Running & Pooping (behavior/medical)

[CoachB]

Hello All,

I come to this forum in desperation. Last year (January) my cat Paisley had a UTI. After always using the litter box she started to pee on the carpet- I immediately took her to the vet and she was put on meds. Since then she has refused to poop in her litter box. She is back to urinating in the box (yay!) but will not poop in it- or anywhere near it. Like others who have posted here Paisley is pooping while running. She will start to sprint around the house and then she just continues the sprint as she poops. I have been to the vet 3 times, and spoken to two behavior specialists. She has been locked in the bathroom (with food, water, toys, litter box) to try to reintroduce her to the litter box. She has multiple litter boxes (and I have tried multiple types of litter). She was recently put on meds for inflammatory bowel disease. Even with hiding it in her food it was difficult to get her to take the medication (she refuses to eat wet food), she was also put on special food. She has had diarrhea on and off for the last few days and is currently back in the big bathroom (easier to clean/monitor).
I am running out of ideas/solutions/patience. It has been almost a year of cleaning up and/or finding cat poop on a daily basis. Putting her down is out of the question and beyond her pooping issues she is a beautiful, enjoyable cat- that I would prefer to not have to give up for adoption, I also can't continue to have my house destroyed. I think this is a medical issue, and have spoken to two vets. One suggested trying cortisone meds as a next step, but with the way these last meds have turned out (which were supposed to help within 6 days) I am hesitant. Any help/suggestion/re-assurance would be GREATLY appreciated. I don't want to have a sick cat anymore, and miss the days when the litter box was her friend!!!!!

[sugarcatmom]

Poor Paisley, and poor you for always having to clean up after her! Some questions:

How old is Paisley?

What does she eat now, and what was she eating before?

What medication is she taking now, and what was she given previously for her UTI?

[growler~GateKeeper]

Were there any blood tests done to determine if there are underlying medical issues? 4-5 is several years young for Hyper Thyroidism but when my senior cat was first diagnosed she was also pooping while running in the apt - something fairly easy to check for anyways.

How was the IBD diagnosed? Was there an ultrasound done or were they just looking at symptoms?

[CoachB]

No ultra sound was done- they went off symptoms I believe. She has had her stool tested (the last time she had diarrhea). The odd thing with this situation is that her pooping while running started up immediately after her UTI.

[CoachB]

Paisley is 4 or 5 years old.

To be honest I don't remember exactly what she is eating now. The vet special ordered it and I know it is manufactured protein (the thought being maybe she has an allergy). Before that she was eating Purina Indoor Adult cat food (which is what she was on for the year prior to the UTI) I have done food trials (a few weeks at a time with no luck). The last two days I have tried another healthy food option (when I get home I can check the name). I don't remember the UTI meds (it worked for her UTI)...the meds now have done NOTHING (but caused diarrhea). They vet mentioned trying to put her on cortisone.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by CoachB

The odd thing with this situation is that her pooping while running started up immediately after her UTI.

That's why I'm wondering what meds it was treated with. How was the UTI diagnosed? Was a culture and sensitivity done on a cystocentisis urine sample sent out to a lab? What was her stool like at that time when she was running and pooping?

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by CoachB

I have done food trials (a few weeks at a time with no luck).

Food trials with what kind of food?

Originally Posted by CoachB

.the meds now have done NOTHING (but caused diarrhea).

Can you find out what those are?

Originally Posted by CoachB

They vet mentioned trying to put her on cortisone.

Typical allopathic vet response when they don't know what else to do. Throw some antibiotics and/or steroids at the problem and hope something sticks. Doesn't address the source of the issue, just suppresses symptoms.

[Love4himies]

My Jasper used to do that too when he was on a kibble diet and now gets episodes every once in a while. The only thing that prevents his issues is NO kibble. He is now on a quality raw/canned diet and I rarely have the diarrhea/running out of the litter box, poop all over the floor and up the stairs. When he does get his rare episodes, I do give him some slippery elm bark in his food and it seem to help sooth the bowel.

A cat's digestive tract is NOT made to digest carbs as their small intestines are very short and carbs can be very irritating to the bowel. IMHO, most cat food manufacturers do not do what is best for you kitty, but what is best for their bottom line profits .

http://www.catinfo.org/

Personally, before I started pumping meds that can possibly cause organ damage into my cat, I would do a complete food change to something much healthier than what I was currently feeding.

[CoachB]

Pasiley was on Metronidazole (I think)...and it did NOTHING. She was also switched to Purina FE HA food- which caused the diarrhea. Once she started having diarrhea I put her in the bathroom (with food, water, toys, and litter)- she is peeing consistently in the litter box and pooping wherever. Yesterday she pooped on the floor, the day before on the bathroom counter, and before that in her bed.

Last January I believ a culture was done, and she was put on meds. She immediately started peeing in her litter box again. Pooping- has yet to make it there. When I moved in June she pooped in her litter box for 3 days (I was pscyhed)...and then has not since.

There was no ultrasound done to determine IBD- I believe they looked at symptoms. To my knowledge no blood samples have been taken either, they did do look at her stool under a microscope at one point.

Any other ideas? I would love to let her out of the bathroom soon- but would also really LOVE if she would poop in the litter box.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by CoachB

Pasiley was on Metronidazole (I think)...and it did NOTHING.

Okay, I'm just trying to figure out the timeline here. Paisely goes to the vet for what turns out to be a UTI in January. What meds did they give her then? Can you call and find out if you don't know? She didn't have a pooping problem until after those meds were prescribed, correct?

Then she starts pooping everywhere but the box. Is that when the vet prescribed Flagyl? Was there any diarrhea before that, or just in conjunction with the food change and Flagyl?

Originally Posted by CoachB

She was also switched to Purina FE HA food- which caused the diarrhea.

This food is so wrong for an obligate carnivore for so many reasons. Hardly any meat, tons of carbohydrates and fillers, preserved with a known carcinogen (BHA). Is she still eating it, and if not, what are you feeding her now?

Originally Posted by CoachB

Any other ideas?

Yes, but I need to know what Paisley is eating now and what other foods you've tried. This is most certainly a diet issue. The fact that she doesn't like wet food can and should be overcome, her life may depend on it. Not sure how you introduced wet food in the past, but there are ways to do it that I guarrantee will work with enough patience and persistence.