Hi Beckie,
Welcome to the group! I can't advise you on the FeLV issues or the other problems Moe, but the mess in the kitchen I have a lot of experience with-if it's urine that you're talking about. Our Bandit was going in the heat vent, of all places, this winter. We tried everything. The first thing we did was take him to the vet. His urine was full of crystals-making it very difficult to go to the bathroom, and since it burned a lot, he often felt the need to pee even if it was only a little dribble. Once we got that cured (with prescription food), the problem didn't stop. He was attracted to the smell (or so we thought), and kept going in the same place. We tried all the spray odor eliminators; we tried putting the plastic carpet protector sheets down with the pokey side up (so he wouldn't go over there); we tried putting cayenne pepper over the plastic pokey stuff where he was going. All of this did not work at all. Not even a little. Our vet decided that it was not a physical health issue, but a mental health issue. Bandit was stressed out about something-having anxiety-and it would be very difficult to determine what that anxiety was from. It could be a cat outside; new neighbors; a new building in the neighborhood, etc. We tried the plug in Feliway stuff which is supposed to calm them down. Nope. No luck. So, we started him on Prozac (Fluoxetine). Half a pill a day at about $6.00 a month. His attitude and enthusiasm didn't change (still a great cat), but his peeing in the heat vent (or as close to it as he could get) stopped overnight! So, my advice: you can try using the odor eliminators that they sell in most big stores which is supposed to remove the enzymes that attract them to the same spot, but if that doesn't work-don't give up! It could be an anxiety issue-especially if you've been going to the vet a lot lately which is probably stressful for Moe. Prozac is a cheap remedy that I think many scoff at since "it's just a cat," but it really saved us all a lot of turmoil and stress! I hope everything else goes well for you! Melissa _____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Beckie McRae Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:22 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Hi everyone. New here. Need help with my kitty please. Hi everyone. My name is Beckie. I'm 25 and live in Iowa with my boyfriend and 3 cats (2 of whom are FLV positive). I'm hoping you guys can help me. I have a cat named Moe and he's about 3 and has FLV. About 3 weeks ago, I noticed some bumps around his neck and on his back, and he started to lose his hair. I took him to the vet, and she said it was an environmental allergy, gave him some meds and sent us home. Well the meds just made him worse, so the next week I took him back, and this time he had a severe infection in his eye and tapeworms. This time, different meds, and ointment for his eye. STILL not better. This time I took him in to the vet and told them I wasn't leaving until he was better. That was Wed. They gave him a shot for the tapeworms, Frontline for some fleas, his eye was better so more ointment, and Sat. he seemed fine. Now today when we woke up he had gone to the bathroom in the kitchen (which he did when he was originally really sick), and as soon as he sees either one of us, he runs and hides. He also has FLV. I'm worried sick, and don't know what to do. Anyone else here ever deal with something like this? Also, what's the best way to clean up the mess in the kitchen? I want to eliminate the odor so he won't go in there again! Thanks so much! Beckie
