Question about neutered male cat spraying??

Hobbs is neutered for many years now. I always thought that a neutered male couldnt spray. In the house his tail quivers like he thinks he is spraying, but he never does. However lately Ive been taking him for outside walks on a harness, and he is really spraying on bushes. What is going on??

Any cat can spray if they want to, male or female, neutered or intact. He is marking his territory. Lucky for you he doesn't actually spray in the house, just outside. A few of my cats will do the tail shake and stamp her back feet like she is spraying but she doesn't. However, two of my other females who are spayed DO spray. They are very territorial. One does it on the wall under the stairs and the other sprayed me once.

Originally Posted by Jen

One does it on the wall under the stairs and the other sprayed me once.

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Oh no! that must have been a shocker!

About the spraying I was going to say the same thing, sounds like it's territorial spraying. We used to have a spayed female that would do the same thing.

My Joey backs up to stuff all the time, and quivers his tail, and nothing comes out BUT sometimes it does come out He does have issues with a cat up the street it is his nemesis and now that cat is also peeing in his house.

I've read that the tail shake/quiver thing is actually another form of scent marking, similar to face rubbing and scratching on objects. My girl cat looooooves to scent mark our left rear tire on our car (when she used to be let outside). But it's only that tire.

As for spraying, speutering doesn't make it physically impossible for cats to spray, it just removes the hormones that would cause/encourage territorial behaviour that can include spraying.

~Julia

Thanks everybody for the quick responses. Hobbs does his spraying after he smells the bushes, does that "flemming" thing that cats do where they make that funny disgusted looking face, and does the little stomp the feet spraying dance. So perhaps he is marking "his" territory. I am happy indeed that he doesnt spray inside. I understand it smells pretty awful

Originally Posted by sbw999

Thanks everybody for the quick responses. Hobbs does his spraying after he smells the bushes, does that "flemming" thing that cats do where they make that funny disgusted looking face, and does the little stomp the feet spraying dance. So perhaps he is marking "his" territory. I am happy indeed that he doesnt spray inside. I understand it smells pretty awful

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It doesn't smell quite as bad if the cat is neutered.
Hobbs sounds like Jamie, who also goes outside on a leash. Although he was neutered at 6 months, Jamie started spraying outside at the age of three, after we had an intact male hanging around and spraying. They really got into a p***ing contest!
He got into the habit, and still does it every day. I'd be willing to bet that you have other cats (not necessarily intact) visiting the places you walk him. Flehmen really is funny, isn't it?

Originally Posted by jcat

It doesn't smell quite as bad if the cat is neutered.
Hobbs sounds like Jamie, who also goes outside on a leash. Although he was neutered at 6 months, Jamie started spraying outside at the age of three, after we had an intact male hanging around and spraying. They really got into a p***ing contest! He got into the habit, and still does it every day. I'd be willing to bet that you have other cats (not necessarily intact) visiting the places you walk him. Flehmen really is funny, isn't it?

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funny way to put that.

Yes Im sure other cats, dogs etc happen by there all the time. And flemming (Flehmen?) kills me every time....that face they make....happens so fast I can never get a pic of it though

Originally Posted by sbw999

funny way to put that.

Yes Im sure other cats, dogs etc happen by there all the time. And flemming (Flehmen?) kills me every time....that face they make....happens so fast I can never get a pic of it though

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The word is German. It's actually a verb, and written small, i.e. "flehmen". Believe me, it literally was a "p***ing contest". A neighbor and I virtually blackmailed the cat's owner into getting him castrated, by threatening to sue her because he injured my neighbor's cat in a fight, but it was already too late. That cat stopped spraying around after he was fixed, but Jamie still marks our yard every day, and occasionally a cellar window at ground level. That's not fun, but seems to give him a certain sense of security. As somebody who grew up with lots of dogs, that behavior doesn't surprise me.

My Neutered male cat does that alot when he's outside. To him it's a territorial thing since there are strays in the area he has 'issues' with. Our two girls haven't sone it yet (thank goodness).