Cat spraying problem

ryan84

I have my cat for nearly two years. He is a neutered male and was indoors only until recently. We have now built him a large outdoor enclosure and house so he lives between there and our house.

There is a female cat that comes by and hisses at him who I think is the cause of my problem.

Today I saw him spray the bin. I had noticed he started spraying outside but it is the first time I have seen him do it inside. He had never sprayed before we gave him the area outside.

Is there anything I can do to prevent him spraying inside? I was considering getting a second cat to keep him company but I don't know if this will be a problem now if he is getting territorial.

Any ideas what I can do?

Zapperzy

He's probably spraying because he's anxious of this other cat hanging around, cats can be awful bullys towards each other so you can only imagine the female is standing the other side of the enclosure teasing him that she's in his patch and there's nothing he can do about it, so he gets wound up and sprays everything to settle himself.

First of all try to keep other cats out, get a water pistol and don't be afraid to squirt at them when you see them. Try to keep your fella occupied with games with you when he's inside. What's the enclosure like, is there plenty to do inside that, high levels so he can feel comfortable watching everything? Move his feeding, litter tray and sleeping areas away from the windows so he can do these things without fear of being watched by other cats. Buy a feliway diffuser, they release a pheromone that is scent less to us but cats produce it when they're happy, this artificial pheromone creates a feeling of happiness and calms them. You might need a few but begin with one in the room he sprays in. You can buy the spray too and spray it over the areas he sprayed in conjunction with the diffuser. Make sure you wash the pee up well, biological washing powder works well but there's specific pee removers you can buy. The smell of the pee needs to be completely removed by enzymes otherwise he'l return to the area.

I definitely recommend the feliway though, you can get it cheaper off vetuk.co.uk, delivery is £3.99 and they normally take about 3 working days to deliver.

ryan84

Thanks for that. I had found something about feliway and I think I will have to invest in some. He used to get bullied in the last place we lived too but it was only through the glass so they couldn't spray near him. He has an outside house which has all his food and litter tray that the other cat can't see into but I have noticed that it has been sprayed.

Do they sell feliway in pet shops?

Zapperzy

Some pet shops and most vets do it but it can be very expensive to buy. That's why I got mine from the vetuk.co.uk crowd, it was nearly double the price near me.

ryan84

I went to the vets and have gotten calm aid gel. And feliway spray, they didnt have the plug in one so I will try get that online for cheaper. Also got some spray to get rid of urine so will hopefully get rid of any trace of the other cats spraying. Hopefully it will help him anyway.

ryan84

Just in case anyone is reading this because they have the same sort of problem. I have had to bring him to the vet. I noticed some blood when I was cleaning up after the spraying. He seems to have some sort of infection. He got some injections for it which will hopefully help. Poor guy is home now and constantly trying to go to the toilet but with nothing happening. Brought a litter box in so that he would stop trying on the carpet. Hopefully he will feel better soon.

Zapperzy

ryan84 wrote: »

Just in case anyone is reading this because they have the same sort of problem. I have had to bring him to the vet. I noticed some blood when I was cleaning up after the spraying. He seems to have some sort of infection. He got some injections for it which will hopefully help. Poor guy is home now and constantly trying to go to the toilet but with nothing happening. Brought a litter box in so that he would stop trying on the carpet. Hopefully he will feel better soon.

Poor guy, never thought of that when you just said he is spraying. Is he straining while squatting to go? If he's not passing anything at all I would ring them back, they can get crystals in their urine which can block the urinary tract, males especially because they've a narrower tract. It's an emergency when it gets completely blocked and they can't pass at all. The injections he got was probably an antibiotic and maybe a painkiller, if it's crystals he'l need a special diet to dissolve them. Hope he's on the mend soon.

ryan84

Yea I had to bring him back in this morning. He is trying to go a lot but nothing happening but they think its just irritation and he feels like he has to go as there's nothing in his bladder.

The vet thinks it might be caused by stress cause by the other cat bothering him. He even tried to spray me this morning but thankfully he didn't have anything in him to spray!

Hes eating fine so will have him on wet food for a bit and try get him to drink plenty of water. Feel sorry for the poor fella. Going to keep up with the calm aid gel and feliway too to help him.

Heroditas

Unfortunately it now looks like I have the same problem at home.
We have three indoor cats and the male peed on a load of newspapers and the corner of the blind on the window sill in the living room a while ago.
We thought it was a once-off but it looks like he did it again the other day and when I came down this morning there was a very fresh pool of urine on the window sill.
Very depressing.

Any home products that people swear by?

We had been using a Feliway diffuser in the dining room so maybe we need to move it into the living room?
Also, clean the window sill and roller blind with bio washing powder and then vinegar?
As for keeping him away from the area for a while... maybe some fresh fruit?


I reckon there are two issues that are causing this:
1. We've started making the cats sleep downstairs because we have a baby on the way in the middle of June so no more kitties on the bed!
2. There has been an absolute cat explosion in the area in the last couple of months and there are literally gangs of them in our garden (both front and back) at various times during the day and night.

Also, I'm starting to wonder if our third cat (a female stray who adopted us in late 2010) might actually not be neutered and the others are attracted to her.

Also, it looks like I need to figure out how to stop the feckers using the flower bed as a public latrine!

Quite a few issues - looks like vinegar and bio wash powder will be a good start?
As always, thanks for any advice forthcoming.

ryan84

Maybe separate him from the other two for a day just to be sure he doesn't have the same problem as my cat had as can be life threatening if left. Especially if he has never sprayed before. I cant give much more advise than that.

The kalm cat gel I got for him might be working but so hard to apply. It generally falls off him and onto the floor. Don't think they tested it on cats before selling it! But maybe give it ago.

Zapperzy

ryan84 wrote: »

The kalm cat gel I got for him might be working but so hard to apply. It generally falls off him and onto the floor. Don't think they tested it on cats before selling it! But maybe give it ago.

I squirt mine onto her biscuits, granted some of it gets dragged out of the bowl and across the counter but I reckon she eats about 90% of it. It's supposed to be salmon flavoured, I licked a bit (:o) and I wouldn't say it's salmon flavoured but certainly not a horrible taste off it. I also sprinkle some of this http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/cats/cat_treats_catnip/cat_snacks/thrive/127344 over it too, it's dehydrated meat so it crushes between your finger like a powder so easy to coat food in if your trying to coax them!

mandz

I've had this problem too with one of my cats, you probably spotted my post yesterday out of pure desparation. Finally spotted last night she urinated against a white door and there appeared to be blood in it (previous it was over dark curtains etc.). She went to go again a short while later and I ran to catch her and she went into litter tray - hurrrah for me She was only at the vets a short while ago when I suspected she had a UTI so its back we go again Saturday. I can actually say I seen blood in it this time.

When I was trying to figure out what the hell was causing the problem (I had put it down to stress as I had loads of cats around the house (one tom from across the road walking into my kitchen and helping himself to their food!!) I came across a post that said burning peppermint oil helped calm cats. Sure anything is worth a try I figured. Its €6 for a small bottle and you only need a few drops in water in an oil burner so maybe try that.

Heroditas

I might see if I can get a peppermint diffuser!
Anyway, I reckon it's predominantly down to stress.
Thanks guys, I'll let you know how I get on.

Heroditas

OK so as an update:
Got a refill for the Feliway diffuser and now have it in the living room.
Also used the bio powder to scrub down the blind, sofa and window sill. I'm actually amazed at how well it works at removing the scent! :eek:

Anyway, dried everything down and also sprayed the area with a Feliway spray.
Fingers crossed this will do the trick.

The little guy seems to be absolutely flaked out after getting a good sniff of the Feliway. I might have to rechristen him R.P. McMurphy!! :pac:

ryan84

Lots of cats peeing everywhere it seems

My guy is back to his old self now. The vet gave him anti inflammatory and antibiotic injections. He then had to stay at a cattery for a few days as I had to return home and sprayed once there but was ok after that. No more blood in his urine either. Felt bad leaving him when he was sick but he was grand there.

Lucky for me it was only one day he was at it but every time he raises his tail now I'm waiting for it to happen again. Especially when hes beside me since he tried to get me too!!

Added the kalm cat gel to his food this evening and he ate it no problem. Stupidly I thought you had to put it on their paw. Next time I'll read the instructions fully

Hes snoozing beside me now