The Problem with Aliens

I love my little Alien, I really do. But sometimes it just gets so frustrating! I am so tired of him peeing on the carpets and yowling all night long.

There are perfectly reasonable excuses for each of these behaviors, so I can’t really blame him. And since his vet has said that he is as healthy as a guy his age (he’s 16) can be, I can’t use them as an excuse to have him put down = that would just be murder for selfish reasons.

He was a rescue kitty, so I don’t know what his living conditions were like before I got him – but I am suspicious that he must have been kept in a box (a kitty-carrier) because he just doesn’t behave like a “normal” cat does – and never has, even when he was younger. He doesn’t associate sounds with anything, or even smells. The only way he ever knew I was home was if I would go get him, even though he must have heard me come in the door after work (both my other cats heard and knew, so why not him?)

Now that he’s both blind and deaf, it just exacerbates the problem. He probably feels completely isolated, which is why I think he yowls (and loudly, because he can barely hear himself) all the time. That’s his way of saying, “Hey! Is anybody out there?”

The peeing behavior is a little more difficult to comprehend. I can’t exactly blame it on old age, since he’s done that since I first got him at age 12. But again, I think he was kept in a box so didn’t really get the “training” required to understand what a litter box was for.

I have done what I can to mitigate the damage to the corner he has chosen. I put plastic down, then carpet and newspaper on top, and then a layer of Feline Pine pellets to soak up most of the urine. This works, up to a point.

While I would NEVER wish for his passing (unless he were in pain, which he is not) I do admit that I dream of a day when my carpets are clean and my house doesn’t smell any more.

Sigh…