Cat Spraying or Not Spraying??

My Male Cat is Spraying Things
Question:	QUESTION: My 28 week old male cat has began to spray carpets and furniture. He hasn't been neutered yet because the clinic isn't for another two weeks. Until then is there any way I can get him to stop spraying? ANSWER: Hi Amber, Oh that's a bummer. Are we sure it is spraying and not urinating? If it is urinating I would eliminate a medical problem. Urinating out of the box can indicate a medical problem and could be dangerous for male cats especially. Is he crouching? Or is his posture on all fours with his rear facing furniture then shaking tail and spraying a stream horizontally? If you arent sure and need more help determining I will be happy to help. Just please let me know. If it is spraying.... Can you have surgery done somewhere else sooner? Keep in mind it dosent always stop the behavior immediately as the cat still has hormones in his body after surgery. About 80% stop immediately. Some take a little bit longer. Is this a multi cat household? He can be spraying for several reasons, he is communicating with other cats about territory or that there is an unspayed female he is smelling. Cats can also spray from stress, if he is feeling uncertain about things in the home he may feel the need to mark his zone. Are there any major changes that have happened since behavior started like a new person living there or moving changes? I would identify if any of those are the culprits. For ex, is there another cat who bullies him in the house? Is there a bully cat outside? A neighbor's cat that comes around the yard? Is he spraying nea Kitties can also just do it to mark their territory. There are several products on the market for this. Feliway releases kitty pheromones to help ease kitty anxiety. It sprays friendly pheromones or there is a plug in kind. SSSCat deters a cat from spraying in the same area by emitting a harmless mist to keep kitty away. Wash surfaces well that have been sprayed with laundry detergent that contains enzymes. 50% white vinegar and 50% water in a spray bottle and spray the area well with the vinegar solution to discourage the cat from respraying those areas. The next step is: a recipe for at home natural urine elimination that breaks up enzymes. It uses hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. http://www.catsofaustralia.com/urinestainremoval.htm If you catch him in the act of "posturing" to start spray, distract him suddenly with loud popping noise or clap hands suddenly. And get him focused on something else. This dosen't work after the sprayings just as it is about to start. Be gentle with him, he will learn. Best of luck! Shanti ---------- FOLLOW-UP ---------- QUESTION: When my male cat 'sprays' he crouches like he would in a litter box, so I think he is urinating. He is the only cat I have and, I really clean the litter box every day.He was immediately abandoned by his mother after birth and never nursed from her, he just had kitten formula until he was 8 weeks old(if that has anything to do with it?. ANSWER: Ok, most importantly get him checked for urinary infection ASAP. There are several reasons why a cat can get infection, one is formula in commercial brands is not formulated properly. Get him to vet today. Is he crying? Crouching often? this is sign of pain and irritated bladder. He needs to be treated and possibly diet changed. Rule out medical first, right away. Again, urinary infections/potential bladder stones could develop into a very dangerous situation if kitty becomes blocked. Then if he gets clean bill of health, we can talk about other reasons why cats dont use box. One is aversion to a particular type of litter which is easy to rectify, another is anxiety which is a little bit harder to rectify but not to worry, I can help. Please have kitty checked and then if this is ruled out we can discuss the other options and how to deter if it is not medical issue. Thank you, Shanti ---------- FOLLOW-UP ---------- QUESTION: I immediately took my cat to the vet. They took a urinary sample and, said that there was a slight amount of blood in the urine and that it was most likely caused by inflammation of the bladder. Bladder inflammation was said to be most often caused by stress. What are some causes of stress in cats? My vet thinks that it is the fact that there is only one litter box in my two-story house and, that it is a covered litter box, which can supposedly cause anxiety in kittens. Is there anything I can do to relax my cat?
Answer:	Hi Amber!! Good for you, for checking right away! did the vet find bacteria? I Sometimes these bladder issues stem from different things, with a cat that was not weaned properly this problem may surface more his developmental time without his mom. Environment, stress and often commercial pet food diets can lead to inflamed bladders. The fact that he was an "underage kitty" and was not properly weaned can often potentially effect their "attachment bond" and developmental psychology. I have seen this type of cat grow up to have abandonment issues and have litterbox issues. Try working with a feline behaviorist to help identify the issue. Two easily accessible products i  recommend for stress are: Feliway and Bach Flower Essences Rescue Remedy for cats. Apply Rescue Remedy (several drops) to non metal waterbowl, gumline and inner flap of ear skin 1-2x's daily as needed. You have a big house so Feliway (can get costly) which emits calming hormones might need to be put in a few places. A product for inflamed bladders and FLUTD (feline lower urinart tract disorder) is here for further info: http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/uti-free-cat-dog-urinary-tract-health.html I have also used "Animals' Apawthecary" - Tinkle Tonic. Very calm, soft soothing kitty massage is good as well. Along spinal muscles, and inner part of shoulder at base of neck. Cats like a soft touch, basically almost as if you are petting their fur and barely touching the skin. I have never had a cat reject this, then i move in with a little bit more firmer controlled fingertip with slow kneading of the areas mentioned. If his tail swishes, stop, because that signals he isn't liking it. We never want to push a cat to a point of overstimulation, this leads to behavior problems, and as a side note, many loving well intentioned people i've worked with didn't see that they weren't honoring the cats boundary or body language of when the cat has had enough due to not understanding feline body language. So they didnt see when the swat or bite was coming. This isnt your case, and you sound like a caring loving person, so let's move on... I would definitely add another litter box as well. As far as reasons for stress that have shown up in kitties: Cats are super sensitive beasts and even small amount of change can stress them. Some more than others. I have seen cats become stressed when work is done on the house, remodeling, furniture moving around, relocation to new house, many visitors coming and going if cat isnt use to it, young children just being children playing, jumping, running, and screaming have stressed sensitive cats, new pet in the home, and overly curious dog that cant seem to learn kitty is off limits and owner petting way to roughly for kitty's taste. On the more extreme end, I have unfortunately seen a very loud household with lots of shouting and screaming and things being thrown by heated tempers caused the cat to be very uneasy (as it would anyone of course) and kitty developed urinary problem. I have also seen an owner who sort of forced the cat into belly rubs and the cat would get very stressed. (some kitties love this although that isn't the norm), I have known of a guardian who handled his cat with scruffing (very bad idea!!! kittens are scruffed by mom and several ounces not more than a pound when their skin and muscle separate and cause injury). scruffing to me is a form of abuse and should only be used when vet needs to take blood to help restrain. You sound like a very loving caring person so if i were you would try to pinpoint when the behavior started and trace back as to if something changed. New person living there? I also have to say, I am not a fan of commercial diets and they play a vital role FLUTD. If you are interested in home prepared meal with absolute proper feline nutrition, Dr Pitcairn's Natural Health for Dogs and Cats is wonderful with recipes. Consult with holistic vet if you do decide to prepare his diet because we dont want to progress flutd or start host of other issues with improper mineral nutritional balance. If you do feed commercial food, brands in the past i have liked are BFF, Wysong, Nature's Recipe, Wellness, AVoderm, Innova, Eagle Pack, Instinct. Wet is better than dry due to water concentration. (You can swipe gums gently along gumline to avoid tartar buildup from wet food, paying attention to molars and teeth in the back.) Some cats have one episode, some have recurrent episode of urinary issues. We need to keep his urine acidic with low ph, (can be monitored from time to time with PH strips found at drug store). Less than 6.8 is ideal.