Spraying Catastrophe

[mharper215]

My oldest male tabby has always been super moody and has been known to spray in the past, for example if my mom puts him out of her room when she goes to bed it’s not uncommon for him to spray her door. But now we have 2 new (male) kittens in the house. I know he doesn’t like them so I try to keep them on “my side of the house” (2 bedrooms a hall and a bathroom) but I do let them into the rest of the house once a day for them to play. Every night now for about a week Chicken (the sprayer) sprays in at least 2 different plces and he cannot continue to do this we can’t have the house smelling like urine. I need tips or tricks to help him and help us handle this situation that’s now getting out of control.

 

[rubysmama]

Has he been neutered? If not, neutering him will for sure lessen the urine stink, and possibly help with his territorial behaviour.

How old are the kittens? As they are both male, they will also need to be neutered when they are older, or they will too likely start to spray once mature.

Can you do a separation / re-introduction between your older cat and the kittens?

Following are some TCS articles that may be helpful:

Inappropriate Peeing, Spraying, Toy Obsession And Leg And Hand Nipping
Spraying: When Your Cat Uses Urine To Mark Territory
How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
The Multi-cat Household
When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat?

 

[maggiedemi]

My male cat sprays when he gets too much dry food. Have you tried increasing his canned food?

 

[Timmer]

Cats spray for territorial reasons and I've been told it feels good to them to do it. They feel insecure or uneasy about another cat coming into the house or they can even spray if an outdoor cat is coming around.

You also have to get that urine cleaned up. Use a good enzyme cleaner like Anti Icky Poo. That always worked for me. Got it off Amazon. Wash down the area with soap and water, and then just spray the area. I noticed my cat would also stop spraying when I cleaned up with that.

He's an adult cat, so if he's not neutered by now, that might not stop him. He doesn't like the other cats in the house. The easiest fix would be to re-home them, which I am sure you don't want to do.

I had a sprayer and I put her on prozac. A very low dose, like 2 mg. a day. That stopped her from spraying.
As someone else mentioned, putting the cat on canned food can work too. That would be another easy thing to try.

 

[mharper215]

Thanks all of you I am going to get the feliway and I will look into getting the cleaner. He has been neutered since we got him and the babies are not big enough yet. I will be moving in 3 months and taking the babies with me so hopefully we can find something to hold him over until then, meanwhile I will be here cleaning the entire front of our tv cabinet

 

[rubysmama]

Maybe when you move to the new place, since it'll be new to all of them, maybe your older boy won't feel so territorial.

Good luck with your move. Here's one more article that might be helpful:
How To Move With Your Cat To A New Home In A Safe Way

 

[Timmer]

I had these huge stereo speakers, the kind that sit on the floor and are about 4 feet tall. Mine sprayed up the bottoms so that when you turned the stereo on and the things heated up, the smell was all over the place. Then, she stood on the back of the couch and sprayed the venetian blinds so that it dripped down. LOL. That told me right there that there was probably another cat outside that got her agitated.