My nerves are shot, I dont want to kill my cat.(PLEASE READ!!)

I'm in Memphis, TN

My cat is fine, he looks depressed now that I was mean to him and I feel very guilty but whats done is done.

I'm going to take him to the vet this Monday and see if he has any other suggestions on what I might try. This is Jasper's last chance. I love him, he is SO affectionate and friendly/playful but I cant have my house saturated in piss! He still uses the litter box but I just cant get him to stop marking. I dont know what else to try, I've done EVERYTHING suggested here.

There are several in Memphis alone, let alone your entire state, please give these rescues a call and set something up. I really think it would be best for you and for your cat to rehome him.

If you want more in your state you can go to www.petfinder.org
Please research them and make sure they are good rescues, and please don't bring him to the local animal shelter (human society) they said they put down animals in as soon as 3 days.

http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/TN76.html
901-937-1168

http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/TN88.html
901-829-3040

http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/TN118.html
901-309-0521

http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/TN147.html
901-309-0521


http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/TN159.html
901-756-0681

http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/TN164.html
901-358-8700

Spanking the :censor::censor::censor::censor: out of your cat is not the answer, and you probably did hurt him as well as scare him. Now he will just continue to spray as a stress reaction until you can rehome him. I would suggest that instead of getting angry with him, because he is not doing this for no reason, you consider punching a pillow in frustration instead.

You said you have tried everything and nothing is working so it is highly possible that your cat is sick and he is trying to tell you this. It would be best if you find an alternative home for him quickly and I pray you just don't reach the end of your rope and lash out at him again. I don't hate you, I don't even know you, but I feel very sorry for this cat who has to be very confused and scared that the person he loved and trusted has betrayed him.

Like I said, I'm taking him to the vet on monday to see if there is anything I have overlooked. I wont spank him again. I really want to keep him but I just dont know what to do. Hopefully, the vet will have an answer for me. I really dont think he's sick, since he's been doing this for a very long time. I'm positive its strictly behavioral. Thanks so much for all your responses and I'm sorry it has come to this. I will update soon to let you know what happened. And I promise not to spank him again, he is fine this morning but he is sulking because I'm not giving him much attention and watching him like a hawk whenever he gets close to anything in a spray position.

vortex- the catsite has access to a wonderful Cat Behaviorist Amy Shojai. She has been gracious enough to donate her very busy time and answer letters from our subscribers to our newsletters about cat behavior problems.

Amy is busy with all her obligations and does not frequent bulletin boards, but I pointed her towards your post last night via email and just got an answer from her that I will share with you now, in the hopes that it will help. Though I have paraphrased it a bit to try and further explain things to you.

If the anger that appears so apparent in the post is also in the house then I can certainly understand why the cat is spraying--to calm himself down! Spraying the leather sofa is even a back-handed compliment because the cat is marking something precious that smells like the owner.

The situation with the birds outside and being unable to "get" them isn't helping, either, adding to the stress of the situation, as the cat's normal tendency is to hunt prey. Frustrated, because he cannot get to that prey, he sprays. On top of that, this is breeding season. Whether the person sees them or not, it's likely there are breeding cats in the area that are upsetting this cat.

Cats also learn very quickly what is allowed and what isn't -- the rules have changed (he was always allowed to spray while in the apartment, but not now?) and the cat doesn't understand why.

A couple more things to try that I've not read have been done. Add at least one more litter box. Place a scratching post at each of the scenes of the crime so Kitty has an alternative and can scratch-mark instead of spraying. Continue using the Feliway -- EVERY DAY for not less than 30 days! Failure of Feliway most often is due to not following the directions. Increase the play/attention time for this cat--30 minutes once a day is NOT a lot of time for a "needy" cat. Sounds like Kitty may be bored out of his skull and sprays just to get attention...even negative attention is better than being ignored. And try using some Rescue Remedy in the cat's water bowl .

If this doesn't work after, say, another two weeks and call up a feline behaviorist for an on-site consultation. There may be something very simply to fix that the owner is overlooking Also, if advised by the behaviorist, some drug therapies *may* prove helpful.

Finally, if this is followed and nothing works, I would urge him/her to find a caring, loving home for this kitty. They'll both be happier.




Also vortex, you need to calm down when your cat sprays, because if you don't your cat won't quit his behavior. I recommend St. Johns Wort, or even for you to take Rescue Remedy yourself. I know what you are dealing with, because I too have sprayers here every so often, but the calmer you are, the better it is for you cat. He is not trying to "get back at you" for any reason.He is trying to tell you something and this is one way he has to do it. It is breeding season and if he even smells a fertile female his instinct is to spray, even if he is neutered. He sprays your couch to calm down when the tension gets to much for him.

One other thing, on Meowhoo.com under Behavior and Training, we have several Cat Behaviorists listed, and a few have hotlines where you can dial up directly and talk to them. I strongly suggest you use this avenue of help, or find another home for this cat.

Meowhoo

I certainly don't mean to frighten you, but I lost my 11 year old furbaby last November to CRF Chronic Renal Failure which is kidney failure. She was peeing on the throw rug that was next to her kitty box, but I didn't think anything of it. I thought she was marking her territory. Every day I would was that throw rug only to find the next day it was peed on again. Please take your cat to the vet ASAP and check for CRF.

Keep us posted.

I'm sorry I was away and missed this latest development. I should have warned you that the cat WILL spray on the foil at least once. The foil is a deterrant because most cats -- after spraying the foil that first time -- hate the sound it makes when hit with the urine AND hate the fact that the spray bounces back off the foil onto the cat. So, you should expect a few sprays onto the foil before they give up and stop straying. And, the cat may not believe that each strip of foil will do the same thing, so he may have to test every strip before realizing that all foil makes noise.

Please let us know what the vet says. Also, do not give up on the idea of medication or herbal supplements.

Hi Hun ,

I understand what you are going through , TRUELY !
I went through HELL and it's all good now here with Puff ( Bentley ). BUT , when you scold a kittie , they cannot help but be stressed and react . Therefore , PLEASE take him to a Vet. for a complete checkup . Also , My kittie " Maryann" that has since passed was on Hormones also . She was totally Wild and outta control when I got her . I literally spent thousands of dollars trying to get her into shape . She was horribly abused . She had NO fur , was literally eaten alive with Ringworm , inside and out and was allergic to everything . Not to mention her HORMONES were way outta whack ! And she was on Steroids for her allergies . I refused to give up on her. Finally after about 1 year , we got her all clear . PLEASE rethink about the Meds . Maryann would have never survived w/o it ! Damned shame a car took her out.......STILL breaks my heart , she was 12 and I got her at the same age Jasper is .



And you might have to learn to "PILL" a cat . It's easy , just ask the Vet. when you see Him/Her to show you . After a few times , He'll get used to it and you will too !

I hope I helped.......

Rebecca

UPDATE:

I havent yet taken Jasper to the vet because the spraying seems to be improving.

I still plan to take him but I'm 99% sure that its not a medical problem since it has been going on at least 2 years. My reason for even taking him to the vet was just to see if there was any medications available since the other behavior modifiers werent working.

The foil seems to have helped tremendously. The main place he was peeing was around my leather couch and that has since fallen off. He had also periodically sprayed the wall next to the couch and under my computer desk but I havent found evidence of that in quite some time.

So basically, what I'm doing now is using the foil on the couch and keeping the feliaway plugin going which seems to be working. I'm so glad I tried the foil even though it makes my house look ridiculous. Jasper is the sweetest cat in the world. He is pretty whiney most of the time though. It seems no matter how much attention I give him he always wants more and gets whiney and restless when he's bored.

My main concern is that once the foil is removed, that he will eventually resume his bad habit. I have had the foil up almost 2 weeks and just now removed the bottom inch today. I wont touch it again for at least another week.

Thanks so much for all your help. I will keep this thread alive with another update soon.

Hey vortex72,
I'm glad the foil and Feliway plugin seem to be working for Jasper's spraying issue... I can imagine how frustrating the whole thing has been. I hope you have continued good luck!

Hey there ,

I told you that the foil worked for Bentley and I'm SO glad it's working for you !
I don't think he'll return to his old behavior . Bentley hasn't , but just keep an eye out . Just in case.

Take care and good luck ,

Rebecca

vortex72 & Rebecca P
I just want to say I AM SO PROUD OF U GUYS AND WISH THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOU- who are willing to do ANYTHING to fix this and NOT put the cat to sleep and/or get rid of the cat.

Many people are not willing to take the time and effort to do this soooo again, BRAVO! These cats are LUCKY to have you guys.

Hi there ,

And Thank You You are to kind too take the time to respond . You're right about people that Diss kitties . I almost went there , but my heart said , "NO , Get him back!" and I did . Puff is such a lovely cat. Ya know , he likes to play with straws ? *LOL* My daughter woke up this morning and he'd been carrying on all night ( playing ) with my eldest cat Roger . Anyway , when the alarm went off and she turned on the light , there was PUFF ( formerly Sir Bentley ) with a straw dangling from his mouth . So , I played with him and the straw and he was like a lil child .

He's using the litter box regularly now and he's a HAPPY CAMPER !
Spoiled even ! Lil Goof that he is.......*LOL*

Thanks so much again for the feedback , It means a lot to me and the kitties . Bless you

Rebecca

Originally posted by vortex72

Jasper is the sweetest cat in the world. He is pretty whiney most of the time though. It seems no matter how much attention I give him he always wants more and gets whiney and restless when he's bored.

Click to expand...

Hi, I have been following this thread but haven't posted a response. Have you considered getting a second cat as a companion for Jasper? It really help solve the problem of Jasper getting bored and lonely while you are away, and demanding a lot of attention when you are home.

Hi there ,

Ummmmm........How to state this as gently bu directly as I can . ........I would not recommend opening up PANDORAS BOX for Jasper . I think it'd just make him mark more at this point . He's just settling down , ya know ?
While I do appreciate your intentions , I highly would not recommend it personally . He's having a tough time as it is and another kittie would really open some more insecuity factors which Jasper already has .
Now , down the line , I'd say perhaps . But not at this point . I'm no Vet. Just a woman that has been there and done that too many times to even attempt to count and it's just my opinion for whatever it's worth . NO offense at all .

Take care ,

Rebecca

Originally posted by vortex72
UPDATE:
My main concern is that once the foil is removed, that he will eventually resume his bad habit. I have had the foil up almost 2 weeks and just now removed the bottom inch today. I wont touch it again for at least another week.

Click to expand...

Make sure that you do not remove the foil all at once. Once you are ready, tear off about an inch of the foil each day or every other day until the whole strip is removed. If you take the whole sheet of foil off all at once, he may assume that you are telling him it is okay to spray there again. Removing it bit-by-bit will trick him into not missing it when it is gone.

Good luck!

I'm so glad I found this forum! We moved into new house a year ago. Elderly woman who owned it had been feeding 3 un-neutered/spayed cats. I agreed to keep them since she couldn't take them with her. We had 2 of our own that had been indoor/outdoor kitties. 2 of the cats we "inherited" were female and between them had 3 litters of kittens before I could catch them and have them spayed. They have all been spayed/neutered at this point but we ended up keeping 4 of the kittens that we couldn't find homes for. The male (Jake) that we brought with us began spraying about 6-9 mos. ago and I know it's a combination of the move, outside cats and 4 new roomies. He came from a feral mother also and has always been high anxiety. I've tried spraying feliway but he finds new locations everywhere (he's also on buspirone). The enzyme spray I'm using doesn't seem to take all of the odor away either. He's making me crazy and, needless to say, the $$$ we have spent on this cat explosion is tremendous. I'm going to try some of the other suggestions here, especially the black light because I can't find some of the areas where I know there must be "residue".

Carefully read through this thread and alsoclick here to read about other ways to stop inappropriate urination problems.

Good luck!

I am curious about the black light. I found many stains but definately found where my cat was spraying. Do I have to clean these spots until they no longer apear with the black light? What is the best product to use? You responded to a thread that I posted earlier this week regarding my cat Spookie and you seemed very knowlegable on these topics. Early this morning he sprayed the side of the bed I sleep on..I think he's trying to tell me something?!?

I've started using "Nok Out" to neutralize the sprayed areas and it definitely knocks out the odor! I read about it on this site somewhere and ordered it immediately. I order it from Osburn Distributors at 888-600-6673 and I've been exremely pleased with their services (they also sell Feliway at very good price). I have been trying to use Feliway at least once a day in the areas the Jake has hit or seems most likely to hit. I clean the area first with Spot Shot (if its a rug) and just a Windex type cleaner if it's the floor, etc. After the cat-sprayed area is clean, I spray the Nok Out and let it dry to absorb the odor. I really think the situation is improving, but I haven't convinced Jake to stop the behavior completely yet! I also try, as much as possible, to keep him from becoming anxious because he will often spray at times like that.