# Cat going to the bathroom everywhere.



## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

I need some help. My little boy (Chance) is going to the bathroom everywhere but in his litter box. The vet says that nothing is wrong and he has no idea what the problem is. I have tried everything different litter, more boxes, self cleaning boxes, bigger box, smaller box. Locking him the the room with a fresh box. My husband is ready to kill him and I don't know what else to do. 

A little back story. 
I found chance when he was about 2 weeks old. He weighed 4oz and his mom was not taking care of him. Chances family are all feral cats. He was on deaths door when I found him. My vet said he would not have made it the rest of the day had I not brought him in. He was very dehydrated and covered with fleas. They had to keep him over night and give him IV fluids. 
I got to bring him home the next day! 
I bottle raised him and he is my baby, but I am starting to feel like I have no options but to live like this. My husband is not an animal person and I have to hear it from him everyday about how my cat is making the house smell and how the smell will never come out of the carpet.

Any suggestion or help would be greatly appreciated. I have no plans to get rid of my cat, but I can't keep this up. 




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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Oh this is tough. How old is kitty? YEARS and years ago - maybe 1986 - we adopted a kitten from the SPCA. She was adorable, but ever so young. SPCA said that she had been abandoned by the momma and the volunteers bottle nursed her. She was never right in the head though. She pooped and peed everywhere but in the boxes. I ended up taking her back after about 10 days and they probably euthanized her. I never followed up, it was just to tramautic an experience for me at the time.
:neutral:


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

Chance is almost 2. He acts a little crazy sometime, but I think that's just his playful side. I could never get rid of him, he just means to much to me.


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## Nell (Apr 7, 2005)

Has he been doing this the entire time you've had him? If not, how long has it been going on?
Does he ever use the litter box?
What does he pee on instead?
What sort of tests have you had the vet do to rule out a medical issue?
It sounds like you've tried a lot of different things with the litter. What kind of litters have you tried? Just clay, clumping, non clumping, wheat or corn based, etc... covered box, open box, putting it in different locations...?
What other things have you tried?
How is his temperament otherwise? friendly, high strung/stressed..?


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

He has been doing it the entire time. It's only become a problem now because I work now and can't hide it from my husband anymore, I was spot cleaning the carpet every time before. I have tried open and closed boxes with and without doors. Clay, clumping and non clumping, yesterday's news, wheat litter and I have even tried the kitten attract litter and the stuff you put in the litter to attract cats to it. I have tried the litter pan that goes on the toilet as well. The vet did blood work and took samples of stool and urine. 


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

Oh he very friendly and not high strung at all. He is very lovable as well. 


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

When you said you locked him in a room with a fresh box....for how long? Does he just pee on carpet or other surfaces? Are there any other animals in the house? If other cats....how many and how many boxes do you have? Is he declawed?


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

He has only ever peed on the carpet not the hardwood, or tile. I have another cat who is 7. I have 2 boxes now, I did have 3 but that did not help so I got rid of one. 


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

He was in the room all day while I was at work 9 hrs or so. Yes he is declawed, but so is my other cat and so was my cats before him and they never had a problem with the litter box. I don't want to get defensive but I don't think having a cat declawed has anything to do with litter training or not using a box. I am sorry if that was not why you asked. 


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

Did your vet take X-rays of his bladder or spine? Did they do a full urinalysis? Does he cry in pain when urinating?


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

While not all cats are affected the same way, litterbox issues are a significant risk of the declawing procedure. The process can leave their feet sensitive and walking on litter can be painful. Listed below are some studies that support this information. From personal experience I can tell you that our local shelter keeps statistics and of the cats given up for litterbox issues, over 80% were declawed. 

At this point you may want to try providing a soft litterbox lining instead of litter...I'm thinking of something like a puppy pee pad. Although by now it may be a habit that is impossible to break.



Yeon, et al., (JAVMA 2001) found that 33% of cats suffer at least one behavioral problem after declaw or tendonectomy surgery. The study showed that 17.9% of cats had an increase in biting frequency or intensity and that 15.4% would not use a litter box.
Bennett, et al., examining 25 declawed cats, reported that declawed cats were 18.5% more likely than non-declawed cat to bite and 15.6% more likely to avoid the litter box.
Morgan and Houpt found that the 24 declawed cats in their internet survey had a 40% higher incidence of house soiling than non-declawed cats.
Borchelt and Voith, looking only at aggressive behavior in a retrospective survey of pet owners, found declawed cats bit family members more often than did non-declawed cats.
Gaynor (in North American Veterinary Clinics, April 2005) described cats suffering from a chronic pain syndrome as a result of declawing that is associated with increased biting.
In a retrospective phone survey, Patronek found that among 218 cats relinquished to a shelter, 52.4% of declawed cats versus 29.1% of non-declawed cats were reported to have inappropriate elimination.
Landsberg reported that about 5% of cats developed either biting or litter box avoidance problems after declaw surgery. These figures were obtained by means of a written retrospective owner satisfaction questionnaire, approximately half of which were distributed by veterinarians other than the investigator.


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

They did not do X-rays. No he does not cry in pain when he goes. 
Could it have anything to do with the fact his whole family are feral & he loved like that for the first 2 weeks of his life? 
That's for the studies about declaw, I am just not a believer in that. 
I have owned cats all my life and they have all been declawed and I have never had a problem. Same goes for my aunt, but I do thank you for trying to help. 

Any other ideas or what it could be or what I can try? 



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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

You can deny the facts all you want, but it sounds like the odds just finally caught up with you.

I made a suggestion that you might want to try.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Baranovic said:


> That's for the studies about declaw, I am just not a believer in that.
> I have owned cats all my life and they have all been declawed and I have never had a problem. Same goes for my aunt, but I do thank you for trying to help.


How can you not believe it? It's sort of like saying you don't believe in science or something, the results speak for themselves. Owning several cats that are declawed is not a large enough percentage of declawed cats, just because you have been lucky does not mean that serious consequences do not exist. You may be facing them right now, whether you choose to believe it or not.

The practice is banned in most forward thinking countries for its barbaric nature; in fact, just about anywhere but North America. Britian and most other European countries, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Scotland, Japan, etc.



Baranovic said:


> Any other ideas or what it could be or what I can try?


Outside of locking your cat 24/7 in one room, or a cage, without carpeting, and forcing him to use a litter box? Probably there aren't any other options. Know when he's more likely to use it, praise him when you catch him using it, give him treats, and let him out under supervision for a short time. Eventually he may become trained that the litter box is where to go.

Maybe try ripped rags if he is so partial to carpet, and either tear out your current rugs or entirely soak them in enzyme cleaner.

I know what it's like, cat pee destroys not only the carpet, but if you don't have a good inlay (luckily we did) it will soak into the concrete below as well, and it will soak into the walls as well, causing parts of the walls to need to be replaced, and it will warp doors, and wreck clothing, and only smell worse the longer it goes on for and will permeate into everything... we have a cat that's done it for 17 _years_. 

Now that we keep him in one room, and are repairing the damages he did to the old place (extensive and costly), he only pees against one small wall in that room, which we line with newspaper. If left to wander the house he'll spray, and when he's outdoors he sprays as well. Looking back, as much as we love him, it really destroyed the better part of 15 years (the last 2 he hasn't had free roam) as far as socializing goes, or even as far as enjoying living in our own house goes. You know where's something wrong when you think "I'd rather not go back home" ... and need to shut bedrooms doors to prevent your cat from wrecking a single decent room of your house. Looking back on the years now, I know I'd never do it again; there's other cats out there that need homes and can be just as sweet and loving. As heartbreaking as it would have been to surrender him, I don't think anyone should live like that. I feel bad for your husband if he's not an animal person, he must really love you to put up with this.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> While not all cats are affected the same way, litterbox issues are a significant risk of the declawing procedure. The process can leave their feet sensitive and walking on litter can be painful. Listed below are some studies that support this information. From personal experience I can tell you that our local shelter keeps statistics and of the cats given up for litterbox issues, over 80% were declawed.
> 
> At this point you may want to try providing a soft litterbox lining instead of litter...I'm thinking of something like a puppy pee pad. Although by now it may be a habit that is impossible to break.
> 
> ...


Sounds like a HUGE litter box problem. And the declawing procedure is likely to be the culprit. I don't think that the first 2 weeks of 'living like a feral' would have any impact on what he is doing at 2 years of age, he didn't even have his eyes open at that point! Ditching the litter would be the first step, or try yesterday's news, might be a little better on their paws.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Carmel said:


> How can you not believe it? It's sort of like saying you don't believe in science or something, the results speak for themselves. Owning several cats that are declawed is not a large enough percentage of declawed cats, just because you have been lucky does not mean that serious consequences do not exist. You may be facing them right now, whether you choose to believe it or not.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Carmel, that is ONE lucky cat you have! I could not have dealt with that for one month let alone 17 years! You must have the patience of Job.

I have (now) 5 declawed cats. I adopt them old and look for cats that have already been declawed. I won't do it, but others will. ALL of our 10 cats we have had over the past 20 years, have been declawed - every single one and we have never had issues because of that. They all use the same scoopable litter. I would respectfully disagree that lasting psychological damages occur because of the declawing. I will agree it is barbaric, but does not cause lasting psychological harm, IMHO.

I think this is more a mental issue with the cat - perhaps becuase of feral roots, not a physical issue.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

This cat began avoiding the litter box because the litter hurts his paws. He blames the litter for his pain and he seeks out soft surfaces to eliminate on, because his feet hurt.

_In addition constant pain can cause stress that can inflame the bladder and urinary tract._ This also causes pain, which the cat again, blames on the litter box.

In addition, because he avoids the litter box, his stool may become slightly impacted. This causes a lot of discomfort when pooping. Again, the litter box is blamed so he seeks soft surfaces such as the carpet, to eliminate on.

I wonder what you are feeding your cats. If they are eating kibble, that is probably half the problem.

Put your cats on a high quality wet diet. This will help. Give your little boy who is having so much pain a krill oil supplement every day. Krill oil is an anti-inflammatory. This will help with any urinary tract inflammation and might help his painful little cut off toes too.

It will also help with his bowel movements.

As was also suggested, put puppy pads in the litter box instead of litter, since he likes soft surfaces. Get a new liter box, very open with a lot of surface area, low sided, put puppy pads in it, and when he poops or pees on the carpet, clean it up and put the residue in his puppy pad box so he knows what it's for. One of those long flat under the bed blanket storage totes would be perfect.

People seem to think that cats don't feel pain and that is why it is okay to cut off their toes. I'll never understand that attitude. Cats feel pain just as much as any other mammal.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Is he neutered? 



Marcia said:


> ALL of our 10 cats we have had over the past 20 years, have been declawed - every single one and we have never had issues because of that. They all use the same scoopable litter. I would respectfully disagree that lasting psychological damages occur because of the declawing. I will agree it is barbaric, but does not cause lasting psychological harm, IMHO.
> 
> I think this is more a mental issue with the cat - perhaps becuase of feral roots, not a physical issue.


Litterbox avoidance after declawing is not a psychological issue, it's physical. Their feet hurt, so they won't go in. 

I would not expect the declawed cats that you've adopted to be representative of the overall declawed cat population. Any older declawed cats coming into a shelter with litterbox issues are likely euthanized. Otherwise the shelter is obligated to disclose the information...would you have chosen a cat that had a history of litterbox issues? If it was a no kill shelter, they would probably not have even taken in a cat that is likely to be unadoptable. Basically, when you adopt a declawed cat from a shelter it's been pre-screened. 

The fact are facts, they are not made up, they are not anecdotal. Just because a small population is not representative of issue doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist. That's why statistical data is based on large numbers. 

If the feral background of the cat has any impact on elimination behavior it is likely to make it more fastidious than any domestically born kitten...waste smells draw predators, so burying it is a matter of survival. Cats in the wild don't just eliminate anywhere nilly-willy. They find places to bury it, far away from their home base unless they are marking territory. Assuming this cat was neutered before maturity, this doesn't sound like marking.


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

I am not going to debate the issue about declawing or not declawing. It is what it is at this point. I simply wanted some help as far as him not going in the box. 
Let's just agree to disagree on that issue. 




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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

Yes he is fixed.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

doodlebug said:


> Is he neutered?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

No young children in the home. My son is 16 almost 17 and he's it. 

Yes my cat is neutered.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Baranovic said:


> I am not going to debate the issue about declawing or not declawing. It is what it is at this point. I simply wanted some help as far as him not going in the box.
> Let's just agree to disagree on that issue.


Acknowledging the declawing as a potential cause of the issue impacts the suggestions for resolving it. If he was not declawed, I would suggest isolating him to a small area (bathroom is a good option) with food, toys and litterbox until he uses it consistently. Absolutely not letting him out and it may take weeks. Then giving him a larger, but still contained, area (bedroom? kitchen?)...if he regresses, back to the bathroom. 

But with declawing in play, trying the pee pads (or I think someone suggest shredded newspaper), basically soft stuff is well worth it before putting him through the other process which is hard on him and you. Putting some of his urine on the pee pads will help give him the idea. You can blot up his latest deposit with the pad before putting it in the box. 



Marcia said:


> I don't like the insistance on the sweeping generalization that declawed cats have litter box issues.


It's not a sweeping generalization. As the studies I posted indicated it's a percentage of cats. The numbers weren't consistent across the studies, but were significant enough that it has to be a real consideration when a cat has issues and urinary infection/crystals and so many other things have been ruled out. It makes no sense to me to give absolutely no credence to the possibility that this is declaw related.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

doodlebug said:


> .....
> 
> <snip>....
> 
> It's not a sweeping generalization. As the studies I posted indicated it's a percentage of cats. The numbers weren't consistent across the studies, but were significant enough that it has to be a real consideration when a cat has issues and urinary infection/crystals and so many other things have been ruled out. It makes no sense to me to give absolutely no credence to the possibility that this is declaw related.


In addition, as we have seen here, there are many who refuse to admit any correlation between de-clawing and litter box problems. This then means that the percentages err on the low side of accurate.

I'm glad the OP loves the cat and says she will not ever give him up. But she is not helping him by refusing to accept that the declaw may be at the base of his problems.

If you want to help your cat, you need to accept that this may very well be his issue. This way, you can take steps, based on his disability, to help him. But first, you need to accept that his disability is very likely the root of the problem.


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## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

Marcia said:


> I don't like the insistance on the sweeping generalization that declawed cats have litter box issues.



It's not a generalization. It's scientifically proven and supported by statistics. and they did not screen 10 cats like you, but hundreds or thousands of them. your 10 cats or even 20 is not significantly large group of subjects to draw any conclusions. you just have been lucky your cats dont have any issues after declawing. and that's all.

I have a friend who declawed her cat and it scarred that cat physically and mentally for life. she regrets that declawing procedure to this day, her cat is in pain to this day and declawing happened more than 10 years ago.


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## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

lovetimesfour said:


> In addition, as we have seen here, there are many who refuse to admit any correlation between de-clawing and litter box problems. This then means that the percentages err on the low side of accurate.
> 
> I'm glad the OP loves the cat and says she will not ever give him up. But she is not helping him by refusing to accept that the declaw may be at the base of his problems.
> 
> If you want to help your cat, you need to accept that this may very well be his issue. This way, you can take steps, based on his disability, to help him. But first, you need to accept that his disability is very likely the root of the problem.


could not state it any better.


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

I am not refusing to believe anything. I just have my feeling and you have yours. 
He is declawed and there is nothing I, you or anyone else can do to change that! 
I am just simply asking to drop the declaw subject because at this point, it can not be changed. 

I have tried yesterday's news already and neither one of my cats liked it. I have also done the news paper ripped up and they would not go in that either. 

I am going to make another vet appt and see if she can run more test and X-rays to make sure it's not medical. 

Thanks for the other advice. 


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Baranovic said:


> I am not refusing to believe anything. I just have my feeling and you have yours.
> He is declawed and there is nothing I, you or anyone else can do to change that!
> I am just simply asking to drop the declaw subject because at this point, it can not be changed.
> 
> ...


While I agree that declawing might be part of the issue I'm going to leave that alone since the OP is right and even if it is one of the causes it can't be changed.

However, something else stood out to me.

You've had this cat since he was 2 weeks old, right? And he's had litter box problems the WHOLE time? I think he was never properly trained to use the litter box, and that would have caused him to build up the habit before he would have been declawed (which wouldn't have helped the issue...just to be clear).

Essentially you have a 2 year old cat who has never been 'potty trained'. Unfortunately now he's two and you have two years worth of behavior to change...so it won't be easy but I do see it as possible if you are truly dedicated to changing his behavior.

Start by putting him on one small room with a litter box, I'd pick a bathroom, or somewhere else with a solid floor. He needs to stay in there 24/7 for the first while. I'd start with 2 weeks. Yes, that's not optimal for him, but neither is being taken to the shelter and losing his family (or even just having your hubby always be mad at him), so it's harsh but IMO necessary.

Give him everything he needs in this room. A nice big litter box (try different types of litter, maybe something you wouldn't have thought about before), a scratch post, toys, a bed, food and water. Make sure you and your family spend some time in there with him so he isn't too lonely...but don't let him out AT ALL to begin with.

He will hopefully start using the box 100% of the time. If he doesn't the next step would be an extra large dog crate, but I like to try the bathroom first. If he does start using the box all the time then wait for at least a week, two would be better, of him using only the box. this will help him build up the habit of using the box, something he's never had.

While he's confined do a serious clean of your carpets. Ideally you would get them steam cleaned with a pet specific cleaner, then use a black light to spot clean specific areas which will need more attention. You can buy pet specific products at PetSmart, look for something enzymatic.

Once he's been using the box reliably you can start expanding his territory WHILE YOU ARE HOME AND WATCHING. You can't go from being confined and using the box to roaming the whole house without supervision right away, that's way too big of a step. Pick one room, with a door, to move him up to. If you have a room he's never peed in that's the best choice. (No kid's bedrooms, ideally no bedrooms, but realistically it might not be a choice. Hard flooring would be my preference too, but if it's not an option then make sure that that room has been cleaned thoroughly!)

Move him and all his stuff into that room for a month. If he stays using the box 100% for a whole month (Again, we're fighting against a whole lifetime of bad habits, he needs to build good habits for this to work.) then you can start letting him out while you're watching very carefully.

I went through this with one of my boys, I would put him in his litter box and wait until he had at least sniffed around and maybe dug a bit. If he peed then I'd praise him, once he was done, and we'd go explore the house. if he didn't pee I would watch him like a hawk, and no praise.

Stick within a few feet of him while he wanders about, don't be distracted. If you see him start to squat, or intensely smelling an area where you know he had peed before pick him up and take him straight to his box! The goal is to teach him that his box is the only appropriate place to go. Don't ever punish him, I don't care if he squats on your lap. Don't yell at him, or anything. He doesn't know any better yet (as evidenced by him peeing all over your house...) You're only reaction if he makes a mistake is to calmly pick him up and put him back in his room, no more wandering for a week.

Every time you put him back in his room go back through your home thoroughly, especially check any areas he's peed in before. I can say 'pay attention' as many times as I want, but realistically if your phone rings you'll answer it, or w/e. So once he's put away check to make sure he was accident free. Once he's gone a month or more with no accidents you can start leaving him with less supervision, so leave him out while you watch TV or read a book, cook dinner, ect.

When you get to this last point there needs to be a LOT of litter boxes. I know that this is no fun, your husband might not like it, your friends like think it's weird...but I'll be very clear about this. Would you rather have a litter box in every room for a while, or have your cat peeing on everything? That's pretty much the choices. To help your cat successfully learn to use the box again he needs to have one readily available at all times, if he needs to run through the whole house to use the box he'll simply go back to his habit of peeing on the floor since it's easier. if the box is in the room he's much more likely to make the right choice.

At this point he still needs to be put away when you are out, sleeping, or very busy. TBH you might never get to the point where he can always freely wander your home, but if you confine him with his box you have a much better chance of keeping him from peeing any more.

The last step is to have every person who lives in your (excluding kids too young to help out) home read this and understand it. If they aren't willing to help you out then your cat can only be let out of his room (when you get to that stage) when YOU are personally watching him.

Yes, this is a lot of work. Yes, it seems weird. Yes, most people don't try this with their cats...It helped my two boys stop marking all over my house. It worked great for us, and it took time...but we got to keep our cats and we don't fight about what to do about cat pee all over our home. If you are careful, if you are diligent, it will at least improve things.

One last note...I honestly do think that him being declawed didn't help the situation. As a baby he never learned good litter box behavior from his mother, which means he was always more likely to have developed bad habits. The declawing might have been what pushed him over that ledge...but it can't be fixed.

OP I hope you will read all of this...novel (sorry about that BTW), but I also hope you'll think about not declawing your next cat. No one can say "For sure declawing is what caused this behavior." But that doesn't mean that you can prove it didn't either.

I hope you'll stick around, and I'd love to see some pictures of your cats


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## Baranovic (Jan 13, 2013)

Thank you for your novel LOL! I did read it all, and I am going to give it a try and see how it works. I will start with the bathroom. Thanks for your advice. 
I will post in a few months and let you know how things turn out. 



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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

You don't have to vanish until then! Stick around and chat about your kitties  I hope it does work for you!


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