Reddit reviews Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter

I'm going through something similar with my 18-year-old cat this year so I understand. It's tough!

Blood panel and urinalysis are step #1. Inappropriate elimination is often caused by UTIs, which may be easily fixed with antibiotics. The tests could also reveal other things like kidney disease at her age. You should also have her blood pressure checked regularly if you're not already doing so. (On a personal note: if your vet didn't do that already then seriously get another vet. A urinalysis is the first thing vets do in cases like this.)

At her age, mobility limitations may make getting in and out of litter boxes difficult. Try boxes with lower sides, maybe <6.5". Plastic under-bed storage totes work well and you can use a garbage bag as a liner if desired. Keep litter boxes clean and have at least two, preferably in low traffic areas.

If a UTI is excluded and kidney infection is unlikely then you could try a trial of fluoxetine (Prozac) or pain med like buprenorphine for arthritis, etc.

Containment is key while you're figuring things out. Here's what I've done in case it gives you any ideas:

• A $10 baby gate keeps my cat in one area.
  
• In that area, I've covered the carpet with cheap shower curtain liners taped together. They're 2/$3 at my grocery store.
  
• I bought a dozen cheap white towels (~$30 on eBay or Amazon) and laid them on the curtain liners. They soak up the urine when he pees, then I wash them and deodorize the sheet underneath.
  
• I placed multiple, low-sided litter boxes in the area and stopped using hooded boxes.
  
• I've been trying new, softer litters. The next one on my list is Cat Attract, which seems to have positive reviews.
  
• I tried Feliway (no effect) and Rescue Remedy (moderate effect).
  
• I did a 10-day trial of buprenorphine. It had no effect but was good to rule out generalized pain from arthritis or another source.
  
• I gave a round of antibiotics which did stop the peeing in a day or two. The behavior ultimately came back so I'm going to try a longer course now.
  
• I started daily fluoxetine for good measure.
  
  If it's cognitive dysfunction (senility) there's not a ton you can do to fix the problem, just minimize the damage.
  
  Here's the thing: My cat's peeing is mostly an inconvenience to ME and I'm not going to put him down for that reason alone, as much as the situation sucks. When it's time to give up for his sake I will, but he's been a wonderful cat and I can put up with this problem if needed. I'm willing to try everything (provided it's noninvasive to him) to alleviate the problem. It sounds like that's your view as well and I commend you on searching for solutions.
  
  I wish you luck! It's hard but you might find that one little change (antibiotics, different litter, new box) fixes everything.

There's a fancy and little pricey litter, here, but I had success with this on a cat that had litter box issues. And when you're stuck cleaning stuff everywhere all the time you try everything and this worked. I do think though the earlier comments are correct you should still take your cat to the vet to be checked out to be safe and maybe find other solutions.

Bummer. Firstly, congrats on your new kitty bud! Have you taken him to the vet to make sure he doesn't have any health problems?

Secondly, it's definitely not too late to change his behavior, but you'll want to nip this in the bud. I assume you've washed your bedding - does it still smell like pee at all? It's very important that all of the smell is gone so that your cat doesn't smell his old pee and think, "this is the place to go!" I've had problems with my littlest cat peeing inappropriately and we had good luck removing all traces of urine by combining an enzymatic based cleaner with a peroxide based cleaner and soaking the items over night.

As far as getting him to use the litter box, you may want to purchase some cat attract litter. It's expensive though, so I've typically mixed it half and half with my regular litter.

This is the part you're probably not going to like. Have you considered putting an open topped litter box (with cat attract litter) in your bedroom? It probably wouldn't have to be a permanent addition - normally, once a cat has gotten comfortable using a particular box you can move it a few feet every few days until it's where you want it.

Something else to consider is that cats don't usually pee/poop where they eat, sleep, or hunt. You could try giving him treats on your bed, or bringing him to bed with you at night, or using a laser pointer to play with him on the bed.

Hope this helps! This can be a very frustrating situation but try to have patience!

While a visit to the vet should most definitely be priority #1, I cannot recommend this product highly enough:

http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Attract-Problem-Training/dp/B0009X49IC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449858212&sr=8-1&keywords=cat+attract+liter

I had a cat that suddenly started going outside the litter box. We tried everything - new boxes, twice-daily cleaning, you name it. We took her into the vet for the "last time" because I had a baby that was just starting to be mobile. The vet recommended this litter to us.

IT QUITE LITERALLY SAVED MY CAT'S LIFE.

It's a bit more expensive than regular litter, but it's not terrible and readily available on Amazon. Check out the page - lots and lots of fantastic reviews for this litter. Please give it a try!

Cat Attract Litter is the only litter my cat will pee on. Otherwise the floor is more attractive.

She took to it without much coaxing, but I did give her a treat after each litter box use as a reward. She was about 5 years old at the time, and 3 years later hasn't relapsed.

I recently had this problem with a new kitten we brought home (she even peed down our floor air vent.)

How many litter boxes do you have? I read that some cats want more than one box for various reasons such as disliking doing both numbers in the same box or just preferring options. And they are more likely to remember to use them. (I have two boxes and two cats. I read I should have 3 boxes for 2 cats, but my cats seem satisfied now and I have no place else to put a 3rd box)

Also, you can try Cat Attract litter....I bought some and my kitten hasn't peed out of the box since I got it.
https://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Attract-Problem-Training/dp/B0009X49IC

I also second the vet recommendation too, just in case.

Maybe for the water try setting a faucet to a drip or light stream and see if she will drink that. Most cats love drinking out of the faucet, so maybe she will too.

One time when my cat was sick she wouldn't drink at all, and she hates wet food so we had a tough time. But we threw some of her treats that she really liked in a bowl of water and it sort of forced her to get some water in the process.

Also, I don't know how well it works, but there's stuff you can put in the litter box that is supposed to help cats use it. Something like this. Or maybe even just a different kind of litter might help. Oh, or maybe special bad-cat litter.

Have you tried several litters? This one might help. It has good reviews on amazon for troublesome kitties.

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https://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Attract-Problem-Training/dp/B0009X49IC

I had an issue with my kitten for the few weeks I brought her home. What I did was buy some of this 'cat attract' litter and bought a few disposable litter pans. I then put the pans near where she tended to go to the bathroom and after a few weeks of no accidents I removed the temporary litter pans. She's now two years old and has not once gone outside the regular litter pans.

I don't think attention is the problem, the little guy is just a few weeks old and doesn't know any better. :)

I have not used that product, but I have used Cat Attract litter and it worked well. When we first took in our younger cat, she was a stray kitten with a bladder infection and was peeing everywhere. We used this litter to train her to the box and it was very helpful.

Kitten attractant is something already in litter made specifically for kittens. Dr Elsey's is the one everyone swears by (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0009X49IC/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468566476&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=kitten+attract+litter&dpPl=1&dpID=41BSeOetVsL&ref=plSrch). Also, pool noodles are an excellent idea. My kitten used to love to go behind the fridge until I wedged some between the tight spot she squeezed through and the fridge. Good luck.

Have you tried cat attract litter?

I had a similar problem and went for one of the litters meant to attract the cats (specifically "Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Cat Attract Scoopable Cat Litter" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009X49IC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fRv-BbKVS9TF1) and it fixed all the problems instantly.

It's called Cat Attract, petco should have it. You might need to confine him to a bathroom with his litterbox so he gets back in the habbit.


Got prime. It's on sale:
http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Attract-Problem-Training/dp/B0009X49IC

I suggest this. I have a kitten who would go everywhere but the box. I almost had to return her to the shelter i got her from when they recommended this and it works.