Conference misery::feline_v1

    He is neutered, right?
    
    Edd

The vet may be able to use hormones to help.  Ask him.  I have seen several
people with this problem and it is always with males that are allowed
to go outside....it may be due to "perceived" competition for territory
from another male in the area.  This is a hard one, as the cat is doing
a natural thing...marking territory as HIS...talk to the vet about more
treatment and, PLEASE, if you cannot keep the cat, try to find him a home
with someone who can keep him outdoors and will provide shelter from the
weather for him.  Putting a healthy cat down for this is a bad idea.
    

    Sometimes when a neutered cat starts spraying, its because its
    psychologically upset.  My late Pussycat did this when I changed
    jobs and started working much longer hours.  When I went back to
    a normal schedule, the spraying stopped.  Has something in your
    household changed lately that might be upsetting him?
    

    Edd -
    
    We don't know each other, but I figure we are all friends in here,
    so...
    
    	Did you look at the title of the note!!!  8')
    
    Gary

    This has been discussed in another note, but I can't find it so
    here I go again.
    
    Venom was spayed and began spraying again when Mara came into season.
    
    Is your femaled neutered? If not, other males that you don't see
    could be coming around and he will see this as competittion for
    his territory and "his girl".
    
    The vet put Venom on hormone tablets and this helped. Also make
    sure that where he sprays you clean up with a very strong smelling
    disinfectant so that he can't still smell his scent and then respray
    because he notices the smell in that area is fading.
    
    Hope this helps - and if not - find him a good home. 
    
    -Alison-

    I feel so silly....
    
    Edd

    Yes, Mika has been neutered since he was two.
    

    Yes, the change as of two years ago, is the female cat, although
    I had another female cat for 18 years, until she had to be put
    to sleep because of kidney failure.  I got the new kitten 4 months
    after, and Mika, my male loves her.  He is marking his territory
    for some reason, although there are very few other cats outside
    the house.  I really don't understand it.
    

    I'm confused about exactly when he started marking -- two years
    ago when the female cat arrived, 4 months ago when the kitten arrived,
    or?         
    

    I breed Birmans but also have two neutered male household pets.
    They will spray if I allow them to have the run of the house with
    the girls.  I decided to give them their own room.  They live in
    my office at home.  This way they get to spend alot of time with
    me since I am in there for hours every night.  They also don't feel
    the urge to spray since their scent is all over the room and on
    the toys and beds.  If I let them out with the girls, they have
    to have stud pants on because they will try to mark the rest of
    the house.  
    
    There is a drug called Ovaban that you should ask your vet about.
    I used it in conjunction with putting them in their own room, to
    keep them from spraying their room in the beginning.  It does have
    some side effects since it is a hormone and most vets wouldn't
    recommend any long term use of it, but it might put him off of
    spraying.
    
    If your female siamese is not spayed and is having heat periods,
    she will have an affect on your neutered male.  Whenever one of
    my girls goes into heat, every whole cat within a twenty mile radius
    shows up to try to service her.  You may not be able to see the
    toms out there, but you can tell they are there by your male's
    behavior.
    
    Jo

    I have had the female cat since June of 1986.  The female cat
    was bred in Sept. of 1987.  She had kittens in November and I
    had her spayed in Feb. of 1988.
    
    Mika has been spraying since April of this year.   

    (Am I missing something?)  It doesn't sound to me like the start
    of the spraying problem coincides with any changes in your cat family.
     Are you sure that nothing else has changed?
    

    Yes, in June of 1986 I got a second Siamese-a female kitten.  She
    has one litter of kittens and I had her spayed in Feb. of this 
    year.  This morning as I was ironing in my extra bedroom, Mika,
    my male backed up to the wall and sprayed in front of me.  I
    am calling the vet this morning to see in Mika can be put on a
    hormone pill to help.  I tried Valium, per the vet's recommendation,
    and it really didn't help.
    
    Thanks
    

    Thank you,
    
    I called our Vet this morning, and I'm going to try the hormone.
    The Vet has warned me of the side effects, but I'm going to try
    this for only a few days and see what happens.
    
    The female has been spayed since Feb., but maybe she still goes
    in some kind of heat, affecting the male's behavior.
    
    Thanks, again!
    

    No, nothing has changed in the household.  Like I said, there
    are very few cats in our neighborhood, so I can't even say
    that something outside the house is influincing him to spray.
    Mika, is now on Ovaban hormones from the vet.  I hope this
    will help.
    
    Thank you,
    Nancy
    

    I hate to sound ignorant but how do you know when a male cat is
    spraying?  I went on vacation for a week and left my cat outside
    with someone coming over to feed him every day.  Believe me, he
    is much happier outside...he has a blanket in a basket, the whole
    garage to go into, and a screened in breezeway with a couple of
    chairs he can sleep in.
    
    After a few days of, my bedroom and livingroom (no other rooms)
    smelled very musky (not like fecus or urine) but another kind of
    smell but it only lasted for a day or two then it seem to go away.
    
    Alex is a neutered male 2 years old.  Is that spraying???
    
    Please advise...thanks
    

    You can tell by the STRONG urine smell.
    
    ...and, from the cats I've known, a male cat who is simply urinating
    squats down and aims at the ground. A cat that's spraying to mark
    territory aims outward while standing. Watch for the characteristic
    tail wiggle...
    
    Edd

    I was ironing one morning in the extra bedroom we have.  I saw
    him back up to the wall, lift his tail, and spray!!!
    My cat Mika, sprays against the walls, the rugs are wet and
    smell of strong urine.  I have cleaned the two rooms with a 
    new cleaner, so I'll see if this works.  The smell is a bit
    unusual, its like urine and musty together!