Darn. Joxer figured out how to spray.

[catland]

Sid has always sprayed outside (and a few times inside if he's stressed out ). Joxer loves his uncle Sid and loves to emulate him. He would go through the motions of "spraying" but nothing actually came out and we were very happy.

Now this last week he finally figured it out. He hasn't sprayed anything in the house yet but he's been treating himself to the garage and the back patio. argghh.

(just had to vent, I know many of you have been through far worse).

[jenluckenbach]

You know, I have several who do the motion, and I always thought it to be a happy gesture. Not a learning ritual. I wonder if something in his routine has changed to make him feel like he needs to actually spray now?

[catland]

Originally posted by jenluckenbach
You know, I have several who do the motion, and I always thought it to be a happy gesture. Not a learning ritual. I wonder if something in his routine has changed to make him feel like he needs to actually spray now?

hmm - good question. I hadn't thought of it that way. They've had a change in cat food (from regular to diet) because they were getting a bit too round. Do you think a food change would cause this?

[jenluckenbach]

not sure if food directly could affect change, but consider this: if one is feeling hungry, due to a change in diet, he could start to see the other cat(s) as a threat that requires marking of territory. it is all together possible that this change INDIRECTLY led to a change in behavior.

[RP Cathouse]

I have one question is he neutered?

[catland]

Originally posted by RP Cathouse
I have one question is he neutered?

yes, he was neutered when he was about five months old.

[jenluckenbach]

how is Joxer doing?

[Dog1,Cats2]

I had a neutered male cat that I took in as a stray when he was a year or two old. He was already neutered; we always thought his former owners waited too long and that he'd learned the spraying behavior before getting snipped.

He probably was a stray because of his spraying behavior!! Thinking back, I'm amazed that my husband didn't kill that poor cat when I wasn't looking. Twink specifically sprayed on my husband's things - his briefcase, his guitar, his stereo speakers - you name it. I did a lot of cleanup!! Twink has been gone for years now, but I STILL occasionally come across something that he marked.

I understand that spraying is a territorial, behavioral kind of thing. If there were other cats outdoors, Twink would spray like crazy to let them know this place was HIS! (and husband became husband after Twink had moved in with me, so Twink was letting him know that I was already claimed, I think!)

[Lorraine]

I recently heard from one of my friends that her cat often sprays even though he is neutered. I didn't realize males did this
after they were neutered. The only time either one of my cats did it is right after I had bought Sammy a new bed, he sniffed it, then sprayed on it. This is prior to me bringing home Romeo. I don't know why he did it. I hope that Joxer will stop doing it though!

[Rowan815]

My kitty Gibbons began spraying when a stray Tom started showing up around our yard. He loves to sit in the window and watch the world go by, and saw the stray out there one day. He only sprayed one area, and we ended up having to ban him from that room and cleaning everything with an enzymatic cleaner to kill the smell. Gibs was neutered at 6 months of age, as a side note.

Is it possible theres a stray hanging around thats got your kitty in tizzy?