Adult Male Cat Sprays A LOT!

[allegrissima]

Hi everyone! We have a behavioral issue on our hands! Our 5-year old male Maine Coon is the sweetest, most handsome guy you could find! But... We have a problem. He sprays. A lot. Unfortunately, this is nothing new.

In the old apartment, it had gotten so bad that we had to throw out cables, because there was no hope of getting the smell out.

Once we moved to the new house in August, we were determined to stop the habit in its tracks. We use Cat Attract litter. We have 5 litter boxes for 4 cats. We use Feliway wall diffusers, Anti Icky Poo Odor Remover spray, carpet injection cleaner, and OMG Pet Urine Eliminator powder. We have put food bowls all around the house so he won't get upset about not having food near him. When he meows, we play with him and/or feed him. We have tried everything we can think of to calm him down.

Still, he continues. He starts to meow incessantly and then he marks (or poops...I suppose it depends on his mood). He does this frequently: sometimes a few times a day - definitely a few times a week. It's getting worse, and our patience is wearing thin despite our love for him. And we know he's got to be stressed, poor guy.

Does anyone have any suggestions? We want our fun-loving, cuddly cat back! I've attached a pic of him as a kitten and one of him now. We appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you!

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• allegrissima
• Jan 25, 2013

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• allegrissima
• Jan 25, 2013

 

[orientalslave]

He's been doing this a long time so it sounds like he's very fond of spraying.  First thing - is he neutered?  If not then getting him done will probably help.

You might want to think about stud pants for the time being as well, along with a vet check.

Since this has been going on for so long, you might want to think about consulting a behaviourist.  I'm sure there are a lot of scammers doing this, if you try this route make sure you find someone through the appropriate professional body.  In the UK you need a vet's referral to consult a behaviourist and whilst they are not cheap, neither is having to replace rugs and furniture.

 

[missymotus]

Have his hormone levels been checked? There is a hormone shot that can be given that often stops spraying, here it's used on retiring stud boys.

Stud pants are not for continuous wear, they just allow a stud boy (or spraying neuter) to roam the house for a short time, they can't use a litter tray wearing stud pants. 

Agree with above about a behaviourist. 

 

[minka]

Is he actually standing up and peeing (like, outward at a wall) or is he peeing downward/sitting down? If it's the second one, it's more likely uti/bladder related.
Either way, if he hasn't been taken to the vet, I think that should be first on your list.

Welcome to TCS!

 

[allegrissima]

He is definitely standing up and spraying outward at the wall. I've also heard about the hormone shots but know little about them. I've been told that you need to keep up with the shots and that they can have some very negative side effects. He has also been neutered since he was a kitten.

 

[missymotus]

The hormone shot is a once off, occasionally twice. Most things do have some risk, but in these situations often the outcome outweighs any possible risk. 

Some also find meds like Prozac to help, I would got the behaviourist route first and medication last. 

 

[minka]

Has he been to the vet to look if he has a uti or crystals?

 

[stella123]

my male cat does this..and yer your right it stinks to high heaven..un-like your cat mine has not been neutered but will be going tuesday morning to get this done...he sprays standing up against anything he likes..its so hard...cos your wanna yell out at them no..but they don't speak human so its pointless.

my uncle had this issue with his male cat..it wasn't as bad after he was neutered...but still now and again which still left a smell..although the smell wasn't as strong...once he started letting his cat out in the back yard..it totaly stopped..his cat started spraying outside..and then eventualy only ever went outside to go the toilet and spay and have a bask in the sun...now he has a cat that only pees ouside and never sprays indoors...his cat gets it all out of his system outside then comes in for cuddles....he's now 15 yrs old...lol..oh and he has 3 legs..but still got a lotta go in him.

ive only had my cat just over a week and the smell is knocking me sick...i used biological washing powder and warm water to clean the places he had sprayed..and he didn't spray for days..but he started again today...never use anything with ammonia in it as they think its another cat and re-spray the area...

i am getting a cat harness this week and going to take my cat ouside into my yard to see if this works with the spraying...maybe my cat will get it out of its system outside..instead of inside my home..lol..

some cats are more prone to this then others...hope you can sort this little cutie out..as do i with my own cat

 

[lunariris]

Ok. I read that he is neutered, so that's not it.

Like everyone says, rule out urinary or health problems with a vet, then behaviorist if the vet recommends it.

As has already been mentioned, stud pants is a good idea too.

Also try Feliway sprays or diffusers to help calm him, maybe even a calming collar, or I know they sell calming drops you can put in their food or water daily. Ask your vet if this would be safe to try. I've heard the collars are very mild, but the drops work very well to ease a stressed cat, whether it's to help while moving, going to the vet, introducing a new pet or family member, or just to ease an overall nervous cat.

It sounds like you have the ideal number of litter boxes, but are they all in the same place? Maybe try another one in another place/room so they feel like they have more options.

Does he fight with any of the other cats/ battle for territory, or seem agitated after looking out the window? He could be trying to "keep out" any cat or animal he sees outside the window as a threat, or he could be frustrated that he doesn't think there's enough room for everyone in the home. I'd suggest expanding vertical space with some shelves for them or some cat trees with scratching posts. He may be having tension with another cat but doesn't feel confident that he could win in an actual physical confrontation, so spraying is an alternative way to 'stand up' to them. Scratching also helps them relieve stress and is a better way to 'mark' their territory, so adding scratching posts could be helpful.

Also, I've seen clear plastic wall covers, that can also be used over railings etc. meant to stop dogs from scratching at walls and keep kids from sticking their legs/arms in between stair railings. It could also be nice to prevent any damage to your walls from spraying or scratching/make it easier to clean. I've been thinking of getting a roll to prevent any future problems myself and think it's pretty neat. I believe they come in about 3' H x 15' L rolls for around $35 on amazon. Here's a link:
A vet's advice is still the best route to go first.

Good luck.

 

[allegrissima]

Hi everyone, thanks for the comments so far. We are definitely using the [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Feliway defusers throughout the house (6 total) and they are plugged in constantly to no vail. At this point, I want to stop using them, due to the cost and feeling that they are not working for him but i'm equally afraid that it will be 10 times worse if we suddenly stop using them, This on its own is expensive enough, let alone all the other cleanup equipment that I've [/color][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]bought which has thankfully kept the house smell free.[/font]

[font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]We have 5 litter boxes, four which are downstairs and one which is upstairs so that shouldn't be a problem for him. He is also the only male cat out of the 4. The thing too is, they 3 ladies mostly ignore him. He tries to play with them here and there and they hiss at him and just run away. I always wondered if maybe another male cat would be great for him to possibly relieve his pent up energy though the answer currently isn't 'lets get another cat.'[/font]

[font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Its also not another animal outside that is causing this behavior as it was the same in our old condo as it is on our new house. I do wonder, is punishment something to try? I've never punished him before in fear of him spraying in resent or anger but that doesn't stop him. I catch him in the act all the time so should I punish him? If so, what is a good method? Yell? Tap on his head and place nose near the crime scene? Spray him with water?[/font]

 

[minka]

Its also not another animal outside that is causing this behavior as it was the same in our old condo as it is on our new house. I do wonder, is punishment something to try? I've never punished him before in fear of him spraying in resent or anger but that doesn't stop him. I catch him in the act all the time so should I punish him? If so, what is a good method? Yell? Tap on his head and place nose near the crime scene? Spray him with water?

I'm glad you have not punished him before, and I would not try it. It'll either make him think you are mean, or just make him spray when you aren't looking. :nod: I would get him to the vet for a check up, and then start trying some of the other suggestions, including trying a different type of litter and/or adding one more litterbox.

 

[stella123]

hey,i found that distraction is a good way of distracting my cat from spraying..if its not a medical thing then its a habit he has formed.my male cat is 10 mths old and i'd only had him two weeks and he stunk my house out...lol..

i got a lazor light..which projects a small light onto the wall..my cat loves to chase it for ages..and when he's done he is shattered and conks out..last thing on his mind is spraying....also i had him neutered today....but some cats still spary if its a habbit...so distract him...give him a new habbit...mine has not spayed since i got the lazer light toy..he is far too interested in catching this light then he's too tired to spay or he forgets about it..either way give it a try as they are so cheap on ebay...

do not get another male...you may find your cat will spray more to show him whose house it is..or end up with two cats in a spaying war...that would be hell.

just try giving him more attention and i swear no cat can resist a lazor light...i hope this helps..it really helped mine.

lisa x

 

[missymotus]

i am getting a cat harness this week and going to take my cat ouside into my yard to see if this works with the spraying...maybe my cat will get it out of its system outside..instead of inside my home..lol..

He's spraying because he's a mature boy still entire - it's what boys do, taking him outside will do nothing to stem the spraying and can actually make it worse by taking him out into other cat smells. 

You may want to talk to your vet about a hormone shot at the time of neutering since he's already an established sprayer. 

 

[dejolane]

That's why we have only 2 females.

dejolane

 

[stella123]

my cat has not sprayed since he was neutered...which is great...not to say he will never do this again...just keeping my fingers crossed...

i think once i let him outside...he will mark his turff out there rather then in my home....i knew some1 who had 3 male cats and it was like spraying wars in her house...lol..but once they were neutered and able to go outside...they did simply stop...so i'm keeping my fingers crossed mine will do the same....

 

[stella123]

see i had only ever had females...but this cat needed a home asap and was very thin and had a collar that had ripped or rubbed most of the fur off his neck away....so i had to have him..plus he was stunning too.now he is much healthier and has a new collare that does not rub..i never put a collar on to tight because even in the house he may get it stuck on somthing and needs to be able to get free of it.

i knew male cats sprayed...but i had only experianced male cats doing this up my back door before my females i had yrs ago had been spayed...or i thourght they only did if other male cats where around to warn them who's turf they were on...lol...least i know now even if i learnt the hard smelly way lol

 

[orientalslave]

All cats can spray, male, female, entire, neutered.  Entire males are the worst both in terms of frequency and pungency.  Entire females often spray when calling.  Neuters tend not to spray in the house unless they are feeling insecure.

 

[mike37]

Try orange peels where he's spraying. Larger litter box for him alone

 

[orientalslave]

If the orange peel puts him of spraying in one place he'll probably simply find another, and punishment doesn't work with cats.

I repeat my advice about consulting a behaviourist - so far as I can tell this is a long-standing, deeply embedded problem.

 

[angels mommy]

If the orange peel puts him of spraying in one place he'll probably simply find another, and punishment doesn't work with cats.

I repeat my advice about consulting a behaviourist - so far as I can tell this is a long-standing, deeply embedded problem.

I agree. I have a suggestion for you. When I joined the FLIUD Yahoo group, looking for even more info in regards to Angel's repeated cystitis, there was a person on there that highly recommended an animal communicator. I checked out the web site & am very interested myself. It's  http://www.gazehound.com.  Make sure to read the client reviews. (I would like to do this when I have the extra money.)

I was impressed whith what I saw there!