My kittie is spraying

He is about 2 years old, and not fixed. I got a female hamster a week ago, and not sure which cat of mine is spraying the cage of the hamster. They are both males one is older than the other. The older one has a history of behavioral issues however he is fixed. The younger one isn't fixed, but doesn't have a history of behavioral issues. The younger one has an appointment on Friday to be fixed. Any ideas on what to do, and how to figure out which cat is the one spraying. Any advice is helpful. Thanks.

Since I can't see your cats when this behaviour is happening, I would guess that the cat spraying would be the unneutered male. I hope the spraying will stop after he is neutered - it doesn't always. You will need to use a really good enzyme cleaner to get the odour of the spraying out of whatever has been sprayed and the area sprayed.

This is the very reason we all suggest getting kitties neutered before they reach the point where spraying becomes an issue and before females have to experience the discomfort of a heat.

Important thing is that he is being neutered though. However, remember that it can take a month or two before his ugly male hormones leave his system. So the unwanted behaviors may continue for that time. He can also still get females pregnant.

More then likely its the unnuetered male that is spraying. And with spring around the corner, he's probably wanting to let those females know. Any reason you waited this late on neutering him?

And be prepared for some additional spraying since he's started. It will take 6-8 weeks to get all the hormones out of his system. You might consider confining him to a washable room so if he does spray for a little while longer, it will be a lot easier to clean up.

And you will have to go thru the house and really clean any spots that have been sprayed so he or the other cat will not remark things.

I would agree with everyone else that the culprit is almost certainly the unneutered one. But are you positive that it is spraying and not "regular" peeing? Spraying is done to mark territory or to display dominance. Urinating outside the litter box is typically a tell-tale sign of a urinary tract infection, particularly if the cat had previously been consistent with litter box usage.

As far as confirming that it is the unneutered cat --- I don't have first-hand experience with this, but I could have sworn that I read about an edible dye tablet that is available (possibly only from a vet?) that changes the color of the urine. After administering the tablet to one of the cats, you can see if the color of the urine outside of the box is normal or dyed.

He may never stop Spraying. My Brothers fixed Male Sprays all over and he was fixed as a kitten. He is 5 now and he even went on my brothers head and the sink. I hope something wil get better for you.

You should be able to tell whether the neutered or unneutered cat is spraying, as the latter's urine will really stink.

The stuff the vet give you to dye the pee is called AZO, however, anything that they pee on will be forever dyed! Not something Id be willing to risk! I would guess its the un neutered male doing it also! He's just trying to show that hampster who's boss!! I hope nuetering will help! Good On the nuetering on friday!! My kitties just got it dont on the 31st and they dont even know they're missing anything!!

I held off on neutering Seamus, and it was when he turned 2 that the madness began... he was spraying 3-4 times a day, once nearly on me, and became very, very aggressive... first cat so my thing was that he wasn't spraying so I put off the trauma of it... stupid mistake... that was August, he's been the same fiesty cat, but a whole lot calmer in general since.

I'm glad you're getting him neutered, it should solve the problem. As everyone else said, take the time to get his marking scent out of everything before he comes home from the neuter so he isn't tempted in the weeks following to go remarking things... I hope all goes well with the neuter!

I also think it is more likely to be the un-neutered male. He may or may not stop after the surgery because he is being neutered so late.

Have you ever heard of Feliway diffusers? They are supposed to help with territorial issues. It kind of sounds like the spraying cat is having issues with the hamster. Can you move the hamster to a room where the cat will never see it?

I also second the idea of making sure it's spraying and not "just" urinating becuase if it's the latter, it could mean something is wrong physically with the cat and a vet visit would be in order.