I'm ready to lose it!

I've had trouble w/one of my male cats, Specs, for quite some time now. He's pees. Everywhere. Whenever. But he peed on my new dining room furniture. On the wood. I was so enraged that all I could do was give him an amitryptilene and banish him to the basement. My vets have tried everything, every kind of medication, punishment, diet, tests, etc. This cat just has to pee. Spray, not squat. I've worked so hard to finally be able to afford new furniture and he's going to destroy it all. He warped the wood on my last dining room suite, so that it actually fell apart. I don't know what to do. I'm so angry I can hardly type this. He doesn't get along w/my oldest male, Boo. But Boo is here to stay. I'm shaking, I'm so upset!

Furious,
Mary

Can you confine him to one room, like the kitchen, where it wouldn't cause as much damage? Is he neutered? Is he indoor-only? How old is he, and how long have you had him?

Is he neutered?

Yes, he's neutered. I've had him a couple of years now,so it isn't like he has to get used to everyone. When I got home from work just now, I could smell pee the second I walked in the house. He sprayed on my new entertainment center. The only place I could confine him would be the basement but I need to make sure that the other cats have access because that's where their food, water, beds, etc. are. I called the vet tech who took two of the feral cats that I had to place before I moved house but she has one w/leukemia, so she can't take him. He's so adorable that it's frustrating but I've really had it w/him. He looks just like the cat in Shrek 2, w/those sad eyes. I don't want to place him but I'm probably going to have to. I CANNOT have him ruin my furniture. I can't believe that I'm still angry after all day has gone by!

Blessings,
M

I bought a baby gate, thinking that would help. Not. He can jump right over it. Doesn't matter anyhow. I can't have baby gates all over the house! My kitchen doesn't have a door on it and, knowing him, he'd probably pee on the countertops or the wooden chairs. I'm so exhausted from working two jobs and trying to get this new business up and running. So I don't want my things ruined when I worked so hard to obtain them. Then I come home to this. God, I'm angry!

I wish I had some advice, but all I can offer is sympathy! I hope you will find a solution.

I can feel your pain.
We have 5 fur children.

Clayton and Morgan have not goten along since I brought Morgan home in MArch. They are both adults, and neutered. They REALLY are having a P- - - - -G contests. CLAYton will walk onto Morgan's bed and spray on it. We just had our master bedroom closet redesigned.. Morgan walked in and started to spray. I saw him and yelled his name. Tucker has always whizzed IN the TUB over the drain.. THAT I Can deal with...... this week CLayton hopped in the tub and sprayed... Tucker squats.. he is NOT being territorial. He just likes to pee in the tub OVER the drain. CLayton is making me crazy. This afternoon he hopped up on my antique kitchen table and started to spray on this potted plant that is on the table. I yelled CLAYTON!
They are all neutered.. all adults.....except Jesse James.. and he has NO Issues except that he has three legs.

I am ready to throttle Clayton and Morgan.....I feel your pain and frustration!!!!

Deb mommacat

It's rough, isn't it? Specs has those sad, downturned eyes and a pathetic meow that's more like a squeak. And he just loves me. I allowed myself into being pressured to take him in. He was feral and he came to me in the dead of winter. This is when I had lots of warm houses set up outdoor when I was a renter w/lots of acreage and privacy. Well, now I own a home in an allotment, so I can't let cats run. I didn't listen to my instincts and I took him in and I've had nothing but problems ever since. Boo is getting up there; he's 15 now, not really old but old enough that he shouldn't have to be stalked every day. And Specs w/this peeing business. Now Boo is doing it to cover up Specs' scent, I guess. It's bad enough when they do it against the wall. But my new cherry furniture? No. So Specs is on amitryptilene twice a day until Dr. LeBeau can see him next Tues. But I don't honestly know what he can tell me that I haven't already tried. I was hoping someone on PT could help but so far, no luck. And if I try to place him, what am I going to say? "Oh, he's a good cat. Except for the pee thing." Yeah, that'll get him a home real quick.

Blessings,
Mary
:mad:

I hear ya.
I think tha Morgan and Clayton are doing it becasue of a mutual dislike. Lately Morgan has been seeking Clayton out and going after him.. which is completely out of character for him. He has had some back problems, and got a one time steroid shotabout 3 weeks ago. I have found a vet in my area that is a certified Acupuncturist. I Am going to call her and hav eher examine him.

I would never think of giving my fur children up... I'll keep spraying NO MARK over the places they are spraying, and also use Feliway.

Thank God we have PT so we can vent and exchange ideas.

BLEssings,
Deb mommacat

It's hard for me to think about giving Specs up. But I have to be an adult about this. I've tried Feliway. It's expensive and it hasn't worked. I just feel so bad about Boo spending his remaining years in fear. And I think about the house that I've worked so hard for and saved for 10 years after my divorce. And it only takes one cat to ruin it. Ah well, I'm just venting, as you say. I'll figure something out. :(

Blessings,
Mary

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Medusa

It's hard for me to think about giving Specs up. But I have to be an adult about this. I've tried Feliway. It's expensive and it hasn't worked. I just feel so bad about Boo spending his remaining years in fear. And I think about the house that I've worked so hard for and saved for 10 years after my divorce. And it only takes one cat to ruin it. Ah well, I'm just venting, as you say. I'll figure something out. :(

Blessings,
Mary

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This is truly terrible. I feel for you. I don't understand your living situation , an "allotment" - I don't know what that means as we don't have that terminology here. What I am trying to suggest is that you house Specs outside if you have some outside area, in a nice warm big doghouse, with a run and his own climbing area/toys. Over here they build these entire cat enclosures with walkways up into trees etc- very expensive but excellent for cats to go outdoors and not harm our precious native fauna. I'm not suggesting you go for anything this sophisticated but just a little outdoor shelter with his own "garden". Otherwise it might come to rehoming him to a kind family with a farm or something where he can live safely outside with a mission in life, keeping the farm mice/rats down. A breeder I knew used to put the smallest size disposable nappies (that's diapers to you!) on her entire stud male so that he could come indoors for a while with the others, as she loved him so much she didn't like to leave him in the cattery outside all the time! That might be another option! :rolleyes:

Y'know, I seriously considered the "nappie" thing. Truly. I still may do it. And I still have a big dog house that I used as a shelter when I rented and housed so many feral cats. I gave the rest of them away to the vet tech friend of mine because she rescues so many critters and she needs help. I've put Specs outdoors twice before but he just sits outside the door and climbs on the roof to my bedroom window and cries and paws at the window. It's truly heartbreaking. An outdoor run isn't in the budget. I've spent so much money on this new house and I'm still doing it, esp. trying to winterize it before the cold weather hits.

I know how awful I must have sounded, venting the way I did. I love Specs, all my furkids. But I just can't have my furniture ruined. And w/Puddy in and out of hospital so much, I have to be sure that I have a cash reserve for her and for all my cats in case something else should happen. I've been childish in the past, trying to rescue so many animals when my income was limited. Now I'm paying for it again. I won't make the furkids pay for my immature behavior but I can't take on any more expenses either.

Thanx so much for your suggestions and for not chastising me for my feelings. It's frustration, pure and simple. Maybe Dr. LeBeau will be able to give me some hope on Tues. I'll keep you posted.

Blessings,
Mary

You are doing everything humanly possible... give yourself credit. I've a lovely rescue cat (Yellowboy) who pees.... and does not get what the problem is. I imagine that is why his first people dumped him into the wild. (he was nuetered and declawed when he showed up at my house with another stray. He spent one winter outdoors before he trusted me enough for the trip to the vet.

He and Amelia live in oe room of my house with windows on two sides and their accomadations. It isn't perfect, but it works. Next spring, money willing, they will have a small encosure installed out one of the windows made from a friend's old dod run with a roof and a dig-proof wire-on the-ground- floor added. Maybe you could scrounge something of the same sort? Often chainlink fences become unwanted and you can get them for the trouble of hauling them.

Just a suggestion. Ultimately I want to add several "runs" like this, but for me they have to be safe from coyotes and stray dogs getting in...

Yes, stray dogs are sometimes a problem here. I love dogs, too, but I can't jeopardize my cats' safety, so if Specs were to be outdoors, I'd have to be confident that all was safe for him. But I'm noting all the suggestions from PT and I'll come up w/something!

Thanx and blessings,
Mary

My cats do the same please help me also!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please email if u can help [email protected]

You have my complete sympathy in this. My brothers (now mine) cat MC has the same issue. He's been neutered since he was 6 mo old he's now about 12 yrs. I got a call about 3 yrs ago from my brother saying he was moving, can I take him. Being the sucker that I am I agreed. MC is great with dogs, not as much with cats and I had 2 already, one of which is extremely friendly, the other not at all, which I knew might be a problem. Sure enough where Mau laid MC sprayed, then he just started spraying wherever. I didn't want to rehome either of them but I'd just bought a new house with brand new carpet and I had a cat peeing all over it. :mad: Anyway I've done a couple of things to minimize his peeing a lot.... I purchased felaway, initially both the spray and the room. I put a bandana on him that I sprayed daily with it and put the room one in what's considered his area (his food, water, litter box, bed are there). The spray and bandana were because its expensive, no way could I afford it for every room, this way wherever he went he smelled it. Alone neither worked, but then I got a prescription from the vet for valium in addition to the feliway. I gave it to him for a 2 week regiment that started I think at 2X a day then tapered off to every other day and finally none. I also purchased an enzyme cleaner (natures miracle in my case, though any will work) and scrubbed everywhere he'd gone during this time. After the initial valium and feliway finished, if he started to pee I'd give him a couple doses of valium, maybe 1X per day for 3 days or so, it varied depending on the severety. The key was to catch it early before he got off and running again. I used the feliway for about 3-4 months if I remember and gave the valium "as needed". Initially "as needed" was frequently, but that tapered off over time. I now just keep the valium around for "emergencies" and don't use the feliway at all. Don't get me wrong this was a long process not a quick fix and he still has some "accidents" but I've now gone from him peeing everywhere, everyday to nothing in about 6 months and even then he only did it once in about a year.