Cats are wonderful creatures and bring much joy to their owners – from small children to the elderly living on their own. They quickly become part of our family, in fact they think they own us! However, there are times when they have a problem that can’t be resolved immediately, when we, as responsible owners, need some advice.
Cat Problems Resolved contains a growing library of articles on various problems that I or others have had with our cats or kittens. Some of the more common problems are listed below.
Cat Psychology or Understanding Your Cat
It can be very hard for us humans to understand just what goes on in our cat’s mind. They seem to remain a mystery and this is exactly what the cat wants. Because they can be totally independent and even solitary, they are hard to ‘read’. Cat Psychology is like trying to understand the human mind without being able to ask questions.
Normally a cat hiss is a defensive reaction. You may have moved suddenly and your cat is frightened by this so it hisses. A loud or unexpected noise will often produce a hiss. Sometimes children may have played too roughly. You need to understand why cats hiss and what to do about it so everyone remains safe.
If Your Cat Is Not Eating or Drinking
There can be many reasons why your cat won’t eat or drink. The first thing I would check is to make sure she isn’t sick. If your cat has been vomiting or regurgitating its food, a trip to the vet is advised. If a medical reason has been ruled out, you need to investigate further to find out why your cat doesn’t want to eat or drink. Find out some of the common causes as to why your cat is not eating or drinking.
Older cats, just like us, can run into incontinence problems. If we are female and have had children, these problems can be embarrassing. It is harder for cats when they face incontinence problems. Because cats are such fastidious creatures, they are highly embarrassed. They feel they have ‘let the family down’ and will even withdraw from being around them. You need to find the reason your cat has incontinence so you can treat it properly.
Walking Dandruff is a very contagious skin condition and is passed from cat to cat. It can also spread to humans. The symptoms are severe itching and scaling or flaking of the skin. You might wonder if your cat has dandruff, hence the name walking dandruff and if you do see this, a trip to the vet is advisable.
Cat Urinating Problems – Does Your Cat Urinate in the Wrong Place?
Cat urine problems and sometimes constipation seems to be something that many cat owners face at one time or another. It could be that your cat is no longer using the litter box or, if your cat usually goes outside, it is now urinating inside for some reason. This can become quite unpleasant quickly if allowed to continue. Follow these easy tips to stop your cat urinating where it shouldn’t.
There seems to be an epidemic of cat ear mites at the moment judging on the number of questions I’m asked about them. You need to be able to recognize cat ear mites and how to go about treating them. Find out here.
Cat Urinating Problems – Is Your Cat Having Trouble Passing Urine?
There are a number of ailments that are shared by cats and humans and problems urinating is one of them. These are usually caused by urinary tract infections. If you have ever had a UTI you will know just how painful they can be. Left untreated, they can become serious for your cat. If your cat has problem urinating, read this article to find out what to do.
Remember, if you have specific questions or problems, leave a comment and I will answer them personally.
Tags: A Short Cat History, adopting a kitten, Avoiding That Cat Urine Smell, Behavioral Problems in Cats, Best Tips for Cat Grooming, Caring for Older Cats, Caring For Older Cats – Arthritis, Caring For Older Cats – Nutritional Cat Food, Caring For Older Cats – Teeth, cat abscess, cat adoption, cat aggression, cat behavior - why your cat yowls at night, cat behavior maternal aggression, cat behavior paternal aggression, cat behavior play aggression, Cat Behaviors or Just Who Owns Whom, cat bond, cat dying, Cat Ear Mites, cat eyes, cat fdeath, cat flea collars, cat fleas, cat food nutrition, cat grooming, cat hair loss, cat hissing, cat incontinence, Cat Indoor Vs Cat Outdoor, Cat Intestinal Parasites – Tapeworms And Stomach Worms, Cat Kidney Problems, cat leash, cat leashes, cat massage, cat mites, cat naps, Cat Neutering And Spaying, cat play aggression, Cat Psychology or Understanding Your Cat, cat registration, cat spraying, cat teeth, cat urine problems, Cat Urine Removers, Cat’s Skin Problems, cats, Cats and Their Sense of Smell, cats grooming, cats losing weight, Cats Make Wonderful Friends, Common and Not So Common Cat Diseases, Creating a Cat Friendly Home, Creating A Safe Environment For Your Cat, Cure Bad Cat Breath, digestive problems in cats, does your cat need a flea collar, Does Your Cat Need a Special Diet, Does Your Cat Scratch A Lot, Does Your Cat Scratch Your Furniture, Domestic Cats – Indoors or Outdoors, feline arthritis, feline diabetes, feline heartworm, Feline Panleukopenia or Distemper, Feline Worms -Ring Worm, feral cats, Giardia in Cats, grooming your cat, Handle Common Cat Behavior Issues, Helping Your Cat Move House, how cats bond with their owners, how cats use their tails to communicate, how to bath a cat, how to keep cats out of your garden, How To Keep Your Cat In Top Condition, How to Kitten – Proof Your House, How To Tell If You Have A Sick Cat, how to train your cat us use a cat leash, How to trim cat nails, Infectious Diseases in Cats, introducing cats, Is My Cat Pregnant, is your cat stressed, Is Your Cat Vomiting, keep your indoor cat happy, Kids and Responsibility, kitty litter, Learning About Your First Kitten, Litter Box Training For Kittens, Litter Box Training Problems, litter tray training for kittens, Maine Coon cats, maine coon kittens, natural flea collars, Older Cats and Dogs, overweight and obese cats, Preparing For Your New Kitten, Roundworm and Hookworm in Cats, sick cat, The Domestic Cat And Its Wild Cat Cousins, The Importance of Food To Your Cat, Tips For A Well Behaved Cat, tips for introducing a young cat to an old one, Toe Biting Cats, Top 10 Tips to Stop Your Kitten From Chewing on Electrical Cords, toxoplasmosis in cats, training kittens, training kittens to use litter box, Training Your Cat – Keeping Them Off Your Counter or Desk, Training Your Cat To Use The Litter Box, unexplained weight loss in cats, why cats hiss at people, why you should get your cat registered, your cat's amazing body, your cat's vet, Your Cat’s Natural Instincts And Behavior, Your Cat’s Play Aggression, your sick cat
Hi Kathy,
your page as a whole, pics and posts prove you are an cat expert!
Having our 17 year old ‘Lady Jane’ around has always been a pleasure, watching as well as listening.
Only recently she seems to feel old and lonely if nobody is in earshot and tapping through the house she begins to moan out heartbreakingly loud.
All the best for your project.
Mara
Very nice blog. I can tell, like me, you love cats. Thanks for visiting my .
My cat is pulling chunks of fur out but doesn’t appear to have any skin irritation,fleas or ticks I am puzzled to say the least,
do you have any suggestions?
Hi Lyn
Has something happened lately to upset her routine? It could possibly be attention seeking. If extra love and attention don’t work take her to the vet to be on the safe side.
Kathy
I have a very anxious cat who constantly meows at me, no kidding! He follows me everywhere I go and often, he’ll race me to the place he thinks I’m headed to. He truly is my shadow and no matter how much love he receives, it’s never enough. He likes everyone he sees and meows at them too. Sometimes long drawn out meows. It may sound “cute” but it is very annoying. I’ve grown up with cats my whole life and have NEVER encountered a cat like mine. So I guess my question is, what’s his problem? How do I get him to stop? Other bad behavior things he does, include scratching my couch and rug and jumping on my counters.
My cat wants to defecate in mostly one area inside the door going to the garage. He does not want to go outside; he has never been. I can leave the door wide open and he will never pass the door. One person told me to put him in the washroom for a couple of days away from everyone, but this has not worked. We have also placed a dish with food near the spot; this worked for a while but doesn’t anymore. There are no other cats and his litterbox is cleaned regularly. This is an on going problem. Save this cat from a trip to live in the barn. I can not take it!!!!!
Hi Tom,
Cats don’t like defecating where they eat and sleep. Try moving the bed as well as his food to the exact spot. If this doesn’t work, try spraying some citrus scent or crush up a leaf or two from a lemon tree on the spot. Other tips include getting some plastic carpet runners and turning them upside so the nobbly side is up – cats don’t like walking on this. The same goes for foil. They don’t like the feel or sound of it. Let me know how you go.
Kathy
Hi Melissa,
Have you tried picking him up and cuddling him? My cat nearly drove me crazy with her meowing. I got angry then one day decided to ignore the meow and just pick her up and cuddle her while talking gently. It worked! She still comes in and meows at me but a cuddle seems to be all she wants. It takes about 60 seconds. Apart from that, try playing with him. It sounds like he just wants attention. I hope this helps, please let me know.
Kathy
Hi Kathy
I can’t seem to find a contact link on your site. I do have a question for you though. Don’t worry it isn’t anything unpleasant but would be better if you responded via email.
Thank you
Guy
Sorry about that Guy. I’ll fix that but you can contact me at kathy.robkat@gmail.com
Have a stray cat. She drinks a lot of water and eats ok now (roast beef in gravy only). Sleeps all day & night. Expels a lot of water but very little poop. Is there a laxative for cats?
Hi Len,
There are a few really cheap laxatives around the home. Try milk first. I’ve had to stop giving my cats milk as it caused diarrhea. You can also try putting Vaseline or butter on the paws. The cat will lick it off and this should help. Is the roast beef and gravy a cat food or your leftovers. If leftovers, the gravy could be too salty. If you’re feeling really generous to a stray you can buy cat specific laxatives from your vet or pet store. Make sure there is plenty of water available as this will help also.
Hope this helps.
Kathy
HI-
I have a problem that I realize is TOTALLY my fault. My husband heard of a cat that the owners didn’t want and were going to “put down”. We brought her home (which was already occupied by a male cat,5 yrs old), and all cat fur broke loose. Cappy, my original cat HATES Izzie, our new cat. He stalks and attacks her. Neither have front claws so no physical damage occurs. Lately both cats have started urinating on our beds, the dog beds, cushions, just about anything.
Help!! We love both cats, what can we do?
Hi Wendy
I’ll write an article on this and put it up this week. In the meantime, make sure Cappy is getting lots of love and attention. He could be feeling that he is being ‘replaced’ by the new cat. Cappy is undoubtedly trying to make himself the Alpha cat. It is important that he doesn’t do this as Izzie will end up always be on the receiving end of everything. If possible, keep them separate until they get used to each other. Put Izzie into a different room for a while and only let her out when there are two of you there to ‘referee’. Feed them separately until they learn to live together. The urinating will pass. It is horrible while it’s happening though. Each cat is trying to ‘stake its territory’ by marking it. Read the articles on Spraying and Litter Box Problems for some ideas on how to stop them doing this. Let me know how it goes.
Kathy
not sure how old my cat is. She was a drop off I have had her for a little over a year. My problem is fleas. She has never been bath. I have given her pills and used different treatments from the Vet.& store. I have noticed she has what I would guess to be flea poop on her skin.Digs and licks all the time. Mostly in the house does run in and out all day long. Love her very much but not sure what to do I don’t think she would let me bath her. She doesn’t even like to be brushed. Can you help?
Sue this is a difficult one. How tame is she. Will she allow you to pick her up and stroke her? Once she trusts you, you may be able to brush her which will remove some fleas. Can you use a flea collar? I believe there are also some topical creams which are just applied to the head/neck area or powders which you can shake over her. If at all possible try to use a natural treatment as adding chemicals to her skin is not advisable. I wouldn’t suggest bathing her, she’ll lose trust in you.
It is very important to wash all bedding she uses and to thoroughly vacuum carpets and furniture if she is in the habit of jumping up on it. As she has access to the outside she could be picking up more fleas from neighborhood cats. I’ll write an article on this later in the week.
Kathy
Sue this is a difficult one. How tame is she. Will she allow you to pick her up and stroke her? Once she trusts you, you may be able to brush her which will remove some fleas. Can you use a flea collar? I believe there are also some topical creams which are just applied to the head/neck area or powders which you can shake over her. If at all possible try to use a natural treatment as adding chemicals to her skin is not advisable. I wouldn’t suggest bathing her, she’ll lose trust in you.
It is very important to wash all bedding she uses and to thoroughly vacuum carpets and furniture if she is in the habit of jumping up on it. As she has access to the outside she could be picking up more fleas from neighborhood cats. I’ll write an article on this later in the week.
Kathy
She is a very trusting loving cat. Loves to be held and stroked. On either my husband or my lap all the time. I did bath her, with
Sergeant’s Gold Flea &Tick Shampoo for cats and Kittens stated kills fleas&ticks flea eggs for 30 days. Last night after only a wk. I felt lumps on her skin and she has flea poop and fleas all over her. She is also wearing a collar. I plan on bathing her again in a little while. She is usually a loner so I think she is getting them from the field beside our home. This is a real problem sure which there was a easy solution.
I am not a cat person and I have a cat who is 10 yrs old it drives me nuts, I hate everything associated with it. The cat box the constant meowing, the cat hair on everything. I would love to give it to someone to love but no one wants her.
Any suggestions?
Casey if you really don’t want to have a cat, I suggest taking it to your nearest cat shelter or rescue place. Giving it to a friend doesn’t really work as the cat can escape and try to get back to you. Cat shelters are the most humane way of getting rid of a cat. If they can’t find a home for it they will euthanize it.
Hi Sue,
I’m glad she allows you to do these things. Talk to your vet. He may be able to suggest something stronger to get rid of the fleas. If she is getting re-infested, she is either picking them up from other cats or from bedding or similar in the house. Cat fleas can’t live for long away from their host but they also live on dogs, rabbits and rodents. You mention your cat getting them from the field. Is is possible to keep her inside for a couple of weeks? I don’t want to frighten you but the total flea life cycle can range from a couple weeks to several months, depending on environmental conditions. Have you washed the bedding/vacuumed the carpets and furniture?
Please keep in touch and let me know how it goes.
Kathy
The local shelters are full and I only want a non kill shelter I am willing to pay. The only reason I kept her is for that reason she use to belong to my son. Any other suggestions.
I’m not sure where you are Casey. Are there other shelters further away? Is your son able to have her? Can you try your local council to see if they have any suggestions? If you can give me more information I may have a better idea of how to help you.
Kathy
how to mating my male and female cat. they don’t like each other
I’m not sure if I understand your problem Amily. You want to mate your male and female cats? Are they siblings or from completely different litters. Cats may appear to fight and not get on, but this could easily change as soon as your female comes on heat. Females do make a lot of noise when they’re on heat and when the mating is actually taking place so don’t get upset by that.
Please let me know if you need more information.
Kathy
Does anyone know why a cat is so sensitive when touched where the tail meets its back? I have a female cat that is over ten years old and when I touch her in that area she lets me know she does not like it.
Hi Donna
One of my cats absolutely loves being scratched there. I guess it must vary for individual cats. Like having our feet rubbed I guess. I love it, others hate it.
Kathy
We have discovered the reason Sister Kitt has so many fleas that seem to be infesting her daily. She has discovered that the vacant home beside us with the field she is a great hunter of field mice. We watched her and after she sits for hours spying on movement she will capture her prey and after she plays with them she sits on them to make sure no one gets it. I take this to be a natural skill.LOL I still am fighting fleas we stripped her bedding vacuuming and throwing away the bags cleaned carpet and furniture. Bathing,brushing,collar,sprays,pills,pro-cision flo tubes, vet visit didn’t seem to be the answer. I’m hoping that when the weather gets down to freezing she won’t be out hunting anymore rodents and maybe our problem will be resolved.
Good luck Sue!
Hello, Kathy (and anyone else who may be able to help),
Ruby, one of our 15 month old orange tabby cats recently started chewing on the carpet outside our bedroom door. (We shut the bedroom door and do not let her sleep with us.) We have tried covering the area with a towel, which Ruby pawed out of the way so she could chew. Two kinds of bitter and citrus spray applied directly to the carpet have not stopped her from chewing. We even sprinkled the carpet with red pepper flakes which Ruby pawed out of the way before going at the carpet again. Any suggestions?
Hi Amy,
This is one of those strange behaviors that cats sometimes have. It’s more common than you might think. Does she only chew on that one spot? Cats that chew carpet seem to prefer doorways or near a wall. Often they will do this when they are relaxed or tired.
Have you always shut Ruby out at night? There are a couple of other tricks you can use to stop her. Instead of red pepper flakes which she can move, try sprinkling some pepper or cayenne pepper on the carpet. You could also tape some tin foil over the spot or put sticky paper (in Australia it’s called contact paper and is used for covering books etc) on the floor, sticky side up but taped down so she can’t just move it. There is also something called a scat mat which gives off a mild static electricity charge when it’s walked on (try your vet or pet store).
Is it possible that something was spilled on the carpet? Even if you can’t still smell it, Ruby probably can and she may be trying to get to that. A 50:50 solution of vinegar and warm water left to soak for a couple of hours should fix that.
If you have any offcuts from the carpet, try using it to make a scratching post (sturdy) and put some toys and catnip on it to encourage her to use this.
It’s important for you to stop this behavior as cats can’t digest the fibers. They could get caught up somewhere in the digestive system and require costly surgery to fix.
Please let me know how you go.
Kathy
Dear Kathy,
I was wondering if you had any tips on some trouble I’ve been having with my cat. He is 5 years old, and truly perfect in most ways. The only problem is travelling. I have moved twice since I got him, and he truly hates it! He hates being in his bag altogether and will meow very loud and claw at it the entire duration of the trip. I am afraid he hurts himself by tearing out his claws. I have already been asked to leave a train compatment because of this. Once, in an airplane it got so bad the crew asked me to lock him in the bathroom. Normally he is such a friendly, loving cat, but tavelling just freaks him out. I can’t avoid travelling at least once every twp years, so am dying to find a solution to make his (and therefor) my trips more bearable. If you have any suggestions they are more than welcome!
Thanks,
Anna
Hi Anna,
Unfortunately most cats hate moving to somewhere new. They don’t usually like being in cars or any other mode of transport. The only thing I can suggest is to get him used to his carrier by having toys and something with a familiar smell to it – a piece of your clothing or his blanket. A week or so before you have to travel, speak to your vet and see if you can get something to calm him and make him drowsy. Let the vet know about how long you will be traveling (in hours preferably). He should be able to give you either tablets or an injection. Depending on your vet and your relationship with him, he may have to give the injection or he may be happy to let you do this. Follow the instructions on how long before actually traveling to sedate your cat.
When we shifted nearly 16 years ago, the tablet didn’t work on my cat and he nearly wrecked all our belongings (and us) as he got out of his box. We were all a nervous mess when we arrived at our new home. I learned that cardboard boxes are useless for keeping cats in. I’ve since bought a cat carrier!
Hope this helps.
Kathy
our cat leaves tird balls around the house almost every day.They aren’t messy and easy to clean up but are annoying and nasty.We only feed him iams and he never goes outside.Please let us know what we can do about this.Thank you
Hi,
I suggest you keep an eye on your cat and each time he squats to eliminate, pick him up and put him in the litter tray. Use a lemon or lavender spray on the areas he has used to discourage him returning there. It might take some time but it sounds like he needs retraining. Have there been any major changes in your home lately? Is it possible for him to go outside to eliminate? He might be objecting to the brand of litter you are using or even the litter box itself. Experiment and see what works. It’s important to spray those areas to help mask the smell and to stop him coming back to them.
Kathy
you need to add a link to where ppl can ask you questoins
Hi Ashliee,
Scroll down to the bottom of each article and there is a comment box there.
Kathy
Hi
I have 2 year old female is attacking my 10 year old male. He is neutered and she has not been spayed yet. She was fine until recently and then all of a sudden she is so territorial that we are thinking about taking her to Peggy Adams no kill shelter. They use to play just fine together..a little kitty play fight is ok but she is super mean now. My older cat will walk completely around her and avoid her at all cost. I dont understand why she is so mean now. Please advise I dont want to get rid of her but my older cat cannot take the stress.
I have a male cat. He is around a year old, not for sure the exact age.I have never had problems with him but the past few days he has started urinating on clothes and bedding. There have been no changes around the house and I keep his litter box clean. He still uses the box but evidentally not all the time. If I get him neutered would this possibly help the problem, or is he to old to be neutered now?
Hi Alina,
The only thing I can think of is perhaps the female is on heat and doesn’t understand why the male is ignoring her. How long has this problem been going on for. Why not try some gentle retraining. If you are home during the day and see this behavior, take the female and shut her in a room such as the bathroom or laundry where she can’t do too much damage. Make sure there is water there. After 30 minutes let her out again and repeat each time she attacks the male. Increase the time spent in the bathroom so she will associate the bad behavior with being shut away. It is a lot like time out with naughty children when they are sent to their room.
I really think you will have to have her spayed as this will calm her down considerably.
Please let me know how this goes and I will do some more research for you.
Kathy
Hi Trish,
Your cat is spraying to mark his territory. There is an article on this at http://www.catproblemsresolved.....d-spaying/
I strongly suggest having him neutered as this should solve the problem. Age is not a problem with neutering him.
Kathy
my 2 year old has come into heat 3 times around my older cat and this is the first time that she has turned on him. the first 2 heats she was fine..making tons of noise but friendly towards him. but this time around she caanot look at him with attacking. i have put her in the room for 30 in and she comes out spitting mad . she has not out of heat for 8 days and my older cat walks completely around him with his head turned to see if shes coming for him..its like all of a sudden she hates him. my older cat concedes and lays down and she still attacks..the 2 year old is named kitten..and the older one is abraham lincoln..abe
Hi Alina,
Your kitten will come out mad as she’s been shut away. If possible, persevere with this as she should get used to it. Full marks to Abe for not retaliating. While Abe is conceding at the moment, he could turn and attack kitten and you don’t want that to happen. Unless you want to breed from kitten, I suggest having her spayed. It’s a fairly simple operation and vets usually don’t charge very much.
Keep me posted on how it goes.
Kathy
HI All you at lovers I hope you help, I have two 6 month old kittens both from the same litter and they have just started to venture outdoors. One kitten has just started hiding and cowering away from us. We flea treat them every 28days but the fur on the her back visibly twitches. any suggestions.
josie
Hi Josie,
Do you think this kitten is frightened of anything? Perhaps the other kitten is establishing itself as the alpha cat and doing the cat equlivent of bullying. Keep an eye on both kittens and watch their behaviour. Perhaps some extra attention and bonding with the timid one would help. Try playing games with her and talking gently to her while stroking. If she seems to excessively groom herself, see if she has mites.
Kathy
My cat has a large lump on his throat. It is warm to the touch and his whole neck is stiff. I live in the mountains far away from any vet and I am desperate. I shaved the area and I am doing warm compresses but he is lethargic and not breathing well.
PLEAS HELP.