Feline Inappropriate Elimination: Breaking the Cycle of Smell

Cats will return to and reuse areas where they have previously urinated. Because of this, cleaning up the areas and items where your cat has urinated or defecated is a crucial step to breaking the cycle, as well as preventing damage to the item. Because it is much easier to eliminate odors in recently-soiled areas, clean them as soon as possible. If you’re not sure of the extent of the soiled spot, a black light will easily illuminate urine and fecal matter on items. The black light will also help identify areas that you may not know were being soiled - check the walls and floor for several feet in every direction from the spot being soiled. It may help to use chalk to outline the urine spots for easy cleaning. Check the underside of chair and couch cushions and pillows to see if the urine has penetrated all the way through - if so, then your enzymatic cleaner will have to penetrate fully, too. Black lights work best in a darkened room. If you have the plug-in variety of black light, use an extension cord so that you have freedom to move around the room without having to constantly move the plug from outlet to outlet. Otherwise, there are a variety of hand-held, flashlight-type options.

Outlined spots for easy treating.

The rule of thumb when treating carpet or other absorbent surfaces for urine spots is to use twice as much cleaner as the size of the spot that you are treating. Urine will disperse down through the carpet and into the padding beneath, and may even absorb into the floorboards below that.

A cat's sense of smell is 200 times stronger than ours; therefore odors must be neutralized, not just deodorized. It is also best to avoid cleaning products containing ammonia or vinegar—they smell like urine and can be irritating. In order to neutralize the odor, use an enzyme-based cleaner such as Urine-Away, Nature’s Miracle, Simple Solution or Nok-Out. These cleaners break down the odor molecules rather than just covering up the smell. Sometimes, if the problem has been going on for a long period of time, it may be necessary to replace urine-saturated flooring.

•   Sheets of plastic, newspaper, sandpaper, double-sided tape, or a carpet runner with the nubs facing up may all discourage your cat from entering a soil-prone area.
•  Try changing the significance of a soiled area. Cats prefer to eat and eliminate in separate areas, so try placing food bowls and treats in previously soiled areas. Playing with your cat in that space and leaving toys there may also be helpful. 
• Spray the area with a pheromone spray or use a diffuser to provide pheromone all day long - the Feliway pheromone is a "happy" smell to a cat and signifies that the area is not for elimination. It also has a calming effect.
•  Try denying your cat access to a given area by closing doors, or by covering the area with furniture or plants. Baby gates will not keep most cats out of a room.
• Catch him in the act. A bell on a breakaway collar tells you his whereabouts. If you can catch him within the first seconds of his elimination routine, startle him with a water gun or shake a jar of pennies, so that he associates being startled with those actions. It is important that you startle rather than scare him; fear will only worsen the problem. Moreover, if you catch him after he's eliminated, your window of opportunity is gone—you must catch him just as he's about to eliminate. 

Never hit, kick, or scream at a cat. Not only does this create more anxiety, which may contribute to house soiling behavior, but also such tactics provide no link between the "crime" and the punishment. Some owners resort to rubbing their cat's face in their excrement to "teach the cat a lesson." This is ineffective, first because cats do not view their urine and feces as distasteful, and second, because even moments later, cats cannot make the connection between the mess on the bed and this kind of punishment.

More information about inappropriate elimination:
Lovin' the Litterbox: Husbandry Reasons Why Your Cat May Not Use the Litterbox
Kidneys and Crystals and Stones, Oh, My! Medical Reasons Why Your Cat May Not Use the Litterbox
Acting Out All Over the House: Behavioral Reasons Why Your Cat May Not Use the Litterbox

Mr. May’s Musings

Boomer

 (Interview transcribed by Boomer's personal assistant)

Age: Just turned 1 year old

Weight: Great body condition (although Dr. Bailey calls me “fat cat”) 10.4 lbs.

Gender: neutered male

Demeanor at the vet’s office: Curious, but well behaved.

Feline friends: As of last month, I have a new brother named Bandit – 8 months old

How I found my home:  My family likes to think they chose me…but I chose them.  I was born under the front porch of their home and lived there undetected for about a month.  When my sibling and I became a bit more adventurous, they saw us playing under the watchful eye of our mother on the sidewalk.  At that time, they did not know that they were “closet cat lovers” – so they just watched us through the front window as we played.  We were irresistible!  They watched until our mom got scared and moved us to a new section of the ‘hood.  I didn’t like it there and two weeks later, I found my way back HOME.  I stood on the back of a chair on the front porch and looked in the window until my human dad noticed me.  He called my human mom and the kids.  The rest as they say…is history!  

How I got my name: My human parents decided to let the kids name me. Before they discovered I was a male, they wanted to name me Kitty Perry.  One of the kids thought I should be named Professor Kitty Pants!  While everyone thought those were pretty funny names, thankfully, my human mom refused to introduce me to the vet that way!  After much deliberation, they all landed on the name Boomer – likely from the thunderstorms that made them decide to take me in. 

Favorite food:  I love to eat both wet and dry food…and treats whenever I can get them.  I especially love the dry food – but I’m currently working on portion control at the advice of my doctor and with the unsolicited help of my brother, Bandit.  He is a much faster eater than me.  When he is done with the food in his dish, he pushes me out of the way and dives into my bowl!  I try my best to scoop some food out onto the floor with my paw – but I’m not too successful! 

Standout moment of my first year:  The day after Christmas, I became very sick.  The initial diagnosis was scary for everyone…FIP*.  My family was really sad and brought me to see Dr. Bailey.  He came up with a treatment protocol that had me taking lots of medicine and everyone watched me carefully.  I’m happy to report that I’m 100% again!   After this ‘Cat’astrophe, Dr. Bailey thought I needed a friend and so my parents rescued the newest addition to our family, Bandit! 

My favorite sleeping spots:  I really don’t require a lot of sleep and am always ready for fun! I’ve carved a little spot for myself under a bed in my human brother’s room.  He’s away at medical school and will be married soon – so the spot is available!  It’s pretty nice because he put a warm fleece blanket under there and there is a dust ruffle that keeps me hidden.  My little brother seems to like this spot, too.  My other favorite spot is on my parent’s bed nestled right up against my mom.  She thinks I’m better than an electric blanket! 

My favorite things to do:  Before I had a little brother, my favorite thing to do was follow my humans around the house – especially when they would play hide and seek with me.  I also liked to relax on the top level of my kitty condo and look down at everyone else.  Sitting in a sunny spot near an open door or window is also a favorite way to pass the time.   Since my brother arrived, my new favorite thing to do is to chase him.  When I catch him, we either rough house or groom each other.  It depends on our mood!  No kitten…it’s all true!

* Note from Dr. Bailey: Boomer was initially seen at an Emergency Hospital in December for possible ingestion of a lily. His family did the right thing in rushing him to the ER immediately since lily poisoning is a true emergency. Fortunately, lily ingestion was not the source of his illness. 

It was suspected, due to the "anterior uveitis" (a painful inflammation of the front portion of the eye that makes the eye look red and cloudy) noted in his eyes (see photo below) and the fact that he had a fever, that he may have had FIP, or Toxoplasmosis, but thankfully, further testing and favorable response to treatment suggest that neither of these diseases were the cause. Unfortunately, about 6 out of every 10 cases of uveitis cannot be linked to a specific cause, despite extensive testing. Chronic, untreated uveitis is very painful to the cat and can lead to blindness.  

Fortunately, most cases of uveitis respond very quickly to prompt treatment, as was the case with Boomer. 

Boomer with anterior uveitis (red cloudy areas) in both eyes.

Heartworm disease headaches

Heartworm disease in cats is a difficult issue. Unlike heartworm disease in dogs, it is difficult to diagnose, and has no cure, but that is not where the differences end. Feline heartworm disease is quite different in many ways from canine heartworm disease.

1) Feline heartworm disease is not really a heart disease in cats. More often it is a lung disease - so much so that it has been given its own name: Feline Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease (HARD). The worms cause damage in the lungs, resulting in lifelong breathing issues that often mimic other diseases such as pneumonia, feline asthma, or chronic vomiting. In some cases, a cat will have no signs of  disease at all for the lifespan of the heartworm (about 2-3 years) and then, when the heartworms die inside the body, the cat will experience an anaphylactic reaction to the dead parasite (think of it like a bee sting reaction all over the inside of the body!) which will cause sudden death.

2) Testing for heartworm disease in cats is much more complex than in dogs. The test that is commonly used in dogs checks for the presence of a female worm in the body. Since dogs generally have 12-25 heartworms (or up to 300!) when they are infected, this test is very accurate. Because cats only have 1-2 worms when they are infected, the test is only about 50% accurate. Often, when a dog is infected, a single drop of blood will reveal hundreds of microscopic baby heartworms (microfilaria) - another good test. Heartworms do not reproduce in cats (mostly because there is usually only one worm) and so there will never be baby heartworms in the bloodstream. Generally, to confirm heartworm disease in a cat, 2-3 blood tests, an x-ray and possibly an ultrasound are needed to be certain. Because of this, at this time, it is not our recommendation to test cats annually before starting your monthly heartworm prevention treatments.

3) There is currently no recommended treatment for feline heartworm disease. In some cases, surgical removal of the worms is an option.

What about indoor cats? We recommend that even 100% indoor cats take a monthly heartworm preventive. About 1/3 of cats that develop heartworm disease are indoor-only cats. It only takes one bite from one mosquito to infect a cat, and the species of mosquito that has a taste for cats tends to be attracted to the doors and windows of houses. We have clients that sometimes see mosquitoes in their homes well into the winter months. We have also seen patients in our own hospital that were indoor only cats and suffered from heartworm disease. It may not happen often, but it does happen, and the only way to protect your cat with monthly heartworm medication. One veterinarian learned the hard way about the importance of heartworm prevention for indoor cats. We recommend that both indoor and outdoor cats receive monthly preventive April through December every year.

For more information about heartworm disease, visit the American Heartworm Society or KNOW Heartworms.

According to the CDC's Pets and Parasites risk maps, over 40% of the cases of canine heartworm disease seen in Michigan occur in Oakland and Wayne counties. Overall, Texas accounts for 20% of all US cases of canine heartworm disease, but county-by-county, the risk for dogs is remarkably similar to the risk for dogs in the Detroit area and surrounding suburbs, with risk running as high as 1 in 36 dogs being infected. Feline heartworm statistics are poorly reported, but generally tends to be about 10% of the numbers we see in dogs.

This year promises to be a very buggy year, due to the extremely mild winter we had. According to this report from Toledo, and the first ever heartworm forecast, the water sources are already teeming with mosquito larvae in record numbers, weeks ahead of schedule.If you have not considered using heartworm preventive medication in the past, we encourage you to make this the year to change your mind!

Meet Mr. April!

Hogan

Age:14 months

Weight: 6.8# in August 2001, so the little man is not quite so little anymore!

Gender: Neutered male

Demeanor at the vet's office: Very active and sweet!
My Name is Hogan, but you may call me Ho-ho.  At about 5 months of age, I came into a bereaved family of mom, dad, and two fur-brothers, aged 6-Mozie and 8-Angus.  They had just lost their beloved one-year old cat, Ru.  I was harboring a serious URI that turned into pneumonia, but it presented itself after my older brothers were exposed.  They were seriously ill in turn and in different ways, and Angus still has lingering effects.  Because of that, we haven’t completely bonded, but Angus does lick my head on occasion when I’m not trying to test my mettle against him.  As everyone recovered from the initial URI, mom and dad brought younger brother, Cooper – aged 4 months, into the fold.  Cooper was quarantined until we all were given a clean bill of health, but I would catch glimpses of him at the door when mom or dad spent time with him.  I lay outside his door … waiting.

When the door was opened, Cooper and I looked at each other, ran toward each other, and darted down the stairs together.  No adjustment time was needed. We were instant friends.  Cooper is my favorite “toy” and as he grows bigger, he certainly tests my playing skills.  I’m quite nimble and have very quick reflexes.

Mom appreciates my inquisitiveness, my “help/supervision,” and they way I make a high-pitched cry as I look in the mirror when I think I’m alone.

Dad uses a feather/stick toy to train me.  I’m a good jumper and I love the many cat trees throughout the house.  Dad makes films and takes pictures of us all while doing cute things.

Mom feeds me canned food (and I’m not picky).  I finish first and have to be watched or removed while my brothers finish their portions.  I seek Dad out for comfort.  I make my high-pitched cry and go “Jonesing” for Dad who holds me in his arms (even if he’s working) and lets me nap there.

With the colder weather, all six of us cram onto the bed – fur children above the covers.  The other boys have their preferences, but I lay anywhere against anyone.

During the day you will find me with Cooper – sleeping in the bed atop the armoire, in one of the cat trees, in the bay window, on a chair – or alone in Angus’s bed!  We sleep hard and play hard so you will also find us zipping through the house together as we love to attack our toys or chase each other and jump around.  Cooper’s head smells like my breath because we groom each other, too.

April will find me at 14 months of age and Cooper at 11 months.Mom and dad enjoy watching me grow. I’ve come a long way from the scrappy kitten whose paws reached out of the cage at my mom when she first saw me at the Humane Society.

Killer lilies are a no-no for kitties!

Image credit: Field of Lilies by Andrea Andrade

We’ve set our clocks forward and have seen crocuses poke their heads up from the frozen earth, and the first thing that many of us want to do is to celebrate spring with some lovely, fragrant lilies – especially the beautiful white trumpet-shaped Easter lilies that appear everywhere this time of year. Unfortunately, for those of us with cats, this is probably the worst way to usher in good weather.

Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum) are incredibly poisonous to cats. Well, all lilies, really - Tiger Lily ( Lilium henryi and lancifolium spp.), Day Lily (Hemerocallis spp.), Asiatic lily (Lilium asiatica), Stargazer lily (Lilium orientalis) and the rest of the Lilium family. (Not sure if you have a lily? Wikipedia has images of many of the lily species which will help with identification.) All parts of the lily plant are dangerous, including the flowers, stamens, stems, leaves and roots – even the pollen. If a cat gets pollen on its coat and then grooms, it could still cause fatal illness. Cats that get pollen on themselves should be thoroughly bathed as soon as possible.

Most of the time, we only know that a cat has eaten a lily because some part of the lily appears in a very inconveniently placed puddle of vomit. Many people may even initially write it off, thinking, “Oh well, Fluffy got into the spider plant again. Guess I’ll go get the carpet cleaner.” (Spider plants are non-toxic, by the way, so Fluffy can eat away at them all she likes!) However, when it comes to lilies, it is imperative that you seek emergency medical treatment for your cat as soon as possible to ensure proper and effective treatment. In approximately 2-4 days after ingestion of the plant, your cat may begin to show signs of kidney failure. If enough toxin is absorbed to cause acute kidney failure, then the likelihood that your cat will respond to treatment is poor.

A cat affected by lily intoxication will initially show signs of an upset stomach (gastritis): vomiting, a lack of interest in food and lethargy. These initial signs may appear within 2-12 hours of ingestion and may disappear after 12 hours. The cat may improve briefly or appear to act normal before the condition progresses to serious acute renal failure within 48 to 72 hours.

Once a cat’s kidneys have been damaged to the point of failure, they will show a variety of signs such as lethargy, vomiting, increased thirst, and urinating large quantities (in some cases, urine production may stop altogether - anuria). Affected cats are also likely to be dehydrated. If left untreated, death can occur in as little as 3 days.

Diagnosis and Treatment:
There is no “lily poisoning test”, diagnosis is usually made due to someone witnessing the cat eat the lily or vomit part of the plant. Blood tests that check the kidneys (BUN and creatinine levels) will help confirm ingestion, though severe increases are not likely to be seen immediately. If your cat’s kidney values are normal after eating part of a lily plant, this is GOOD! It means that treatment is more likely to be successful.

Within 6 hours of exposure, depending on how quickly the cat is brought to the veterinary hospital, doctors and staff may try to induce vomiting and/or give medications to prevent further absorption of the toxin. Even if blood values are normal and the cat vomits up the lily parts you will likely be advised to hospitalize your cat for monitoring and IV fluid administration for a minimum of 24 hours. If your cat is treated immediately after ingestion, prognosis is good.

Up to 48 hours post-exposure, immediate hospitalization and intensive IV fluid therapy will be recommended. The length of time that your cat will need to be hospitalized depends on how badly his kidneys have already been affected, and how he responds to treatment. Prognosis is guarded to poor – mild to moderate kidney damage may be permanent.

Two to four days post-exposure, depending on laboratory testing of the kidneys, humane euthanasia to end suffering may be the only option. Prognosis is very poor – severe, irreversible kidney damage may result in the inability to produce urine. Left untreated for longer than 18 hours, one can expect death in almost 100% of cases.

If you or anyone in your household suspects that your cat may have ingested any part of a lily, no matter how small, please seek immediate veterinary attention. Hesitation may mean the difference between life and death for your cat!

**Celebrate Pet Poison Prevention Week March 18-24 by sharing this article with at least one other person. You might save a life! **

Calla Lily

Peace Lily

Note: While Calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) and Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum spp.) are not true lilies, they are still toxic to a lesser degree and can cause oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing

Lily of the Valley

Peruvian Lily

Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) is also not a true lily, however, it is also toxic and can cause vomiting and cardiac problems such as irregular heart beat, low blood pressure, disorientation, coma, and seizures. Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria spp.) is another lily to be aware of. While many florists advertize it to be non-toxic, large amounts of this lily-lookalike can cause stomach irritation, vomiting and diarrhea. Peruvian lilies come in all colors and are also valued in floral arrangements due to their long life as a cut flower.

  For further information:

ASPCA Toxic Plant List
Pet Poison Help Line – learn the common signs of poisoning, 

make a pet poison first aid kit and more!
PSA website: No Lilies for Cats  - FAQ about lily poisoning
Why veterinarians hate Easter - a Veterinarian’s story
The dangers of lilies – a cat owner’s story 

Meet Miss March!

Ember 

Age: 10yr

Weight: good body condition. 10.70#

Gender: spayed female

Demeanor at the vet’s office: Nice girl, I mind my manners!

Feline friends: I prefer humans, and I am an only cat

How she found her home:  I found my home by being the smallest, loudest, most pathetic little kitty at the Oakland County Animal Care Center when my adopted Dad went to find a kitty to live with him.  I was in a cage all by myself because I was sick with an upper respiratory infection, thus the pathetic part.  But that infection didn't compromise my meowing and I let it be known, "Look at me!" thus the loudest part.  That was what convinced Dad to adopt me.  After adoption, I walked around the house for a week, making the loudest meows out of any kitty they have ever had.

How she got her name: I was part of the family for a little while before I got my name.  Dad had recently retired from a local Fire Department, and they liked the name as it related to something from that job.

Her greatest adventure: When I was first adopted, I had two older brother kitties who mentored me and I stayed indoors.  After my first year at home, I became an inside/outside kitty.  Now whatever I want to do, I get to do it.  My first adventure outdoors was on the Fourth of July, when Mom and Dad both thought the other one had put me back inside the house before they went to a beach party.  When they realized I was still outside, Mom came back to the house to walk down the street looking for me and calling for me.  This was interesting for Mom, as she got to meet and talk to some neighbors she had not met before; each one had a comment about hearing and seeing an adorable little kitty (me!) in their yard and describing where they thought I went.  Mom found me a half a block away.  There was one more adventure where I went exploring for about three weeks before Mom & Dad found me and brought be back home.  That adventure was a little scary.  After that, I've liked to stay in my yard and the yards of my next door neighbors.  I do enjoy visiting my next door neighbors, I especially like to go into one's garage with him when he is working and visiting the other ones when they are in their hot tub.

Favorite sleeping spots: Dad built me an outside "kitty perch" which is a little open platform with carpet on the floor and a roof overhead and has a carpeted ramp up to the platform.  It is at about their eye level and at a point in my back yard where I have a perfect view of all the important areas of the back yard and driveway.  I use it all the time.

I do like to be near Mom and Dad when they are settled in watching TV.  I'll either sit on the back of the lazy boy and be a 'headrest' for Dad, or sit on Mom's lap when she's on the couch.  Mom is allergic to me, so she always makes me wait until she puts a towel on her lap before I jump up and settle in.  If Mom's sitting on the couch without her towel on, I sit on the floor and stare at her until she gets up and puts the towel on so I can get on her lap.  Sometimes, I take a nap in the living room with Dad.  I know this is going to happen when he starts closing the blinds and putting a pillow on the couch.  I wait until he's fluffed a blanket over him and jump up to lay on his side; I face his feet and know I'm in the right spot when the tip of my tail just reaches his chin or nose; then I just try to purr hard.  Dad says I'm like a little vibrating heating pad, and he calls this an "Ember Nap."

Otherwise, I like to sit in the bay window at the front of the house and look outside (I do not like the big garbage trucks when they thunder down the street outside) or lay in my kitty bed which is on the floor over a heat vent.  I also like to play with a little green catnip mouse I got from Exclusively Cats when they took care of me while Mom and Dad went to Iceland.

Meet the Fabulous February Felines!

Jerry and Kramer

Age: 10 months

Weight: at their wellness visit in July, Jerry weighed 5.8# and Kramer weighed 5.5#. Since they're youngsters, they weigh more than that, now!

Gender: Neutered males

Demeanor at the vet's office: Nice boys!

Jerry and Kramer are brothers who will be a year old in March. They're about three times the size that they were in the photo, when they were 4 months old! They do everything together, including eating, sleeping, and playing. They love to groom each other. They also love to sleep with Mom and Dad on the bed every night. They love chasing each other up and down the three floors of their house. They sound like horses running down the hallways!

Don't let their peaceful and unassuming photo fool you - these boys are chock full of energy and mischief! They are voracious eaters who won't even wait for Mom or Dad to put their food on plates...they try to eat the food straight out of the can or bag.

Jerry is the love bug, and a mama's boy. He tries to monopolize all of Mom's attention. Jerry loves laying with Mom on the couch and watching TV.

Kramer is the explorer and the "crafty" one whose favorite game is stealing Mom or Dad's socks and hiding them around the house...then biting them to shreds! Jerry loves to jump in any open kitchen cabinet after they are opened. They're great, but they are still definitely acting like rambunctious kittens, so they're a lot of work!

Meet Mr. January!

Peabody

Age: 14 years

Weight: 12.4#

Gender: Neutered male

Demeanor at the vet’s office: Grumbly. “Leave me alone!”

Feline friends: Lewis and Clark

FAVORITE TOY: Peabody enjoys catnip - especially the plants growing wild outside. He likes playing with a string, and 

corrugated cardboard scratchers, but his favorite toy is a soft plastic milk ring. He likes to play with it around barriers, 

such as table legs or around doors. When he is done playing, he carries it and drops it in his water dish. The milk ring is in 

his water dish every day.

FAVORITE TREAT: He is not interested in meat, but in fat. If his family eats chicken, he wants the skin or fatty bits. Same 

with any other meat - don't give him meat - just the fat.  

FAVORITE SLEEPING SPOT: He has several favorite sleeping spots. In the summer, he likes the padded settee in the guest 

bedroom, in front of the window. In the winter, he will take any of the living room seats, or the cat bed under the sofa in front 

of the heat vent. He loves the area rug in the living room when the sun streams in - stretching out in the sunny patches.

HOW HE FOUND HIS HOME: Peabody’s family found him at "Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo" day on June 7, 1997. It 

was their 7th wedding anniversary. They were looking specifically for a male tuxedo cat. He was the first one they spotted. 

As adorable as he was, they kept looking. After seeing all the remaining tuxedo cats among the hundreds of cats there, they 

were relieved that he was still there, although some of his littermates had been adopted.

The rescue group told us his family that he was 8 weeks old, but it is suspected that he was closer to 6 weeks as he was so 

small and had blue eyes. His new family took him home in a cardboard carrier with holes in the sides, and he kept poking his 

cute little white lips and chin through them. They tried out names they had picked out, such as Mr. Bean and Jasper and Clark, 

but his new mom finally said "he is such a Peabody" and he became Peabody.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF PEABODY: Peabody starts his day poking his mom’s shoulder to get her out of bed. If she manages 

to get up before that, he is sitting by the heat vent behind the toilet, waiting for her. He is extremely food-focused. He is on a 

wheat-free diet, but is really interested in any other food the other cats get, or wheat-free dry food, which we have to limit as it 

makes him sick.  

He has always been keenly interested in the garage. Every night, while his family watches TV in the family room, he sits at the 

door trying to get it open to go in the garage. He cries and howls and paws at the door. After 7 years, they gave up, and let him 

go out there now. He likes to sit on their cars.

If his family is up too late, Peabody cries and howls at them to go to bed. He runs ahead of them and keeps looking over his 

shoulder to make sure they are following. By the time they are ready for bed, he is gone. His family settles in, and about five 

minutes later, he starts crying at the bottom of the stairs. He cries and howls this pitiful meow, very loudly. His mom finally 

calls his name and tells him to come up, and runs up the stairs. 

He is not soft-footed by any means. When he goes up and down those hardwood stairs, he sounds like a full-grown person. 

Peabody has always enjoyed going outside and exploring his property or the immediate neighbors’. Two years ago he went 

missing for two nights. His family was beside themselves, as they had seen coyotes in the area. They thought he might be 

locked in the neighbors' garage, as his mom saw them leave shortly before he went missing. When the neighbors came home, 

they opened the garage for him. No Peabody. The next day, the neighbor looked for him in there, again - no Peabody. Then his 

dad looked for him, again. Nothing. The day after that, the neighbor called and thought the cat was in the garage - somewhere 

in the second floor storeroom. Peabody’s mom went up there and called him. She finally heard a tiny little meow. She and the 

neighbor had to move a bed, a dresser, and an old crib before they finally found him in the corner rafters. 

Since then, he hardly leaves the deck. If he goes out at all, he is back in 10 minutes. Now he needs to teach that trick to his 

housemates, Lewis and Clark.