Cat spraying and I've complicated things :(

[Catguy73]

Hello, I have 2 12 year old house cats whom were adopted from the same litter, one male and one female... About 5 months ago a few outdoor cats started messing with the male near my screened in porch, they really only appear to be looking in windows/various areas outside the house however it really excited him... My boy's reaction was ultimately to start marking/spraying which was completely new behavior. I could see that he started to patrol and sniff around the house, windows, everywhere and his relationship with his sister started to degrade, ignoring and hissing, slapping her away from spots.. Again all new and out of character, he's always been awesome.

I ended up buying Feliway and a pheromone relaxation collar, some relaxation chews and it seemed to really help, the spraying ceased but it also washed him out. Fast forward to now, I adopted a tabby kitten male.. The intros haven't been great and he seems to be jealous and just barely tolerate the kitten most of the time, similar to his sister. The kitten is extremely sweet and things have become worse again, the elder sprays constantly but again it seems to be related to outdoor cats coming and setting him off more than anything but I'm sure he is also marking his stuff in reaction, there have been obvious encounters/reactions and outcomes (spraying the kittens' little house).

As it stands i have him seperated in our basement and monitor him when I bring him upstairs to the outdoor screened in porch (his fav) but even now I caught him spraying just last night in the kitchen near the door/appeared to be direct reaction to a stranger cat outside on the deck. IN between all this I took him to my vet, ran tests and he's normal but slightly high crystals in urine so taking care of getting him balanced (Purina Hydra) the funny thing is that when we took him for the visit his personality was great, playful, talktative, interactive, fun.. Normal.. ANother thing worth mentioning is that he started to lick a few spots raw, this is all making me think behavior and anxiety, vet believes so too but in process of ruling everything out.
I know this is a long post, I am at a loss of how to get things back to normal and I'm afraid I've complicated so much, I literally have a "store," of no sprays, cleaning agents, the feliway plugs and oils, collars and a really unhappy cat-son. I'm also so angry that my home and belongings are incredibly compromised. While he's in the basement there has been no spraying at all, he is pretty normal but given opportunity he patrols upstairs and the cycle is the same

THanks for taking the time to read, advice is welcome. I am going to read how to fix and unsuccessful intro now, great to find this forum!

 

[game misconduct]

need to encourage those strays to go else where

 

[Catguy73]

Yes, agreed. I've come another site stating to boil citrus fruits and strain the juice to a spray bottle, add dish soap and use as a physical repellent around the perimeter of my house. Another states to get a automated sprinkler, any suggestions? THasnk for your reply

 

[game misconduct]

peppermint oil mixed with water used in one of those gallon weed sprayers i use that to keep strays away it works but you must apply it weekly or more until the strays get the message

 

[arr]

The first priority is definitely to stop the strays from coming around. We had a stray coming around and upsetting one of our cats. We bought a motion detector sprinkler and we haven’t had a problem since. It can be a hassle because you don’t want people getting sprayed (mailman, delivery, yourselves) but at the same time you need to put it where it will deter the cats. We only needed one but you may need more than one.

After that, you will likely need to start the introductions over again.

By the way, I don’t see that you complicated things or did anything wrong. You bought cleaning supplies and calming products, which everyone does. You tried to do introductions instead of just throwing them all together. You’ve done nothing wrong, it’s just that the strays outside are thwarting your efforts.

 

[IndyJones]

They also have a deterrent the emmits ultrasonic sound and flashes.
Amazon.ca

might be a better option if you can't have a sprinkler one spraying people or hose hookup.

could also be used in conjunction with the sprinkler.

these repelers are harmless and can't be heard by most people.

 

[Alldara]

They also have a deterrent the emmits ultrasonic sound and flashes.
Amazon.ca

might be a better option if you can't have a sprinkler one spraying people or hose hookup.

could also be used in conjunction with the sprinkler.

these repelers are harmless and can't be heard by most people.

What's the risk the indoor cats can hear and it might cause more stress?

 

[Alldara]

Catguy73 Hey! Sounds like you went through the right steps.

What Feliway formula are you using? I've found Multicat to work best, Optimum to not work and Classic to be fine.

Are all cats inside the home spayed/neutered? I'm wondering if the new kitten being intact (if he is) would remind him of the stranger cats.

Is there any TNR groups in your area that can help remove this population of strays from your area? Get them homes etc. Honestly, I've even taken a few photos of cats and spoken to neighbours directly (if I know the owners) or on Facebook just making a post letting them know that their indoor-outdoor is causing deferred aggression in my home. Mostly, I've had positive results. I don't live in a place where it's encouraged to have them out, so that's helpful.

How's he do with catnip? Is he still playing with you to lower his energy down? Play can really help reduce stress, as can food through enrichment like puzzles and lick mats.

Cat calming music can help. Most streaming platforms have them. Choose anything with not too many high pitch tones. Purring loops also help.

Boxes/tunnels/tents etc, whatever he will use. These are excellent and research has shown it to lower stress even in shelter settings.

 

[Catguy73]

Hey, first of all thanks for all the responses.. I'll try that mint/peppermint oil mix (easy) first... I've seen those sprinklers, not the one with audio and appreciate the turn on to it all. Some more answer:

Q. What Feliway formula are you using? I've found Multicat to work best, Optimum to not work and Classic to be fine.
A: I have classic, my home is ~2500 square feet, I have 5 plugged in atm

Q: Are all cats inside the home spayed/neutered? I'm wondering if the new kitten being intact (if he is) would remind him of the stranger cats.
A: Yeah, he's(the kitten whom is known as Loki) not yet but scheduled for this coming Friday along with his shots. That's one of my complications, I'm sure it doesn't help that he's emitting his own alpha mail 3 month old self.

Q: Is there any TNR groups in your area that can help remove this population of strays from your area? Get them homes etc. Honestly, I've even taken a few photos of cats and spoken to neighbours directly (if I know the owners) or on Facebook just making a post letting them know that their indoor-outdoor is causing deferred aggression in my home. Mostly, I've had positive results. I don't live in a place where it's encouraged to have them out, so that's helpful.
A: I'm afraid to engage them, I think these are neighbor's cats.. I'm an outlier moving from Chicago to Ga, most people's cats roam in and out/mine are strictly inside. I think I'll take your photo shoot idea, I never even thought about doing that. They're big on Nextdoor, I don't really use social media but this is an exception

Q: How's he do with catnip? Is he still playing with you to lower his energy down? Play can really help reduce stress, as can food through enrichment like puzzles and lick mats.
A: He loves catnip. He plays a little but not much, very preoccupied with patrolling and I miss his personality/I need to figure out what he likes now. When I whipped out a new red laser he played for about a tenth of a second and looked at me like... Meh

Q: Cat calming music can help. Most streaming platforms have them. Choose anything with not too many high pitch tones. Purring loops also help.
A: Yes, I've been leaving on jazz. Calming cat tv on youtube.. I'll have to try the purring loops. Honestly, he likes having his basement, it's only me and him sharing the area/office and it's larger than a few apartments we've both lived in. He tends to mark when he gets outside that area, I feel like he's made downstairs his dojo.

 

[IndyJones]

What's the risk the indoor cats can hear and it might cause more stress?

Fairly low since you would want the device facing away from what you are trying to block, it also can be mounted on a fence post or stuck in the ground with the included stake. Idealy you want it in a garden or near where animals are aproching from. Has multiple modes including one where the siren can be turned off. Flash only mode.

 

[Alldara]

It definitely be better a few weeks after Loki is neutered and the hormones leave his system. After that, take a shirt of yours that you've worn and rub it on all three cats and then around the baseboards of your home.

Keep up the schedule of trying to play with your other cat. Even if he's not engaging at first, he will eventually. Play builds confidence so it's very helpful over the long term.

In the meantime, I'd suggest taking a dry towel and rubbing it on his cheeks and then rubbing it on the walls near the outside of the home particularly.

Scratchers are also a great way to leave scent. My mum has had luck with putting some real wood ones by her doors.

 

[Alldara]

Fairly low since you would want the device facing away from what you are trying to block, it also can be mounted on a fence post or stuck in the ground with the included stake. Idealy you want it in a garden or near where animals are aproching from. Has multiple modes including one where the siren can be turned off. Flash only mode.

Thanks for teaching me. Good to know.

 

[Catguy73]

Hello everyone, I just wanted to thank you for the suggetions/education. I've been doing a mix of allot of these strategies and it appears to be getting a little better. Loki was not able to be neutered due to an adjacent deworming shot so I continue to keep them seperate in his own flat/rotating cats between areas. I had another incident yesterday but I can directly coorelate to an outdoor cat visit, it set Jakks off again and didn't result in spraying thank goodness, but at that exact moment i had him and the kitten playing with thread and eating together with no hissing, hittting, dirty looks or games at all. Anyway it feels like I can get him back, I bought him a cardboard box scrather, some catnip and a few snacks I know he loves.. The combo got him purring and the fact that he played for a few seconds was a big win to me.. I have hope and again, thank you all.