Female cat has started spraying

[wilduniverse]

Hi everybody,

I have a big problem, and I don’t know what else to do: I have two female cats, who are about 9 and 10 years old. They are both very set in their ways, and I’ve had them since they were kittens. This summer I acquired a boy kitten. He sprayed at first, until I got him fixed. The problem now is that Phoebe, the 9-year old female, has started spraying. They both dislike him because he plays rough and they no longer no  know how to play, or want to, with him. He’s going to be a huge cat and he’s already bigger than both of them. I don’t know if Phoebe is spraying to say it’s *her* house, but I refuse to have a house that smells like cat pee. It doesn’t matter what I do- I wash all the rugs constantly, I attack the base boards and tile with carpet cleaner/chemicals and pet odor neutralizer, and even bleach and vinegar to wipe out the smell. I’ve left Scentsys on near where she pees to see if that smell will deter her from spraying. Doesn’t work. When I find a fresh spray, I’ve rubbed her nose in it, have spanked her, and then have immediately put her in the spare bathroom shut up all day to see if she can make some sort of connection between doing that and being punished. That doesn’t work either for more than a day. She still uses the litter box to go poo, but she just feels the need to spray now. I’m at my wits end- outside of keeping her shut up 24/7, finding her a new home with no cats, or having her stay in my enclosed backyard, or something even more drastic, I don’t know what I can do to get her to stop spraying. It breaks my heart to do any of those things, but I can’t have my household this way. Can anyone offer any advice?? Thank  you.

 

[Willowy]

First of all, spraying is frequently caused by stress, so you really have to stop the hitting, rubbing, locking her up, etc. I know that giving punishment is satisfying to humans, makes us feel like we're DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!, but it's really very counterproductive (always true, but especially so with cats). Her life needs to be as stress-free as possible. If the young cat picks on her, maybe setting up a spare bedroom as a sanctuary for her could be a possibility. Also, are there enough litterboxes (at least one per cat, but extras are always good)? Feliway and/or a calming collar may help.

Also, if this is new behavior, have her checked by the vet. Inappropriate urination is the first symptom of many cat illnesses, and she is getting older. If all else fails, the vet can prescribe anti-anxiety drugs, those usually help with spraying.

 

[wilduniverse]

Thanks! That's all great advice. I do have a spare bedroom, that's definitely a possibility. Currently I have two litterboxes between the three cats, but maybe I can get another and set it up in the spare bedroom for her. I didn't realize they made anti-anxiety drugs for kitties, or calming collars- I'll definitely check out all of those options

 

[daniel foreman]

Cats spray, it's how they define their territory. It's what tells them they are safe, and "at home" give it time and he will spray less. It's just the fact of living with a cat that's all.

If you see the cat clawing the carpet or rubbing his face against things, try and promote this behavior, it's the same scent marking but humans can't smell it. Get him a scratch post, something with a good heavy base he can get his claws into.

If you have kids around, tell them to leave the cat alone, Teach them to let the cat come to them rather than grabbing and pulling them about, it's this kind of stress that promotes spraying. Don't introduce new cats, or invite other cats into your home, they are intruders, you cat will need to reinforce his claims to his kingdom.

Ensure the cat has a warm spot he won't be disturbed in. Somewhere quite he can retreat too and make his own.

 

[eb24]

I agree with Willowly that, first and foremost, she needs a vet appointment to rule out any medical issues. Urinating outside the box is the most common symptom of a urinary tract infection and other medical issues. The theory being, it hurts when she pees so she associates the litterbox with pain. You want to be sure you rule those out first. 

If it is behavioral there are a number of things to try (some of these are a repeat of what has already been said but I'm adding them anyway):

- Make sure there is at least one more box then there is cat (so 4 total)

- Get a Feliway diffuser (which emits calming pheromones) to help calm her down

- Re-wash all the areas she sprayed (or that were marked by the male) with a good enzyme remover. Soap, water, and other cleaning products will not fully get the smell out. You have to use something (like Nature's Miracle) that actually breaks down the enzymes. Also, the ammonia in bleach can actually be an attractant to cats (smells similar to the ammonia in their urine) so anywhere you cleaned with bleach be sure to go back through and clean with hot water and then with the enzyme remover. You can buy a urine light at most pet stores for less than ten dollars- it may be worth getting one just to make sure you have cleaned up all the areas. Otherwise, she will just keep going back to them. 

-  Start using a litter attractant, such as Dr. Elsey's cat attract litter (I swear it has magical properties for cats with litterbox aversion). Dr. Elsey's does make an additive but it is only meant to enhance another Dr. Elsey's product. You can try adding it to your pre-existing brand but I have found it doesn't work nearly as well. 

- Have you been giving her the same amount of attention since the new cat arrived? When she pees outside the box it's clear you are giving her attention (even though it is negative) and it may be her way of getting you to notice her. Try setting aside 10 or 15 minutes each day as "Pheobe time." Play with her, sit and pet her, just talk to her- whatever it is that she likes. I'm sure bringing in the new cat messed up the social hierarchy and she may be feeling a little abandoned. 

- If none of those work, then talk to the vet about some anti-anxiety medication. 

Finally, I totally agree with Willowly that you should never "punish" her. Clearly it's not working to stop the behavior because she doesn't understand what she did wrong. If anything, it may be making it worse if she has become fearful of you or if she feels it's the only way to get your attention. I would switch your tactics and start using positive reinforcement (praise, a treat, a belly rub) whenever she behaves properly (uses her litterbox, lays nicely on the couch, ect) and ignore her when she does something bad. If you positively enforce the behaviors you want to see from her you will start seeing them a lot more so make sure you follow through with a reward! 

As Willowly said you may want to separate her in the spare bedroom while you sort this all out. I think the separation would be good to reacquaint her with her box and so you have time to re-clean everything, but after that you have to find ways to make her comfortable with both cats around. If it were me I would put her in the spare bedroom with one box of normal litter and one box of Dr. Elseys. After she's back to using it then put her out with the others again with a diffuser (and 2 Dr. Elsey's boxes if she liked it) and work on giving her one on one time and positive reinforcement.  

I hope some of this helps. Good luck and let us know what the vet says!