Litter Box Problems With My Cat...

- Q – I have had Musette for five years, and during that time traveled considerably with my job. Musette and I moved to Virginia in June 2002.  I do not travel as much, but must go hom to check on my Mother periodically in North Carolina.  Now when I travel, even though she has a pet sitter, she has started pooping on the rug once a day instead of the litter box (still pees in the litter box). Since my last weekend trip, she has started pooping on the rug once a day even when I am home (usually at night when I am asleep). Her litter is cleaned every day; she gets...

How to Stop My Cat Chewing...

- Q – My husband and I adopted a cat from a local shelter 8 months ago. For 8 months we have been trying to curb his bad behavior of chewing on cardboard boxes. He has ruined many in our basement. We have no other room in the house for the litter box, other than the basement, so we cannot keep him out of there. What can we do to stop this behavior? We have tried all of the traditional means we can think of, and my husband is really losing patience with him! Danielle, - A -  You might try spraying the boxes with a hot pepper spray or a cheap cologne/perfume. It will...

Why Does My Cat Lick?...

- Q – I adopted a domestic shorthair kitten about a year ago that had been abandoned near my sister’s house. She’s now a healthy, happy adult neutered cat, with a bit of a weight problem. We recently changed her diet to Science Diet Feline Maintenance Light, and she’s slimming down nicely already. The problem that we’re having is that in the past two months, she has started licking things around the house. Her favorite targets seem to be a fossilized clamshell, a flowerpot coated with some sort of pebbly clay-like coating, and a ceramic tile....

Cat Wees in the House...

- Q – My cat pees everywhere and on everything! He’s been doing it years now. I thought he would break out of it eventually, but he continues to do it. He pees on my clothes, my school papers, and now he’s peed on my records and I’m fed up. I seriously thought about throwing him out and leaving him to fend for himself. I am at my wit’s end! I’ve tried physically reprimanding him, I’ve tried isolating him, I’ve tried everything! Now I am just trying to keep from seriously hurting him; what do I do? Karl, Toledo, OH - A –...

Coping With the Loss of a Cat...

- Q – Hi. Yesterday we got some bad news from our neighbor. He had found our sweet, eight month-old kitty (Raul)dead in his bushes. We think maybe Raul was hit by a car, crawled in front of his house to rest, and just didn’t get up. His twin sister (Lupe) is also our kitty, and she has been very upset since yesterday, and keeps looking for him. She may have found him in the bushes before we did because she was trying to tell us something. (She’s a talker…) Raul was a very special, loving kitty, and they had a very close relationship, so we were...

Feline immunodeficiency virus...

- Q – I currently have a cat with FIV who I am having put down tomorrow.  How long can do I have to wait & is there any pecautions that I should take when I get another cat? Christina, Essex  - A -  “Feline immunodeficiency virus is fairly unstable outside the cat and will not survive for more than a few hours in most environments. In addition, transmission of FIV occurs primarily through bites, so a waiting period between cats is not required to prevent FIV infection. However, FIV–positive cats are frequently infected with other infectious agents...