Stop cat from spraying?

[scoutcub]

Soo, this cat showed up at our house that seemed pretty cool. (I'm not particularly a cat person - but I like this fella) At first he was designated an "outdoor" cat, then was upgraded to a "garage" cat, now he is residing in the house, penned up on the second floor.
Already one older female cat in the house, the wife has had for ~13~ years, not a very friendly cat, (except to the wife) and doesn't like the new boy on the block at all.
We have discussed getting new cat fixed/declawed, but have heard getting him fixed may or may not fix the spraying problem....don't want to declaw him and return him to the outside if he continues to spray.
Currently thinking about just fixing for now, see what happens....

Any tips/advise?

 

[aczlan]

IIRC, if he has started spraying breaking him will reduce his intrest in spraying, but it is not 100% guaranteed to stop it..

See: Cat Spraying: How to stop cat spraying urine? Why does my cat spray? for some of the reasons that cats spray


Aaron Z

 

[JDgreen227]

Soo, this cat showed up at our house that seemed pretty cool. (I'm not particularly a cat person - but I like this fella) At first he was designated an "outdoor" cat, then was upgraded to a "garage" cat, now he is residing in the house, penned up on the second floor.
Already one older female cat in the house, the wife has had for ~13~ years, not a very friendly cat, (except to the wife) and doesn't like the new boy on the block at all.
We have discussed getting new cat fixed/declawed, but have heard getting him fixed may or may not fix the spraying problem....don't want to declaw him and return him to the outside if he continues to spray.
Currently thinking about just fixing for now, see what happens....

Any tips/advise?

We have four cats, all fixed...one showed up in the cold of mid-February, he wasn't fixed, and we had the spraying problem. After the operation, never happened again...it also helps calm male cats down, they are no longer as agressive. A bonus is, it decreases the feral cat population.

PLEASE, PLEASE do not declaw him unless he is a permanent indoor cat, and even then I think it is wrong to declaw any cat...claws are their primary method of defense and declawing puts their lives in danger should they ever get out...and it does happen.

 

[JDgreen227]

Here is the one that showed up in February...I named him Tiggs, because he is a Tiger tabby, chose the name for that reason, did a Google search for the term afterwards and the Urban Dictionary gave me the reason he is always "hanging around"...

 

[studor]

I also am not a fan of cats but not having it fixed would be irresponsible. My ex had two cats and even though fixed the male always sprayed -- as someone once told me -- the best name for a cat that sprays is Target.

 

[thatguy]

My wife had a male/neutered indoor cat that was about 8 yrs old that started spraying suddenly.. We tried meds (yea right - pills are not an easy task with a 2 ppl).. We finally figured out that he sprayed only when he got stressed due to roaming cats coming on our deck.. We moved into another house and he never sprayed here, but we didnt have any cats roaming about either..

I would start with the neutering and see how it goes.. Hopefully that will help..

Brian

 

[Baby Grand]

Don't declaw him. It's like cutting their thumb and finger tips off down to the outermost knuckle. Definitely clip his nutz and you will have a much less aggressive cat that is less likely to spray. And if he does spray, it won't have the same stank that it does now.

Make him a scratching post - nail a 4' 4x4 upright to a 12" square plywood base and cover the 4x4 with carpet - you can nail it, staple it, hot glue it, whatever trips your trigger. Put the scratching post near a place that your family spends a lot of time - maybe an out of the way corner in your den. This will give him a piece of "territory" that is all his. They mark what they scratch with scent glands in their paws - we can't smell it, but they can. This will also greatly relieve his stress and desire to mark stuff with whizz. Other benefits are he can still scratch something, which all cats need to do to shed the old outer claw sheaths. Better something that cost $9 to replace than you couch. It's also a social behavior - sort of a greeting. Our 2 cats always stretch and scratch the post when they come into the den from other parts of the house.

 

[IH3444]

Sure cure.

YouTube - Cat in the Kettle (parody)

 

[jk96]

Don't declaw him. It's like cutting their thumb and finger tips off down to the outermost knuckle. Definitely clip his nutz............

Lol - whatever you do don't declaw the poor guy. But do make sure you cut off his nutz.

 

[k0ua]

On the scratching post, instead of the carpet, Use sisal rope. they like it better, than carpet. Wrap 1/2 inch sisal rope on your 4x4, it is more work than a piece of carpet, but your kitty will really thank you. one reason the kitty claws is to get rid of the outer layer of the claws. and the sisal rope does a better job than the carpet in catching this outer layer of the claw and pulling it off. You need to wrap the rope really tight, best to wear leather gloves when you wrap this and 2 people can really help, and finish the wrap at the top with a cable clamp to secure it. I like to put a small piece of carpet over the top for looks then wrap the rope up over the lower edge of the carpet, this makes a nice pretty job. You can also save on rope by using carpet for looks on the bottom of the post as kitty will be on their hind legs when using the post, so judge the place to start putting rope by the size of a cat, they dont claw down low, they claw about the level of their shoulders when on their hind legs. Give this a try for a scratching post, way better than a carpet alone one.
James K0UA