Two months ago, we took home a 1.5 year old rescue cat. He immediately began spraying and urinating outside of the box. After reading lots of great advice on this forum, we purchased Cat Attract litter and got him treated for a UTI, which completely eliminated the puddles. We also used Feliway which greatly reduced the spraying to about once every other day.
However, he has begun spraying 3-5 times daily again, despite using enzymatic cleaners and continuing with Feliway. It is impossible to limit his view of outside (low windows and an open floor plan) and his favorite place to spray is the heating/return air vents in the floor which are impossible to cover (it's cold out!) and therefore difficult to remove all traces of urine.
He always been very vocal, sounding very distressed and anxious, and paws at doors and windows frantically. He also mounts blankets several times a day, 20 minutes at a time, and is uninterested in toys and catnip. He is ruining our house and our sanity.
I remember when we took the cat from the shelter, the lady was reviewing his medical history and murmured something to herself about "crypto." So my conclusion is that the behavioral issues are because he is a cryptorchid and is only partially neutered.
Here is my question: if we go to the expense of invasive surgery to get him completely neutered, is his behavior likely to improve, or is he now in the habit of these things regardless of whether the hormones are there to influence him?
However, he has begun spraying 3-5 times daily again, despite using enzymatic cleaners and continuing with Feliway. It is impossible to limit his view of outside (low windows and an open floor plan) and his favorite place to spray is the heating/return air vents in the floor which are impossible to cover (it's cold out!) and therefore difficult to remove all traces of urine.
He always been very vocal, sounding very distressed and anxious, and paws at doors and windows frantically. He also mounts blankets several times a day, 20 minutes at a time, and is uninterested in toys and catnip. He is ruining our house and our sanity.
I remember when we took the cat from the shelter, the lady was reviewing his medical history and murmured something to herself about "crypto." So my conclusion is that the behavioral issues are because he is a cryptorchid and is only partially neutered.
Here is my question: if we go to the expense of invasive surgery to get him completely neutered, is his behavior likely to improve, or is he now in the habit of these things regardless of whether the hormones are there to influence him?