One of my boys sprayed

**rosethecopycat** · 03-20-2003, 05:32 PM

Well, for the first time, one of my boys: Snowy or Mr. Jones has sprayed.

Snowy is 2 and Mr. Jones is 3.

One of them is the culprit and did it by the door to the garage.

Now, the question is: Do I wash it over with disinfectant (with takes away the smell) or do I leave it to dissapate on its own?

I have heard that if you wash away their scent, they get frustrated and try to put it back.

And, any way to tell who did it?

Would it be the one who goes back and smells it a lot, or the non-guilty one who would smell it?

Please help!

**BastetsMum** · 03-20-2003, 06:14 PM

First off I would check to see why the culprit sprayed. Is it medical or behavioural?

Secondly, check to make sure that a bottle of amonia hasn't spilt in or near the garage (or hasn't been used for that matter) - a friend found that was why her cats were spraying (to mask the scent of the ammonia) on her garage door as she washed it with something amonia based. They had never sprayed before either.

She also found that was why they peed in the house where ever she cleaned with any ammonia based product!

It would be hard to tell which one sprayed since both will go and have a sniff at the mark. Thats a natural kitty thing.

Other than that - best of luck!

**rosethecopycat** · 03-20-2003, 06:59 PM

Medically, I think they are fine.
Eat-drink-sleep-poop. Just like kings!

I think I'm going to order some of that Feliway plug-in stuff.

Has anybody ever used it?

**wolflady** · 03-20-2003, 07:07 PM

Isn't this always a fun mystery to solve

Hmmm...tough question. Is this on a door inside the house that leads to the garage? Or is this a door outside...going into the garage?
Could it possibly be that there is an outdoor kitty that got to close to your home, and one of your boys thought it would be a good idea to let the strange kitty to know that your residence is taken? LOL

Has anything changed lately? It could be anything at all from a piece of furniture being moved to another animal to new litter. Sometimes a cat will get upset and will spray.

As for cleaning, use an enzymatic cleaner. Cats will tend to go to the bathroom where they can smell they've gone before, so it would definitely be best to try to get the smell out.

The Feliway sounds like it would be worth a try, and in fact I think I'm going to give it a try just to ease our skittish Scooter's behavior. Noahsmommy uses it and recommenede me to try it out. It's worth a shot!

Good luck!
**hugs**
Karen

**NoahsMommy** · 03-20-2003, 07:13 PM

Originally posted by rosethecopycat
I think I'm going to order some of that Feliway plug-in stuff.

Has anybody ever used it?

We have it and love it! I bought it to calm Oliver down...and to be honest, prevent spraying.

For your problem, I would also consider the spray. You use the plug in for the general area and the spray for the specific area.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

**catland** · 03-20-2003, 07:37 PM

Can you get feliway at places like Petco or Petsmart? (when my Sid gets anxious or upset, he'll sometimes spray)

on a more "cheer you up" note - my Joxer loves his uncle Sid and wants to be just like him. He's seen Sid spray the shrubbery outside, so he'll occasionally back up and to the motion - but fortunately, he doesn't understand the entire procedure, and nothing comes out.

**rosethecopycat** · 03-20-2003, 08:13 PM

Thanks for the help so far.

That boy sprayed the door from the kitchen to the garage. No other cats near. No cats around in the neighborhood at all.

I don't have any ammonia products as it bothers me a lot.

I have enzematic spray and I think I will use it when I get the Feliway.

It's in a small area, and the plug-in should cover it well. It gets a bit pricey to get both spray and plug-in.

I've been gone quite a bit recent weeks, (trying to fix up a property for sale) and I always find Snowy's favorite toy by that door, as if he's trying to summon me home.

Waitin for more reviews on Feliway...

P.S. Here's a naive question for you all..

Is spraying and urination the same stuff?

**lailamara** · 03-20-2003, 08:51 PM

Oh boy does your problem sound familiar, now that you mentioned the details. Maya would pee on my side of the bed and on the couch where I sat. Why....because after being home with her for 5 months I went back to work and was gone till late every evening. My husband was home but her issue was with me. It took several months to remedy. I used the Feliway spray (yes it's expensive) but I didn't know they had a diffuser. Also she was on anti-anxiety medication for a few weeks. I stopped that because it made her too dopey. ( not her high energy personality at all) I also made a point of getting home by 7 p.m. and spending lots of quality time with her . This could be similar to your kitty's problem. He's feeling seperation anxiety because he's strongly bonded to you.
He's a young one yet as is mine. He'll mature and outgrow this behaviour too. Cats are good at telling you that you are becoming a workaholic!!!!!