Cats spraying garage (male, carpet, blood, safe)

[AuntB]

Ok. I have a situation at my house. I'm not quite sure what to do about it. There are several local cats that have taken to coming in our pet door (garage to outside) and spraying all over everything....I mean everything. It's making me sick. The smell is beyond awful. I know I would be able to handle this with repellents, but I have a kitty of my own. Yes, she has sadly been moved to the outside. We do not want her out there but due to my human baby developing severe asthma because of her she had to go out. Live in a very small house making it impossible to contain kitty in one area. We have tried exhaustively to find her a new indoor only home, but we've had no luck. We do live in a very small neighborhood with almost no traffic to speak of. The neighbors all love her and look out for her. For now I feel she is as safe as she could possibly be outside. She has been spayed so I know she is not attracting males because of being in heat. I don't know where these cats come from so I can't complain to their owners. I'm sure there really aren't many options here as I don't want to repell my own sweet kitty, but hoping maybe someone here has heard of or tried some iteresting product or technique. Or maybe someone here lives in the Atlanta area and would love to give our Lucy a wonderful new indoor home where she can be the center of attention . Thanks for any advice offered. And, I totally agree with any comments made about cats being indoor only...no one has to go to the trouble of preaching to the choir.

[FiveHorses]

Gosh... I am sorry, this all must be a very difficult situation for you. The stink of tomcat is truly awful.

Do you know if there's a feral cat colony in your area? You might want to contact some local cat rescues or welfare organisations and find out. If the toms are spraying, they're not neutered - so either they're unneutered local pets or perhaps they're from a feral colony. If they're from a feral colony, one of the local groups might be willing to set up traps and do TNRs. It's an avenue I'd investigate anyway.

The spraying is all going to be about territorial marking and now that your kitty lives out, the toms are spraying to mark her/the garage as "theirs". It wouldn't have happened before if kitty was indoors only as they wouldn't have known she was there.

I've no personal experience with repellents or anything like that, but I would suggest a good enzyme-based cleaner as it's the only thing that's going to help get rid of the stink. It won't solve the problem, but it will help with the smell.

[AuntB]

Thank you for your suggestions. I never thought about trying to get some help from a local feral group. I know there are about 4 cats that I have seen regularly around. Poor little guys...I'm disheartened to feel so frustrated with them. I truly could be THE cat lady but these fellas are started to get on my bad sad. And I feel sorry for my Lucy. I'm sure she does not enjoy the stink of these boys in her garage any more than I do. I really do love my cat (she thinks I'm her mama) and it's so sad not to have her in with the rest of the family. Right now there is just no other option and the male cats have become another headache.
Maybe I'll have to close off the cat door, fill her litter box, and control when she is in and out. Will certainly buy some enzyme cleaner ASAP. Looking up feral cat groups now!! Thanks!!

[AuntB]

I've got another silly sort of question. Would a feral cat poop in my cat's bed basket? I know she wouldn't poop in her own bed and she seemed highly annoyed it was there. Is this common behavior for a feral cat?

[whatnow]

Not to sound mean but you really need to find your cat a new home. I have much experience with cats and their many different behaviors and frankly your cat deserves to live in peace. Maybe you can expand your search for a new home. Before long your cat will change and it will probably not be a good change. Best wishes in finding Lucy a new home.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by AuntB

I've got another silly sort of question. Would a feral cat poop in my cat's bed basket? I know she wouldn't poop in her own bed and she seemed highly annoyed it was there. Is this common behavior for a feral cat?

Yes. Ish. LOL

While I'm not going to go into the whole "true feral" vs. "formerly domesticated" cat issue here ... to try to answer your question I'd say this: Feral/FD cats mark territory - either with spray or by leaving a deposit. In this instance the cat will not bury it because to bury it would defeat the object - the object being to broadcast your very presence. It's also a threat to younger, lower down male cats: i.e. "I've marked here, it's mine, now bugger off or challenge me at your peril" type notice.

If you've got a cat flap into the garage and if you've got ferals/FD's about you might be setting yourself up for a nasty experience. While I'd doubt a true feral would enter a garage/house (smells too human), a FD would not be quite so hard-line about it, especially if there's food on offer for example. So if Mr. "I Just Pooped in Your Bed" is out and about only to return for a snack and finds Young Upstart in the self same confined space... nothing pleasant will come of it.

One thing I will add about exposing Lucy to ferals/FD is that - and there is no polite way of saying this, sorry - you're risking exposing her to FIV. (I'm assuming she's vaccinated against FeLV.) While the transmission of FIV is not as easy as previously thought, it is still common. It is something I would urge you to consider.

[luvmycat]

The sooner you find her an indoor home, the better...is there any way you could keep her in a room behind a closed door until you find someone to take her? Maybe a neighbor could foster her for a bit? Or maybe close off the pet door, clean the garage & let her stay in there? Anything?! She really is at risk out there, not just from diseases but also fights with other critters, mean people, cars...a whole lot of heartbreak ticking like a time bomb when it is already a hard situation you are in here. I wish you all the best in finding her a good home ASAP!

[AuntB]

Thanks for the suggestions and the caring replies. I have tried exhaustively to find this kitty an indoor home. It's difficult. Even the no kill shelters and their fosters are full. I did find one interested lady but she was an animal hoarder (she had many indoor and outdoor animals) and I couldn't let her take Lucy. The woman had actually picked up a cat and had it in her car uncaged and was going to put my cat in there too...with her 2 year old in the backseat. Unfortunately she has been the only interested party. I am constantly looking for her a home as I can't stand the thought of something happening to her. The neighbors all love her but they all have animals and don't want to bring another one inside so that suggestion is out. I may just have to close the cat door and deal with her in the garage. Though this is already becoming problematic for my child as her asthma is getting worse b/c of the cat...just praying a good home comes along soon. I do realize that Lucy is at risk for Aids. She is fully vaccinated, but I know she can contract this disease. Something I think about all the time and I'm doing all I can to prevent it...well, everything that does not put my own child at risk otherwise Lucy would be inside.

[Lola4]

Although I know that it is "best" to rid a household of the things that may trigger an asthma attack... an asthmatic is always going to be around triggers outside of the home as well.

My son is asthmatic and he and I both have severe allergies. We keep the cats out of his bedroom and he has never had an asthma attack due to pet dander.

We also replaced all drapes with blinds and such... coverings that can easily be washed.

In later years, we replaced all carpet with tile.

I am in no way trying to convince you to put your child at risk. I just think sometimes doctors jump a littttttle too fast at scaring the heck out of parents with pets and asthmatic children.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by AuntB

I may just have to close the cat door and deal with her in the garage.

AuntB - let's start from the beginning: you love your cat and you want the best for her but your child's medical condition currently excludes the cat from being in the house.

Your immediate shelters/rescues are not able to take your cat nor have you been able to rehome her via personal contacts or any other private initiative. (I'm not sure where you live - an urban, suburban or rural setting?)

Your cat is currently coming and going via a cat flap in the garage - and so are other cats from the sounds of it.

Would you agree that pretty much sums up the situation at the moment?

Okay - now it's going to come down to how you want to proceed &/or if you want to proceed.

Option 1) Locking the cat-flap to the garage and keeping your cat in there full-time. Unless you are going to a) hugely enrich the environment and b) ensure that at various point during the day/evening you are able to go visit with her, cuddle and play with her... it doesn't sound like a very good option for the cat, sadly.

Try to look at it from her point of view: she doesn't understand what's happened. All she knows is that life, as she knew it, is no more. That's not a guilt trip, it's just fact. Facts can be sad facts, but they remain facts nonetheless.

Option 2) Expand your search for a shelter or rescue that would take her. Put fliers up in vet offices on bulletin boards. Local libraries, etc. - anywhere willing to let you post one. You'll undoubted get a few less-than-desirable pet owners, but you never know either. You might luck out (I might see it for instance ) Start making lists of rescues within whatever driving distance you are willing to do and call them all. Repeatedly.

Contact senior citizen centers - if she's a sweet, docile indoor-only cat, she may be an ideal companion for a less than wholly active person while being great company and even better for blood pressure.

Call, email, pester, badger.

Leaving Lucy in her current situation is not a tenable position for either of you at the end of the day. But you're the only one with the manual dexterity to dial a phone. I'm truly sorry for you. I suspect all this isn't exactly what you had in mind.