Oops. Spraying

[Willowwombat]

The other day we noticed our Dude making spraying motions. I've seen him do this before but not actually spraying. However, this time there were a couple of drops of spray. I've found a couple of other spots on chair legs, too, now that I'm looking. There's no smell that I can detect, oddly.

He and our Willow seem to be friendlier than ever, so I don't know what this is all about. It's definitely new behaviour. Any suggestions to dicourage this?

 

[Norachan]

First question, is he neutered? If not you need to make an appointment to get him fixed as soon as you can. Intact toms almost always spray.

If he is fixed, is he still using his litter box as usual? Some times cat get UTIs and, even though they usually squat to pee in an inappropriate place if that's the problem, I've known cats start spraying because of this too.

A vet visit would be a good place to start. Also, get an enzyme cleaner to clean up the places he has sprayed. You might not be able to smell urine but he will and so will your other cats. Once a place gets marked cats repeatedly use this area to spray or urinate. You need to clean really thoroughly so this doesn't happen

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Also, invest in a small, hand-held black light. Any urine will fluoresce green to yellow, depending on how old it is. That way, you'll know you haven't missed any spots.

 

[Willowwombat]

Yes, he's neutered, and has been since he was a kitten. We got him from the SPCA about 5 months ago, and he is nine years old. They have his history, since he was an SPCA kitten. I have no idea whether he sprayed inside his old home.

We haven't seen him do this before in the house, although he did spray our BBQ the very first time we let him out onto our second-floor balcony, though again, I haven't seen him do that since. He's chosen his sleeping spots to spray, I notice.

He uses his litter box several times a day, and the spray spots are on uprights, so it isn't urine. It really is a tiny amount of spray.

I'll invest in the black light and cleaner.

Thanks!

 

[cataholic07]

Add extra litter boxes and scratching posts in the area he sprays. Spraying is usually territorial so adding extra scent markers will help.

 

[Willowwombat]

He sleeps on two of the dining room chairs. No litter boxes in the dining room!

Also, I have suspected for a while that he is hyperthyroid. He is a happy little boy, but he does run around a LOT for a middle-aged cat, and although he eats twice as much as my other cat, who is fat, he is the correct weight. I have vet appointments for both cats in a couple of months. .

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Have there been any changes that might have him more territorial? Incursions of stray cats, for instance? Upheaval in the general neighborhood (construction even a few blocks away can do it for some cats)?

 

[danteshuman]

Has many people say you can have pee (or poop) in places (like the dining room) or litter box. It doesn’t have to be permeant. After you get him to stop you can slowly move the box out of the room.

If the vet clears him then it is time to find out what other stressors are in his life. Is he being bullied when he uses the box? Are there Community cats marking right outside or on the outside of your house? Is your poor cat super stressed by a new family member? Etc.

 

[Willowwombat]

No, he's an indoor cat and always has been. We adopted him about 5 months ago. He's 9 years old, so not a young cat, and he lived with a young female cat in his past life, so living with another cat wasn't a new thing for him..

We have a couple of cats that roam freely in our neighbourhood, but I don't see that being an issue since they can't get up to the balcony he hangs out on. We also have a black bear, at least one cougar, a fox, and many, many deer, plus rabbits and a mink and he knows by now that they aren't able to get at thim.

The very first time I let him outside on the second-floor balcony, which was the first time he had ever been outside in his life, he was so wowed out he sprayed the BBQ, but after I washed it down he never did that again -- and I've been checking.

He and my Willow have their own litter boxes and sleeping spots anyway, and she isn't trying to muscle in on him because she sleeps on the bed and he has a condo tower of his own, plus he sometimes sleeps on the dining room chairs. The two cats are pretty friendly these last few weeks and she absolutely loves him, which he is finally starting to understand, so there's no hissy fits at all thse days, mostly just the two cats hanging around together or chasing each other up and down the stairs.

My husband is ill, but I dont think he's really on Dude's radar much anyway. He's mostly my cat.

I have a black light on order and will start checking around the house now that I know what to look for.

 

[Norachan]

Even though he knows the other cats and wildlife can't get to him he might be feeling a bit stressed because they are close by. He's probably marking his territory just to let the other animals know he owns that part.

Have you tried Feliway? I've had mixed results with it, but it does help to calm most cats down.

FELIWAY CLASSIC Diffuser

There are also mild sedatives that you can buy online, safe to use without a prescription.

Zylkene – Dogs and Cats Calming Supplement for Most Common Stressful Situations.

This one is a milk based powder that you can mix with their wet food

 

[danteshuman]

I would give him a wooden post to spray on your balcony or harness walks outside. That way he can tell the wildlife this placed us owned outside your home.

You might consider motion activated sprinklers though it may not keep bears away. Other ways to keep them away. You can watch many “my cat from hell” episodes where community cats or possums or foxes are stressing cats so badly they per all over inside their house. Is he marking the perimeters? (Start marking his spots with tape.) If he is marking all the borders of your house along with windows anc doors then that tells you that your cat is stressed out because their are barbarians at the gate!

Lastly worst case scenario because I don’t want this poor cat to be rehomed again.... if all the behavior things fail you can try a mood stabilizer like prozac. It isn’t an instant fix and takes weeks to fully build up in the cat’s system. You can slowly wean the cat off it months or a year from now.

 

[Willowwombat]

I would never rehome the little guy. He's not going anywhere. I like my house to be clean, but the odd cat spray isn't the end of the world. I'll just havve to be diligent. I'm fine with doing a find-and-destroy misson once a week.

Honestly, his markings leave no smell, and we didn't notice them at all until we actually saw him do it the other day. The indoor ones are tiny. They only place he's really let it rip is on the balcony barbecue. My girl Willow led me to one in the bedroom this morning, where he only just started sleeping for the first time yesterday, and I cleaned it up.

I'll know about the balcony markings when I get my black light.

 

[Norachan]

I like my house to be clean, but the odd cat spray isn't the end of the world.

I feel the same way. My mantra is "It's only pee, it's not the end of the world."



My cats all spray the wall next to the cat door (They have access to a big, fenced in enclosure) I tape some of those puppy pee pads up there and just change them every morning as part of my daily house work. It only takes a minute, it doesn't bother me too much if they stick to the same place.