Neutered male started spraying - and how do you live with it?

[radarlove413]

Hey, I'm back again. I'm in need of advice. I have a few questions about spraying, and for those of you who live with a cat that sprays regularly, how do you keep your house clean, your sanity, and keep your spouse from threatening to re-home the cat.

My neutered cat Donatello started randomly spraying over the summer. It's only about once a week that I know of, but I'm scared it's escalating now. There have been strays in the yard that appear to have started this. He's the alpha of our three cats, and always gets stressed out when he can't go assert his dominance over intruders in the yard. He's 7, we've had him for 3 years with 0 pee problems.

He's been to the vet a few months ago to check for a UTI, but I will be taking him again next week. I've put items by the windows, tried to keep the curtains closed, and blocked access to what I can. I keep the door to my office closed when I'm not in it now since the first victim of the spraying incidents was my computer.

Everything is cleaned with enzyme cleaner (Nature's Miracle ultra for cats). I've switched two of the four litter boxes out with Rubbermaid bins. The one in my office was being occasionally used, but then Donatello and Dunlop started peeing that turned into a spray. I have the biggest bins, but since they are very large cats... if Dunlop stands and sprays it even flies over that. (16" tall). My first question - are there any litter boxes that are taller than 16" that I can order online?

Cocoa doesn't use the Rubbermaid bin boxes, so I'm reluctant to get rid of the other two boxes that they all use. The problem is these boxes are only 13" tall so spray goes over the sides. We have Feliway diffusers but they aren't making a difference.

My second question - aside from plastic poly, is there another kind of sheet/material I can put down to protect a surface that's waterproof? I'm worried about my touch-screen stove getting hit and ruined like my coffee maker did.

Tonight I found spray on a cabinet, on the floor, and not by a window, which is making me worry that this is escalating more.

Third question - I'm thinking if part of this is anxiety over the cats, my next step may need to be medication. Has anybody had to medicate their cats for spraying, and if so, how did it go?

Final question - to those of you who need to live with constant pet spray, do you have any tips you can share with me about coping? I've been having anxiety over this. Aside from having things ruined, just when I think I can trust Don again, I find spray in a new place. My spouse is okay so far because I've been able to get the smell out. But the new room that he's spraying in has carpet. If the behaviour continues I don't know if enzyme cleaner will save it. I'm worried that my house will just constantly smell like cat pee and I can't have friends or family over any more.

Thank you for any and all help with this

 

[pmv]

I think one of the keys is going to be keeping strays out of your yard. I'd put up some motion-activated cameras so you can watch them, but in addition, you can look to motion-activated deterrents, such as sprinklers, alarms, or air puffers. The cameras are good to see if there are "hot spots" that cats are drawn to, and then you can use the other tools to make those much, MUCH less desirable places to be a stray cat. If I was a stray cat and walking up to my favorite peeing spot got me soaking wet and scared me with a loud noise, I'd be a lot less likely to ever come back.

Also, have you considered getting Don used to a harness and letting him go around the backyard to mark out there? My sense is that if he could spray out there, he would be much less tempted to spray inside. You could even add a catio where he could claim back a portion of the outdoors, with (almost) the safety of being an indoor cat.

 

[Norachan]

My second question - aside from plastic poly, is there another kind of sheet/material I can put down to protect a surface that's waterproof?

Try aluminum foil, the kind you use for baking or cooking. Cats don't like the sound it makes when they step on it and if they spray the foil they get splashed a little, which also puts them off.

my next step may need to be medication. Has anybody had to medicate their cats for spraying, and if so, how did it go?

I tried Zylkene for one of my cats who was over grooming and another who was peeing in her bed because the other cats were bullying her.

Zylkene® | Vetoquinol USA

It works pretty well and can be used long term. The small dog size is the correct dose for cats.

 

[di and bob]

My cat did the very same thing when we moved and there were strays in the yard. He continued for almost a year before he became used to the strays, but he DID stop. One of the things that helped tremendously was when I took him out on a leash and he sprayed outside, he didn't spray in the house when I did this. I agree with the above, eliminate the source of stress and you eliminate the problem. There are motion-activated 'talking' animals that may be used, the water spray sprinklers, and even Cat away granules/liquids to be sprinkled around hang out spots that will drive them away. I have used those with success. Of course, don't let your own cat near that.
I have gotten those thin flexible cutting boards and duct-taped them to the back and extending around the sides of my litter boxes to extend the height. That works well. Also if there are any spots your cat goes to often (my Burts was the window wells in the basement,) get some clear carpet runner with those nubs on the back that hold it in place on the carpet and cut it to fit and place it nub side up over the spot he goes in. The nubs hurt their feet and they won't go there.
Once his stress is reduced he will stop spraying. The trick is to make it uncomfortable for the strays to come into your yard. I would try the 'liquid fence' or granules for sure. I couldn't because the strays were ones I was feeding during a house remodel, that is why it took so long to get him to stop after we moved in. They eventually all got along great!

 

[NewYork1303]

I have a cat that was rehomed 3 times before we took him. He regularly peed everywhere to the point where I had to eventually keep him in a crate when unsupervised just to keep my house from becoming a disaster zone. My vet recommended prozac even though my cat is the most chill cat in the world. He says that he has found that in 95% of cases he's had with owners with cats that pee on things prozac solves the issue. Carrot started taking prozac back a year and a half ago. He hasn't peed on anything he shouldn't since the day he started taking it. Carrot loves his prozac and demands it before eating dinner every night. So whether there are any signs of anxiety in the cat or not, I would push for meds to see if they help.

 

[cmsandford]

I have a male cat who would spray over the sides when peeing (4 other cats in the house) until his hips became weaker. I purchased clear plastic mats (as used for under office chairs) and velcro'd to the wall behind the boxes...then I put towels behind the boxes to catch as much as possible. I also got some large plexiglass pieces that one would use in large picture frames and duct-tape them together to provide a higher barrier behind the litter boxes. Also, he was more likely to pee over when I or another cat was in the room, signifying it's a show of dominance. He's never sprayed anywhere else. You might also try pheromones (Feliway) as well as consult with vet to see if hormone injections might help. Using the motion sensor sprinklers as suggested is what Jackson Galaxy also encourages. You might check his website for other tips. Lots of good ideas posted in previous threads. I'm pretty sure you don't, but don't let anybody yell at him or punish him in anyway.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I have a spraying neutered male too. Mine is a former feral cat who I brought inside to live when I moved 2 years ago. At first he started spraying over the tops of the litter boxes. I too transitioned to the high sided rubbermaid containers. This worked, but he then started to spray on the outside of the boxes. I added 2 more boxes, but it continued. Then he started to spray in other areas of the house. I tried everything ( more litter boxes, different types of litter boxes, composure, zylkene, feliway plug ins and spray, more play time, etc...). I took him to the vet and it was suggested to try Prozac. It definitely solved the problem. I will say the side effects were hard on him. The first 4-6 weeks he was like a zombie. I chose to give the prozac in the evening. He also used to be a very vocal cat. On Prozac he was nearly silent. He also used to get the zoomies and run around like a crazy boy. That too disappeared on Prozac. After 6 months, I decided to reduce the amount from 2.5 mg to 1.25mg. He did that for about a month and then I started giving it every other day and then every 2-3 days until he was weaned off.

Once off Prozac, he was back to his vocal and lovey self. I had really missed that side of him. He was off the Prozac for 13 months when the spraying started again. We were having a kitchen renovation done and this pushed him over the edge. It was like once he started to spray again, he couldn't stop. He was peeing all over my house. So back onto Prozac we went. He stopped spraying immediately. It has now been 4 weeks and he is doing so well. He's still a bit tired and more quiet, but it seems different this time around.

The first time he was on Prozac I was able to get the prescription filled at Walmart. The tablets were 10mg and I was able to cut them into fourths. One $4 prescription lasted 2 months. Yet it was so hard to go any lower as the tablets are difficult to cut much smaller. So I researched and found that 1-800 Pet Meds has a compounded version. It's chicken or tuna flavored. It's about $30 for 60 days. Not horrible. It will also be very easy to lower the dose after a few months. I am hoping to take him down to 1.25 mg after 2-3 months of the loading dose.

Having a cat that sprays can really wreck havoc on the household. I was constantly searching with my black light and enzyme spray. I found that the absolute best way to get rid of the mess and odor is to use BioFog. It's a concentrated formula that mixes with water in a spray bottle. It gets rid of urine odors so well. It's not cheap, but it lasts a long time.

 

[daftcat75]

The only time my Krista ever urinated outside the box was when her teeth were going bad with tooth resorption and a bladder infection a couple years later.

I tarped my walls trying to discourage her. It didn’t. Once she had her problem teeth extracted, the behavior stopped.

In other words, it’s possible that there is a behavioral reason for why your male is spraying. But you owe it to him to rule out health reasons first. If he hasn’t had a recent dental exam, you may also look into that.

 

[basscat]

If we see him doing it. We immediately catch him, pour some ACV in a bowl, take him straight back to the spot and dip his front paws in the ACV. We then clean the area and wipe it down with vinegar.
He doesn't spray everywhere or anywhere. Just has three places all right next to each other.
He had his paws dunked three times in one week. He's not been back to that corner since that I know of.