I don't know how much more I can handle! I might have to rehome Tiger.

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dixie_darlin

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Every since we've had to keep Tiger in the house, he's started spraying.

Yes, he's fixed but he keeps peeing and pooping in my closet! I've had to throw out a couple pairs of shoes, a guitar bag, some clothes, a rifle bag (no rifle in it), and a purse!

We tried to lock him out of the closet but he knows how to get in it.

All the litterboxes are cleaned 2x a day so it's not that.
He's doing out of being vindictive!
And I know it's him doing it because I just caught him doing this 5 mins ago!

I'm at my wits end! I can't do this anymore!

I'm seriously thinking about rehoming him..... as much as I would hate to do it, I can't handle him doing this!

Any suggestions from anyone?
 
gayef

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I took the liberty of moving your thread into the Behavior forum where some of our experts might have a better chance of seeing it ... I hope you don't mind.

I realize you've probably done everything you can to make his transition to the indoors comfortable, but sometimes, stress can actually cause urinary tract issues ... have you had him in to see the vet? If not, that really is the best place to start.

Most, if not all, behavioral issues can be traced to two things ... either it is a health issue or it is an environmental issue. Honestly, cats do not set out to do things simply to be vindictive. If you can rule out health issues then half your job of determining what the problem is has already been done.

If health issues are ruled out, then my suggestion to you is to confine him to a small, cat-safe room with his food, water and litter box for a short while to "retrain" him to using the box. I suggest a room where he cannot get into closets or cabinets (Wal-Mart has a great selection of "child-proof" locks for both doors and cabinets as well as drawers!) and cause any damage and where the floors/walls are easily cleaned with soap and hot water.

I sincerely hope you won't be forced to rehome this cat, but if that is what it comes down to, then I wish you both the best of luck. It will be hard for this boy to find another home if it is known that he has "issues". I hope it won't come to that.
 
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breal76

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I'm seriously thinking about rehoming him..... as much as I would hate to do it, I can't handle him doing this!
Click to expand...
Well first off who is going to want a cat that pees & poohs in the house? So you can forget about "rehoming" him. No one will take him.

Why do you have to keep him in? Was it moving situation? Also, is he declawed? Have you taken him to the vet to make sure he doesn't have something medically wrong?

I have never had this problem but some peeps here have. There are threads about it as well if you do some research you can find the answer yourself. They have excellent suggestions.
 
gayef

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I just want to add that my boy Tonka is a sprayer. The boy hoses down this house on a regular basis if he has access to run freely ... which he no longer does. Tonka now stays in a very large, roomy "pen" in my bedroom. There is beadboard behind and beside the pen on the walls so that I can easily clean the urine and there is vinyl on the floor, which I can easily mop with detergent and hot water. There are other ways to adjust to the problems without having to resort to rehoming ... you just have to be creative.
 
hissy

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Spraying is territorial. If your cat were blocked, he wouldn't be able to pee much at all. How many cats do you have? How many elevated spaces in your home do you have for your cat? If it is a new place for him, did you check with a black light for old cat stains and then clean thoroughly? Are you cleaning the new stains he is making completely using an enzyme cleaner and following up with Feliway Spray?

As Gaye has said, cats are NOT vindictive. We, being human in our attempt to understand "bad behavior" tell ourselves the cat hates us, or is mad at us and is spraying. But he is doing something completely normal. Yes, even neutered cats spray as do spayed cats at times.

Instead of getting angry and frustrated solve the puzzle and try to find out why he is spraying. Perhaps an outside cat is hosing down your walls outside your home, or spraying your windowsills. There are a lot of reasons that male cats spray- but it is a normal behavior for them and usually stopped by neutering but not always. Spraying and peeing out of the litter pan is the number one reason why cats are dumped, tossed outside or turned into shelters. Again, it is a completely natural behavior he is exhibiting and it is up to you to find out what is triggering it. I will also say that if you are yelling at him when he is spraying, you are creating more of an issue for him and he will increase the behavior because of the stress.
 
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dixie_darlin

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Originally Posted by gayef

I took the liberty of moving your thread into the Behavior forum where some of our experts might have a better chance of seeing it ... I hope you don't mind.

I realize you've probably done everything you can to make his transition to the indoors comfortable, but sometimes, stress can actually cause urinary tract issues ... have you had him in to see the vet? If not, that really is the best place to start.

Most, if not all, behavioral issues can be traced to two things ... either it is a health issue or it is an environmental issue. Honestly, cats do not set out to do things simply to be vindictive. If you can rule out health issues then half your job of determining what the problem is has already been done.

If health issues are ruled out, then my suggestion to you is to confine him to a small, cat-safe room with his food, water and litter box for a short while to "retrain" him to using the box. I suggest a room where he cannot get into closets or cabinets (Wal-Mart has a great selection of "child-proof" locks for both doors and cabinets as well as drawers!) and cause any damage and where the floors/walls are easily cleaned with soap and hot water.

I sincerely hope you won't be forced to rehome this cat, but if that is what it comes down to, then I wish you both the best of luck. It will be hard for this boy to find another home if it is known that he has "issues". I hope it won't come to that.
Click to expand...
Originally Posted by Breal76

Well first off who is going to want a cat that pees & poohs in the house? So you can forget about "rehoming" him. No one will take him.

Why do you have to keep him in? Was it moving situation? Also, is he declawed? Have you taken him to the vet to make sure he doesn't have something medically wrong?

I have never had this problem but some peeps here have. There are threads about it as well if you do some research you can find the answer yourself. They have excellent suggestions.
Click to expand...
He was at the vet yesterday because we initially thought he was sick.. (crying and peeing). He checked out fine

We tried the childproof locks but they aren't working.

We have to keep him inside cuz over a week ago I was given a $93 fine for Tiger being outside. I can't afford another fine so we're keeping him inside.
http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...ighlight=tiger

No, hes not declawed either.

I would confine him to a room but we only have 2 bedrooms and one of them he is doing it in.
I don't want to confine him to the kids room and have him do it in there.
The bathroom door has a pocket door and doesn't lock


I'm at a loss here
 
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dixie_darlin

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Originally Posted by hissy

Spraying is territorial. If your cat were blocked, he wouldn't be able to pee much at all. How many cats do you have? How many elevated spaces in your home do you have for your cat? If it is a new place for him, did you check with a black light for old cat stains and then clean thoroughly? Are you cleaning the new stains he is making completely using an enzyme cleaner and following up with Feliway Spray?

As Gaye has said, cats are NOT vindictive. We, being human in our attempt to understand "bad behavior" tell ourselves the cat hates us, or is mad at us and is spraying. But he is doing something completely normal. Yes, even neutered cats spray as do spayed cats at times.

Instead of getting angry and frustrated solve the puzzle and try to find out why he is spraying. Perhaps an outside cat is hosing down your walls outside your home, or spraying your windowsills. There are a lot of reasons that male cats spray- but it is a normal behavior for them and usually stopped by neutering but not always. Spraying and peeing out of the litter pan is the number one reason why cats are dumped, tossed outside or turned into shelters. Again, it is a completely natural behavior he is exhibiting and it is up to you to find out what is triggering it. I will also say that if you are yelling at him when he is spraying, you are creating more of an issue for him and he will increase the behavior.
Click to expand...
We have 5 cats in all and we've lived here over a year and half.
We cleaned up with Natures Miricale, lemon juice, vinegar and Mean Grean.
I will have to watch to see if other cats are in fact spraying but I haven't seen any.
I know he's not being "vindictive". I just didn't know what else to say at the time.
I don't yell at him when he does it. Matter of fact, today is the first time I actually SEEN him do it. But we've been finding pee in the closet for a week or so now.
I hadn't seen him go in the litter box so I changed the litter a couple times thinking he didn't like that but he still did it.

Should I put a litterbox in the closet for him to use? Maybe he'll go in there instead?
Or would that just teach him it's ok to do it?
 
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I would put a litterbox in the closet. When my boy had a UTI he started peeing and pooing in a closet in the same place everyday, even once it was cleared up he wanted to use that spot so I put a box there and he used the box in that spot. Slowly i've been moving it (inches each day) back to where I want it thanks to advice on this board, and it's been working, he hasn't peed or pooed outside the box since.
 
tarasgirl06

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Gayef and Hissy and absolutely right and have given a lot of good information. There ARE childproof locks I'm sure Tiger couldn't open (I can barely open them!) so try another type. How does Tiger get along with your other male who also sprays? How about the two of them sharing the space that you have the other male in?
 
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dixie_darlin

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Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

Gayef and Hissy and absolutely right and have given a lot of good information. There ARE childproof locks I'm sure Tiger couldn't open (I can barely open them!) so try another type. How does Tiger get along with your other male who also sprays? How about the two of them sharing the space that you have the other male in?
Click to expand...
Im confused.... None of the other's spray


They've all been together for a VERY long time.
 
white cat lover

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I know this was asked in the other thread....but I assume an outdoor enclosure is a no go? What about harness tranining him?
 
hissy

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Sorry to say but your cleaners are not effective for a frequent sprayer. Trust me, I know exactly what you are going through.
I would order either Anti Icky Poo or Zero-Odor or Urine Off you can find these on the Internet. I would also order a large bottle of Feliway Spray. Follow the instructions on the cleaners to the letter, and once you have treated the wall, floor and carpet spray it down good with Feliway spray. Something is triggering the sprayer, it could be an outside kitty, or one of your inside kitties could be getting sick- their scent changes when they don't feel well. He may suddenly have decided he needs more space to himself. If he is spraying near or on the litter box then give him a larger container to pee in. Normal litter pans are fine for kittens, but full-grown cats do much better with rubbermaid containers that have more room to roam in. Be sure the litter is at least 2" thick and don't use scented litters. I feel your pain truly. Every time there is a new cat in the home, McKinley decides to reassert his alphaness and baptizes the walls.

http://sprayalert.com/ is another nifty item to have on hand

Good luck-
 
hissy

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Well, I am glad you are laughing!
Did you know cat pee travels so far it should be issued a passport?
 
mrs.harris

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If you go Tiger from a shelter or another home it is very possible that his litter box was in a closet at his previous owners. Maybe that is what he is familiar with, and I think placing a litter box in the closet would be a great alternative for him. If he wants to go in the closet maybe he will use his box instead of your shoes!
 
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dixie_darlin

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

I know this was asked in the other thread....but I assume an outdoor enclosure is a no go? What about harness tranining him?
Click to expand...
I suggested that to Dh and I'm going to try and pick one up today!
Originally Posted by hissy

Well, I am glad you are laughing!
Did you know cat pee travels so far it should be issued a passport?
Click to expand...
Yes... It does

Originally Posted by Mrs.Harris

If you go Tiger from a shelter or another home it is very possible that his litter box was in a closet at his previous owners. Maybe that is what he is familiar with, and I think placing a litter box in the closet would be a great alternative for him. If he wants to go in the closet maybe he will use his box instead of your shoes!
Click to expand...
I've had Tiger since the day he was born.. Literally. He was born in my closet


Well, I took a bungee cord and used it to keep the closet shut and put another litterbox outside the closet.. So far so good.

Until DH decided they all needed baths this morning..... and Tiger peed on my new rug in the bathroom..
This is nothing new though, he's always done this since he was a kitten.... little booger
 
howtoholdacat

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I have a sprayer too. Whenever there is a change in his environment and he feels his alpha status threatened we start with the spraying again. We were exactly where you're at when we tried the Feliway Comfort Zone diffuser. It was like someone threw a switch and the cat simply stopped spraying. I'm ordering a refill today, in fact. I found a new kitten so the spraying has started up again. Sigh.
 
gayef

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Originally Posted by hissy

Well, I am glad you are laughing!
Did you know cat pee travels so far it should be issued a passport?
Click to expand...
*ROFL*

Someone (was it you???) once told me they got a blacklight to find all the old cat urine stains and found evidence of urine spray on the CEILING!!!! Now you tell me how that cat got his hiney pointed that far upwards and squirted ... because the laws of physics seem not to be in play here.
 
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