Today's Veterinary Practice

SEP-OCT 2015

Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.

Issue link: http://todaysveterinarypractice.epubxp.com/i/561362

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 47 of 83

TOday'S VeTerinary PracTice | September/October 2015 | tvpjournal.com PracTicaL TecHniQUeS FrOM THe naVc inSTiTUTe Peer reviewed 46 other words, the cat with constipation or diarrhea experienced discomfort in the litter box and is now defecating in another area. This inappropriate behavior may persist even though the constipation or diarrhea has resolved. as with medical etiologies for urinating outside of the litter box, the same holds true with defecating outside of the box: diagnose and treat any ongoing medical problems and proceed with general litter box recommendations (see Develop a Treatment Plan). OBTAIN A THOROUGH BEHAVIORAL HISTORY Litter Box Review To begin, collect general information regarding: • number and type of litter box[es] • Litter type • Location of litter boxes • How often the litter boxes are cleaned. if the behavior is new, ask the owner whether any changes related to litter boxes have taken place, such as switching box type, litter type, and/or location. Resource Allocation it is also helpful to view a foor plan of the house that shows the location of food, water, litter boxes, and soiled areas. • if the cat is eliminating outside of the box and the "accident" location is close to the box, this indicates that the cat can access the box but doesn't particularly like it. • Whereas, if the "accident" location is far from the box, the cat may have physical limitations that make it difficult to reach the box, or access to the box is being prevented by a dog, child, or another cat. Identifcation of the Culprit in a multicat household, it may be diffcult to identify the culprit, or there may be more than one. Have the owner confne the cat suspected of eliminating outside of the litter box to help begin the process of determining which cat is the culprit (or if both cats are the culprits). For example, there are 2 cats in the household— cat a and cat B—and one (or both) is urinating outside of the litter box. confning one of the cats can provide the following information: • if cat a is confined and the inappropriate urination continues, it tells you that cat B is urinating outside of the litter box. • if cat a also urinates outside of the litter box in the confined area, it tells you that both cats are urinating outside of the litter box, indicating that both cats have problems related to the litter box. • However, if cat a is confined but neither cat is urinating outside of its respective litter box, the results are less clear. By separating the 2 cats and providing each with its own litter box, they are able to eliminate without encountering each other. With a result such as this, the practitioner should further investigate the dynamics between the cats in the household. another option to help determine the actions of cats within the household is to set up a video camera—either where the litter boxes are located or in the area where the accidents are taking place. DETERMINE A DIAGNOSIS There are several differential diagnoses for the cat that is urinating and/or defecating outside of the litter box (Table). Substrate/Box Aversion With these aversions, the cat does not like the provided substrate or litter box. Behaviors that indicate an aversion include perching on the edge of the box, minimal digging/covering, shaking the paws, and/or a hurried exit. causes include: • Substrate change/type • Box type (typically seen with small boxes—either open or covered) • Poor hygiene (boxes not cleaned regularly) • History of a painful event associated with current litter and/or box. Substrate Preference When a cat has a substrate preference, it has found a more desirable substrate than the one provided in the litter box and/or prefers a specifc texture, such as carpet, wood foor, or linoleum; sometimes these preferences are the result of early learning. 2 While a multitude of substrates are available, studies show that cats prefer a fnely textured, unscented, clumping litter. 3 However, cats have individual preferences for texture, granularity, and coarseness, and the key to helping resolve inappropriate elimination is providing a substrate the cat "likes." encourage owners to be creative TAB le Differential Diagnoses for Feline inappropriate Urination • l itter box aversion • l ocation aversion • Separation anxiety 2 • Substrate aversion • Substrate preference For more information on urine marking/ spraying in cats, read the On Your Best Behavior article, Diagnosis & Management of Feline Urine Marking (March/ April 2012), available at tvpjournal.com .

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Today's Veterinary Practice - SEP-OCT 2015