Cat started peeing round the house

Shockin Stockin

Hi
I have 2 males cats, both 2 and a half years old. They've both lived always lived together. Recently, one of them has taken to peeing around the house which is very frustrating. There is no particualr "spot" he just comes in and goes.
They are out doors a lot, so there is no reason for this.
Can anyone suggest why he would suddenly start this behavior?
Many thanks

Rancid

Is he actually peeing.. like squatting and peeing on the floor, or lifting his tail and spraying walls or furniture?
If he's spraying, then he's marking his territory so he may be feeling insecure with your other cat and asserting himself... or after some interaction with a cat in your garden....
If he's just peeing on the floor in different places, think bladder infection or cystitis and have him checked by your vet.

Both conditions respond well to homoeopathic treatment, by the way, so if any serious infection is ruled out, consider a homoeopathic vet.

Schlemm

If it's spraying, it'll be small amounts of urine on mostly vertical surfaces.

If it's urination, it'll be larger amounts of urine on mostly horizontal surfaces.

Try to identify which it is, because cats will spray and urinate for different reasons. This will help you discover the root of the problem.

Check for any problems with the litter tray, eg, if its clean, or have you moved it recently or changed the type of litter that you use? Cats are very fussy! If they're not happy with the tray they will go elsewhere.

Shockin Stockin

Hi
Thank you both for your replies.
Yes, he is definitly spraying rather than urinating. The 2 cats get on fine, so I doubt its a "territory" issue as they've been a "pair" since before I got them over 2 years ago.
There is another cat who hangs around and eats their food, but they never make any attempt to chase him off, nor is there any conflict with him, and that's outdoors.
They don't have a litter tray as they have access to the garden via a window at all times. Generally they have are very clean.
Any ideas or deterents?:)

Rancid

Shockin Stockin wrote:

Hi
Thank you both for your replies.
Yes, he is definitly spraying rather than urinating. The 2 cats get on fine, so I doubt its a "territory" issue as they've been a "pair" since before I got them over 2 years ago.
There is another cat who hangs around and eats their food, but they never make any attempt to chase him off, nor is there any conflict with him, and that's outdoors.
They don't have a litter tray as they have access to the garden via a window at all times. Generally they have are very clean.
Any ideas or deterents?:)

Hi, I take it both yours are neutered?

There doesn't have to be *visible* conflict or even visible interaction between your cat and the visiting one, the mere fact that he comes and hangs out in your garden is enough and if he also eats their food, that's even more cause for the territorial spraying.
He's just making sure everyone knows that the house is definitely HIS!

Solutions? Well... can you feed yours indoors for a start?
Can you think of a way to discourage the visitor in any other way?

If he doesn't stop spraying very soon, I would seriously recommend the homoeopathy remedy.
I speak from experience, I had the same problem with one of mine years ago, when there was a stray hanging around he started the indoor marking and far as I can remember the remedy used was Staphisagria. It worked so specifically that within 4 or 5 days he had stopped spraying in the house but continued to spray in the garden!

Anyway, let us know how you get on.

Schlemm

Have you introduced anything new - eg, people or objects like furniture - into your household? Very often cats will start spraying when there is a change in environment.

As mentioned, homeopathic and alternative remedies are gaining popularity in veterinary medicine today, especially for behavioral problems like this. One interesting thing I've heard of is a synthetic analogue of feline facial pheromones which can be used to reduce the incedence of stress-related behavior, including spraying. It has a pacifying effect on cats and although I haven't used it myself, I've found it quite effective. Check out www.feliway.com for more info.

(If he is an intact male, neutering may reduce the incidence of spraying, and some people find that this is an effective way to deal with spraying problems. However, it is about 87% effective and some cats continue spraying after neutering. Such cats are often very vigarous sprayers and may continue to spray due to early learning of this behavior and a possible genetic influence.)

Rancid

Even moving furniture around, or redecorating can stress them out too, they're highly sensitive to all changes in their environment.
Schlemm, I've never heard of the synthetic pheromone for cats...that's really interesting. Is it available here in Ireland, do you know?

Schlemm

It's a fantastic idea! Haven't seen it on sale here but some vets or pet shops might carry it...you can get it online in a few places including here:
http://www.petvetcare.co.uk/acatalog/Feliway.html

There is also a dog appeasement pheromone which is used to treat dogs who are very anxious, e.g., separation anxiety.
http://www.cal.net/~pamgreen/dog_appeasement.html

Oh and by the by, make sure you're cleaning up after his spraying using an ammonia-free cleaning product! Not cleaning up may contribute to perpetuating the problem.

Irish-Lass

as we have 4 indoor cats we have feliway plugged in most of the time.

Shockin Stockin

Thanks for all the advice. I ended up using a spray that has lemon grass and he's avoiding the area so that could be the way to go I've also sprayed it on the areas they "scratch" so I'll let you know if there's a change there too.
I like the look of the plug in deterent, if it persists I'll definitly try that next.
Thanks for all the advise

Arcadian

Has the cat been seen recently by a vet?

luckat

Yeah, get the kitty checked. I know someone with a male cat that pees in the house whenever he gets a bladder infection - he has a condition where he gets kind of granular stuff in his bladder which is painful. As soon as he's medicated he stops (until the next time he it rears up on him).