I have 5 cats in a very large house. Each have their own bedroom with beds, toys, etc. They have a large play room with an abundance of toys and high shelves. This room starts from the front door to the back door. The cats have fresh food 6 times a day and 24/7 dry food. We ensure that all the cats get a minimum of 3-4 hours play time each day. So one of my Ragdolls is constantly spraying on my furniture. He has being fixed and as far as I know he has no threat in the house from the other cats, infact he gets more attention than the others do. Any ideas were I'm going wrong?
Your cat may have stress or wants to dominate his territory. Maybe because you have 5 cats he wants a space of his own. You have to neutralize the odor so they don't go back to the same spot. Make sure there is no physical reason the cat is spraying. If your cat is anxious, there are anti-anxiety medications. Finally, there is a product called Felliway. I got this from the website: Feliway is a synthetic copy of the feline facial pheromone used by cats to mark their territory as safe and secure. By mimicking the cat's natural facial pheromone, Feliway creates a state of familiarity and security in the cat's local environment. ... Feliway helps reduce or prevent unwanted behaviors caused by stress.
Jackson Galaxy, from the great show My Cat From Hell, has a lot of experience dealing with spraying cats.
What he says is along the lines of the answer above, cats mainly spray because
1) illness of some sort
2) territorialness
3) stress of some sort (which canhave something to do with being bullied by other cats)
4) odour
You have to make a huge effort to eliminate the odour from the area, first of all. Clean and even replace furniture if you can.
Secondly, to take care of any possible bullying or territorialness, you can 'catify' your house, which basically means giving your cat lots of opportunity to get away from the other cats by giving him places to perch above everybody else. All this really entails is installing shelves and cat trees everywhere. Jackson Galaxy provides more info on that here jacksongalaxy.com/
Here he is also offering some herbal products that can help with that: jacksongalaxy.com/
How may other males do you have? It may be a way to tell the others he is the top cat. I would also have him checked by the vet, to make sure there is not a health issue.
i always have been told that a cat might have a urinary infetion when do ing that. might want to call your vet : good luck
I had my tom cat fixed, but he keeps marking his territory. How can I stop this?
My female cat was spayed 1 year ago and is now just starting to spray in my house again. She is also lifting her buttocks up in the air when you talk to her and meowing all the time. We have two outside "barn" cats that come on our porch (one is male).
They do not mark anywhere, they just lay on our porch and then walk away. They have been here from the time I got my indoor cat. Why is my cat starting to spray again and what can I do to stop her?My 11 year old male indoor cat, has recently started to spray all over my house. I've been single for 5 years and now have a new live in boyfriend.
It is the only thing I can think of why he would feel threatened. How can I get him to stop?We adopted a rescue cat when he was an 8 week old kitten and he has been a great cat. We have 2 others, in total we have 2 males and 1 female cat. They are 15yrs, 10yrs, and 5yrs in age. When Tank was a kitten we had him neutered, just the like other male cat, and the female is spayed. They all get along and on occasion the male cats with get into a scuffle, but get over it quick. We do live in the woods and they spend time outside.
When we go to bed or leave for work for the day, we call the cats into the house like dogs and they respond well. What I am saying is that Tank behaves and we have no issues with him except for the fact that he sprays everywhere in the house. He also sprays all over the place outside, which is what we wish he would only do outside.
We have tried everything and we always clean it up and he goes right back to the area and sprays again. I have tired the aromatherapy, collars, candles, etc. that everyone swore worked and it did nothing. He sprays even if there are no cats around outside. He has been to the vet and he never had an urinary track infection or any other problems. He is healthy and physically active. We do not want to get rid of the cat being he is like one of us in the family, but I am running out of options and it is not healthy for the cat or us humans in the house. Other than maybe keeping him outside all the time ~ what else is their to do?
It is extremely difficult to stop a cat from spraying once the behavior is entrenched. However, if you give the cat to a shelter no one else will want to deal with this behavior either, and with good reason.
I have a spayed female that moved into our home 4 years ago. I have 2 other cats, all are fixed. She gets plenty of love as our other 2 could care less about affection! We did move recently, but just right next door. She has begun spraying and it's beyond out of control. Like I mentioned she been with us 4 years. What can I do? At this point she's family. She sprays inside and outside it don't matter. She will look right at you and do it! Please help.
First, please take her to the vet to make sure it isn't a physical problem.
Our cat Puffy has been driving the entire family crazy with his spraying everywhere. We bought de-scenting sprays and special cleaners, which he ignored and re-marked all over the house. Some advice? I refuse neuter my cat.
Puffy is doing what comes naturally to an adult, fully endowed, male cat. The best way to stop territorial spraying is by neutering, however, if you choose not to neuter, then the natural behavior will continue.
Unfortunately, neutering is the solution. Full adult male cat will spray. The more they do it, the harder it is to prevent them from doing it.
Addressing Inappropriate Urination
When your cat starts shunning its litter box in favor of other places throughout your home, it is definitely not something you want to become a habit. Address the issue quickly with these simple ways to help your cat stop peeing outside of the litter box.
Define the Problem
The first thing you need to do when you discover pee where it doesnt belong is determine whether it is the result of spraying or inappropriate urination. Spraying is a result of cats marking their territory, and is generally just a splatter, whereas inappropriate urination will be a larger puddle.
Tackle the Problem Quickly
You will want to address any urination outside of the litter box quickly, before it becomes normal behavior for your cat. If your cat is spraying, try making it feel more secure in its territory, as that is often why cats get possessive. In a multi-cat household, it may help to provide separate living areas for each cat.
Thoroughly Clean the Mess
Be sure to thoroughly clean all areas where your cat peed outside the box. You really want to be sure youve eliminated the odor, not just for your own sake, but so the smell doesnt draw your cat back to that same spot.
Add an Additional Litter Box
One litter box is often just not enough. The general rule of thumb is one box per cat, plus an extra one. Think about it if you were on the second floor of your house, would you want to run all the way downstairs to use the bathroom? Neither does your cat. Making it convenient for your cat to use the litter box will usually avert problems.
Address Litter Box Location
Think about where you have the litter boxes located. If you have multiple stories, you'll want at least one on each floor. If your litter box is too tucked away, somewhere inconspicuous, your cat may not bother to go find it. If your cat keeps peeing in the same spot despite your best efforts, try moving the litter box over that spot, and then slowly moving it back to where you want it.
Try a Different Box
An enclosed litter box may fit nicely within your decorating standards, but your cat may not agree. Enclosed boxes can be small, dark, smelly and difficult to turn around in not conducive to cats doing their business. You will also want to make sure the sides of your litter box are not too high for the cat to easily step over - especially as the cat reaches old age.
Clean Your Litter Box Regularly
A dirty litter box is one of the first things that will send a cat peeing elsewhere. Cats are very clean creatures by nature. Would you want to go walking barefoot through your cat's litter box? Well, neither do they. Be consistent about cleaning out the box and changing the litter.
Check the Type of Litter
Heavily perfumed litter may seem the better choice (who wouldnt want to smell perfume rather than a dirty litter box?), but cats tend to disagree. They also like to stick with the familiar, so if you adopt an adult cat, it may urinate outside the litter box if you switch up the standard, non-perfumed litter. Studies have shown that amongst cats, the all-around favorite litter type is a loose, clumping, unscented clay litter containing activated charcoal.
Observe the Social Dynamics
Conflicts between multiple cats, or the introduction of a new cat, may cause inappropriate urination. Occasionally, the case may be that your cats got into an altercation in or near the litter box and it has left one of them with associated bad memories.
Consult Your Veterinarian
If inappropriate urination has become an issue with your cat, the most important thing you can do is make an appointment with your veterinarian. Your cat's doctor will perform a physical exam and urinalysis to determine if the problem is medical. Urinary tract infections and kidney failure are just some of the common health issues that either cause a cat to produce more urine, or add an increased urgency to urination. If your cat is given a clean bill of health, you can then move on to addressing environmental or behavioral issues.
Sarah
Our female cat is fixed, and there is lots of love in our home. We have two litter pans for her. She is 2 1/2 years old. These past few months I have been finding she is spraying up the walls and onto our carpet. I've cleaned with the proper cleaners for cats. Yet it still continues. She has been peeing in the tub and on our tile floor on a landing.
We are becoming very frustrated. We have taken her into our vets, and she is healthy. They say it's not normal for a female to do this even after she's fixed.We clean her box, and clean up her messes daily. And it has been very stressful. We don't know what else to do. Nothing has changed in our home, her temperament is the same. Please help us.
By Louise D.
You could consider another vet's opinion of your cat's behavior?
Spraying on cold surfaces often means bladder infection. Have her checked again for that. Cats can have painful urination from cystitis, and there is not always bacteria present. It is an inflammation of the bladder, but it usually goes away, but can recur. The other thing to consider is she feeling territorial because of other cats outside? This can really drive them crazy but you may not even notice. Other cats will come right up and spray on your front door. Good luck solving this mystery.
I have an 18 month old desexed male inside cat and a 10 month old desexed female who also is not allowed outside. 3 months ago she has started spraying and weeing in all different parts of the house. I can be standing in the kitchen and she will just come in and wee in front of me. I have 2 litter trays which both cats use. Someone suggested that she may not like the odour of the male's urine in the tray, hence won't use it, but the trays are cleaned daily.
I know she is about to spray because she runs around like a maniac and then jumps up on the couch and sprays over the wall. I have bought the spray "Urine Off" and regularly spray where she has sprayed, but this is no deterrent, as it just doesn't work. I have taken her to the vet many times to eliminate a bladder infection, etc., but she is perfectly healthy. Unfortunately my next step is to give her "Valium" or a similar drug which I don't want to do. Any suggestions would be really appreciated as I just don't know what to do next.
By Sandra
I have heard that the plant star of Bethlehem will reduce stress in a female cat that is spraying. Is there any truth in that? I have tried the Comfort Zone thing in the store, but it is very expensive. And doesn't last very long.
By MG
