My 16 year old neutered male cat, Casper, is mostly a great guy to have around, but he has a few bad habits that have gotten worse with time. He marks territory the old-fashioned way, with a healthy spray of urine on vertical surfaces. For about 2/3 of the year, it's reasonably warm, and he does most of this outside. For the other 1/3 of the year (now), he mostly declines to go outside, and does his territory marking indoors instead. This is not fun to deal with. He usually sprays late at night, when he's most alert but I would like to go to bed. It's the same four spots (walls and other vertical surfaces), usually one or two of them every day.
On the recommendation of Casper's vet, I tried Feliway. It had no effect whatsoever. I keep the litter box very clean. The problem is not incontinence or dementia; Casper knows where the litterbox is, it is very large and easily accessible, and he poops in it. Sometimes he pees in it. When he pees in the litterbox, he pees downward into the litter. When he pees to mark territory, he pees horizontally onto vertical surfaces. It is a very different behavior.
Casper originally lived with his brother Schatzy and sister Xena. I adopted the three of them as kittens. Schatzy passed away in March 2022, and Xena died last month. I have one other cat, an unrelated spayed female Maine Coon named Lindsey, who is probably about 8 years old. I adopted her from a highway rest area where she had been abandoned, so I do not know much about her early years. Casper goes outside whenever the weather is bearable (no heavy rain or snow; ~25 degrees or warmer). There are no other cats in the neighborhood, though a number of leashed dogs come by the house each day. I have security cameras, and so far as I have seen, none of these dogs have threatened Casper, though a few of them sometimes barked at Xena.
Casper's other bad habit is rolling in the litter box. This is exclusively a winter activity. When the weather is warmer, Casper sometimes rolls in the dirt outside. When it is cold outside and the ground is frozen, Casper rolls in the litter box. This seems to be a replacement for rolling in the dirt. It is not great for our relationship. Even though he only rolls in the litterbox when it is "clean" (no poop or urine clumps), he gets covered in clay dust and little pieces of litter. Then he wants to jump in my lap or be carried around, and I am reluctant, because I do not want kitty litter dust all over my clothes.
I am asking for any advice on how to deal with these issues. Both seem to be psychological. I have read that male cats spray (mark territory) when they feel threatened or challenged, but I removed all the threats from Casper's life that I can. I cannot stop people from walking dogs down the sidewalk in front of my house. Casper may feel a little anxious around Lindsey. Or he may be in love with her. Maybe both. It is hard to tell. She is female, so presumably not threatening his territory in a male vs male sort of way, but she is larger than him, and very boisterous. They do a lot of what seems like playing; chasing each other around the house and setting up ambushes for each other around corners and under furniture. I think that Lindsey is more often than not the "attacker" in these scenarios, but they look to be more like play than fighting. There is no hissing or growling, and neither cat is ever hurt. I do not want to put Casper on any psychotropic drugs, as I have never known these to do any good for animals (or people, for that matter). However, if there are ways that I can improve his environment so that he feels more secure, I am happy to do so.
On the recommendation of Casper's vet, I tried Feliway. It had no effect whatsoever. I keep the litter box very clean. The problem is not incontinence or dementia; Casper knows where the litterbox is, it is very large and easily accessible, and he poops in it. Sometimes he pees in it. When he pees in the litterbox, he pees downward into the litter. When he pees to mark territory, he pees horizontally onto vertical surfaces. It is a very different behavior.
Casper originally lived with his brother Schatzy and sister Xena. I adopted the three of them as kittens. Schatzy passed away in March 2022, and Xena died last month. I have one other cat, an unrelated spayed female Maine Coon named Lindsey, who is probably about 8 years old. I adopted her from a highway rest area where she had been abandoned, so I do not know much about her early years. Casper goes outside whenever the weather is bearable (no heavy rain or snow; ~25 degrees or warmer). There are no other cats in the neighborhood, though a number of leashed dogs come by the house each day. I have security cameras, and so far as I have seen, none of these dogs have threatened Casper, though a few of them sometimes barked at Xena.
Casper's other bad habit is rolling in the litter box. This is exclusively a winter activity. When the weather is warmer, Casper sometimes rolls in the dirt outside. When it is cold outside and the ground is frozen, Casper rolls in the litter box. This seems to be a replacement for rolling in the dirt. It is not great for our relationship. Even though he only rolls in the litterbox when it is "clean" (no poop or urine clumps), he gets covered in clay dust and little pieces of litter. Then he wants to jump in my lap or be carried around, and I am reluctant, because I do not want kitty litter dust all over my clothes.
I am asking for any advice on how to deal with these issues. Both seem to be psychological. I have read that male cats spray (mark territory) when they feel threatened or challenged, but I removed all the threats from Casper's life that I can. I cannot stop people from walking dogs down the sidewalk in front of my house. Casper may feel a little anxious around Lindsey. Or he may be in love with her. Maybe both. It is hard to tell. She is female, so presumably not threatening his territory in a male vs male sort of way, but she is larger than him, and very boisterous. They do a lot of what seems like playing; chasing each other around the house and setting up ambushes for each other around corners and under furniture. I think that Lindsey is more often than not the "attacker" in these scenarios, but they look to be more like play than fighting. There is no hissing or growling, and neither cat is ever hurt. I do not want to put Casper on any psychotropic drugs, as I have never known these to do any good for animals (or people, for that matter). However, if there are ways that I can improve his environment so that he feels more secure, I am happy to do so.
