Still spraying... drugs next step?

[sirrahved]

My hubby and I don't know what to do. It has been almost two weeks since we got the feliway, and now on two occasions has sprayed very near the plug in. Are drugs the next step? Is there no hope after we try drugs? Jason and I fight about this, I go crazy trying to keep my apartment clean... This is a HUGE source of stress on us! PLEASE HELP! I don't know what to do anymore!!!!!!

[BCBlondie]

Is your cat fixed? If not, that might be the next step. All the cats I've ever had have been fixed and they've never done that spraying thing.

(Am I talking about the right thing? I admit I don't know too much about cats.. o_o' lol..)

[Craftlady]

Here's an article about spraying, hope it helps.

spraying (http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-47.htm)

[sirrahbed]

Sirrahved, Devon (my DIL) has really been through the ringer with this problem. Yes, Pickles is neutered, (as a kitten - is now a year old ) he has been to the vet and has no medical problems, the litterbox is meticulously clean - he started this several months ago and is literally destroying their apartment. She has bought the black light and bacterial cleansers and seeks out every single drop she can find - is doing a pretty good job but this is SPRAYING rather than puddles so it is even harder. I think she has read everything on the Internet about behavior, spraying, etc. and is ready to tear her hair out and I feel so bad for her!! I think she is going to call the vet in the morning and ask about amitriptyline. I know they cannot afford Prozac. (Ami is about .05 a day and Prozac is about $1 a day)
Has anyone had success with Ami??? Sorry about cross posting but I am as frustrated as she is and just trying to help her - I live in another state and feel helpless:confused:

[catmandu]

We wish you luck , as Sam is about eight years old and is still spraying , but it doesnt smell as bad , or I dont notice it!

[PayItForward]

Originally posted by sirrahved
As far as declawing, neither of my pets have had any ill effects. We had Pickles for quite a while WITH claws, but he was scratching us both so much that we decided it was time. (Not to mention my woven throws, and shower curtain) Both of them sharpen their "claws". They are strictly indoor cats.


Debbie,

I feel this situation is probably a reaction to being declawed. :(

Maybe your DIL can contact a feline behaviourist, who might be able to help :)



PS. This is not a cue for a heated debate on declawing.

[PayItForward]

As promised Debbie I'll post suggestions to help Pickles.

These will be quotes from websites not my personal advice. Please check out all advice with a vet first.

---------------------------------

Quote from http://www.goodcatswearblack.com/about_declawing.htm

What can I do if my declawed cat is urinating outside the box?
Assuming your cat has no other medical conditions that could be causing his problem (again, ANY cat who urinates outside the litter box should see a veterinarian, a medical issue should be ruled out because cat-pee is a sign of illness). Here are some additional tips that may help get a declawed cat back to using his litter box:

Make sure his feet are checked regularly by the veterinarian for loose bone or infection which could cause pain for him while using the litter box.
Never hit, spank or squirt any cat, this will only make matters worse. Gently direct the cat to his litter box.

Put less litter in the litter box. Then slide the litter to one end so that half the box is bare.

Give the declawed cat some stress vitamins found at many health food stores.

Organic catnip twice a week may helps some declawed cats.

If you've tried all, try taking a peeing declawed cat on daily, supervised, outdoor walks. Going outside stops most behavior problems of cats. Outside is next to 'last' resort (death.)

Please note: these walks must be EVERY day and supervised. Going outside occasionally and without supervision could lead to more problems.

Many more tips and resources are listed in Cat Be Good to help get your declawed cat to use his box.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

There is a product in this month's Cat Fancy Magazine called "No Spray".

Here is the link to their website.

I haven't tried it, but I suppose it can't hurt to try!!

http://www.bottledblessings.com/animals_cats.html

[PayItForward]

Another quote from http://www.petsage.com/art_litter.htm

· Recognize that if your cat has had a bout of FUS, he may view the litter box as the cause of the pain. You may need to change the box, litter or location before he's "comfortable" again.

------
*PIF Words*
Try changing brand new litter tray, with new 'gentle on the paws' litter, try fine sand, in a new location to disasociate with the previous pain of using the tray.
-------

[PayItForward]

Quote from http://www.hollys.org/declaw.html

So what can you do if your cat is already declawed and having litter box problems? Try using shredded newspaper for litter.

[PayItForward]

Standard advice that everyone knows visit this website
http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/housesoiling/prevention_of_problems.html

[sirrahbed]

:( The declawing is a moot point, can't be reversed and was done 8 months ago - the spraying began 6-8 weeks ago:( I just do not think the two are related but who knows the mind of a cat? My only spraying cat HAD his claws. Others have had accidents, but they were geriatric and dying.
Devon is waiting to hear back from the vet and hopefully, he will have some suggestions for Pickles...maybe some behavioral thing she has not yet tried. Money is very tight though - her hubby is a seminarian with two jobs and Devon delivers newspapers from something like 3 in the morning until daybreak. I understand that frustration of feeling like the house is never clean. Been there, done that:( ARGHH! Poor Pickles! He must be miserable and can't say what is bothering him!:confused: :confused:

EDIT: Just see that PIF added several threads of advice on behavior and possible help as I was composing my post :)- THANKS! Will read through them.

[PayItForward]

This site has a link to a message board where people discuss their cats problems and hopefully find suggestions

http://pages.ivillage.com/catsboard/id4.html

Message board Link(Karen, I hope you don't find a link to a message board just as an advice link :) )
http://boards2.ivillage.com/cgi-bin/boards/ptlitterbox

[PayItForward]

Originally posted by sirrahbed
:( The declawing is a moot point, can't be reversed and was done 8 months ago - the spraying began 6-8 weeks ago:( I just do not think the two are related but who knows the mind of a cat?
Yes, sounds typical. All declawed cats which have a bad reaction to declawing, take several months to show symptoms. (Of the cats which have a bad reaction 95 % wee the other 5% bite.)

As I PM'd you I only mentioned Pickle's declawing as it is directly related to Pickles current behaviour, not to play a guilt game.

Pickle is the important issue here and he is the one who needs help. *Strokes Pickles*

I am trying to find revelent links for people with declawed cats who have solved this problem. Hopefully a solution can be found for Pickles. :)

[PayItForward]

Another message board about littertray problems, again try posting for advice http://www.msnusers.com/PurrandMeow/kittylitterproblems.msnw

[PayItForward]

Another general article
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/litter_box_problems.htm

Good Luck Pickles :)

[PayItForward]

Also try going back to an uncovered litter tray
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&postid=659416#post659416

[sirrahved]

He's spraying, not peeing. It's a different behavior. He does this on things like walls, stacks of things, etc. It's not that he doesn't like to use the litter box.

Something that I've noticed is that he tends to do it after fighting with Marshmallow. Could it be that he's trying to show Marsh that HE'S the big cat now? When we got Pickles, he weighed only 3 pounds. Marshmallow was 6 pounds. Now Pickles is just an ounce or two shy of 12, and Marsh is only 7. Could it be that he's telling her that he's the alpha male, and she's just a pee-on (lol I couldn't resist!)

[PayItForward]

Spraying quote from this site http://www.declawing.com/htmls/article.htm

Deprived of its front claws a cat may become insecure and distressed. I can assure you that if Kitty becomes emotionally distressed, you will too. Kitty's display of distress tends to take such forms as urinating on your favorite rug or spraying your antique armoir. Feeling defenseless without her claws, Kitty may become hostile to people (including you), and to other cats and become more apt to bite.

[Nomilynn]

Originally posted by sirrahbed:
oh THANK YOU! for answering! How long did it take for the medicine to help Bassett? Did she have a medical problem? How much does it cost? Does it make her drowsy or have other side effects? She does not pee out of the box at all when she is on the medicine?? Once a week is not bad - I thought it was daily. Was it daily at first? Thanks so much!

I'm going to put my other response in here also, in case anyone has any more advice :)

Well it's hard to say, because her peeing is very random. Sometimes I just *know* when she's in that kind of mood, and sometimes I am totally caugh off guard. It seems though, that when she's on it, it happens much less.. I woudln't say it's solved because if she's mad she's mad.. period. And she WILL mess in the house. But the pills REALLY help.

She did not have a medical problem, like a bladder infection, however I am going to have that checked this year again just to keep on top of it. It was strictly a behavioural thing. It started to get really bad when my gran died, because she was alone in the house all day. But it's something she has ALWAYS done.. either in boxes/baskets on the floor, piles of clothes on the floor, unmade beds, etc. She doesn't spray, but actually pees on stuff.

It was not expensive, but I honestly can't remember how much it was. I believe it was $60 for three months if she was taking it EVERY day. However, this one bottle I have has lasted me much longer. When she was really sick with her chylothorax I didn't give it to her at all, so I've had this bottle over a year but I think it would last me about six months on a regular basis.

The first day after taking her pill, she basically sleeps all day and is a bit dopey. But drowsiness was the only side effect I noticed.

And, like I said before, she will pee out of the box sometimes but it's not as bad and it's only if she is REALLY ticked off, whereas without the pill it's just whenever.

It started out as daily, then every other day, then every third day, etc until we found a routine that worked for us. Really, I give it to her about every 4-5 days, depending on her mood.


I am having some difficulty with Bassett right now because she has messed the same spot repeatedly. I found a great product at a pet expo called Urine-Off, and it's basically taken all smell out of the carpet. She did, however, pee in a bottom shelf of my TV cabinet and it's soaked into that fake wood veneer, making me feel like my entire living room stinks like pee (even though I know it doens't, because people have told me it's ok). The cabinet does still smell and is ruined, but thie Urine-Off did help. I know how stressfull it is to feel like you are living in a litter box, and that everything in your house smells like cat pee. The other day I was using Windex and I freaked out because of the amonia, then realised it was the CLEANER!! It does cause you to be paranoid. I hope everything works out :)

EDIT: Bassett is not declawed, either, just to rule out any confusion :)

[Davena]

Our cat, Lance, started to spray when we tried to introduce another cat into the house. We kept the new cat for three months and took it back. It took about another three months to stop the spraying and every now and again he does it again.

We got some pills from the vet called "Clamacalm" which have helped tremendously. We gave him 1/2 pill daily for the first while and now we only give him a half about every four days. Mostly he behaves.

Lance has been neutered and is not declawed. He just doesn't want to share his space, I guess! We have two other cats but they were here before him so he is used to them but we won't be adding more for awhile!

Davena
Cat-alog.com (http://www.cat-alog.com)

[sirrahbed]

Thank you for the suggestion, Davena! I also notice this is your #1 post - welcome!!!