Need help for 2 problems

I just found this board and I really hope I may find some hlep. My first problem is with 2 of my 3 kitties. "Spot & Wolfgang" have a bad habit of squating down to do their business and after they start to go they straighten up and end up shooting pee about 2 feet out of the litter box. I have taken both of them to the vet to make sure they do not have crystals and the vet has aasured me they are both healthy. It reminds me of watching the nature shows where the lion is spraying the tree stump behinde him and he is waving is hind end from side to side. That is exactly what my two are doing.

My second problem is with my girlfriend who has the worst Cat allergies I have ever seen. She can not be around my house for no more then 10minutes before she starts to sneeze and her eyes start to water. She is getting allergy shots and I do keep my house clean, but I was hoping someone had any other ideas of what I can do to help. I found a product called allerpet on the net I may give a shot. Any suggestions would be great. Thank you all.

Brian

 

Hi Brian and welcome to the forums. Have you tried using a different type of litter box - one with high sides or a covered one? My mom's cat used to pee outside the box so she bought one of those good-sized Rubbermaid bins and cut a bit out of one side (covered with the duct tape to smooth out the rough edges) so the cat could get in.

Sorry about your girlfriend's allergies. I don't have any suggestions there for you though. I find that over time the allergies just get better as you get used to the environment, and when they flare up I take pills. But you probably don't want to tell your girlfriend to just get used to it... :lol:
Hopefully someone will be more helpful on that subject.

 

on the boys overshooting the litterbox I know many people whose boys do this and it's just how they pee. There are things you can do. Get a storage box (Rubbermaid type thingie that is used to store blankets and stuff) and deep one - or even a mortar/cement mixing pan (Home Depot) something deep. You can cut one side down making it easier for the cat(s) to get in/out of the box. But keep the other 3 sides intact so they are higher. Or put a piece of plexiglass (or similar material) on the wall that they are squirting. The wall would be easier to keep clean. I know someone that has this one his wall plus under the box.

On the allergies....Allerpet is a good product (remember it's the dander your GF is allergic to not the cat). But you can also just wipe the cats down, daily, with a dampened washcloth and save your money. Just cleaning the dander off should help alleviate her reaction to the cats' dander

 

My dad has severe cat allergies and i was terrified when i had to stay with him for a couple months with my Vianne that he would freak out cuz of her. However, since i brought her home at 3 months old i have had her on a regular bathing schedule. I bathe all of my animals and she was no exception just cuz she's a cat. She also has short hair, which helps, but i believe the regular grooming is really what kept me out of trouble. So my dad never had any issues with her while i was there. I think outside cats who are never bathed with water can pick up all sorts of nasties outside that can trigger allergies too. While i was living with my dad, his neighbors cat was outside and came up and rubbed on his pant leg and within an hour his eyes were swollen shut. Everyone is different and each cat is different, but regular grooming can help loads. Of course if you've never bathed your cats, and they are older...this could be dangerous...for you, lol. But perhaps a deoderizing wet wipe would help. They make em specially for pets. Also a good brushing fairly often if they have longer hair. I don't know about the Allerpet, so i can't say. For litter box problems, somebody posted a great link under "any tips on reminding to use litter box ALL the time?" Hope that helped. good luck!

 

Actually, if your cat keeps itself well-groomed it does not need to be bathed on a regular basis, if ever. Bathing strips away essential oils in their coat. If you must bathe your cat, it is recommended that you do it in distilled water, as tap water leaves a residue on the cat's fur.

This article may have some useful tips for your girlfriend's allergies:
http://www.messybeast.com/allergy.htm

Here's on article on bathing: http://www.thedailycat.com/bringing/grooming/archive/bath/

 

it's the cat washing themselves that actually causes the allergies. There is a protein in the cat's saliva that dries on their fur and then becomes airborne. If you wipe down the cat with a damp washcloth daily then the dander is kept down to a minimum. But I agree with the bathing thing - cats are capable of keeping themselves clean.

I've washed 2 cats in my life - Zeus once (of course Zeus...who else) when he poohed in the cat carrier and rolled in it :roll: ; and Missy once cause she has sneezing fits in the spring when she gets pollen on her fur.

 

By regularly i mean every 6 weeks or so, not so often as to irritate her skin. And i don't see how this would be any more detrimental to a cat than regularly bathing a dog, which is also part of good hygiene. I bathe my cat for several reasons. To keep things like allergy triggering cat dander under control, (my husband is mildly allergic) to keep her coat clean and get out loose hairs to prevent her ingesting so many of them, she steps into a litter box with urine and feces and then walks around on places where she sleeps and rubs on me so i think its good upkeep for that reason also and it keeps her smelling nice, and it gives me an opportunity to very thoroughly check her over head to toe for any possible problems. and it keeps her used to being handled intimately in such a way that i feel keeps her calmer and more trusting at the vet's office when she needs looking at and excessive handling. She is an indoor cat, so she isn't getting into mud, but she does get exposed to the dog hair in the carpet and he goes outside all the time, often chasing bad guys through the woods and all kinds of crazy places where he can pick up stuff. (he's a work dog) So for me and my cat, this works. I introduced her to water when she was a young kitten, so she is not terrified of the water and doesn't get all stressed out at bathtime. She is probably the most tolerant cat i have ever known. I'm aware that wouldn't work for everyone, but for me, it does.

 

thank you all

I want to thank you all for the fast response on my post. I will definitely try the litter box idea. Plus I am going to give the allerpet a good shot and see what happens. Thanks again.

 

Lynnhaz has great tips on keeping her house allergy free especially when guests go over. I use a Walmart clear plastic box with plexiglass on 2 sides cause my boys love to shoot too. LOL's. I will get the old threads. :mrgreen: Can your girlfriend take a little Benadryl when she visits for a temporary solution? Lynn's thread is a permanent fix though. I'll be back. 8)

 

http://www.auspet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5125

http://www.auspet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=57093&highlight=#57093

 

I also have cat allergies and now am owned by two cats and two dogs. You may want to try Claritin with Sudafed added, which is called Claritin D. This will clear up most sniffles and it doesn't cause the sleepiness that Benedryl does. However, Benedryl is very good for hives. Just don't take both!.

I take Fluonase (a prescription nasal spray) every day and that helps quite a bit. I used to break out in hives around cats and then develop swollen eyes and runny nose. In some cases, my throat would close up and I couldn't breathe! But my allergies changed in middle age and with exposure to kitties.

I agree that bathing kitties every four to eight weeks will not hurt them and can be an enjoyable experience for all. If your cat resists, you can buy bathing aids at a pet store which will keep your kitty from "weed-wacking" your body during the bath. Just make sure that you are using a good shampoo that is intended for cats. A good rule is that if the product doesn't say that it explicitly for cats, don't use it on a cat. Some additives that are good for dogs will KILL a cat. And NEVER use people shampoo on an animal. The Ph of our skin is too different and shampoo intended for humans is not good for dogs and/or cats.

Good luck! Enjoy your kitties!