Small mystery solved...

[fjm]

Earlier this year I started putting down a tray indoors for Pippin - it was clear he was struggling to get outside in time, especially when the weather was bad. For months it would get used very occasionally for a poo, and everyone was happy. Then I found the whole tray was regularly soaked, even with a very absorbent clumping litter, and began to be concerned about his kidneys.

Yesterday I happened to be in the hall when Tilly, who spends much of the day outside regardless of the weather, came flying in through the cat flap, shot into the cloakroom, busied herself for a few minutes in the tray, and then with rather less rush took herself back outside. So now I know... I suppose the plus is that I can stop worrying about Pip's kidneys (Tilly has already been diagnosed with CKD), but we are going through a hell of a lot of cat litter!

[Mollycat]

Love it! My old girl always used her indoor tray and would come in to do so and go back out again, much to everyone's amusement!

Is it really that much wet stuff though?

[Ruth B]

Both my youngsters used to come in to use the tray for the first few years, now they are happy to go outside and the only one that uses the tray is Tiggy, and at her age i can't blame her, I personally wouldn't want to be heading out to a privy at the end of the yard when i needed to go.

I will never know what caused it, but my Mothers cat could fill a litter tray 3 times a day during the time i had her, which for a cat that wouldn't use one before was impressive. We had blood tests done a month of so before she was put to sleep as there was obviously something wrong, but we had no idea what, unfortunately the blood tests showed her organs were fine, including the kidneys, but her blood counts were all over the place. It wasn't the biggest of trays, I kept her to a shallow one as she had arthritis and was almost blind, but even so I wouldn't have expected her to fill it once a day, let alone 3 times.

In the end I guess I would much rather they came in and used the tray if they felt they wanted to, than be forced to go outside when they didn't feel safe or comfortable out there during what must feel a very vulnerable time.

[fjm]

Tilly is peeing a lot, but not as much as that, Ruth! It may be time for more tests, and considering whether more treatment is needed than just diet, but she is eating well, drinking lots, and very bright and bouncy though, so I am not going to get overly anxious - at 17.5 some health issues are to be expected.

[Ruth B]

When Stroppy had her bloods done, I really expected either her kidneys to be shot, or her glucose level to be sky high, so was surprised when the vet said both were good for her age (she was 17 as well) She did love the water fountain we had and what goes in does has to come out, so it might just have been that, but I'm convinced that something was wrong as she was eating like a horse but loosing weight as well (and yes thyroid was normal too). We'll never know, but we did the best we could for her and tried to find the cause, I just wan't going to put her through lots of invasive tests just to find it was something they couldn't treat any way.