cat peeing/spraying

[gilbert&liam]

I have two 5 year old male, neutered cats. One of them has either been spraying, or peeing around the house. We are not sure which one, but we have a pretty good idea because he has always been extremely jealous and needy lol. On the weekend I noticed that he had sprayed/peed in the dirty laundry basket. It was full of towels and had some of my husbands hoodies in it. My husband said today that he can smell it and is wondering if he also peed/sprayed in his shoe! (still waiting for confirmation on this haha) I do not believe it is a litterbox issue, in the past if they were unhappy with the litterbox they have gone on the floor right infront of it. I believe this has to do with a cat outdoors. We moved into our house at the end of January, and since mid May or so, a neighbourhood cat has been coming around and we were giving her food and petting her a little. I have stopped, but my husband still feeds her every night and sometimes goes out and plays with her for a couple of minutes. We feel bad because she is ALWAYS there. She sleeps on our back porch and is always at the window. I know a big part of this is our fault because we give her food, but we are a sucker for animals. Now it appears we are paying the price because my male cat howls at her and stares at her through the window all night. She has been around for awhile, but I am just noticing the spraying/peeing now. From using google, I am reading that if cats see an outdoor cat they usually spray the wall or window. So far this is not the case as the laundry was down in the basement and the shoe if peed in, was by the front door. BUT everything that has been “marked†so far has been my husbands which makes me think this is a territory issue. Any advice? Obviously the first would be to stop interacting with the cat outside but anything aside from that?

 

[yayi]

Other than stop feeding the cat (stray or a neighbor's pet?) make sure to clean all "marked" areas with a good enzyme cleaner. You may have to include the area where the female stays. Use Feliway or Rescue Remedy to reduce stress on your boys due to the outsider (yes, it is a territorial thing). If this problem is not solved, your boys may end up fighting each other (redirected aggression).

 

[merrytreecats]

Were these toms neutered early on {under a year} or later on? That can make a difference. Regardless...the first thing you do is thoroughly clean the area, and see if you can try and keep them away from seeing this cat outside and if you can keep the cat away. {the female cat.} This is why your males are spraying. Even after being neutered those instincts can sometimes remain.

 

[farleyv]

My first step would be to have the cats to the vet to be sure there are no urinary issues. Males are notorious for developing UTI's which can become very serious, very quickly. Inappropriate peeing is a sure sign of this.

I would start there and follow up with the other advice you have been given.