# Neutered tomcat spraying?



## Pety (Jul 26, 2010)

Hi everyone, not here very ofter but when I need an advice this is the best place to come! :thumbup:

My big boy (5+ yrs old) has suddenly started spraying in the house. We got him him about four and half years ago and he's never done this before. There were no big changes or things happening recently, except of getting a new kitten last summer. She is 1 yr now, also spayed and as far as I can say they getting along good.
Reading some other threats I was thinking if maybe he's getting protective over and marking his "kingdom" or maybe got bullied by other cat/s but there isn's any new cat in the neighbourhood and he knows all of them ok..

Is his spraying sign of some possible illness or is he just beeing a boy??


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

hmmm Id say that if its as out of the blue as this then something has changed, he could be stressed, new cat in the neighbourhood etc, is your girl neutered aswell?


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## Pety (Jul 26, 2010)

yeah she is - had her done in oct. Gonna set out on a big cat watch now lol but worried it will be some infection or something.. So far I caught him three times trying to spray and once my bf caught him actually having a wee on corner of our new bureau or whatever it's called  he was not impressed I tell you that!


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## Kiwi (Nov 18, 2010)

I'd get him checked out with the vet just to make sure. Sounds like stress to me - if there are no other cats around, then I wonder if your female has started to bully him a bit because females are incredibly territorial  It might also not even be a cat - could be a fox or some other threat. Has anything changed significantly in the house (eg. new carpets) or your routines? It might be worth using a feliway diffuser for a while I think and double checking that he has some 'safe' places to retreat to x


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Agree with Kiwi,I think get him checked at the vet,could be a UTI or stress but you will need to rule out infection before you try to find out any other cause. You will have to clean the affected area's thoroughly here are a couple of helpful links http://www.catsofaustralia.com/urinestainremoval.htm http://www.petsathome.com/shop/stain-and-odour-remover-clean-cotton-470ml-by-simple-solution-15468


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## Gem16 (Aug 5, 2010)

Is he 'spraying' or weeing?
When we got a new cat my Oliver used to try and get in my room and 'spray' wiggle his bum and squirt it out, but that wasn't weeing.
Weeing indicates an infection of some kind sometimes, and spraying is generally a territorial thing 
Best to get him checked out!


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## Pety (Jul 26, 2010)

Thanks Buffle for the info about cleaning etc.. Yeah trip to the vets is definitelly on cards, see what they'll say and then if he is ok healthwise would have to search for another causes..  

Kiwi I don't think Mia would be bullying him - she is noisy and plays a lot with him but he doesn't seem to be bother by it and sometimes come for play himself. The fox is good point coz we do have occasionaly some around. Safe places he has a few in the whole house but will look at using the diffuser and see if that helps. Thank you!

Gem I saw him only spraying but my bf said he actually weed.. Any conclusions from that?


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## Pety (Jul 26, 2010)

One more question..just so I know- what other sign of possible stress could a cat show?


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## Gem16 (Aug 5, 2010)

I wonder if your cat really did wee or if maybe your bf couldn't tell the difference?
But erm other signs of stress might include personality changes such as more withdrawn or more aggressive, overgrooming/pulling hair out, toilet changes, lack of appetite, seeming edgy or nervous, extra vocal xx


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## Pety (Jul 26, 2010)

Gem16 said:


> I wonder if your cat really did wee or if maybe your bf couldn't tell the difference?
> But erm other signs of stress might include personality changes such as more withdrawn or more aggressive, overgrooming/pulling hair out, toilet changes, lack of appetite, seeming edgy or nervous, extra vocal xx


Yeah I actually did question him about it again and it does sound more like spraying.....for him it was just the wee on his pressious furniture :-D

But now I think the mystery of what is going on got solved last night - got woken up by deep growling/howling noises which Harry was making, then could hear the cat flaps go (our cats has two go through two to get out - from kitchen to little outhouse thing and another to get out out..) but by the time I grabbed my glasses (blind as a bat) and got downstairs just Harry down there and Mia was just coming down with me so it must have been some intruder. And then sure enough this morning after feeding them I looked out and there was another cat behind their outside cat flap... So hurrah I know who's the likely cause of Harry being stressed and marking territory, now how to stop the cat coming in though?


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## BSH (Jul 28, 2010)

I would get a catflap that is magnet operated, or even better, micro chip reading so only your cats can gain entry through them. We had a similar problem with our previous cats at our old house. A magnetic cat flap stopped intruders.

At least you now know the likely cause although a check up at the vets may be needed if the problem persists.

Good luck


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

I am almost 100% sure it is because of the new kitten. The exact same thing happened when I got a new spayed female as companion to my incumbent neutered boy. The spraying did not start immediately with her arrival, but some months afterwards. I am afraid, unless you don't mind the smell of cat pee, that you need to make a definite and firm intervention before it becomes a totally ingrained habit. Also, sadly, unless you do, the problem does tend to escalate (as it did in my case) from one or two sprays a week to several sprays a day. I ended up getting a behaviorist in, who advised the following things to do:

Properly clean all areas where spraying has taken place. It is hard work, I know, but essential to stop him making the area his regular "spraying place" (Spray surface with 50-50 mix of white vinegar and water, rub down with clean cloth until lamost dry, rub in mix of bio/enzymatic washing powder ("Biotex" or similar) and water, let stand for about 30 mins, flush with clean water, leave to dry. If you like, once dry, sprinkle over some bicarbonate of soda, and vacuum). Wash any washable items like curtains in bio/enzymatic washing powder. When dry, spray surfaces lightly with Feliway a few times a week.

If they use litter trays, this needs to be reviewed: for two cats at least three litter trays in various areas of the house. Keep them very clean. You may notice the male (or occasionally, the female) may not cover his wee and poo. Don't worry about it, he is asserting his dominance, so just leave him to it.

Feliway diffuser/s, sprays or pheremone collars may help him to feel less anxious

If there is no improvement, then to consult with your vet about the possibility of putting him on an anti-anxiety drug like Clomicalm for a few months to break the habit. In my case, the Clomicalm works like a charm (the only downside being that he is a little more subdued than he should be).
Good luck.


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## Kiwi (Nov 18, 2010)

On the catflap issue, I can recommend Sureflap. It operates in conjunction with the cat's microchip, so only your cats would be able to use it and it can be programmed in various ways to control entry/egress. Trouble is it is quite expensive, so the alternative of a megnetic device would do as well if cash is tight. Personally, I would keep both cats in at night as that is the time when most fights happen. x


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## Pety (Jul 26, 2010)

Ok cool thanks so much to everyone for all the helpful advices and opinions :thumbup: really appreciate! 

I did think about the magnetic cat flap but how will the cats mind suddenly have a collar on if they never had one? Also if they climb under bushes and through holes etc, cant they get caught? 

Anyways think I can see a very thorough clean coming up at the weekend - better get stocked up on vinegar, cloths and biotex :arf: 

koekemakranka how long did your situation lasted until you managed to sort it again?


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## Kiwi (Nov 18, 2010)

Pety said:


> I did think about the magnetic cat flap but how will the cats mind suddenly have a collar on if they never had one? Also if they climb under bushes and through holes etc, cant they get caught?
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

Pety said:


> koekemakranka how long did your situation lasted until you managed to sort it again?


Took quite a while, say 6 weeks or so, to see if the feliway/pheromone stuff and all the other things worked on its own. It didn't. However, on Clomicalm, the effect was almost instantaneous. The spraying stopped at once. Do bear in mind, it takes a bit of time for the Clomicalm to take effect. There will be initial drowsiness, but this wears off pretty soon and the cat may be a little quieter on the medication. In my case, I don't mind because Nunu's anxiety "attacks" are unpleasant to witness, and it definitely calms him down. He still plays, runs around, purrs, gives kisses and gives his sister a hard time.
So, try the feliway diffuser/sprays first and see what happens.


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## Pety (Jul 26, 2010)

we've taken Harry to the vets to make sure it's nothing urinary or anything like that, which is not - good news I suppose  but came to a conclusion that we have a stressy tomcat. The vet given us tablets called Zylkene -anyone any experience with those? Harry's been on them for over a week now and seems to be bit better when it comes to being more active during the day and even came for a cuddle today (something that hasn't happen for weeks now because he spent most of the day sleeping tucked up in the study!) so fingers crossed for us it helps him and he's back to his gorgeous confident self again!:thumbsup:


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I know that the magnetic flaps do seem to be much cheaper than the chip operated ones....but once your two cats have lost a few collars and magnets which need replacing , the costs soon even out. I think I used to pay around £10 for two new collar magnets, plus the cost of a collar.


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

Get him checked out at the vet just to be sure My boy started doing the same after I got a new spayed girl. It didn't happen immediately but some months after her arrival, even though it seemed that they were getting along well. The problem won't go away by itself. If he checks out OK at the vet, then you wil need to have a look at his stress levels. Feliway, pheromone collars and Clomicalm are all various options you can discuss with your vet. Good luck, it is very annoying behaviour.


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## Pety (Jul 26, 2010)

koekemakranka said:


> Get him checked out at the vet just to be sure My boy started doing the same after I got a new spayed girl. It didn't happen immediately but some months after her arrival, even though it seemed that they were getting along well. The problem won't go away by itself. If he checks out OK at the vet, then you wil need to have a look at his stress levels. Feliway, pheromone collars and Clomicalm are all various options you can discuss with your vet. Good luck, it is very annoying behaviour.


Thank you  we did get him checked and healthwise he is good as gold. the only thing was the vet couldn't believe how calm he was when listening to his heart...even after having the temperature taken!!  
I looked up online the Zylkene tablets we got prescribed and they supposed to have calming effects, similar to the Feliway stuff I assume.. We are giving it a go for the 6 weeks she's told us and then compare to see if any improvement happened.. Im just keeping all my fingers AND toes crossed now! lol


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## ikoles (Mar 28, 2011)

Thank you for so useful sites. My cat also started to spray at 4 and I do not understand why. We went to vet but he didn't find anything wrong with him. Offerd some medication , but told that it can lead to more serious helth complications. When he suddenly does it I just clean. Our house never has smell.


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