Update on my sprayer, Irwin *UPDATED YAY*

[JustineNYC]

I posted last month that my sprayer who I have always had a problem with, ruined my home in NY, now I live in NC in a brand new home and he is still spraying. They put him on amitriptyline, which worked for 2 weeks, and he went back to spraying. We increased his dosage twice and it did nothing.

Basically I set Irwin up in my master bath now, its pretty big as its 2 rooms, tile, easy to clean, but I felt bad because he was in there all day. I let him out and watched him, after 5 minutes he sprayed my kitchen backsplash so back into the bathroom he went.

This is unbelievably frustrating. He ruined my home in NY. Sprayed my kitchen cabinets that were wood, the wood became warped and smelly and it cost me $12,000 to redo the kitchen before I could sell the home.

Now my walls are easy to clean but the urine drips down onto either wood or carpet.

My mom thinks I should put Irwin to sleep. She said not many people would spend thousands on a cat, I did my best and its time. I have spent so much between repairs, natures miracle which I buy by the gallons, rug shampooers, vet bills because everytime I bring him in they do a sloo of tests, which always come back normal. He has normal bloodwork, CBC's, Urinalysis and his kidneys look good on the x rays.

More then one of you recommended "Clomicalm" I asked my vet about it and she said its for dogs and they wouldnt prescribe it to him.

She said if these pills didnt work, I could confine Irwin to one room. I dont have a bedroom I am ready to hand over and allow him to destroy, and I dont want him to spend the rest of his life in a bathroom either cause I dont think thats fair.

So now we are going to a different vet, my neighbor recommended them, and Im going to ask AND PLEAD! that we try this stuff Clomicalm.

Im prepared to bring him to every vet in the Charlotte area until I find someone willing to try this stuff.

I guess I just need some well wishes.

[Medusa]

If I were you, I'd find a vet who will prescribe Clomicalm. Ametryptilene isn't approved for cats either but vets prescribe it regularly for them. Thank goodness I have an open minded vet. I have my pee cats' blood work done yearly just to be sure that there are no long lasting side effects and they've been on it for several years w/no problems whatsoever. I experienced the same thing you did w/the ruined furniture and hardwood and the ametryptilene working for only a little while. When my vet prescribed Clomicalm, it was the best thing he ever did for them and me and my house. It's certainly better than having your cat PTS. There are vets who will prescribe it. Please find one. :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that you're still having peeing issues.:( Hopefully you'll find a vet that will listen to you and I hope that the clomicalm will help him. Good luck.:)

[emily_the_spoiled]

Maybe if the Clomicalm doesn't work you can try Prozac (that is approved for kitties)...

[wolflady]

I can certainly understand how frustrated you must be. I used to have a cat that was a sprayer, and it was simply a behavioral problem that developed after he was declawed. I tell you what, my husband at the time and I had no idea what declawing was really about and it was just what everyone did when their kitties were neutered. Boy, did we ever learn from that experience! Seems like his problems were a direct result of the declaw, and we could never overcome them. We tried everything (including kitty prozac) and finally, we had to opt for keeping him confined when we couldn't watch him. I always felt so bad about leaving him in such small quarters while my husband and I were at work, but the vet said that it wasn't a problem since cats sleep at least 18 hours a day anyway. Is Irwin declawed by chance? If not, have you ever considered making him an outdoor kitty? I know that's not ideal, but it would probably be better than being PTS...depending on where you live.

[JustineNYC]

He isnt just spraying, he is very anxious, slapping dogs, slapping my other cats, etc. He definitely needs a "chill pill"


He isnt declawed but, I couldnt put him outside. We're from NYC so all my cats are indoor. I think he'd die if I put him out. I wouldnt expect him to live long or come back.

[emily_the_spoiled]

He sounds like he would be a prime candidate for Prozac. If you can find a vet behavioralist in your area they will be able to help you. One of my guys was VERY aggressive to another cat (so much so that I was in at the vet on occasion). I tried all kinds of behavior modification, the amitriptyline (Elavil), and I was finally desparate enough to go with the Prozac. Once it kicked in, it made a world of difference in his behavior. There are a couple of other furry ones who have had these problems. If you search for Prozac you will be able to find their threads.

Good luck, I know how hard this is on you.

[JustineNYC]

See my family doesnt believe in medicating a cat that isnt sick, IE medicating their "moods" He such a lovable boy. His mom was an outside stray, and a feral cat broke her hip. Mommie was feral too so I could never get a hold of her. Well everytime she got pregnant, the babies wouldnt pass in time, and theyd die by the time they were born. I dont think she was able to push them out with her hip damaged.

Anyway, for 4 years she gave birth to dead kittens, and just one time....Irwin for whateve reason, made it out.....He was very small so she got him out in time and out of dozens of kittens, he was the only one ever to make it.

And now Im suppose to put him to sleep?

His mom ended up having a kitten die inside of her, she got deathly sick and I ran her to the vet (5 day stay) I own her now too. Best indoor cat you could meet.

Irwin is a sweetheart, but sometimes if you touch him the wrong way, RAWR! Watch out LOL

[emily_the_spoiled]

Have you thought about having someone do a reading on him?

[lvpets2002]

:) I am so Glad so see this Thread.. My Rastus boy has decided to start spraying.. Oh then Now I have found him peeing on stuff.. He is neutered & has been since seven months of age.. He is just a bit of a yr old & just started this within the last two months.. I was needing advice too..

[JustineNYC]

:) I am so Glad so see this Thread.. My Rastus boy has decided to start spraying.. Oh then Now I have found him peeing on stuff.. He is neutered & has been since seven months of age.. He is just a bit of a yr old & just started this within the last two months.. I was needing advice too..

Just my experience with this nightmare, you should bring him to a vet to make sure its not a medical problem.

Males can spray if they have a simple UTI, especially if he started after he was neutered. He may also have crystals. If a cat tries to pee in the litter and they have an infection and it hurts, they begin to go outside the litter because they associate the litter box with pain.

Irwin was on my lap when he was 5-6 months old and actually sprayed ME. I told my vet I needed him neutered (he wanted to wait til he was 7 months) and they told me that because he had already started spraying, it may not stop after he was fixed. And it didnt.

I know its behavioral with him because Ive had urinalysis's done and he is also very very high strung and stressed.

[catmandu]

TUBSTER PANTHER STILL SPRAYS A BIT AS MIQIELITO THE LITTLE ORANGE LION IS ALWAYS STARTING FIGHTS:eek:
AND TUBSTER PANTHERS WHOS TWICE THE SIZE JUST DEFENDS HIMSELF AS THE ORANGE LION WAS THERE FIRST.:love::love:
ITS BETTER NOW AS AS HES TNRED THE SPRAYS NOT THAT STRONG.
I HAD TO THROW A FEW CAT FANCYS OUT THOUGH:(:(

[krazyaboutkatz]

I sure hope that you'll be able to find something that will keep Irwin from spraying and peeing inappropriately.

I have both Storm and Starr on the generic form of prozac because Storm was getting very aggressive with Starr and some of his other siblings and he's just a very jealous and grumpy cat. Starr is on it to help ease his stress so he won't poop outside of the litter box. He has IBD/Colitis and is also on prednisolone but any stress causes him to become worse.

They were both doing very well on it and Storm's aggressive behavior dissapeared and he became a very calm laid back cat. Unfortunately, I have to wean Storm off of the prozac because he was having some bad side effects from it. He was becoming very lethargic and anorexic. I had to wake him up to try to get him to eat and then he wouldn't eat very much or he would refuse to eat.:(

Now he's getting the prozac every other day and I've already noticed that he's much more alert and is eating much better. I asked my vet if I could just give him the prozac a few times a week but she said that it wouldn't work and might cause more unwanted side effects so he has to stop taking it. He was only taking 1/4 of a 10mg tablet every day which is a very small amount. I guess it has to be taken every day for it to be effective.

Luckily Starr is still doing very well on it so he'll continue to take it. It's really helping his IBD/Colitis to become more stable and he rarely has any more accidents.:)

If I were you, I would try the generic prozac to see if this will help Irwin. I had it filled at Costco which is similar to a Sam's club and it was about $7 for 60 tablets that I then cut into 1/4's so it's not expensive at all. Jazzcat is also using it on her cat Rocky and he's doing very well on it. Good luck.:)

[JustineNYC]

Heres something interesting to note. When Irwin is confined to a bathroom, he gets a food bowl, water dish and his own cat litter. He will not spray "his" bathroom. There is always urine in the litter.

Does this mean that he isnt spraying because its already "his" room?

I have plenty of cat litters in the rest of the home, Ive seen him walk right by to spray a wall. But the rest of the home is "shared" with the other cats.

[lvpets2002]

:) Yes I have had Rastus checked out for UTI by the Vet && she says Rastus has a clean bill of health.. She can not find anything wrong with him.. And as you have mentioned I also put Rastus in the back bed room with a baby half doors && he stoped spraying & peeing on everything.. As soon as I let him out with the others he started with the spraying & peeing on everything including Me.. So I have put him back in his room & he has stopped again.. So I do think it is his attitude with other babies.. What gets me he has been around them all since he was 6 wks old.. Remember he was the orphan that was thrown in my front yard one morning..
Heres something interesting to note. When Irwin is confined to a bathroom, he gets a food bowl, water dish and his own cat litter. He will not spray "his" bathroom. There is always urine in the litter.

Does this mean that he isnt spraying because its already "his" room?

I have plenty of cat litters in the rest of the home, Ive seen him walk right by to spray a wall. But the rest of the home is "shared" with the other cats.

[JustineNYC]

I just got home from another vets office and TA-DA!!! Irwin is now on Clomicalm!

The dr said she didnt know why the other vet said they wouldnt prescribe it because it was for dogs, she said there is a cat dosage too. They also prescribe prozac but she said shes seen more success with dogs with prozac and with Clomicalm with cats.

She said there is a paitent there who actually is on both.

He hadnt had bloodwork done since July, so they did that and a urinalysis, but sent me home with the meds. She said we'll re check his blood in 6 months. And she explained how we needed to be patient with the Clomicalm it may take time to work, and it may not start working til week 3.

But Im so happy!! I found a vet that is experienced with this. And the staff was so nice. The secretary also has a cat on Clomicalm.

On a side note, everyone says how big Irwins head is.....the Dr said his jugular veins are terrible, they had to get blood from his back leg because his neck is ALL MUSCLE!

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/HomeDepotGurl/l_d642568a7cb365f10d758c31ad609002.jpg

[Medusa]

Hey, that's great news! My vet said that it takes some time to work, too, but it started working immediately for my cats. You may have to tweak the dosage until you get it just right but it's been a godsend for me. Good for your vet! :)

[jenluckenbach]

I have 2 cats who are on amitriptyline AND clomicalm.

[JustineNYC]

Hey, that's great news! My vet said that it takes some time to work, too, but it started working immediately for my cats. You may have to tweak the dosage until you get it just right but it's been a godsend for me. Good for your vet! :)

I have to thank everyone here and you too because without you guys I wouldnt know what this stuff is. My mom called today and the first thing she said was "Did you put him to sleep" :(:(

Its very frustrating but its nice to know people have been through this before.

[JustineNYC]

Here is Irwin and myself today.....you can see his head is almost as big as mine. LOL

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/10/l_1ee0590b65e841fda60899e1891677fd.jpg

[phesina]

Awwwww.... how sweet! Home with Mommy and getting much better.

[wolflady]

That's great news! I'm glad you were able to find a vet that would work with you. I hope the Clomicalm works for him. Let us know how he's doing! :D

[Anikaca77]

Keep us updated and let us know how the meds work. I may have to start my girl cat on it because I tried feliway and it worked up until last week so I changed the plug in with a new one and so far it's working pretty well I hope.

[orangemm]

That's wonderful news! Be sure to keep us posted how Irwin does with his new meds.

He DOES have a big head!;) wow, must be a big boy! And handsome, too!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm glad that you finally found a vet that would prescribe clomicalm for Irwin. I hope that it'll work for him. Please keep us updated.:)

He sure does have a big head. I've heard that cats with big heads are usually very dominant alpha cats but my Sky has a large head and he's not this way at all.

[JustineNYC]

The vet just called about Irwins bloodwork, and said there are 3 counts that are low consistant with feline aids, which i am sure he was tested for, but it was 4 yrs ago, so Im running him back now for another test.

Now Im worried they all have it. <sigh> it never ends!

[Medusa]

Oh no! Well, we'll get the prayers going up that all will be well w/all your furkids. Keep the faythe. :love:

[JustineNYC]

We're back now and she just called, its negative. Thank god. His WBC is a 3.2 and a low normal is 3.8, so she said we may have just caught him when he just got done fighting something off.

Got a little panicky there! LOL We are rechecking his blood in 4 weeks.

[lvpets2002]

:eek: WoW he looks just like my Rastus boy that I am having spraying & peeing problems with.. I will ask my Vet about those meds as well for him.. Thanks for the update..
Here is Irwin and myself today.....you can see his head is almost as big as mine. LOL

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/10/l_1ee0590b65e841fda60899e1891677fd.jpg

[wolflady]

Yikes! What a scare! I'm so glad it came back negative. Keep us posted on how he's doing!

[Medusa]

Whew! What a relief! :)