Before i castrate the cat myself...HELP!!!

Ok, that should at least get someone to read this. A week ago during a bout of temporary insanity, I took in a stray cat. (The temporary insanity plea has been submitted to save me from any lectures about my inability to consider consequence) He was pathetic!! Skinny, cut up, scarred up, appeared to have been doused in motor oil, covered and infested with parasites, somehow had managed to get herpes and chlamydia in his eye, (which leads me to question my knowledge of sexual activity/positioning) and very sweet despite all this. I ran to the store to get the necessities before taking him to the vet the next morning. Sir Barton got most of his stuff taken care of and $357.00 later, I voluntarily own a cat. He's here to stay, as I don't think I can use his current value to barter for things such as rent, bills, groceries etc. He tested negative for FIV, but since he had recently been in a fight, he needs to be retested in 3 months. Until that time, he is quarantined in my room, away from my roommates cat. Oh what fun!! Please understand that the cat is being spoiled, his diet is better than mine, he sleeps on egyptian cotton, he's cuddled and loved and I would never want to harm him, but, HE IS DRIVING ME INSANE!!! Since I can't actually afford it at this point, I am going to pawn something to get him neutered ASAP (turns out ASAP is 5 days away). I have made the appointment. He is spraying everywhere, he meows all night, I have washed everything in vinegar (inclucing walls, baseboards, furniture) at least twice to get the smell out, which has helped. But the fact remains that even if I try to sleep on the couch, I can still hear him, and I have not had more than two hours of sleep at a time for a week now. Last night he actually SPRAYED MY HAIR!!! While I was laying in bed, trying to calm him!!! Alright, this is when visions of cutting the damned things off myself start forming. I have the patience of a saint, as evidenced by my occupation, current relationship with a testicle-bearing human, and the fact that on numerous occasions, people have told me this. It is wearing out. I need to sleep. I need quiet. I cannot at this point afford a night away from the house, or another unplanned trip to the vet as all of my money has gone into sweet Sir Barton and as thanks he has transformed it into this wonderful scent in which to bathe me and my belongings. OK...to wrap up, what can I do? Can I sedate him with something around the house? Is this so so so wrong to be asking? (Nothing around the house is good enough to sedate me, I tried) Just a smidgen of benadryl, a dash of nyquil, something that won't kill him or get me turned over to the authorities? Really, I need help. I work with a young child with disabilities, and irritability and a short fuse simply don't cut it. Any suggestions would be great, I know things will be better in a week, but in the meantime, I am on the verge of hallucinations. HELP!

Oh man what a story!

Well first off, thanks for taking care of this guy. He sounds like he hit the jackpot with you!

A few things, when cleaning up where he sprayed, you need to use an enzymatic (sp?) cleaner, like Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution. (available at your local pet store!) They enzymes work to break down the cat urine smell. anything else may smell like it's working to you, but he can still tell where he sprayed and he's "refreshing" the spot.

Also, purchase a Feliway difuser and spray bottle (also available at your local pet store!). It's a synthetic cat phermone that gives off the "friendly cat" vibe. It may help him calm down and feel more at ease. You leave the difuser plugged in like an air freshener (but you won't be able to smell it) and you use the spray bottle on all the areas he's marked.

And now for the bad news . . . neutering him may not stop the spraying. The older he is the more of a habit it is. And we all know how hard habits are to break! It will however calm him down and decrease his desire to roam, find sexy girl cats, fight for territory, etc. And those reasons are most likely why he's making such a big fuss right now and decorating your room in "eau de Tom Cat".

I don't think you can sedate him, but you might try some sedation yourself! or at least a really good pair of ear plugs.

Thanks again for helping this guy out and welcome to TCS!

~Julia

Thanks Julia...I know all of these things are what I will ultimately need, although I had not heard of the diffuser. I will definately get one. And yeah, my heart is bigger than my budget, but what can ya do? I guess for tonight I'll get some wine...liquor stores closed...god that's horrible. It might work, who knows. It's nice to know there's someone to bitch to out there!!

I would recommend confining him in a bathroom or an other easier to clean surface. An intact male will spray, you can try some Feliway, but please don't try to "sedate" him. There are several medications that may be fine for humans, but would have ingredients that are not ok for cats. Try calling the vet and see if they can recommend something that may would help for the next few days.
We had a rescue a few months ago, that was very matted, and needed grooming. It stressed him out, so our vet was able to give us medication to help calm him, but I doubt that these medications are for extended time frame. He could continue to spray for a month or more after being neutered, as well as having the ability to get a female pregant for a month or more after being neutered.
I would advise getting "stud pants" for him, that will help keep the spray contained.
I wish you well, please try to relax yourself, he is only doing natural intact male behavior. Good luck.

I'm sorry - I truly share your frustration, honestly I do. I breed pedigreed Old-Style Siamese cats and I keep an intact male in my home. But, truthfully, I had an honest-to-gumption belly laugh reading your post. I know it isn't funny, but let us just say I thoroughly enjoyed your writing style and way with words.

As a small measure of comfort to you, I know a bit of what you are going through and I do completely understand ... there are a couple of things you should probably know that you may not about intact boys.

Don't overstimulate him. I know you want to be sweet to him, but at the moment, he is driven by testosterone and may very suddenly and aggressively attempt to breed your arm or anywhere else he can grab a hold to you. My suggestion to you is to confine him as best you can until you can get him neutered and for about a month afterwards. I realize money is an issue, but if you can spare it, this may help some:

Go to Wal-Mart and purchase an extra-large dog crate. They were about $60 the last time I priced them. Put a litter box and bed along with food and water dishes inside, hang some interesting toys from the top and sides and then wrap the sides all the way around (leave the top open) in old towels you will never, ever use again - binder clips are wonderful for this. It will catch the spray and you can wash the towels in hot water and Dreft Baby Detergent to reuse around his crate. I do this with my stud (although his enclosure is much larger than the largest dog crate) and trust me, it has been an absolute God-send in protecting my home. The crate can be folded away when you are finished with it for him for now but they come in handy having pets as you just never know when you might need to temporarily confine them for whatever reason. It is a good thing to have on hand and well worth the small investment.

While you are at Wal-Mart, pick up a small box or bottle of Dreft Baby Detergent (specifically designed to remove urine odors from fabric and mentioned above) and mix up a little warm water in a bucket with it. After you have treated with the enyzmatic cleaner, scrub it down with the Dreft. It works.

You are a patient soul doing the best you can and I commend you for it. Oh and by the way, I know it was horribly disgusting for you, but when he sprayed your hair he was marking you as his property. Actually, it was a compliment. *grin*

My continued best to you,

Gaye

Thank you, thank you. I will go back to walmart, (ah, walmart, the epitomy of a love hate relationship...ever been in a walmart supercenter?? it has it's own climate, and it's frightening) and get the detergent, possibly a crate...although I am more than willing to clean out my closet and use that instead, really, it's just a big crate, right? And I can hang things from the rod in it....screw the security deposit, my kitty is special!!! So, you must know, and I should too...is opening the window so he (and I) can get some fresh air just a really really really bad idea? Guess it doesn't matter as there are no windows in the closet, but I have been doing that and just closing it to degrees as his scratching of the screen gets worse. Wow, I think I just answered my own question. thanks. I'll be back once the operation has taken place, and soon we are relocating which is sure to be a special adventure!!! Yay for kitties!!! And wine, which is currently sedating me, since I can't do it to him!!!

*grin* I would get the crate AND the security deposit, but that's just me. Your mileage may vary. Also, wine is a good thing. I understand that it helps to unclog the arteries too so in addition, you are receiving important health benefits! *wink*

Once again, thank you. And yes, I think this may be a good thing for me...it is totally rationalizing my consumption of cheap wine, and you're right!! It's all around beneficial. Actually, since I'm so distracted by my sweet kitty fluffkins, I'm really not worried about other trivial things at the time. At last, content. Purring almost. (honestly, this cat has really given me perspective ) And oh yeah, he did try to make sweet love to my arm last night, and kitty likes it rough, he bit me. I'm not into that though, with cats. That's just so, so, so very wrong. I'll be quiet for a bit as the clacking of the keyboard may wake him...he's sleeping! shhhh....

I have a Charter Gold Preferred membership in the Rationalization of Everything At All Times club. Glad to see another member in good standing! *chuckle*

Those bites are bad news, baby. Watch it really carefully or you could end up like I did with a real bad juju case of sepsis. Me and antibiotics don't get along well and coupled with the pain and illness of the infection, I was one sick lil puppy for a good couple of weeks. Cat mouths are little toxic wastedumps and when my oh-but-so-studly boy thought my left elbow was a wonderful object of affection, he bit me down to the bone, injecting a nasty bacteria right into the marrow which put me down on my rather large posterior quickly.

Oh man! The things we put up with for our animals! I only hope you'll be able to look back and laugh.

Gotcha. Didn't get me nearly as badly as our introductory flea bath did...but I'm a good girl with antiseptics and all that. I've worked in environments which teach a person fast... my glove box actually contains a box of gloves. I hear that cat-scratch fever is not nearly as fun as Ted Nugent says...but wow, you sound like a tiger wrestler or something. Damn. And really, there is such a club? I thought I made it up for my own convenience and peace of mind!! Fantastic! We should plan an ice cream social!

Oh, Penny...you should hear the story about when I spent my entire student aid check on surgery for my dog. And we do it because animals are the only people who piss us off without meaning to. And we know it. And that's a beautiful thing.

i know, i know...i'm not going to "sedate" my cat. i have a soul, i won't try that, it was just a cry of desperation. pants, however, i have never heard of such a thing! stud pants...alright. i'm on it. thank you. and as for sleep...well, i think wer'e both tired, and one of us is going to win out. i'm the one with a schedule...so root for me, thanks.

Oh Sweet Lord! Thank you Barfight for the laughs...sadly at your expense, but of no cost to me. I'm so sorry you're going through all of this, but dang I'm sure glad you posted about it here!

One suggestion, if you do decide to use your closet, can you line the walls with something? Maybe you can get waterproof tarp or something akin to that? It might save on getting urine soaked into the drywall in there.

You may buy some extra time by giving him the pill, ie same as for a she-cat... Not dangerous and would calm him quite a lot...

I know, we had two Sirs-tomcats... Althougt they didnt sprayed much but they did meoweed....

Originally Posted by clixpix

One suggestion, if you do decide to use your closet, can you line the walls with something? Maybe you can get waterproof tarp or something akin to that? It might save on getting urine soaked into the drywall in there.

Click to expand...

Disposable plastic shower curtains.

Please click here to read a brief article about spraying and how to make it stop. Of course, you know that neutering him is going to be required -- he won't stop until he is neutered. But, because he is spraying so often, chances are that you will need to train him how not to spray once he is neutered. This article will be a tremendous help.

You might ask your vet if he/she will go ahead and neuter the cat and let you pay in installments. And, keep in mind that it can take up to 3 weeks for the testosterone to clear his body, so the spraying may continue for a while after the neutering.

You are a good soul for taking in this boy.

I merged your thread in the Behavior Forum with this one so that they wouldn't be duplicated.

I feel for you, really I do, but it is kinda funny reading your post ... I can just see it all happening... . You are a good person with a kind heart for taking him in. Try to patient in your wine induced sleep deprived state... this too shall pass. Good luck.

Did the wine help?

No snapping at the young children's i hope!

And let us know how he's doing, this is the only amusing thing at work right now . . .

~Julia