The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [50]
Size also matters to most cats. Put yourself in your cat’s paws for a moment. Would you rather walk on a fine-grained surface or a rocky road filled with large-size pellets? Your cat may be part of the feline majority and prefer the fine-grained clumping clay or could surprise you by liking the large pellet type.
In summary, put your cat’s needs and desires first. Test her preferences by buying small bags of a couple different types of litter. Put one in one litter box and the other in a second box and see which one your cat visits repeatedly. One sure sign that your cat does not like the choice of litter is if he eliminates right next to the box. He is showing you that he is trying to do the right thing, but he doesn’t want to come in contact with that type of litter.
The Case of Tom
WHEN PAT AND PETER BROUGHT TOM, their eight-month-old neutered male cat to my office, they informed me that he was acting lethargic, was not interested in food, and had started eating his litter.
On physical exam, Tom’s gums were white. A blood test revealed that Tom was dangerously anemic. Anemia can be categorized as “regenerative,” meaning that the bone marrow is trying to replenish the bloodstream with new red blood cells, or “nonregenerative,” meaning that the bone marrow is not replenishing red blood cells. I ordered several tests and, given the severity of his anemia, gave Tom a life-saving blood transfusion.
Over a few days, Tom’s blood tests revealed that he had a nonregenerative anemia. To figure out why, I obtained a sample of bone marrow and the analysis revealed a nearly total absence of the cells that normally give rise to red blood cells. The diagnosis: pure red cell aplasia (PRCA), a disorder seen occasionally in young cats ranging in age from eight months to three years. The cause is believed to be an immune system that has gone a little haywire and attacked the cat’s own bone marrow. Aggressive and prolonged treatment with drugs that suppress the immune system is necessary.
We administered the appropriate medications to Tom, and he responded beautifully. His red blood cell count rose steadily. In a few weeks, it was back to normal. We slowly began to taper the medication to the lowest dose that would control his anemia. Meanwhile, Pat and Peter switched from the usual clay litter to a wheat-based litter to dissuade the kitten from further attempts at eating the litter. It seemed to work. Tom showed no craving for the new litter, and he was active and playful.
But several weeks later, Tom suffered a relapse. His gums were pale and his red cell count had plummeted. His owners mentioned that they found Tom licking the silverware, something he had never done before. Fortunately, Tom responded dramatically to an increased dosage of his medications. Interestingly, as soon as Tom’s anemia was resolved, the silverware licking ceased.
Pica, the voluntary ingestion of nonedible materials, accounts for approximately 2.5 percent of abnormal behaviors in the domestic cat. Although the cause is unknown, mineral deficiencies or psychological disturbances are often blamed. Tom’s unusual ingestive behavior occurred when he was severely anemic. His odd behavior resolved when his anemia came under control. These clues told me that Tom’s craving for litter and silverware wasn’t simply a mental quirk but had a medical basis behind it.
Contributed by Arnold Plotnick, DVM
TOP REASONS THAT CATS SKIP THE LITTER BOX
(in no particular order)
Dirty litter box
Too few litter boxes for cats in home
Dislike the texture of the litter
New brand of litter used
Household renovations
Move to a new home
New cat, dog, or person added to the household
Change in owner’s schedule
Threats from outside cat
Medical condition such as urinary tract infection
Physical discomfort in entering and exiting litter box
Putting a Lid on It
Q We have two cats, ages four and five.