's litter box that was causing in loss of appetite. I personally think that is kaka but she now has it in her head that it is the cause and won't let it go. I've asked more than one person who has visited the house over there if they can smell the litter box odor and nobody can. I'm perplexed but I have to do something. Any suggestions?

[Traci]

You could be on to something, learned behavior and aversion and simply because her doc told her so.

That said, there are people with supersensitive senses though, and those can and do change with age or environment.

It could also be that she notices it particularly if Gizmo doesn't cover up in the box. Of course, that can linger until it's covered or discarded.

Maybe simply try adding a small amount of baking soda to the litter? Maybe a simple hanging air freshener (or stick on) nearby the room? (not IN the room, but maybe in a closet or somewhere nearby so she associates an air freshener instead of the litterbox)

Have you ruled out arthritis?

[Tina B and crew]

Have you ruled out arthritis?

My mom or Gizmo??


Vet told me that Gizmo had mild arthritis on his last visit but nothing severe. He still runs, jumps and plays. I have a very large litter box in there that has one side that is lower than the other side to make entery and exit easy. I'm calling tomorrow to make an appointment because he needs to be groomed and needs his biannual blood work done. Frodo did the same thing with the pooping outside the litter box at about the same age as Gizmo started. We explored EVERY possible health reason causing it but could find no reason other than behavioral.

Oh...Gizmo has never covered his doings....but I do scoop daily, sometimes more than once. We've tried the baking soda to no avail. I'm clueless...I really am....

[Traci]

My mom or Gizmo??

I knew that was coming!

It very well could be behavioral, and I would just try to watch his behavior, routine and see if you notice anything else unusual around the times he uses the box (I know, that's a feat in itself)

Does he have two boxes? Have you tried adding another one?

I think TidyCats has an odor-eliminating powder you can add to the litter, but this probably just adds more dust and makes the litterbox smell like flowers or whatever, could try it and see if there's any difference.

Otherwise, ask mom to rule out other things that occured around the time she lost her appetite, etc. This could be from any number of things, both psychological and physical.

Are you soley in charge of his litterbox cleaning, etc? Is she complaining and not scooping, herself?

[Tina B and crew]

Only one box...I've tried two to no avail.

I've tried the Tidy Cat odor eliminator too....

There are other things behind my mom's appetite loss because it didn't start when Gizmo moved in. In other words, she lived in the same house with him for a long time before she lost her appetite. I think the doctor spoke and she believed...period. She's of that generation you know. Doctors are gods and know no wrong...*sigh*

I'm solely in charge of the box. That was part of the agreement. Gizmo could live there but she wouldn't change the box. My dad can't scoop or he would, but he can't bend down because he loses his balance.

I am wondering if part of it may be Gizmo himself. He is a long hair and never was a good groomer. Being older we have to have him groomed increasingly more often because of his lack of cleaning his behind. I check him daily to make sure no poo is stuck there but I wonder if when he urinates it gets on his fur and he is carrying the odor to his bed and retaining it on himself? When he was sitting on my lap today I thought I got a slight whiff of urine odor....you think that is possible?

[Traci]

It's possible, especially in long-haired cats. I only have one cat who does this, though, and she's short-haired. Her problem though, is she's a princess and doesn't like the box when she's watched about 3 of the boys use it before she gets to it. Only happens occasionally, not all the time. I watched her after the first time she did it, and figured out why, it is simply because the boys are pigs. When she does use it though, she scratches all the way to china and back (covering, and I mean every minute trace).

If you can smell soiled fur, then yes, it's possible that something is stuck to his fur. Try pet-wipes for this purpose.

There's a million reasons why one could lose appetite, or slow down, this one just doesn't make alot of sense at this point. If she's saying it occurs all the time, daily, then something isn't quite right, particularly those times when you've just scooped or changed the litter etc.

On a side note, check Gizmo's breath, sometimes one can smell the breath before anything (diseased teeth etc that can mimic litterbox odor). Is he uremic? It's a long shot, but possible.

[Tina B and crew]

I guess with the CRF uremia is possible?? I haven't noticed an extremely offensive odor from his breath when I have him on my lap, but I'll check it just to be sure.

Like I said, he is due for his bi-annual blood work and check up so I'll have him in within the week. He had lost some weight last time I had him in and has not been able to gain it back in the last few months so I have been just a bit more concerned than usual. He eats like a horse though!