I have 7 males and 3 females. Until I got # 7 - Loki - all was well. Loki tipped the balance. One male in particular sprays the floor length curtains. Any suggestions how to stop it? I am thinking of a calming collar. I used those to get them to stop fighting but would it work for territory issues?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Males Spraying - How To Stop
- Thread starter rgwanner
- Start Date
Just need some clarification on the situation:
- The first question would be, is everyone spayed and/or neutered?
- Ages and how long each cat has been in the home?
- How many litter boxes are there?
- Is there any cat specific furniture (tress, beds, etc) in the home?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
They are all rescues and all are spay/neutered.
Toby/Male/age 15/got him at 8 months
Stormy/Male/age 13/He was 5 weeks old when rescued
Amelia/ female/age 7/rescued at 4 months
Deja/Female/age 6/rescued at 1 year
Tipper/Male/Age 7/rescued at 1 year
Ernie/Male/Age 6/rescued at 6 months
Tuly/Female/Age 6/rescued at 2 years
Whiskers/age 2/rescued at 4 months
Loki/Male/age 12/has been here 3 years
Previously there was only 1 box - an automatic box that my husband cleaned 4 or 5 times a day. We have a small condo so space is an issue. Now he only cleans the box once . He has brain damage from chemo and is depressed, and can barely walk - he needs 2 knee replacements and refuses to have it done.
I now have 3 large boxes. I scoop twice a day. Since the addition of more boxes, they are not peeing on rugs and beds. However the spraying is a territorial thing I think. It is mostly Ernie I believe.
We have 11 beds/blankets for the cats. We also have a large tree and 3 smaller scratching posts.
I foster kittens so I keep the cats mostly out of my bedroom. The cats can go in the other bedroom during the day. There is a bed there for my mother in law. We cover it during the day and some of the cats sleep there.
The dining room rug had been peed and pooped on so much I had to throw it out. I also threw out all the beds. I am cleaning the floor with Nature's Miracle. I will also wash the floor length curtains with Nature's Miracle. Ernie sprays on the curtains in the dining room and living room.
A friend suggested pinning up the curtains and taping up puppy training pads. I plan to do that. Then I can just replace the pads. However, Ernie sprays on the end of my Mother in law's bed, also. I will clean that with Nature's Miracle as much as possible,
I know we really have too many cats for the space, but we have them now.
Tha k you for any suggestions on how to break Ernie of spraying.
Toby/Male/age 15/got him at 8 months
Stormy/Male/age 13/He was 5 weeks old when rescued
Amelia/ female/age 7/rescued at 4 months
Deja/Female/age 6/rescued at 1 year
Tipper/Male/Age 7/rescued at 1 year
Ernie/Male/Age 6/rescued at 6 months
Tuly/Female/Age 6/rescued at 2 years
Whiskers/age 2/rescued at 4 months
Loki/Male/age 12/has been here 3 years
Previously there was only 1 box - an automatic box that my husband cleaned 4 or 5 times a day. We have a small condo so space is an issue. Now he only cleans the box once . He has brain damage from chemo and is depressed, and can barely walk - he needs 2 knee replacements and refuses to have it done.
I now have 3 large boxes. I scoop twice a day. Since the addition of more boxes, they are not peeing on rugs and beds. However the spraying is a territorial thing I think. It is mostly Ernie I believe.
We have 11 beds/blankets for the cats. We also have a large tree and 3 smaller scratching posts.
I foster kittens so I keep the cats mostly out of my bedroom. The cats can go in the other bedroom during the day. There is a bed there for my mother in law. We cover it during the day and some of the cats sleep there.
The dining room rug had been peed and pooped on so much I had to throw it out. I also threw out all the beds. I am cleaning the floor with Nature's Miracle. I will also wash the floor length curtains with Nature's Miracle. Ernie sprays on the curtains in the dining room and living room.
A friend suggested pinning up the curtains and taping up puppy training pads. I plan to do that. Then I can just replace the pads. However, Ernie sprays on the end of my Mother in law's bed, also. I will clean that with Nature's Miracle as much as possible,
I know we really have too many cats for the space, but we have them now.
Tha k you for any suggestions on how to break Ernie of spraying.
Have you tried Feliway plugin diffusers in each room? I’ve had good results with them with my cats. They are not cheap, and it can take a few days to begin seeing results, but over time it really helped my cats to stay calm.
Ernie sounds either stressed or frustrated or both. It really is a lot of cats in the space. I have seven cats in a small house and it’s a challenge.
As wonderful as it is to foster kittens, I wonder if that might also be putting Ernie over the edge? It might just be too much for him.
Does Ernie get any special attention from you? He might need it.
Ernie sounds either stressed or frustrated or both. It really is a lot of cats in the space. I have seven cats in a small house and it’s a challenge.
As wonderful as it is to foster kittens, I wonder if that might also be putting Ernie over the edge? It might just be too much for him.
Does Ernie get any special attention from you? He might need it.
Hi!
I read through your other thread again, sounds like you've made some progress since then. Good for you!!
Something you could do is drape a shower curtain over the end of that bed, with pee pads on the floor beneath.
Since the calming collar helped with the fighting, ie you had good results, definitely try one on Ernie for this situation.
I read through your other thread again, sounds like you've made some progress since then. Good for you!!
Something you could do is drape a shower curtain over the end of that bed, with pee pads on the floor beneath.
Since the calming collar helped with the fighting, ie you had good results, definitely try one on Ernie for this situation.
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2018
- Messages
- 5,613
- Purraise
- 11,319
Have you brought Ernie to the vet to rule out cystitis, UTI or crystals/stones? For the longest time we had a male who would spray, it turns out, he adopted the spraying posture while peeing because he was in pain from struvite crystals. He never cried out in pain or blocked, just sprayed, but as soon as we took care of the crystals he used his litter box perfectly fine. The only issue, his standing up to pee became a habit and we had to get a litter box that was 18" deep so he didn't pee right over the edge.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
I don't think the fosters are the problem. I fostered for 2 or 3 years before getting Loki and Ernie did not spray. The fosters are segregated in a different room, although he knows they are there. Within 2 or 3 days of getting Loki Ernie started spraying. That is why I think it is a territory issue.
I will try to give Ernie some extra attention. He is a big fluffy cat so it would probably help me too!
I have used Feliway but it did not seem to matter, But maybe if I used 2 it would help in conjunction with a collar.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
I had not thought of covering the end of the box spring. I can just get a mattress protector (plastic) like I have on the mattress. Good suggestion.
A friend has suggested scat mats. After reading reviews I think I am going to order some to put at the end of the bed, as well as in front of the curtains where Ernie sprays. If you don't know, they are plastic mats with small prongs. The prongs are soft enough to not hurt the cat, but are uncomfortable enough that the cat does not want to walk on them. Of course, he could just find another place. And I will put peepads at the end of the bed on the floor, under the mats, maybe.
And I am going to try the collar again. I have another cat that I have to put one on for a different reason,so I will just bulk order.
I will let you know how it goes.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #11
An Update -
the Feliway difusers did not do anything. I know they do not work on all cats.
The Nature's Calm collars do seem to work. Travis is not spraying as much. Hardly at all. My shelter got a huge donation of
Sentry collars. I tried them for 2 weeks and went back to the Nature Calm. I also have one on Loki.
It appears that Travis is becoming the dominant cat. Several times I have seen them (Travis and Loki) growling at each other, and Loki will turn and sort of slink away
Right now, Travis is on the bed with me and Loki is on the floor and NO GROWLING!! That would not have happened a couple months ago.
Ernie does not seem to be spraying as much. I put up puppy pads on the french door where they spray. They spray there some but it is easy to just change them out.
I have also been trying to give Loki. Travis, and Ernie extra attention.
So I would say try the Feliway. If you want to try a calming collar (which has worked great for me) - spend extra and go with Nature's Calm. Travis hardly ever swats now.
I am hopefull that in a few months I will be able to leave Travis out front with all the others and be able to foster again.
the Feliway difusers did not do anything. I know they do not work on all cats.
The Nature's Calm collars do seem to work. Travis is not spraying as much. Hardly at all. My shelter got a huge donation of
Sentry collars. I tried them for 2 weeks and went back to the Nature Calm. I also have one on Loki.
It appears that Travis is becoming the dominant cat. Several times I have seen them (Travis and Loki) growling at each other, and Loki will turn and sort of slink away
Right now, Travis is on the bed with me and Loki is on the floor and NO GROWLING!! That would not have happened a couple months ago.
Ernie does not seem to be spraying as much. I put up puppy pads on the french door where they spray. They spray there some but it is easy to just change them out.
I have also been trying to give Loki. Travis, and Ernie extra attention.
So I would say try the Feliway. If you want to try a calming collar (which has worked great for me) - spend extra and go with Nature's Calm. Travis hardly ever swats now.
I am hopefull that in a few months I will be able to leave Travis out front with all the others and be able to foster again.
