1

Recently, my one year old female cat has become very lethargic and has been showing some odd behaviors out of the blue which she wouldn't show normally.

Since the past three days, she has started peeing in random places in the house, and recently even peed on the floor just outside her litter box, despite being completely toilet trained.

On top of this, my cat used to be very energetic, sprightly and active, meowing and hollering for attention, but since the week's start, she's stopped meowing and barely moves around the house.

She starts shivering whenever anyone tries to pick her up (which we could easily do before, albeit with some mews of annoyance) and eats very little of her food.

I've also noticed that she has started hiding under the bedsheets in my bedroom, and under the blankets in other bedrooms as well, which she would never do earlier. I've heard that this is a behavior that cats nearing the end of their life do, which confuses me as mine is only a year old.

She never leaves the house, and has been with my family for a year, without any problems. We've been trying for a vet appointment but it's taking some time. Is this just paranoia or could there be some larger issues with my cat?

keshlam
  • 12,215
  • 1
  • 28
  • 46
Bongo Man
  • 113
  • 3

1 Answers1

3

Short answer: Go to the vet. Try to get an appointment as soon as possible. This doesn't sound life threatening, but the longer the problem persists, the harder it will be to get her back to toilet trained.

Long answer: What you describe are possible symptoms of a number of different health problems. It's impossible for us over the internet to diagnose her, that can only be done by a vet.

The peeing in inappropriate places is a typical symptom of an urinary tract infection (UTI) or kidney stone(s). In that case, peeing hurts her, but she cannot tell you in words. So she tells you in actions that she has a problem peeing.

Everything else you describe - being lethargic, hiding, not wanting to be picked up - are all signs of her not feeling well and being in pain. That can be caused by the UTI, or something different. An infection makes us feel bad and achey as well, this is just her way of telling you that she doesn't feel well.

At the moment the best course of action I see is telling the vet about her symptoms and asking if they would prescribe some mild anti-inflammatory or pain medication until you have the appointment there. Do not give her any medication designed for humans! Give her room and time to rest. Don't pick her up or play with her when she doesn't want to. Maybe make sure her favorite places are accessible without having to jump (as that could possibly be painful right now).

If it is indeed an UTI, there are a lot of questions and answers already on this site you might find helpful. Try this search link.

Elmy
  • 34,474
  • 6
  • 55
  • 108