Help,,, my kitty is spraying.

Love4cats · ‎03-09-2010

I have a male cat that was fixed as a kitten, he is 10 years old. My DH and I take him outside with us. About a month ago he started spraying the foliage around the property, I am assuming he is smelling where other animal's have sprayed. The problem is, he has started to spraying in the house. I constantly check and spray any area's with an enzyme spray, but I am wondering if there is something else I can do to stop him from spraying. He just had his yearly physical and he is fine. I wonder if I should stop taking him outside and he will stop spraying. Does anyone have any suggestion's for dealing this this problem? TIA

Foxxee · ‎10-03-2014

Did your vet check your cat's urine for a possible urinary tract infection as part of his checkup? I have no idea how to get a urine specimen from a cat other than inserting a catheter, but I guess a vet would know.

Sudden spraying like this can be caused by a UTI, but it could be another medical issue.

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

Aside from ruling out a physical problem, are there other cats coming into your yard now? That can trigger a territorial response, even in your house, from your male cat.

CamilleP · ‎03-09-2010

@Love4cats I agree with @Foxxee , time to return to the vet for a UTI check if a urine sample was not obtained and analyzed as part of the yearly physical. They won't use traumatic catheterization, they'll either express the bladder manually (cats are small enough to do that to) or they'll do cystocentesis to obtain a sterile sample. I agree with your instinct that this may be a behavorial thing, extending from his outside behavior into the interior of the home, but other than one of those calming pheromone plug-ins, I don't have any suggestions.

KingstonsMom · ‎03-09-2010

Don't waste your money on those so called pheromone plug ins, they don't work.

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

candys mine · ‎08-20-2012

Asside from having his urine checked which is the first thing to rule out, do some sluthing. Where in the house is he spraying. Is there a window overlooking the yard nearby? does he spray more at night? Could he be seeing a rival outside and is marking his own territory indoors? Has anything changed socially Indoors? New pets or new people? Second hand furniture or even cat toys or beds? when you take him outside does he seem more keyed up than usual? A Cat on a mission not a stroll? That all could be his response to a rival he sees as overtaking his territory. I wold think restricting his "Patrols" would frustrate him even more. Pheramone sprays are not a miracle but they Might just help a little. Something has your boy unhappy and on edge, hope you can figure out what's going on in his head.

Love4cats · ‎03-09-2010

@candys mine wrote:
Asside from having his urine checked which is the first thing to rule out, do some sluthing. Where in the house is he spraying. Is there a window overlooking the yard nearby? does he spray more at night? Could he be seeing a rival outside and is marking his own territory indoors? Has anything changed socially Indoors? New pets or new people? Second hand furniture or even cat toys or beds? when you take him outside does he seem more keyed up than usual? A Cat on a mission not a stroll? That all could be his response to a rival he sees as overtaking his territory. I wold think restricting his "Patrols" would frustrate him even more. Pheramone sprays are not a miracle but they Might just help a little. Something has your boy unhappy and on edge, hope you can figure out what's going on in his head.

I spoke with my Vet about the spraying when I took the kitty in Monday. I have been using this pet for over 20 years and really trust him. He said that the chance's of a UTI is next to nothing. He did say that male cat's sometime's spray even when they are fixed. I know I get other cat's in the yard at night because I have seen them. I know he is spraying where other cat's have because he smell's around bushe's and spray's the bush. There is one area in particular that he goes to so I have been steering him away from that area. As far as spraying inside it's usually by a door, but he has sprayed in other area's. There has not been any change's in my home, no new pet's or furniture. I will still take him outsde with us because he really love's being out with us and I agree with you that he might get frustrated. I have my Vet calling me tomorrow and I will ask him about a UTI test.

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@KingstonsMom wrote:
Don't waste your money on those so called pheromone plug ins, they don't work.

@KingstonsMom - They worked for me, when I had issues introducing another cat into our home. In fact, they were the only thing that worked to calm things down (and were recommended by my vet).

I don't know how they'd work for a male cat spraying, but they did calm down the fighting between two females!

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@Love4cats - I agree with some of the suggestions that it's being triggered by the scent of other cats in your yard. Your kitty is probably making sure that ALL of his territory is marked, including inside.

However, I also agree that you should make sure there is no medical issue.

I had a male Burmese in the past and he was fixed, but he did spray inside the house and nothing we did stopped him. I just had to constantly clean it. He was an "outdoor" kitty at that time.

But when we moved to our current home, he became an indoor only cat for safety reasons and it stopped. So it could be the stress of other cats in your yard that's causing the issue.

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

@Love4cats wrote:
@candys mine wrote:
Asside from having his urine checked which is the first thing to rule out, do some sluthing. Where in the house is he spraying. Is there a window overlooking the yard nearby? does he spray more at night? Could he be seeing a rival outside and is marking his own territory indoors? Has anything changed socially Indoors? New pets or new people? Second hand furniture or even cat toys or beds? when you take him outside does he seem more keyed up than usual? A Cat on a mission not a stroll? That all could be his response to a rival he sees as overtaking his territory. I wold think restricting his "Patrols" would frustrate him even more. Pheramone sprays are not a miracle but they Might just help a little. Something has your boy unhappy and on edge, hope you can figure out what's going on in his head.
I spoke with my Vet about the spraying when I took the kitty in Monday. I have been using this pet for over 20 years and really trust him. He said that the chance's of a UTI is next to nothing. He did say that male cat's sometime's spray even when they are fixed. I know I get other cat's in the yard at night because I have seen them. I know he is spraying where other cat's have because he smell's around bushe's and spray's the bush. There is one area in particular that he goes to so I have been steering him away from that area. As far as spraying inside it's usually by a door, but he has sprayed in other area's. There has not been any change's in my home, no new pet's or furniture. I will still take him outsde with us because he really love's being out with us and I agree with you that he might get frustrated. I have my Vet calling me tomorrow and I will ask him about a UTI test.

@Love4cats

To me (and I will be the first to admit I'm not a cat behavior expert) this leads me to suspect he's spraying because of invading animals in his territory. Especially since you take him outside. In his mind, inside and outside is his territory and nobody else should be invading it!

But you're wise to make sure to eliminate all possible medical causes, too.

Good luck!