cat peeing on my shelf

[hawaii bound]

Okay, so I took in this cat a few years ago as a kitten. He's unfortunately been one problem after another, he has some brain damage/neurological issues, at one point he reverted back to his feral state. I found rescue remedy and have been giving him that in his water on a regular basis, that fixed most of the feral issues he has, I can pet him for the first time, so yay for that.

Now I had some bookshelves I repainted and just brought in the house 2 weeks ago. Since then almost on a daily basis, I've had to clean up pee off on the bottom shelves of both of them. I keep cleaning the shelves, but so far it hasn't stopped him. If anyone has has any suggestions, please, please help.

 

[detmut]

are you using an enzyme cleaner, like Nature's Miracle?

 

[hawaii bound]

Yep, I'm using the natures miracle stain and odor remover tropical scent. I've used the unscented one before, but this is the first time for the scented variety

 

[tulosai]

Is this his first time peeing inappropriately? If so ( and even if not) you really should take him first to a vet to rule out a physical cause/problem that happened to coincide with the addition of the shelves.

What material are the shelves? Has he ever predicted inappropriately before?

 

[hawaii bound]

No this is not the first time, I've caught him spraying the windows and doors multiple times.there are a lot of outside cats that hang around my house.

The shelves a pressed wood. They were in the house for a while, then I took them outside to my garage where they've been for about 6 months before re painting and bringing them back in.

 

[tulosai]

Is he neutered?

 

[hawaii bound]

Yes, he is neutered. I got him neutered when he was a kitten hoping to avoid this, but he has always sprayed.

 

[detmut]

can you explain more about his brain damage/neurological issues? 

 

[hawaii bound]

OK, he got caught I a car engine when he was almost 3mo. The lady I got him from said she heard something, saw him fall out from under her car and thought he was dead until he moved his paw, so she went back and got him. He has part of his tail that doesn't move, one of his back feet sits completely flat when he walks, he can't meow, can't jump very well, has to pee when he gets excited, he won't use his paws to get things, instead he will bite at them. When he eats sometimes he spits up. He chews the furr of several spots on his body

 

[mccl7460]

We have the same problem with an 11 year old neutered Siamese (Mickey) that we rescued off the street.  At any given time, he will back up to a shelf, cabinet, basket of clean clothes, coat hanging area, etc and spray them with urine.  He returns to the same places routinely.  The vet says that he is marking his territory because of known outside cats that roam the neighborhood.  No medical problems exist, but the vet suspects that the cat is stressed.  So Mickey now gets a dose of happy medicine which makes him sleep a lot.  Obviously if Mickey is sleeping he can't pee on things.  We clean and deodorize one area, then he starts spraying a new area.  We haven't found the solution and this has been going on for years.  I don't want a medicated cat 24/7.

 

[mccl7460]

....  and just yesterday Mickey sprayed one of my wife's Longaberger baskets.  I don't know who needed the Happy medicine more, the cat or my wife.

 

[margd]

I wonder if this might have something to do with the cats outside and territorial issues.    The fact that the bookshelves were outside makes me wonder, also the fact that you mention there are a lot of outdoor cats hanging around.  Anyway of getting some spray or something to discourage the presence of the outdoor cats?  Your guy sounds stressed out. 

 

[detmut]

 
We have the same problem with an 11 year old neutered Siamese (Mickey) that we rescued off the street.  At any given time, he will back up to a shelf, cabinet, basket of clean clothes, coat hanging area, etc and spray them with urine.  He returns to the same places routinely.  The vet says that he is marking his territory because of known outside cats that roam the neighborhood.  No medical problems exist, but the vet suspects that the cat is stressed.  So Mickey now gets a dose of happy medicine which makes him sleep a lot.  Obviously if Mickey is sleeping he can't pee on things.  We clean and deodorize one area, then he starts spraying a new area.  We haven't found the solution and this has been going on for years.  I don't want a medicated cat 24/7.

what medication did the vet prescribe?

"Spraying is emission of a stream of urine onto vertical surfaces, usually accompanied by elevation and quivering of the tail and in some cases treading of the feet. Marking on horizontal surfaces (eg, owner's clothing, bedding, or countertops) is less common. Spraying is much more commonly seen in male cats, and neutering will reduce or eliminate it in most cats, although ~10% of neutered males continue to mark. Marking may be due to anxiety, such as might arise with introduction of a new cat; a change in schedule, environment, or family (eg, renovations, new furnishings, new baby, marriage or divorce); or unfamiliar visual, auditory, or olfactory stimuli.

Treatment can include a combination of prevention, environmental modification, behavior modification, and medication. Providing more litter boxes and more litter box locations, cleaning the soiled areas with bacterial or enzymatic cleaners, and cleaning the litter box more frequently may reduce or eliminate marking in some cats. Punishment is contraindicated, because it increases fear and anxiety in an already anxious animal. Unless the stimuli inciting marking or the underlying factors contributing to the marking can be effectively resolved, most cats are likely to require drug therapy with either fluoxetine or clomipramine (buspirone or other SSRIs or TCAs might be an alternative). Feliway^{[emoji]174[/emoji]}  feline pheromones in the form of a spray on marked locations or a diffuser in the environment might also effectively reduce marking alone or in combination with drugs."

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/b...stic_animals/behavioral_problems_of_cats.html

 

[hawaii bound]

I've been thinking about getting the feliway diffuser, but I've read a lot of reviews about them shorting out and melting. Since I'm not home much, I'm hesitant to get one if I'm not home to watch it

 

[hawaii bound]

Also when I've caught my cat in the act, he's not spraying so much as actually peeing on the shelf. Big puddle to clean up. For now I've got the door to that room shut and he can't get in there, so far I haven't had much of a problem, I think I've only had to clean up a spot off a kitchen rug, but that's easier to clean than a shelf

 

[mccl7460]

The vet prescribed Buspirone 4mg/ml and I'm supposed to give him 0.5 ml three times/day.  It's basically the same stuff they give us adults for alleviating panic attacks and stress.