4 yr Old Bengal pee/sprays everywhere, nothing has worked to stop him. He's neutered.

[ogkitty]

My 4 year old bengal has suddenly started peeing (in a way that sprays out like he's marking his territory) everywhere. He's neutered. I'm so distraught please please help.

He has inappropriately sprayed before, but cleaning it up and putting him in time out in the bathroom has always made him stop. Since last week nothing has worked. 

Thankfully he doesn't pee/spray in our bedroom so for the last week we have kept him cooped up in our room. He's a bengal with lots of energy so I feel terrible doing that, but the moment we let him out of the room he runs downstairs and pees somewhere. I started following him around to keep an eye on him because he wouldn't do it in front of me, but now he does it right in front of me. ITS LIKE HE'S COMPELLED TO DO IT, LIKE HE HAS TO DO IT.

I'm at the end of my wits. I've had him checked for a UTI, I've tried feliway, I've tried punishing him, spraying him with water. What do I do?!

 

[lilin]

Well, I think the first thing is to stop the time-outs. Cats don't understanding punishment. Cats usually spray (if you've eliminated health issues as a possibility) because of some kind of territorial insecurity, and locking him in a room will make this even worse. He probably feels out of control.

Does he have dedicated spaces just for him? A perch, a cat tree, a chair? Is there a possibility street cats are spraying around your place, and he's picking up on it and getting insecure? Is he getting ENOUGH exercise? Bengals are about 1,000 times more energetic than a fully domestic cat. Are you sure it's spraying, and not that he doesn't like something about his litter box?

 

[ogkitty]

@Lilin
 

Well, I think the first thing is to stop the time-outs. Cats don't understanding punishment. Cats usually spray (if you've eliminated health issues as a possibility) because of some kind of territorial insecurity, and locking him in a room will make this even worse. He probably feels out of control.

Ok! I've put a stop to this. In the past it would get him to stop, but now its not getting any better so I'll see if leaving him full run of the house helps. Since he doesn't pee in my bedroom and he's the worst at night do you think its ok to keep him in the bedroom in the evenings and nights?


[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Does he have dedicated spaces just for him? A perch, a cat tree, a chair?[/color]

Yes the bedroom is his space and there's a cat tree in there as well as a cabinet that he's laid claim to.

Is there a possibility street cats are spraying around your place, and he's picking up on it and getting insecure?

[color= rgb(0, 0, 255)]Possibly, but I haven't seen any in any in a long time, it least 2 months, and the spraying started after that, but its still a possibility.[/color]

Is he getting ENOUGH exercise? Bengals are about 1,000 times more energetic than a fully domestic cat.
We also have a savannah so they play with each other as well as with us. I make sure to give them separate play time every night too.

Are you sure it's spraying, and not that he doesn't like something about his litter box?
I'm 95% sure. In fact he's using his litter box every day just fine, but its like he saves a little bit just for marking things.  

Thanks for your help so far! I'll know later today if giving him more space improves his attitude at all.
 

 

[lilin]

@Lilin
 

Well, I think the first thing is to stop the time-outs. Cats don't understanding punishment. Cats usually spray (if you've eliminated health issues as a possibility) because of some kind of territorial insecurity, and locking him in a room will make this even worse. He probably feels out of control.

Ok! I've put a stop to this. In the past it would get him to stop, but now its not getting any better so I'll see if leaving him full run of the house helps. Since he doesn't pee in my bedroom and he's the worst at night do you think its ok to keep him in the bedroom in the evenings and nights?


[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Does he have dedicated spaces just for him? A perch, a cat tree, a chair?[/color]

Yes the bedroom is his space and there's a cat tree in there as well as a cabinet that he's laid claim to.

Is there a possibility street cats are spraying around your place, and he's picking up on it and getting insecure?

[color= rgb(0, 0, 255)]Possibly, but I haven't seen any in any in a long time, it least 2 months, and the spraying started after that, but its still a possibility.[/color]

Is he getting ENOUGH exercise? Bengals are about 1,000 times more energetic than a fully domestic cat.
We also have a savannah so they play with each other as well as with us. I make sure to give them separate play time every night too.

Are you sure it's spraying, and not that he doesn't like something about his litter box?
I'm 95% sure. In fact he's using his litter box every day just fine, but its like he saves a little bit just for marking things.  

Thanks for your help so far! I'll know later today if giving him more space improves his attitude at all.
 

It may be that he doesn't feel secure in the rest of the house. He doesn't spray in the bedroom because that's his "turf." He owns that.

But perhaps he hasn't fully reached an agreement with the other cat, or the resident humans, about what he owns elsewhere. Perhaps he's insecure in the rest of the house.

Maybe try making some kind of perch for him, or a couple, in other places around the house. Height might be helpful. Put something down that smells like him and invite him up there.

If he is spraying around windows, or only doors and walls that connect to outside, re-investigate the possibility that there's a street cat spraying around your perimeter.

Throwin' out ideas. Hopefully you find something that works!

 

[ogkitty]

Your advice to give him his freedom helped! As far as I can tell he hasn't inappropriately peed since we gave him back his freedom! Except that doesn't really answer why he started in the first place  So far so good though.

 

[lilin]

Your advice to give him his freedom helped! As far as I can tell he hasn't inappropriately peed since we gave him back his freedom! Except that doesn't really answer why he started in the first place  So far so good though.

Good to hear!

Kitties are weird. Perhaps his need for that "ownership" has simply gone up as he has gotten older. They change, just like we do.

Hopefully that's all he needed.