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Spraying

post #1 of 4
1/12/11 at 6:46pm
Thread Starter 
My cat has been with me for three months - she is two years old and came from the shelter. She has settled in well, but continues to spray around my bed, where she sleeps, and at the sofa in the living room. She can go for a week with no spraying, then do a couple in one day! I read in a cat behavior book that letting her out for a little while each day is not a good idea as that is likely to cause stress, so now she is grounded. Right now I have Feliway plugged in on both sides of the bed, along with plastic on the floor. I plan to buy some urine pads (the ones for adults with a problem) so that the wee at least goes onto a pad. I have cleaned and cleaned and sprayed and sprayed! Tonight I have put down a small bowl of dry food on the main "spraying" place. This morning she jumped down from the bed and immediately sprayed - didn't even bother to sniff around!! Does anyone have any suggestions?
All that apart, I love her to pieces!
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post #2 of 4
1/12/11 at 7:19pm
Is she spraying or peeing? (Is she squatting or is her butt up in the air?)

Peeing outside the box is often a medical problem. While it is stressful in a shelter to begin with, moving to a new home is stressful too. Has she been to the vet in the last few weeks? She really needs to have a urinalysis done to determine if she's got a bladder infection or urinary tract infection. This is quite common during times of stress.

Also, are you cleaning the areas she's peed with an enzyme cleaner? Nothing else will remove the smell of the pee to HER nose, and the smell of the urea in her urine will encourage her to continue going in the same area, not using the box.

You can also purchase Cat Attract litter to use in the litter box(es). This will help attract her back to the box. And what about temporarily putting a litter box near the bed?

But first and foremost, I'd get her to the vet.
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post #3 of 4
1/13/11 at 1:45am
Thread Starter 
She is spraying not peeing. I took her to the vet last week and she has a clean bill of health, phew! This evening I put a small saucer of dry food next to the bed in the spot where she likes to spray. This confused her, but she tasted it, then ate some and then walked into the bathroom and used her litter box. A small victory!!
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post #4 of 4
1/13/11 at 7:02am
Well that's worth a few smiles and some relief!

Can you think of anything that would trigger this? Any cats out the window? Do you volunteer at a shelter or visit friends with cats (come home with other cat smell on you?)

Other than cleaning with an enzyme cleaner, using Feliway and Cat Attract, and HUGE praise (positive reinforcement!!) for using the litter box, I don't have other ideas. I hope this food placement keeps working!

What we did for Spooky when she was peeing on our bed was to cut down a huge cardboard box, lay it on the bed after making it in the morning, and putting a litter box on the bed. Then we moved it to the floor, then we slowly moved it through the room and back out into the hall where it was and we wanted it over a several week period.
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