Aaack! Cracker Jack sprayed this morning!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I think! I didn't see him, but Terry said he circled around a few times, then the next time Terry looked he was twitching his tail! Terry didn't actually see anything come out, but he was able to wipe up a bit of some yellowish liquid, although really not much at all, which is why I think he was spraying and not just peeing. It did not have a strong odor to it.

According to his adoption papers, he used the litterbox 100%, but how much room is there in a little cage for him to NOT use the litterbox or to spray?

Ok, so ask me anything about senior cats and I could write a book for you, but ask me about spraying and I haven't a clue, although I will be researching here on PT because I know Jen has had problems in the past, and I know Jazzcat was recently dealing with Ripley, so I'm on my way over there when I'm done here.

One of my questions is not for the "sensitive" PT'er. When Tubby was neutered, they took everything. He had no little "dingle berries" in back - Jack does. I know they've started neutering differently so they "presevere" the dingle berries. Is this part of why he would spray? I NEVER had an issue with Tubby, so I'm really at a loss as to why or what to do about it?

I had bought some Feliway plug-ins,3 of them to be exact, so I'm doubly surprised this happened because they are supposed to help prevent this. But anyway, I immediately plugged one near where he had sprayed. If he sprayed there once, will he continue to spray in the same spot or will he find different spots?

Any and all insights will be helpful because this is something Terry will NOT put up with, even though he is head over heels about CJ.

[ramanth]

Is it possible that he has a urinary tract infection? Or did he have a total clean bill of health from the vet?

We've always had males at my parents house and the older boys recently starting spraying and it was discovered one had a UTI and the rest were just covering the area with their scent.

We got the UTI's cleared up but one or two of the boys keeps peeing in spots.

[catnapper]

Oh no! I don;t have any wxperience with spraying, but my guess is it just might be the stress (if a UTI is ruled out) - its got to be highly stressful to move to a new home and be hissed at . Perhaps you are using a different litter than he is used to? Perhaps he is marking his terriotry? I don't know! I wish you luck though.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I was thinking about that Kimmy, and I'm probably going to make an appointment for him to get it checked.

The main reason I've been wondering about this is because I really haven't seen any pee biscuits since we brought him home. I thought that was kind of odd, but with his diarrhea, it was hard to tell what was what, and the vet said that it could be possible that he pees a little bit every time he poops, and since the poop is so runny it just blends in (sorry for being so gross about it). He still isn't eating as much as I'd like, which the vet said isn't unusual because of the new surroundings.

However, this reminds me that I didn't update after the vet visit. He got a total clean bill of health except he has wax in his ears, but his ear canals are clean, and he has these two spots on either side of his face. The vet took a culture to test for ringroom. I really don't believe it's ringworm because I called the shelter and they have no cases of ringworm, and haven't had any in quite awhile. The vet said it's possible he has slight allergies and his nose is itching and he's scratching too much.

Sounds like I should just log off here and call the vet right away. The only thing is, how do I get a urine sample when I don't know where he's peeing - and now that I know about the spraying, he's proably not peeing in the box! ugh!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I just made an appointment for CJ tonight! I knew they were open one evening during the week, but I didn't think it was Monday. Boy, talk about quick service.

I had no idea there might be a problem otherwise I could have had the vet check him on Saturday when we were there.

[catland]

Make sure that the difusers are "on". I also went out and got some since I'm doing the new cat thing too and was dissapointed when Sid looked like he wanted to spray - turns out the difuser was in a little used outlet and wasn't plugged in all the way.

It should feel warm, then you know it is working.

[rg_girlca]

I have no advice since I have never had this problem with any of my guys.

Just want to give you my support and prayers that you are able to get this situation under control as soon as possible.

[Barbara]

No pee biscuits- that sounds not ok to me. My boys make two big biscuits per day minimum. (Size of a bigger cookie). No biscuits and small biscuits (that's what they call dysuria and pollakiuria) can be a sign of UTD. As in Tigris' case.

On the other hand- he would be right in the situation to show a behavioral issue. Now feeling more at ease he could try to communicate something to Peanut!

Filou (who is the one who sometimes pees to demonstrate to the dawg it's his house) can do the spraying thing-lift the tail, and vibrate somehow- but I never saw something coming out.

Have it checked anyway. And good luck

[jazzcat]

Oh no Debbie. I think you are on the right track by taking him to the vet quickly. Do you know if he has been drinking a lot? If not that could cause some UT problems.

If it's not health related then it may be stress. The Feliway helps but doesn't always prevent spraying - Ripley is proof of that.

You need to get an enzyme cleaner like Natures Miracle or similar to clean the area to remove the urine smell so he hopefully won't keep marking it. It will work on carpet and also works on hard surfaces. I've never thought Nature's took care of the problem completely on carpet so I've started following up with a product called Capture. It's a powder that I apply it to the carpet after Nature's has done all it can, let it sit overnight and vacuum it up the next day.

I hope the vet can offer a fix to this problem because it is very frustrating. I've been seriously thinking about making Ripley a "room" in the garage and letting him stay there since he's started spraying again. He begs to go out ther all the time anyway. We just made some major improvements to our house and I do not want him to damage things with pee. I'm also afraid he will teach Rocky bad behavior. I like QSL's idea of a cork and rubberband.

I also wanted to add that I've always wondered about Ripley's neuter job because he still has one, what did you call it, dingle or dingleberry. I always thought they left something behind. Also he was a big time humper for years, especially with an old Oscar the Grouch hand puppet and a certain blanket. Wonder if there is any tie to that?

[jenluckenbach]

First off.........don't panic! 1 spray does not a bad cat make.

Is Cracker Jack out in your whole house now? If so consider confining him again. Such a large area can be overwhelming and the need to mark what is "mine" is greater for some cats and when their new "territory" is too big to patrol, they spray.


Feliway will not work instantly and I would not call it 100% effective either. Just clean the spot well.

If you can put the cat in a carrier about 3 hours before the vet appointment, the doctor should be able to locate the bladder and draw a sample for you.

Best of luck, you can overcome this, I am sure.

[shais_mom]

I have no words of wisdom since I am a total newbie to the cat thing and only have girls!!
But GOOD LUCK!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Thanks everyone.

It should feel warm, then you know it is working.

I did notice that the one I moved was warm and wondered about that, but now I will check all three of them when I get home to make sure they're warm and working.

No pee biscuits- that sounds not ok to me.

I had wondered about that too, Barbara, but when the vet described how it would be mixed in with the diarrhea, I thought that made sense and left it at that. I do think your idea of how he's now feeling more comfortable and is communicating to Peanut. She was in her little carpet condom at the time, and he was far across the room from her, but it still makes sense.

Do you know if he has been drinking a lot?

I didn't think he was drinking enough, but when I mentioned that to the vet, he said that could be because I was basing that on what Tubby was drinking, and since Tubby had his kidney problems and drank more than the normal cat, I could be basing my assumptions on faulty information. I have seen him drink out of the 3 bowls that are spread around - and out of the toilet. I was trying to discourage that by leaving the lids down, but Terry left one up and I thought if that's the way he wants to drink, well....at least he's drinking!

First off.........don't panic! 1 spray does not a bad cat make.

I know, I know, I'm trying not to, but I guess I've already fallen for that lovable little orange mug and I don't want anything to be wrong with him, or for Terry to not like him because of a problem like this. The vet's office suggested confining him beforehand also, so I've already called Terry and told him to put him in the little bathroom (no litterbox) with the toilet seat open (drink away Jacky boy!) so hopefully they'll get a good sample. I do know that when Tubby had a UTI his urine was quite bloody, but it could be that Jack's isn't quite so serious yet?

Lori, thanks for the tips on what to clean it with. Can these products both be bought at a pet store or hardware store? Looks like I'll be making another stop tonight too.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions. Everything was so....don't know the word for it, but everything was so smooth and placid(?) with T & P for soooo many years. Now the house has been in an upheaval for the last month and I just want everything to be peaceful and calm like it was.....and soon, my nerves are starting to wear thin....

[QueenScoopalot]

I think I'd have to agree with the "back to confinement" for a while. Glad he's being vet checked to rule out UTI, and hope it's that (well don't, but the alternative..) and not territorial behaviour starting up. I wonder if he was neutered much later than six months, which would explain his sacks are on the large side still. Was Tubby neutered very young? If a cat's had a chance to develop Batonga Wongas back there, they tend to stay large. Hope you solve this latest dilemma.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I was concerned whether Eddie was really nuetered when he first came to us as he has dingleberries. When we took him to the vet I expressed my concern. She grabbed his...dingleberries, squeezed and said..."Nope...they are empty."

When Edwina was expressing her displeasure in the dining room I found Wineaway to be a great product for getting the smell out.

(Do you still have that product we bought last year at the pet show? I thought that worked as well.)

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by QueenScoopalot
If a cat's had a chance to develop Batonga Wongas back there,

Aaahhh....that's the word I was looking for! Couldn't remember it correctly though. Tubby was neutered 18 years ago when he was about 5 months old, if I remember right. I have no idea when Jack was neutered, but the shelter got him when he was a tiny baby, and he was adopted by his original humans when he was still quite young, so I would assume the shelter would have neutered him before he went home the first time. I thought I had heard they were doing things in a "new fangled" way in the last 18 years since Tubby's Batonga Wongas were snipped. And by the way, is there a reason Batonga Wongas is capitalized? That important of an item, huh?

Oh, and about the run of the house. He has the run of the house while we're awake and at home. When we are sleeping and/or out, he is confined to the master bedroom and bath. He did get to explore the basement and the garage for the first time yesterday since the vet said there were no parasites in his diarrhea and therefore I didn't have to keep him away from Peanut's litterboxes.