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Have 2 male cats and one of them sprays all over the place indoors and out and it's becoming more frequent. He doesn't have urinary track disease. It started a few years ago when a vicious cat was bullying him in his own territory. It's a highly populated cat area and it has triggered him off since then.
Tried Feliway but only worked for a week (do you need one in every room?). Has a cat tray, although will think of maybe putting another one somewhere in the house (could that help)? He fights with the other cat now as well which doesn't help, they used to be fine.
No kids in the house or no loud music so I'm sure it's other cats. They are chipped and only they can get into the house through the cat flap.
I've had to ban them from a room where our clothes are kept but that was the only room where they could sit and watch the garden. So I'm wondering if this doesn't help, (not to know when other cats are on their prowl) but not sure what to do about that as he can't be trusted... They can only look out of the front of the house where they dont' go.
He's very loving and can't leave me alone when I'm there and he gets a lot of attention, but it's getting unbearable and may have to re-home him if it doesn stop which would break my heart!
If he's cleared from health problems, it is likely the neighborhood cats that are setting him off. YES, add a second litter box. That's a good idea since you have two cats.
BTW, do you use an enzymatic cleaner to thoroughly remove the urine from where he sprays? It's important to completely remove the smell.
Feliway can be helpful but it's not a cure. You don't need one in every room, but try one where he is most (like the living room or bedroom).
I think you need to keep him away from windows where other cats could be if that's his trigger. Try that for a week and see what happens.
"Re-homing" him will not solve his problem, it will only solve yours. His problems are likely to increase, ending up abused, or dumped in a remote area somewhere,
You should have several litter boxes available to them, even though it sounds like they come and go in and out as they wish?
If you think strange cats are coming into your yard, creating territorial feelings, cat proof your yard to keep them in it, and the other cats out of it.
What are you feeding them?
The problem could be territorial, but it could also be exacerbating a physical problem. Some cats are prone to stress induced cystitis. What this means is when the cat is stressed (such as seeing a strange cat) he develops inflammation in his urinary tract causing discomfort or even pain. When he feels this pain, the first thing he feels is a need to urinate, even if he has an empty bladder. Then, when he does pee, it hurts, so he tries peeing in other places.
There is no way to test for this illness. The treatment is to reduce stress, feed an ALL WET LOW CARB diet, or balanced raw diet (species appropriate, in other words) and supplements to reduce discomfort.
The supplements recommended are d-mannose and cosequin for cats. D-mannose is a (usually) cranberry extracted amino acid. It helps keep the urine, bladder and urinary tract cleared of debris, reducing pain and the likelihood of infections or crystals forming. It is usually given on a pulse method. (two weeks on to start, then three weeks off, one week on, on going. 1/8 teaspoon mixed in wet food, morning and evening)
Cosequin for cats is anti inflammatory, and is given daily.
If your cats are dry fed, you must rectify that, immediately. Dry food creates many problems for a cat, including issues like this.
(I am writing on the assumption that both cats are already neutered.)
I'd be willing to bet the problem is the other neighborhood cats coming into your cat's territory. Even if your cat doesn't actually see them, they could be scent marking around your house, and that will trigger a like response from your resident cat from the smell alone. You need to do everything you can to keep other cats off your property, and I know that's easier said than done. But it's probably the best long term solution. You might also consider not allowing your cats outside, at least for a period of time. That may help in not attracting other cats to your property.
Tried Feliway but only worked for a week (do you need one in every room?). Has a cat tray, although will think of maybe putting another one somewhere in the house (could that help)? He fights with the other cat now as well which doesn't help, they used to be fine.
You cannot have open windows if you're using Feliway as it escapes as does cooking odors or cigarette smoke. You want it to be trapped inside, not diluted by fresh air. For the average 3 bedroom house you need more than one. More like 3 and that can start getting costly.
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He's very loving and can't leave me alone when I'm there and he gets a lot of attention, but it's getting unbearable and may have to re-home him if it doesn stop which would break my heart!
We're suffering the same fate with an adult female. We've spent several hundred dollars and she's still urinating outside the litter totes. Yes, large litter totes we scoop 3 to 4 times a day now. It started with a urethra infection or inflammation which was successfully treated. But she persists in urinating inappropriately. She simply doesn't see any point in using the littertotes. She never buried her waste anyway. She has no motive to use the box/tote. She can't understand how disgusting what she is doing is. Feliway and Alprazolam didn't work 100% for us though she has urinated less - it's not every day anymore. Some people suggest Prozac which is an anti-depressant but she is not depressed. Her two vets (we're snow-birds) don't think it's an appropriate drug for her urinating outside the box. Her biggest issue is anxiety but she never peed outside the box (that we know of) until that infection.
Chappy S ... Feliway doesn't work for every cat and for every situation. While for some households it's a great tool for calming a cat, certain emotional levels just can't be soothed by the scent of pheromones.
We'll presume your cats are neutered and both have been to a vet for a check-up to eliminate a medical reason in either one to cause your sprayer to do what he's doing (the spraying, the aggression).
Nothing is going to change unless some changes are made. That's a decision you have to make, if you are willing to make some changes in your home and lifestyle. First, get some more litter boxes -- rule of thumb is # of cats plus 1 ... this isn't cast-in-stone, but worth trying. Keep them scooped. Second, thoroughly clean where he's been spraying - use a black light (very cheap) to find all the places and use an enzymatic cleaning product. Eliminating the smell of pee can sometimes stop a cat from respraying in that spot (or spots); however, I'll be honest to say that sometimes cats will respray to emphasize "mine" if the problem is specifically territorial marking and not just spraying because of anxiety or frustration. But at least with a fresh clean start, should he continue marking you can pinpoint where he does it the most and maybe that will tell you if it's general anxiety/frustration (he does it anywhere) or if he's creating a territory barrier (prefers an outside wall in a particular room).
The largest change to consider is to make them strictly indoor only or allow them outside for short periods with supervision. If this is a territorial issue and your yard is "infested" with other cats, every time either of yours goes out they are stepping in the scents of these other cats and bringing these scents inside. The aggression your sprayer is showing toward your other cat could be displaced aggression OR it could be a response to the smells that cat has brought in.
Not knowing what your neighborhood is like nor your yard, I can't make exact suggestions about how to deter the other cats from coming around. Some have had good results with the consistent use of a garden hose.
The last change I can think of is to give your cats some other forms of "entertainment" besides looking out windows. Lots of toys (for singular play and interactive play), cat trees, and maybe even a cat DVD to play on the TV that features bounding squirrels, chirping birds, etc.
Believe me, I do know your frustration!! Many of us here do!
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