I need advice on what to do about my cat.

[pennylane100]

We took in this stray cat a couple of years ago, it was quite wild but with care and a regular meal schedule it soon became a very lovable pet. Unfortunately, it started spraying on just about everything in the house.

We made it an outside cat but brought it into the house twice a day to feed it and it could stay in the house as long as it stayed in sight of us. It actually understood the constraints and would stay close by for at least a couple of hours every time it came in to eat.

Unfortunately we have moved to a retirement community that does not allow outdoor cats and it is out of the question to keep it in the house all the time. My daughter has rented our old house and is feeding it every day but the cat (we call him Vicious because of his very bad manners) is not happy and I think the quality of his life is not good.


I know he is unhappy, he misses us and feels neglected, even though he is getting fed daily. My daughter will be leaving next year and then I will have to take him to the pound. I am looking for a cat rescue place to take him but they do not seem to want sprayers.

Any suggestions would be very helpful.

[mykpart]

1. Maybe your veteranarian can help you find a home for him.

Mine has a bulletin board in the waiting room.

[flvegan]

2. He's neutered, yes?

That's my first question.

However, good for you for taking responsibility for this guy, here.

[pennylane100]

4. Yes, he's neutered, he also has all his shots,

as well as several vet bills whe he gets into fights, as outside cats often do.

[Haole Girl]

3. Please give that cat another chance!

Believe me, cats somehow know when it's an ultimatum! I once lived with a woman who had a cat who urinated on the furniture- just once- while she was away on a trip, when I was her roomate. Though some may say it's cruel, I put the cat's nose in the pee. The cat never urinated on furniture again-- only used the litter box. Interesting thing...when I moved away, my roommate had to give the cat away because that stupid cat started peeing on every piece of furniture there was! Cats are smart that way. I've never had a problem with them misbehaving, though...maybe I'm just an "alpha cat," as they say!

[pennylane100]

5. I would love to give him another chance,

However, he has peed on my husbands keyboards, my son-in-laws luggage. our new vertical shades and just about any piece of unguarded space, including boxes of photographs, boxes of cds, laundry baskets of unfolded laundry, just to name a fews.

As I understand it, spraying is a habit that cannot stopped, no matter what kind of behavior mod training is used. Also, my husband has far less patiences than I do and is not prepared to put up with it anymore.

Again, any suggestions would be helpful.

[LeftyMom]

6. I don't know if you've tried these things, but here's what I'd do

First of all, have the vet double check that he doesn't have a UTI or other urinary tract issue. It doesn't sound like he does, but that would be your easiest fix and nothing but vet care will solve the issue if that is it.

Once that's ruled out, I'd get him inside and close him into a realtively pee-proof area (a linoleum covered spot like a bathroom or laundry room would be good) and give him his box, food and water, plus some bedding and a toy or three. Clean up any accidents immediately and use an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle on them to kill all the smells (you'll also need to do this to anyplace he's sprayed before- this will probably require some pretreating with the nature's miracle and a pro carpet cleaning.) You may want to try using Cat Attract litter, some people find that it helps to get chronic sprayers to use the box. Otherwise use an unscented clay litter. However the most important thing is that accidents are corrected immediately. Start letting him out onto the carpeted areas only once he's litter box compliant. You could add extra boxes in the house if you find that it helps, but I'd try not to because it's potentially confusing. Keep him inside while he adjusts, and let him go only in the box, cleaning any mistakes immediately until the odor is neutralized, and placing him in the box immediately afterward, using his paws to scratch at the litter. If he poops anyplace else in the house, move it to the box and don't remove it until he finds it there.

If you wind up having to rehome him you'll probably have to do it yourself. Asking around to see if anybody'd like an outdoor cat might be your best bet then, you'll have a hard time getting most rescues to take him on and an adult cat has very little chance of escaping a municipal shelter alive under the best of circumstances. One who sprays won't get adopted and will be euthanized, it's a virtual certainty.

[Stardust]

8. How I solved my cat problem:

Shere is 17 years old, has been all over the world with me, is still quite a pretty long-hair calico, BUT, recently, she began "going" outside the box. I tried everything...anal gland expressed, new litter, less litter, new box, aluminum foil on the favorite areas, sprays, you name it. I was at my wit's end. To make matters worse, I have the world's most sensitive nose.

After I had my carpets thoroughly cleaned, I decided to leash her. She does not get to roam free anymore. She spends her days on the balcony with her food and water and a litter box. Evenings she's allowed some freedom, but she's always on the leash and never out of my sight. At night, her leash is tied up to a kitchen door handle where she has her food and water and bed and another litter box within reach.

Of course, her life is not as sweet as when she had free rein, but, hey, she's had a good life and now is just the time for adjustments. There was no way I could tolerate bad toilet habits. I KNEW she knew better but sometimes she'd forget, I guess.

We're both happier now. I, because I don't have to pick up poop and smell urine every day, and she because I'm not mad at her.

You sound like a kind person who's been very patient. Good luck.

[idgiehkt]

11. nature's miracle

the only thing I have to add is you can go to a janitorial supplies store and buy an enzyme cleaner for around $2.50-$3.00. They are the same as the ones in pet stores and the ones like Nature's Miracle can be way overpriced.

[LeftyMom]

13. Simple Green does a great job on pee stains too

(I used to use it on some astonishingly nasty cloth diapers all the time) but it's not safe for all fabrics. Worth trying though, at $10 for a very concentrated gallon.

[grasswire]

7. how old is the cat?

That would make a difference in any decision I would have to make. Does he have lots of lively years ahead?

A couple of other thoughts:

Are you sure he's spraying? Or is it that anal gland thing? That smells worse than urine!

[pennylane100]

9. He sprays and also uses that anal gland thing

and you are right, it really stinks.

He is about five or six years old and not very sociable, its just that I love him so much.

[Kat45]

10. You might want to post in the Pets Forum here too.

A lot of folks there have dealt with just about every cat issue and will probably have some helpful suggestions,

[Dangerously Amused]

12. Here's some more info:

"The results of the first study were presented at the World Small Animal Veterinary Congress in 1996 and showed that both sexual urine spraying and reactive (non-sexual) urine spraying could be reduced with the F3 fraction, which is applied to the environment and not the cat directly. ... Several studies using different target populations have routinely shown a reduction in urine spraying regardless of cause in over 70 per cent of cases and in some studies as many as 97 per cent of cases...."

Source and more info. here: http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour_pheromonatherapy.html


They sell this stuff here, and I'm sure other places as well:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=1061


Good luck!

[Critters2]

14. Get him a thorough physical

My neutered boy was doing this, and it turned out he had a urinary infection and lower urinary tract disease. Antibiotics and prescription food have completely solved the problem. We just moved into a new house, and I figured he'd do some spraying for territorial reasons--but nothing! I have a huge jug of Simple Solution that may go unused now :)

Really, go to the vet and ask for a thorough exam!