Big SPRAYING Problem!!!

[neat59]

Ok. We had Meanow for a year now and he has NEVER sprayed in the house....until last week. Now he gets into his litter box and sprays the outside of the box (in a straight stream like a garden hose!!!!) instead of peeing like he normally did which was making a normal pee puddle

! He always tried spraying before(we noticed by his backing up and tail action)but he was never able to do it and we thought we had nothing to worry about because he is neutered! It seems like all of the practicing really paid off for him because since he found out how to do it he hasn't stopped yet. He is now constantly backing up to our refridgerator, furniture and what ever else is appealing to him and he wiggles his tail and then we stop him in time. Is there ANYWAY to BREAK HIM OF THIS HABBIT?????? Does anyone else have these problems with male neutered cats????Thank you all so much!

 

[cooie]

When a cat who never sprayed starts spraying, it is almost always due to stress. Something has him unhappy or riled up. Maybe a new cat has moved into the neighborhood, maybe the furniture has been rearranged, maybe someone's work shift has changed. Anything differend in your world that might have upset him?

 

[debra myers]

OMG Anita - that is terrible - I will watch for answers for you! Sandie???????????????

 

[neat59]

You know??? You might be right. The major thing that has changed for him is that he can no longer be an inside/outside cat. He is strictly indoors now because of a previous outdoor problem with a outside cat. But he has been strictly inside for a few months now and all of the sudden he started the spraying...he does try to get out (he got out a few times but he chickened out and ran back in the house).The only significant change that we can figure out is him not being able to go outside anymore. Do they normally stop the spraying? Thank you so much

 

[sandie]

Once they start it's a little harder to get them to stop. That is the # one reason for spraying though. He is probably really stressed about the new situation. There are a few things you can do. They make a product called feliway you can use. It is made up of the same friendly hormone's they release from thier cheeks. I have seen it at Petsmart and I know you can order it online at www.drfostersmith.com. You can also try and help him relax. There is a product you can buy at any health and nutrition store, it's called Dr Bachs rescue remedy. You can either put 4 drops into his mouth or if he drinks the same water, you can add it to his water. You can also try a pill called Be Calm that you can get at the health and nutrition store. You also need to make sure and clean the areas that he has sprayed with a good odor eliminator. I am not real pleased with the natures miracle, and beyond that, I only know that nok-out works really well. You can find that at www.nok-out.com. It may take a month or more to help settle him and if you are using any of the herbs, for them to take effect.
To help save the furniture and such, you can also put some aluminum foil in front of the areas they are spraying. It also helps to detour them. It's not a real pleasant sound and it also bounces back a little. A final resort for tough sprayers is drug therapy through your vet. There are a few drugs that have been shown to reduce or eliminate spraying behavior. Once the behavior stops, you can taper them off the drug.

 

[debra myers]

You are NOT going to believe this one!!!
Just heard this noise and turned around to see little Red (female) spraying my video cabinet!!!!!!!

I did not think that females could spray (stupid here)...got out the nok-out right away to clean up the area. Oh the joys.........

Unfortunately Hubby saw this and as you can imagine, the ranting began!!!

 

[sandie]

LOL, yeah females spray as well. Normally it is intact females in heat or just going into heat. However, if they were whole and through a few heat cycles, it can stick

 

[debra myers]

Actually - she was altered before going into heat. She was a feral many years ago when we brought her inside off the road.....Don't laugh, but I even looked just to make sure 'she was not a he' after all these years. I know what has her so upset (i think) and that is that the last of Goldie's kits is inside in the condo and the past couple of days has had livingroom freedom for playtime. I think she has seen all these kittens come in and doesn't like it anymore. She is somewhat territorial even with her other permanent family here.....
Wonder what she will do when we get momma?? Help me now!!

 

[sandie]

LOL, you may need a few more gallons of nok-out or some drugs for her

 

[debra myers]

Maybe I should buy some stock in it! I could end up rich!!

 

[mohe]

Anita,

Your cat may be spraying because he is starting to have urinary tract problems. My cat started doing this also, after years of very consistent litter box behavior. So I took him to the vet, and gave him some medication for a week or so (forgot what exactly, probably antibiotics), and put him on the Science Diet for cats with urinary problems recommended by the vet. He did get somewhat better, but he gained a lot of weight and became very lethargic. He stopped playing. His litter box habits were still somewhat inconsistent.

I then ran across a book called Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Dog and Cat Health (the title may not be exact). There are recipes in the book for home-made pet foods. I began switching him over to this diet. Over the next six months, he became lean and active again and all the urinary difficulties went away. He started playing again and is still going strong. This all happened several years ago. Since then, every time I have tried switching him back to any commercial food, no matter how high the quality, the urinary problems return within days. It only takes about 30 minutes to make a week's worth of food. It costs me about $15 a month for this diet. The recipe I like has cooked polenta and raw ground turkey. To this I add crushed garlic, a little flaxseed meal, 2 eggs, and a quarter cup of oil. Sometimes I steam some frozen mixed veggies, mash them and mix it in.

My cat had been eating high-quality pet foods like Iams, Science Diet, Nature's Recipe, etc. I have since found out that even these pet foods don't offer the nutritional balance that some sensitive cats need.

I think the reason that he started spraying was that he had associated painful urination with his litter box, and was trying to find a place to pee where it wouldn't hurt.

Another excellent book about pet health is The Nature of Animal Healing by Dr. Martin Goldstein.

I wish you all the best in health.

Monica
[email protected]

 

[hissy]

I have to agree with you, for an animal with sensitivity or health issues a homecooked pet food is best. Our german shepherd has a rare bone disorder and I have been making her food for years now. She wasn't supposed to make it past her first birthday and she will be four soon!

BTW I also have that book and love it. I peeked at your profile, what kind of horses do you train? I have a Mustang cross that I love, he will be 5 soon and we are going upward and onward in training with each other with no outside intervention.