Male cat sexual behavior out of control

Ok, maybe "out of control" is an extreme way to put it but it's becoming an issue. My boy cat has always humped things that are soft - those plush like blankets. So I got rid of them all. Then he started humping fleece so I got rid of the fleece blankets except the "Paws Off" pet cover I use for my bed, which he can't hump because it's pulled tight across the bed. If it's not pulled tight and any part of it is loose, he'll grab it with his mouth and go at it and drool all over the place. I once woke up to him fervently humping my favorite sweater, which is fleece, and I got rid of it because... I mean, if you witnessed it you would know why it was no longer my favorite sweater. The humping stopped. He has no interest in towels or regular sheets. Again, he wasn't doing this all the time. It was occasional and seemed to be relatively normal. In general, he's a pretty laid back cat. He does like to run around and play some but he gets tired pretty easily and spends most of his day sleeping. He's not really experiencing pent up energy that he needs to get out with extra play time. 

Fast forward and we rescued a tiny, 6 week old sick kitten and he was really happy about it. He taught her his ways and they seemed to have fun after she got over her phase of constantly growling at him. When she got to about 4 months old he tried to hump her and she was terrified and I was in the room when it happened so I stopped it. He didn't try again. It's been about 10 months since that. He's started getting erections every time he cleans himself, which was a new thing, so I went to the vet and asked if something is wrong, like a uti or something, but the vet said it's just a physiological response and it's not an issue. OK. I take him home and feel relieved.

In the past few weeks, he keeps mounting our female cat, like whenever he gets the chance. She's no longer a kitten but she's half his size so when he mounts her she can't get away and gets my attention by hissing and trying to kick him and I get him to leave her alone. It seems like all he wants to do now is that but my girl cat is not okay with it. We had her fixed as soon as she was old enough so she never went into heat and she seems utterly confused by his behavior. My boy cat I picked up off the streets when he was 6 or 7 so I'm not sure how late it was that he was fixed. I actually thought he wasn't fixed because his "pom poms" as I call them were ... totally present. We all thought he wasn't fixed, including the vet at first until he checked him more thoroughly. 

I know humping in fixed animals is usually a dominance issue but it really seems to not be dominance with him and it's a little concerning because of his new behaviors. Is there something I should be asking the vet to test him for like a specific health issue? ... because it seems like he's fixated and I'm wondering if there's something wrong because while he would hump here and there in the past, now it's like... his main goal and it's causing my female cat to be way more on edge and unsettled. He's about 10 now in case that matters health wise and what we should be considering.

Has anyone else had this happen with their cat as he hit his senior years?

There was a thread talking about this issue sometime ago that will hopefully prove helpful:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/77896/humping-problem-and-common-causes

One of the main aspects brought up was the lack of affection and the kitty's desired need for it. So just giving him some extra love and attention might be a good start.


Other possible causes (Aside from domination)....

 

- Trauma
- Big changes in the household 
- Boredom
- Apparently male cats who are fixed at a later age can do this too. As the kitty had a much longer time being sexual and used to it, usually takes a lot longer for the habits to go away. Still remembers the sensation of pleasure too.

 

Positive reinforcement is a key factor to help stop it. Take him away from the item, give him love, play or snacks instead and as a reward for stopping kind of thing - it takes time, but it is a good bet that it will assist.


If not behaviour, and making adaptions isn't helping, seek a more medical solution by a vet.

Oh wow, thanks for all this info! I'm not sure it's the attention thing as I left my job and became a pet photographer and am with him more than I'm not with him. That said, maybe he is stressed about something or wants the female cat's attention. She's less amorous than he is, she likes to play and scurry around more than cuddle and is a bit aloof. I did used to sleep with him in my arms before I got married so that may be part of it, too. The humping started after I moved in with my husband, now that I think about it. But it wasn't often enough for me to connect the two together. It's gotten really bad lately and maybe that's because of our second cat.

Well I don't know what to say. I've been giving him treats and affection and the humping is getting worse. There are a couple of weird things. He only humps the spot I put my head down in the bed/blankets. He tries to hump my other cat still but she fights him until he stops trying and gives up. It's not horribly frequent for her. I think he knows he can't win so he doesn't try. But he wins against my things so I literally keep walking in on it. I leave to go to rhe bathroom, i come back and he's going to town. He also is obsessed with licking my shoes, the part the soles of my feet touch. It just seems like he has an issue specifically with me. It's always my side of the bed, my favorite sweater, my favorite blanket, and my shoes. Is this dominance assertion against me? Is he upset at me? Does he not like how I smell? I had my Thyroid taken out within this last year and so my hormones are different and I can tell that I smell different. Does he have a problem with it? The vet said he's fine but I feel this definitely seems like a behavioral thing. Honestly, it makes me feel a little gross. I dont really want to lay under or on top of something he's humped vigorously and I can't wash my bedding every day. We all share a room so closing him out of my bed area isn't an option until we move in a few months. I just want to figure out why he's doing it and how we can stop it.