# Has anyone used Zylkene for toileting problems with success?



## Parlourpuss (Jul 31, 2009)

I was wondering if anyone could PLEASE give me some feedback on Zylkene?
I have a 15 year old cat weeing on my kitchen floor tiles. She's been to. The vet had urine and bloods etc done all fine so behavioural .

I was wondering if anyone else had good results for this problem with Zylkene ?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Well you need to try and establish first what is causing her to suddenly start weeing on the floor. I am not denying it could be "behavioural" but only if it's an anxiety-related issue is Zylkene likely to be any help.

As cats get into their senior years they often get much more fussy about their litter trays. When they are younger cats are good at making do, and putting up with things being less than perfect for them. Or it may be that as they age they prefer things done in a different way.

You don't say how many trays you are providing for your cat but it needs to be at least 2 large trays. She may want to pee in one and poo in the other, so you need to give her that choice. (For my senior cat (RIP) I used to provide 3 large trays, spread around the house) Do not put the litter trays all in the same place, though a couple could be in the same room, if that is where the cat spends a lot of her time. Make sure at least one of the trays gives the cat maximum privacy when she uses it.

Also, use a litter that is soft on the paws and easy to dig a hole in. Oko Plus (cereal based) is a good one. It clumps well, and is flushable.

Whilst your cat may not have a urinary tract infection as such it is possible she has some discomfort when peeing, i.e. cystitis. This would cause her to pee away from the litter tray. So make sure she has plenty of fluid in her diet so her urine is not too concentrated. Do not feed her dry food only wet (canned) food, and add a little water to it.

As for anxiety-related issues, can you think of any recent changes in the household that might have upset your cat? Any new member of the household, either human or pet moved in, within the last 3 mths?

Or have there been any guests staying in the house? Or any work being done on the house causing upheaval?

Or have you been away on holiday and the cat has been left with a cat sitter, or put in a cattery, within the last few mths?

If the answer is "no" to all the above questions, then it seems fairly unlikely the weeing is caused by anxiety, in which case the Zylkene is not likely to help. But by all means give it a try, *after* you've put down enough litter trays in the right spots, added some nice cat litter, *and* increased her fluid intake.

Also, clean up the wee with an enzymatic cleaner such as UrineOff, or the smell will remain to the cat and she will keep going back to wee in the same places.

If the Zylkene is going to make a difference you will need to give it for about a month to see any real benefit.


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## Parlourpuss (Jul 31, 2009)

I have five litter trays in the house in different locations and the litter that I have always used since she was a kitten. Four water fountains and one still water bowl. No changes at all in the house. She has always been neurotic since a kitten and since she was eight years old stopped poohing in her litter tray and always does it on the floor in front of litter trays. I have tried different litters and she still does it. She is on sensitivity control royal canin as she has IBD and has had for years.

Cleaned the wee up with simple solution then biological soap powder then surgical spirit but she then moves to different areas around the perimeter of the kitchen. Also she always so far does it through the night and does not matter if the litter trays have all just been thoroughly cleaned. In the past few years she has sporadically weed door mats inside the house so had to remove the mats and also my jacket once but that was mainly due to other cats passing the window but lately has been happening every couple of weeks but now she has done it four times in a week once on the Monday then fr, sat, sun. Locked her in bathroom on her own last night and night before with water bowl and litter tray and she did not do it but she did pooh on the tiles but definitely weed in her tray


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## Supasilvfoxy (Apr 6, 2013)

A cat's toileting habits and behaviour can change when they get elderly and a 15year old cat is just that. 

It wouldn't do any harm to try the Zyklene, you may as well give it a try, you never know, she may well be stressed about something you don't know about. Also, she will sense if you are stressed about her soiling, so if you can get yourself a little more relaxed about it, she will probably benefit and not toilet so much where you don't want her to. 

If she is OK with sleeping in the bathroom, why not keep her in there at night at least, give her a couple of litter trays, her water and her comfy bed. If she does toilet on the bathroom floor it's easily cleaned so it's no big deal. 

Hope this helps and good luck!


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## Parlourpuss (Jul 31, 2009)

I am going to see if I can get an appointment with Vicky Halls to come to my house. I have three other cats and thankfully they have not tried to wee over her patches as yet as I have tried to thoroughly clean them up.. I have a 16.5 year old with HCM, CRF and pancreatitis I could understand if it was him. For the time I will keep her in the bathroom at night and hopefully she won't start doing it through out the day


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Now that you mention you have 3 other cats, this throws a completely different light on things. I had assumed she was an only cat, hence my questions about any change in the environment.

As one of 4 indoor cats, it is perfectly possible her toiletting issues are related to the dynamics of her relationship with the other cats. It is quite likely she has a territorial issue with one or more of the other cats.

5 large trays for 3 cats should in theory be enough trays, as long as the other cats always allow her to use 2 trays. However if she is low down in the pecking order they may only allow her access to one tray, and as I have said, I bet she is a cat who does not like peeing and pooing in the same tray.

You said you shut her in the bathroom overnight with "*a*" litter tray, and she peed in the tray and pooed on the floor! This is a classic example of what I am saying -- she does not like peeing and pooing in the same tray!
Evidently, from her p.o.v. 5 trays are not enough. She is no doubt a very fastidious cat, and in her mind it is cleaner to use the floor rather than pee in the same tray that she (or one of the other cats) has pooed in.

If you shut her in the bathroom with 2 large clean trays not one, I would be surprised if she would use the floor instead of the trays. Why not try it?

If you can get a home visit from Vicky Halls I think you'd find it very helpful. Being on the spot would enable to her see exactly what is going on between the cats, who is dominant etc. She will also go into detail with you about their diet etc. Many pet insurance policies cover a referral to a behavioural therapist.

EDIT : Zylkene is effective at improving a cat's self confidence, and as your cat's toiletting behaviour is possibly caused by a lack of self confidence in her relationship with your other cats, giving her Zylkene may well reduce her anxiety levels. However, be prepared for the fact that if her behaviour changes it may have repercussions on the dynamics of the group, or other individual cat(s) in the group. Not that this is a reason not to try the Zylkene.


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