Help! Trouble with adult male spraying!

[kimlovescats]

I am getting so frustrated with my Harper! I can't let him into the living area of my home for even 5 minutes anymore, that he doesn't spray everything in sight!!! He has been neutered since he was a kitten ... he is 2 1/2 years old!!! He is the only one who does this, and I hate to have to leave him in the cat room all the time! I sat and watched him spray my wall 3 times today, while I was taking pictures, even caught him "mid-stream" one time.... here are the evidential pictures! UUGH!

http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/Evidence2.JPG
http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/BadHarper.jpg
http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/Evidence.JPG

What do I do???

[Nomilynn]

Does he always do it in the same spot? He could be marking over whatever you tried to use to clean it up. Has anything changed? Cats do this as a showing of distaste for new things in the home sometimes. You also might want to talk to a vet. If it's health related, they could fix it, and if it's behavioural, sometimes medication can help that too. Bassett had to take antidepressants for a time to get her to stop peeing all over the place. She wasn't on them for a long time, either.. so it could be temporary. Good luck!

[lailamara]

I've used "Feliway" pheronome spray as has a friend of mine with great success. Ask your vet about it. It's not cheap but it's worked well for us.

[kimlovescats]

Harper only started doing this since we moved into our new house .... which I understood at first! He was just marking his new territory. However, it is getting worse, and I have to say it has been since my 2 latest additions .... 2 male kittens ... Tucker and Tanner. Both of the kittens were neutered while tiny babies ... (required by the shelter) and so I never would have thought that an adult neutered male would feel threatened by THEM!!!?

More and more I am feeling like I have adopted too many cats, and I don't know what to do. I honestly am starting to believe that you CAN get too many .... you can't save the world, but you can stress the males out by bringing in too much "competition"...

:( :( :( :confused:

[jenluckenbach]

Please don't be so hard on yourself. I have 9 males and 4 females and have not had the spraying problem (yet) so don't blame yourself. Has Harper been spraying the entire time that you've had the 2 new ones? Was your moving at the same time as the 2 new ones? Could it have been the feral foster baby that was temporarily at your house? Could he be marking a place that the former owners of the house may not have cleaned up properly? I have heard MANY favorable reports about Feliway. Do you have any females that are not spayed (I am sure you don't ) but I had a neutered male long ago who would spray when she was in heat. and I only had 4 cats then

[jenluckenbach]

Does he spray at all in the cat room? Could you put a litter box where he sprays as a hint to use that instead of the walls? I had a male that would not squat to pee, so I needed to get all covered litter boxes so the stream would hit the lid and run into the box, instead of hitting the wall behind the box. All in all, I would try a vet visit to check for medical problems or medicines that calm him if it is behavioral. But try to gather as much info as to when and where he does it. who is nearbyu at the time ANYTHING!!! Best of luck

[BastetsMum]

Feliway is great stuff! Also I would check to make sure he is ok in himself at the vet's. It could be a sign that he isn't feeling well. My former flatmates neutered male cat used to spray when he wasn't feeling well.

It could be behavioural with the *territory* being invaded by newcomers but that should only last a couple of weeks. Moving home can be really stressful for any animal so he might need some kitty prozac just to settle his nerves for a little while. I put bastet on that for a couple of weeks because she was spraying at my new place of residence and it solved the problem.

Also do you spend time with Harper first? Then the other 2 newcomers? If you don't maybe he is trying to tell you that he is not happy with the situation. Try to spend some quality Harper time and see if that helps.

I think its great that you rescue cats. People like yourself and many other here are a real blessing to the animal community.

[kimlovescats]

I'll try to address all of the questions ... hehe.

We built this house ourselves, so no there weren't any previous cats for Harper to smell. We have been in the house for a year and a half now .... and it seems worse instead of better. Of course, like I stated in my previous post, we have added two more male kittens in the past 5 months. :(

Yes, Harper sprays even in the Cat Room .... sometimes he doesn't simply spray, he squats and totally empties his bladder! He did this in my youngest daughters toy basket, and he has done it on my sofa, and on our bed. :eek:

Harper and I have always been close, and he loves to play fetch with his mousie with me. However, because of all this spraying, I haven't allowed him as much free time outside of his cat room. I love him dearly, and I know he loves me too ... that is probably a HUGE part of all of this. I'm going to try and spend some one on one time with him and his mousie, and see if that helps!

I just feel guilty, sort of like sibling rivalry, ya know?

Thanks for all the help and concern!!!

[kimlovescats]

Here is Harper as a newborn ....

http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/TinyHarper.JPG


Here is how Harper would sit and watch me work at my computer, in our old house, before all the abrupt changes to his life! :( :( :(

http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/HarperChair.JPG

Here is Harper enjoying his mousie, in the new house ... but before the new kittens and all the spraying!!!!

http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/HarperMousey.JPG

http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/HarperPlays.JPG

[kimlovescats]

See? It is painfully obvious that the 2 new boys in the house were the "final straw" for Harper!!! :(

[Cataholic]

Are you absolutely sure there isn't any medical issue?

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

What a little cutey he was! Those big blue eyes. :D And he's beautiful today. I just hope you find out what the problem is so he goes back to his loving, playful ways. :)

[kimlovescats]

I am 99% sure it is behavioral ... as Harper is my worst "stalker" .... he stalks and taunts Cocoa so badly, that I have to keep Cocoa in a separate area at all times! :(

Harper was the first born male of the house .... he was actually born in my home, along with Smokey and Hallie .... and he is simply the ALPHA MALE ... no buts about it.

He does use the litter box, I know for a fact, so it is not a bladder problem. I am going to try the one-on-one approach and if that doesn't help, then it's off to the vets office for a check-up.

[jenluckenbach]

don't be too quick to think that it is not physical. I had an inapropriate peeing problem last year (it was not spraying, it was always on the carpet, that is why I did not see the correlation). I had just introduced another cat myself and was 99% sure that was the problem. When we found out WHO it was (the hard part with multiples) we found out WHAT it was. Y.Lee had developed diabetes and could not make it to the litter box all the time (that is why I saw him in the box sometimes and did not think it could be him). The diabetes made him have to pee A LOT!!!! big puddles and too often for him to reach the boxes. And I am sure there are other physical things that could cause this. Don't give up.

[kimlovescats]

I spent time all alone with Harper today ... and he was such a good boy!!! He sniffed the areas where he sprayed before, but didn't even attempt to re-spray them!!! He was so happy to play mousey with me and have all the toys to himself! Here are a few pics of my blue-eyed momma's boy! It's just so hard to spend alot of one on one when you have several cats!

http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/HarperMousey121902.JPG


http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/HarperPawToy.JPG

http://mystorage.homestead.com/files/ToyPlayHarper.JPG

I guess he was just trying to tell me that he wanted his mommy all to himself for a while!!!! :)

[Uabassoon]

He is such a beautiful boy. I hope that spending time alone with him helps the problem.

[Sassycat261]

Hi
Spraying is a frustrating problem...and one that even neutered males will do (some folks aren't aware of this). Here are some hints and I'm sure a repeat of some advice you've received:

-rule out urinary tract infection

-use a blacklight to pinpoint the areas that are sprayed

-use a good cleaner like nature's miracle or a mixture of 1/2 white vinegar and water to scrub and clean thoroughly

-apply feliway (bought at the petsmart/petco/drsfostersmith.com) and follow directions. Initially you will use this 6 times a day and then gradually lighten up.

-spend extra time one- on-one with him and do not add any more pets to the family. The moving could have even started this..or the smell in this new house (we can't smell like a cat)..or even an outdoor stray.

-ask your vet about prescribing medications if this continues and start over at the top along with the meds.

He thanks you for keeping him. Many pet owners give them animal up due to this...stressing them more...and causing them to spray even more..not easy to find a home for them in that case,

[jenluckenbach]

yes, Kim, are we having any luck with him?

[jenluckenbach]

Hey Kim. How is Harper? I have been wondering. And now you have new little Chester, I really got to wondering. Let us know.

[kimlovescats]

Harper is doing just fine, everyone is .... no way I would "get rid of" Harper, he's momma's boy!!! I just make sure to give him some special one on one with mommy time, and that seems to have done the trick! Everyone is happy and purring at my home! :D ;)

[jenluckenbach]

Great news about Harper! I knew the "getting rid" of him was not an option. It is also a good learning experience for ALL of us. Make sure your kitties can always feel that they are the center of attention and don't let them feel left out.

[kimlovescats]

Yes, our dear purrbabies have special needs, and we have alot to learn from them! ;)

[luckies4me]

You know that there is a proposal for the AVMA for exactly this kind of stuff we talk about here......that would make what we are doing ILLEGAL! Please go to general to see what is amiss!


I am glad Harper is feeling better. He just loves his mommy is all.;)