Possible Endocrine Issues?

Hi all! 

I need help with our male cat, Bruce. The story is long and complicated so I am going to try and sum it up.

We adopted Bruce from our local animal shelter. His papers said that he was neutered and UTD on shots etc. Once we got him home and acclimatized to the house and other cats, everything seemed fine. About three months later we bought a house and that is when we discovered that Bruce was not using the littler box; he had taken to urinating under our bed. We had noticed the smell before but had never been able to find the area.

We moved into the new house and that is when the spraying started. We expected that it might happen, so we did our due diligence in making sure we cleaned up after him. Since we were not finding any new "pee" areas, we assumed that the spraying was now taken precedence over urinating outside of the litter box. It wasn't until The Boyfriend sat down in a chair that was usually vacant that we discovered Bruce had found a better hiding place. Bruce also started displaying unusual behavior; mewling loudly before urinating, running around in circles before urinating, running from box to box etc.

We took Bruce to see our vet, Dr. Krum, and discovered that Bruce had a UTI. As for the spraying, Dr. Krum explained that it could take up to six months for the behavior to stop after being neutered. We treated Bruce for his UTI and continued to monitor him and clean up after his spraying escapades.

Just to get a second opinion, we discussed his behavior with our oldest cat's doctor, an IBD specialist. She said that Bruce HAD to have an undescended testicle and Bruce would need exploratory surgery. We took Bruce back Dr. Krum, who after discovering "barbs" on Bruce's penis, agreed with the other vet and scheduled Bruce's surgery. After the surgery, Dr. Krum was running through post-op care with The Boyfriend and expressed his surprise that he had found previous surgical scars on Bruce once they shaved his abdomen. Dr. Krum said that based on the scar and the fact that he only found a sliver of testicle, Bruce had to have undergone the surgery before. The Boyfriend left the vet's office and headed straight to the shelter. There he discovered that not only did the shelter not oversee Bruce's neutering, but Bruce had been returned to the shelter twice before due to spraying. The shelter had marked him as neutered because there were no obvious signs that he was an intact male.

We waited at least three months after his surgery before taking Bruce back to Dr. Krum. We explained that the spraying and urinating was still going on, so Dr. Krum discussed Bruce with several of his colleagues from vet school. He explained everything to his colleagues and also let them know that the "barbs" on Bruce's penis had not shrunk at all Again, all vets agreed that there had to be some part of a testicle producing the testosterone. We agreed to another surgery and this time Dr. Krum cleaned out Bruce's scrotum.

We are currently on week 3 post-2nd-surgery and we have not noticed any slowing down of the spraying. Honestly, if it wasn't for the tomcat smell, I wouldn't care about the spray; at this point, I'm so used to cleaning up urine and what-not that continuing to do so would not bother me in the least.

What I am concerned about is that there might be something else going on and since I'm not that educated on the endocrine system of cats, I'm coming to all of you asking for your thoughts.

From what I have read, I think it would be his thyroid but would that contribute to the tomcat smell of his urine? Bruce does display several symptoms of hyperthyroidism (nervousness, increased appetite, very thin, increased thirst) but I am unsure if the thyroid also produces testosterone.

You certainly do have great vets - they obviously care about Bruce and are doing everything possible to fix his problem.  It's also wonderful that you are so committed to him.  As you know from his history of being returned twice, not everyone is as devoted to the cat members of their family.  

To answer your question about a connection between the thyroid and testosterone formation:  testosterone is formed primarily in the testes with lesser amounts produced by the adrenal glands. The thyroid is not involved.  However, I wanted to make sure I remembered my biochemistry correctly so I checked google and came across a very interesting paper:    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19222361   Essentially, excessive spraying after neutering was found to be related to the presence of an adrenocortical tumor; this tumor was producing elevated levels of testosterone and it's precursor.   The authors concluded that after surgery to remove these kinds of  tumors, the prognosis in otherwise healthy cats should be quite good.  The similarities between Bruce's situation and that of the cat in the study are striking, even down to the spines on the penis.  

Since it is possible to determine levels of testosterone and androstenedione, perhaps it would be worth having these checked in Bruce. If levels are low, you know something else is involved, probably a territorial or dominance struggle. 

It's my understanding that when neutered males spray, it's usually because they have a territorial issue going on with another cat.  My own experience with two neutered males who sprayed bears that out.   What is the relationship like between Bruce and your other cat?   Do they get along well?  It may not be the relationship with your other cat that is the problem.  Strays or feral cats hanging around outside can also be setting him off.  

If territorial/dominance issues are involved, there are several things you can do that might help.  

1. If Bruce and your other cat have a serious dominance struggle happening, it might be helpful to reintroduce them.  Here's an article on cat introductions that might help.  My cats stopped spraying once they finally accepted each other.  
[article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide  [/article]
2.  If Bruce is being triggered by outside ferals or strays, the trick is to keep them away.  If you live in a house, there are motion activated sprinklers that send unwanted cats scurrying away.  There are also cat repellants on the market.

3.  Dominance and territorial issues cause a lot of stress in cats so you might consider getting a calming aid.  Three that are frequently recommended by our members are Feliway, http://www.feliway.com/us/#redirected  Composure http://www.vetriscience.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=9008103030 and Rescue Remedy  http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/.   Not every cat responds to these but they are certainly worth trying.

4.  As a last resort, consider asking your vet about medication.  Antidepressants, such as Prozac and Zoloft or benzodiazepines such as xanax, valium and ativan have all been helpful in treating spraying and inappropriate urination.  

i hope you get this problem resolved soon.  I well know the horrible smell of cat spray - ugh.  I sympathize with you trying to live with it and again think it's really wonderful that you have stuck with Bruce all this time.

Margd,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have printed this out and I am going to fax it to my vet!

To answer some of your questions:

1. Bruce and all of the girls (4) don't have any interaction problems 99% of the time. Sometimes, Bruce does try to be the Master of the House and not long after this type of incident, he sprays the bay window. Perhaps the build up of testosterone triggers his "manly man" attitude?

2. Neither of us have noticed any strays/feral around the house but of course that doesn't mean there aren't any. For about 2 months after we moved in, there was a gray house cat that roamed the neighborhood, but I haven't seen him/her for months.

3. We tried the Jackson Galaxy calming aid but did not have any success with it. Dr. Krum did mention the Feliway but he also said that it all depends on the cat as to whether or not it works. Since the JG aid didn't work, I didn't really put any stock into the Feliway.

4. Bruce is currently on a low dose of xanax. Dr. Krum wanted to see if it was just nerves or something more. Since it is still happening, Dr. Krum is trying to cut down the frequency while he tries to figure out the root cause.

As for sticking with Bruce, there is no way I could get rid of him. I also don't think I can ostracize him to the screened in porch just because he has "accidents". He is part of the family and we love him. The Boyfriend and I are going to try everything we can to "fix" him and if we can't, we will just have a cat with issues. :-)

Thank you again and I'll let you know what the vet says!

Brandi

Bruce is very lucky you adopted him.  I always feel so sorry for cats who get returned to the shelter or rescue simply because people think they're too much trouble.  It's interesting that he sprays the window after trying to throw his masculine weight around.  I gather the four women of the house put him in his place?      Spraying is his way of getting in the last word, so to speak.   He really wouldn't have to have a lot of testosterone to pull a stunt like that.   When I adopted neutered Milo, he decided he wanted to be the alpha cat and he would pick fights with Wesley, the actual alpha cat.  Wesley (also neutered) would swat him off like a mosquito and  Milo would run off to spray.  Then Wesley, who had never sprayed before, would dashed over and cover up Milo's spray with his own.  Rinse and repeat.  They eventually became friends and the spraying stopped but I can certainly empathize with what you are going through!  

Those calming aids can be great when they work, but effects really vary from cat to cat.  One thing I've heard with the Feliway is that it can take up to a month to work, so if you do try it, it might take awhile before you notice any benefit.

Please keep updating us on Bruce's progress.  I'm really curious to see how this plays out!  

**Update**

We have been in a bit of a holding pattern with Bruce. Kitten season has started and we are currently over run with foster mommies and babies. After discussing Bruce with another vet, Dr. Grider, we are looking at options for his treatment.

After answering Dr. Griders questions (which were the same ones as Dr. Krum), Dr Grider feels that Bruce really needs to see specialists and recommended taking him to Auburn University's vet school. At this point the only reason we haven't taken him yet is finances. Dr. Grider guesstimated that it would cost us anywhere from $3K-$5K in having the specialists at Auburn look at Bruce. We decided to bring Bruce in to Dr. Grider and let her give him a once over before moving forward with Auburn. 

Fingers crossed that Dr. Grider discovers something that Dr. Krum missed and we can avoid Auburn all together!

Thanks for the encouragement!!

Thank you for the update.  I really hope you can resolve Bruce's issues without having to spend so much money at the vet school - still it's good to know there is a fall back option.  Bless you for being so devoted to this boy!

margd said:

Bruce is very lucky you adopted him. I always feel so sorry for cats who get returned to the shelter or rescue simply because people think they're too much trouble. It's interesting that he sprays the window after trying to throw his masculine weight around. I gather the four women of the house put him in his place?

Spraying is his way of getting in the last word, so to speak. He really wouldn't have to have a lot of testosterone to pull a stunt like that. When I adopted neutered Milo, he decided he wanted to be the alpha cat and he would pick fights with Wesley, the actual alpha cat. Wesley (also neutered) would swat him off like a mosquito and Milo would run off to spray. Then Wesley, who had never sprayed before, would dashed over and cover up Milo's spray with his own. Rinse and repeat. They eventually became friends and the spraying stopped but I can certainly empathize with what you are going through!

Those calming aids can be great when they work, but effects really vary from cat to cat. One thing I've heard with the Feliway is that it can take up to a month to work, so if you do try it, it might take awhile before you notice any benefit.

Please keep updating us on Bruce's progress. I'm really curious to see how this plays out!

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Margd, I have some questions about Wesley and Milo. I am interested in cat behavior. You said one used to spray and then the other came over and sprayed and then the first one came back etc. Can you explain on what objects specifically this happened and how often? Did they lift their tails and shake or vibrate them or just stand there? Did the lift their leg or stomp or walk in place with their back feet? How long did they spray for as in duration of time from start to finish of a spray? Sorry for asking so many questions, but I like to know the specifics as it helps to understand an animals behavior more clearly. Did they spray outside? I doubt you have a video of one spray and the other coming back and spraying over and so on inside as you would have other prorities LOL, but do you have a video of them doing that outside because they would be funny to see!