Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Cats That Spray: Update on Trouble, our Kitty

Of all the  agonizing and frustrating behavior problems which I have encountered over my years of self-imposed servitude to the feline species, inappropriate elimination without a definitive cause remains the most difficult one  with which I have had to deal.

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I have written about Trouble, our white Oriental Shorhair's recently found passion for anointing our box spring, mattress and the carpet under our bed with the accuracy which rivals the most skillful fireman's hose, and our unceasing efforts to find the answer to what is driving him to continue this behavior. It often feels to  me that I am on the quest  searching for  the golden fleece at times, ( no pun intended). I also wrote about my session with an animal communicator to assist in our search for an answer. I am happy to report that she was right on the money in her conversation with Trouble, as her suggestions seem to be panning out really well.

Since Lucyfur is seeking a more appropriate home, and is not living in our house, (several people are interested in adopting her), Trouble has quieted down significantly. He no longer paces and yowls, which is making my husband and me far less anxious. His spraying episodes have diminished substantially as well. He is no longer being treated with psychotropic medication, and the aggressive behavior between Trouble and Hush Hush has lessened noticeably.

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We began using a really promising herbal product called No Spray, available from BottledBlessings.com. Within a couple of weeks of adding a few drops to their water, the episodes of spraying decreased greatly, but have not ceased completely. We are continuing to test him further to find a definitive cause.

As many cat lovers know, the leading cause of cats surrendered to shelters is spraying. But with patience and commitment, we can keep our kitties in our hearts and homes.

Have you had a cat that sprayed? What did you do to get to the cause, and how did you handle it?  Please leave a comment.

5 comments:

Vicki said...

We had our cat spayed because of the close company she shared with our male cat Tigger. We have several dogs and did not want a litter of kittens. It worked out very well for us and we never had any problems. I a, so glad the spraying problem is getting better.

Anonymous said...

I had a 13 year old cat that began urinating (not spraying) outside the litter box. There were 2 other cats in the household but it had been that way for several years. I found out 2 things: There was a neighborhood cat that would sit outside the bedroom window and "taunt" my cats. Only one of my cats reacted with litter box issues. Sadly we also found out later he had cancer in 3 sights. I personally believe the cancer was in progress when this was going on because of the time frame. When you have a cat that displays urination or spraying problems there is a cause. Finding the cause can be the problem.

Anonymous said...

One of your issues having now been resolved (the issue of WHO was actually doing the spraying!), it appears that the most difficult thing to address is the WHY.

I'm sure it was no easy decision for you to give up LucyFur, but your two established resident cats must be your first priority.

My daughter, a certified animal behaviourist and veterinarian, always tells me (whenever I'm tempted to introduce a 3rd personality into my comfortable two-cat household) that a 3rd cat can cause more problems than you can imagine. She says that "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it!"

I try always to remember this advice when a needy homeless cat comes into the veterinary clinic where I work.

Skylark

Anonymous said...

*omg! Who would have ever thought! I sure am happy that you are finding the root to your problems. I am sorry though that you have to lose a family memeber! The pet physics are a trip! We saw one with our young pup and she was right on! The $$ went to the shealter and the event was at a opening of a pet store! Funny how things work out! ~rc~

Anonymous said...

I have a cat that has sprayed in the house before. He is an age unknown neutered male. He was neutered before I got him. I obtained him due to the fact that his owner refused to accept financial responsibility for him after he was hit by a car and brought to the vet for whom I work. Since our town does not have a love of animals, our animal control refused to pay for injured animals if the treatment will be over $100. Even euthanizing a cat is more than that if you include the cost of cremation. :( So the vet fixed him as best as she could considering he went weeks before he even came to the vet. I took him home to foster him since he had two broken legs. Well, hubby and I fell in love and he never left. Last summer, we moved back to our house that had been renovated for over a year. He was fine at first, then began to spray the wall in the living room. We didn't know why. Medical test proved negative. There was a stray cat outside that I thought might be the trouble, but efforts to catch it proved fruitless, so we tried Harley on Prozac. He HATED it. The pills were a nightmare, so we had tuna flavored liquid compounded. He tried to bite me when I would give it to him, so we tried having flavored chew treats compounded. Once again, he didn't eat them. I put a litterbox where he was spraying and he would spray the wall still. I went to Lowe's and got a piece of plexiglass and put it behind the box and put a towel under the box. Now the wall is easily washed since it is plexiglass, and the towel under the box gets washed every day. No more smell and very little problems with spraying anymore. I don't know what made him start and I really don't know what made him stop, but I don't dare move the litter box, even though it is in my living room. Great conversation piece, don't you think? LOL Good luck, Jo and feel better. GLOWS to you, hubby, Trouble and Puppy. And I hope that Lucy will soon find the right home. :)