Since things have changed a little I figured I would post an update. It's kind of hard to tell what's working here but the amount of marking has reduce by 90%.
I'm still giving Jasper the Prozac but have reduced the dose my half. Someone told me to give the med two full months so I'm going to. The other thing is we have allowed him to go back outside twice a day for 45 minutes each time. Someone is with him (he doesn't go far) while he's out. I carry a spray bottle (just in case) and my husband carries a big stick (that he only uses to prod, never touches the cat). Jasper does cry to go out in between his morning and evening outings but he does not go around the house spraying when he can't get out there.
This is all kind of a pain because we do have to go out with him but hey, it's better than him being hurt in a fight, and better than having my house soaked in kitty pee.
I have to think that he would still be spraying if not for the Prozac but I'm not positive. The only way to tell would be to take him completely off of it but that would put us back to square one.
He is using the outdoor enclosure more now. I think maybe he's not looking at it as a cage now that he gets out a little.
Our next "project" with him is to get a harness on him so we have better control while outside. Will still have to carry the spray bottle just in case of another cat but that's ok. Baby steps. I do think that if we could have done the "inside only" thing differently, like little by little, things would have gone much better. Because he was injured and so sick, this was the way we had to go. Kind of backwards but it's seems to be working.
My plan is to make him an indoor kitty by fall. Can't imagine going out into the cold Vermont winter at 5 a.m. Burr!
On the up side, I am getting in a good walk twice a day for myself.
I'm still giving Jasper the Prozac but have reduced the dose my half. Someone told me to give the med two full months so I'm going to. The other thing is we have allowed him to go back outside twice a day for 45 minutes each time. Someone is with him (he doesn't go far) while he's out. I carry a spray bottle (just in case) and my husband carries a big stick (that he only uses to prod, never touches the cat). Jasper does cry to go out in between his morning and evening outings but he does not go around the house spraying when he can't get out there.
This is all kind of a pain because we do have to go out with him but hey, it's better than him being hurt in a fight, and better than having my house soaked in kitty pee.
I have to think that he would still be spraying if not for the Prozac but I'm not positive. The only way to tell would be to take him completely off of it but that would put us back to square one.
He is using the outdoor enclosure more now. I think maybe he's not looking at it as a cage now that he gets out a little.
Our next "project" with him is to get a harness on him so we have better control while outside. Will still have to carry the spray bottle just in case of another cat but that's ok. Baby steps. I do think that if we could have done the "inside only" thing differently, like little by little, things would have gone much better. Because he was injured and so sick, this was the way we had to go. Kind of backwards but it's seems to be working.
My plan is to make him an indoor kitty by fall. Can't imagine going out into the cold Vermont winter at 5 a.m. Burr!
On the up side, I am getting in a good walk twice a day for myself.
