The Serenity saga continues...(and it's her birth month!!)

So, if you've kept up with the Serenity saga (starting here and updated here and here) we've had to keep track of here urinating on the floor, AGAIN. For about two weeks she was doing it every day if not twice a day. I can't stand even smelling a litter box, so this was driving me insane. I kept trying to catch her in the act just to make sure she wasn't hanging her ass out of the litter box or to see if she was straining. The first would be a behavioral issue and the second would be a medical one. But, every time I would stick my head in the bathroom to see what she was doing she would run out of the room.

Cats are both the simplest and most difficult companion animals ever. Simplest because if you give them food, water, and a litter box they are good to go. Hell, if you go one step further and give them a box with some cat nip, they are in heaven and may only bug you for some lap time snuggles or warn you that their food is low. Most difficult because they will NOT tell you when something is wrong with the exception of their food bowl being low. The only outward signs they show are weight loss or those that can be explained away as behavioral issues.

So, I called the vet again. I told them the meds worked wonderfully and she only had a few accidents after the meds were done, yet she was now urinating outside the box again. We were given 5 days of medications that only had to be squirted on the gums, which is wonderful for a cat who clenches everything up when you've got her held down in a head lock. All throughout the medication she peed on the floor! I was beyond exasperated! You can't punish them. It either makes them associate with the litter box negatively or just pisses them off.

Finally, on the last day of the medications, I did another total clean of the bathroom. Sunday is usually my cleaning day, but I went all out on the bathroom. I even emptied the litter box and sanitized it even though it had not been that long ago since I had previously did it. Instead of cleaning the floors with the usual floor cleaner I got the strongest "clean" smell I could find...Pine Sol. I HAND MOPPED the floor TWICE. When I put her litter box back I turned it catty-cornered so that the entrance was facing the entrance of the bathroom. I thought maybe if it's set up so that its easier to get in she'll do better.

I also grabbed a bag of catnip while at the store. Georgie was always the one that loved catnip while Serenity just sniffed at it and stayed out of Georgie's way. But she ate it up....literally. It's funny how cats change when they are by themselves.

YA'LL! I don't know which step actually did it, but it worked!! We went from every day while on medication to no days while not on medication! I am over joyed! It's crazy how finicky cats are. But I love them.

This month also celebrates her 7th birthday! She is officially a "mature" cat. I can't remember exactly when we got Serenity and Georgie, but I know its when the nights started to get cold enough for me to wear a coat outside, so I just sum it up to be late October or early November.

I hope you all are having as good a week as we are here! Here are some pictures from last time I left you. Have a great week and blessed be!
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