Cat spraying HELP!

Jberbie25

Please any advice is needed.  My male NEUTERED cat is spraying in just about every corner of the house.  I keep trying vinegar but I need to stop him and I don't know how.  I've tried foil and spray bottles nothing seems to work.  I hardly ever actually catch him in the act.  Ugh!  I really don't want to have to get rid of him, but I can't live like this!  TIA!

Dobie_Mama

I'd suggest cleaning with an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle first and foremost.  Now, this next part may sound weird, but it worked for us for retraining ...

We got a brand new litterbox and put it in our bathroom and confined the cat to that room.  We used the bathroom because our bathroom is itty bitty and it gave him virtually no where to pee except the litterbox.  He seriously would have had to pee on the ceiling or sink or something if he wanted to go elsewhere.  You could also use a large dog crate for this.  Once we were sure he was going in the box consistently we gave him more room.  He was allowed in the bathroom, hallway, and kitchen.  When he did OK with that for a bit we started letting him into other rooms until eventually he had full reign of the house again.

That was five years ago and he's yet to have another accident, so I know it can work!  GL!  I know its a really frustrating thing.

pixy_stix

1. Vet visit to rule out a UTI.

2. You have to clean with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle.

3. New litter box, new litter, Feliway plug near litter box

4. You might have to retrain him on how to use the litterbox by shutting him in the bathroom with his litterbox and food for a week.  I'd try the above 3 first.

5. I have other ideas, but try the above first.

pixy_stix

I have to strongly stress that the cat needs to see a vet before doing anything else.

MrsKittieFantastico

Have you tried taking him to the vet? Sometimes spraying in a neutered male (especially a new?behavior) can indicate a medical problem.

Has anything else changed? New member of the family, moving, new furniture, detergent, air freshener, etc.? Any new anything can trigger behavioral issues, even teeny-tiny-itsy-bitsy things that you might not realize until you really think about it. Change in diet, sleeping arrangements, moving the litterbox, on and on and on...

I would definitely recommend a vet visit, with urinalysis, possible blood work, x-rays. I work at a veterinarians office, to give you reference.

HTH! Feel free to PM me if you need any more information or brainstorming!

MKF?

thejennigirl

Dobie_Mama:

I'd suggest cleaning with an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle first and foremost.  Now, this next part may sound weird, but it worked for us for retraining ...

We got a brand new litterbox and put it in our bathroom and confined the cat to that room.  We used the bathroom because our bathroom is itty bitty and it gave him virtually no where to pee except the litterbox.  He seriously would have had to pee on the ceiling or sink or something if he wanted to go elsewhere.  You could also use a large dog crate for this.  Once we were sure he was going in the box consistently we gave him more room.  He was allowed in the bathroom, hallway, and kitchen.  When he did OK with that for a bit we started letting him into other rooms until eventually he had full reign of the house again.

That was five years ago and he's yet to have another accident, so I know it can work!  GL!  I know its a really frustrating thing.

We had to retrain our cat, using this type of steps.  We went to vet, he checked out fine.  The cause turned out to be me remodeling & redecorating half the house, & it flipped him out.  I also have feliway plugs around the house.  He's 96% better, and that's only because I'm still working oin the house.  We have to keep him in the basement for a couple days until our scent is on new furniture, ect, so he doesn't feel the need to mark.

julygal

My Grandma had a terrible time with this, and after the vet visits to determine that there was nothing medically wrong the vet ultimately suggested getting a second catbox.  It worked like a charm.  Turns out the cat uses one box for poop and the other for pee.  Before having 2 boxes he was using the house to handle the pee. 

Also, something else to consider is there a cat outside or something that could be triggering the new behavior.  When I was younger, our female spayed cat began spraying.  We determined it was due to a group of outdoor cats in the neighborhood who liked to pay her a visit during the day when we weren't home.  It took one day of being home due to no school to see her sitting in the window, group of cats come up to window, and then watch our cat go to a corner and spray.  We had to close the blinds on the windows and confine her space for a bit to retrain her.  While that happened the other cats lost interest and didn't seem to be around as much.

TimsMayBride

Been there!  Our cat Rodney suddenly started peeing on everything soft - blankets, clothes, our bed!  Turns out it was crystals in his bladder (which unfortunately took the vet months to diagnose - he almost died!)  Now he's on prescription food and doing well.

Good luck!  I know how frustrating it can be.

papie

Ditto everyone about having him checked. ?We have been having issues with Tiger and it seems to be urinary. ?At first it was UTIs, then some crystals, but finally we realized that the actual cause for the peeing seems to be bladder inflammation. ?His bladder seems very painful to touch and it hurts him when he pees. ?So he associates the pain with the litter box, and pees elsewhere.

He has been having weekly injections and doing fine. ?We just tried to switch to monthly and he peed again in the bathtub tonight and yesterday ?

Anyway, my point is, there is a variety of health reasons that can cause them to pee outside the box. ??