I have had 4 indoor cats for 12 years. All were fixed as kittens. They are 12, 11, 10, and 9, all were rescued a year apart. All of a sudden the male, who is 11 years old is spraying everywhere in the house. The vet says he's fine. He does it right in front of me and tries to cover it up. The 9 year old is a male too and the 11 year old loves him, cuddles with him and follows him all over the house. None of my cats fight. Why all of a sudden is he spraying after all these years? Please help.
By Nancytoby from FT Myers, FL
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Is he stressed out over something? Has something changed? Is he mad at you? We had a male cat (who was also 'fixed'). I found him when I was a teen & he was 1 day old. When I would come home to visit as an adult, he would be mad at me for being gone & would pee and/or spray my suitcase if he could get to it! He also did that around the house when he was upset with my mom sometimes. My mom had to clean up after his 'fits' with one of those odor neutralizers. He didn't start that until he was around 10 years old, did it for a year or two, then quit! He lived to a ripe old age of 19.
This is a behavioral issue and can be resolved with thoughtful patience and care. Try to remember what was going on when the cat began to do this - perhaps he was disturbed by some change in the household routine, or issues have developed between him and one of the other cats.
I agree with pixiedust7.
I have a book " Think like a Cat" it explains why cats spray and what you can do to help modify his behavior.
Both sexes will spray, not only males. Many females shake those tails and aim high too. Sometimes a cat isn't marking but will continue to squat on an item like a blanket, throw rug or towels. It may take 2 to 3 washes to get the smell out of heavy items. One wash usually won't do. It's the same with a wall, door or anything else. The spot has to be cleaned really well before their noses can't pick up the odor. My first load is with oxyclean, the second with regular stuff and some fabuloso for the fragrance. It seems to work.) I haven't ever figured out how to stop an individual cat from doing it, ever, other than keeping them out of the main part of the house.
My pee'ers live in the garage now. I keep it cleaned up and notice that they do their business outside when the door is cracked open with no spraying inside. One other thing. KMart carries a large kid's sandbox shaped like a turtle. It's big and can handle a 40lb bag of litter. I've noticed that there is much less spraying for the ones using it. Perhaps it's the size. It's big but easy to clean and maintain with the tall sides.
Well, I highly suspect your cat is indeed "stressed" as you consider putting him down for acting like an animal. If you are seriously thinking of ending your pet's life because he sprays, I agree with "Pixiedust7" that you need to find a new home for him. Pets are dirty, stinky, shedding, peeing, pooping and puking creatures. As others said, this is a behavioral problem and unworthy of a death sentence.
I'm sorry for being so crass. You obviously love your cats, all are older rescues who have been living with you for years. Just hang in there with them as they deal with their own issues and do your best to interpret their messages. I agree that something has changed in your cat's life that might be upsetting him. It's your job, as a pet parent, to figure out what that problem is. If your vet hasn't been able to help, schedule a consultation with another vet.
I have a few suggestions that might help you eliminate the spray odor. If it's something that can be washed in the washing machine , add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. If it is a hard surface, wipe it down with vinegar. If it is carpet or upholstery, (test on any fabric in a discrete area first) try dousing it with wintergreen scented rubbing alcohol. You will smell the wintergreen for a day or two, but that is not unpleasant.
I wish you much luck, just please don't consider putting down your cat because he acts like an animal.
Hi there, I think for a start, all you folks slating this person saying they are considering putting the cat to sleep need to take a step back. I believe they said the thought of putting him to sleep made them feel awful an perhaps they may think the poor thing is sick an it may lead to this. They come on here looking for answers, not for you to be opinionated and tell them they are sick.
I'm sure they love their cat very much otherwise why would they be looking for answers on why the poor thing is acting up. I have had the same problem with my cat - first of all don't worry! This behaviours usually occurs with stress.
My male cat kept spraying when he was stressed when our smaller cat returned home. She had been staying at my parents house while we were having the hous decorated - she isn't old enough to go out yet. Anyway when we returned her home our male cat obviously was a bit concerned and started the behaviour again. He did this before when we first introduced the female after we lost our previous cat to feline leukaemia. He settled down once back into routine and all is well - as say he usually flares up and sprays when he is stressed and we try to find out what had made him that way, obviously we were aware how it happened this time again and since then he's been grand and happy to have his chum back! Hope this helps!
I have a rather large male cat who is fixed. He is about 7 or 8 yrs old. We just got back from a 10 day vacation. My neighbor was feeding him while we were away. My neighbor had not been over to feed him since Friday & we got home on Sunday & his dishes were empty! Last nite (Monday) he sprayed on an old shirt of my husband's! I am sure that he was stressed because of our vacation. I have never left him for so long. Also, I am the only one who looks after him or pets him. He sleeps on my side of the bed with me.
Sunday night when we got home he kept on vocalising in a distressed way. He did that for a day@ & now he is spraying! I am just going to hang in there with him & wait for him to feel secure again so this behavior stops. I sure hope it is soon tho because we have guests coming for the weekend!
My 9 year old neutered cat has suddenly started spraying in the kitchen. He has constant access to outside
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