Cats Spraying

Have the cats been "fixed"? If male cats are neutered before they learn to spray, they often won't spray or won't spray as often.
When I lived in a small apartment with one cat, I changed his cat box at least daily. I also used a Bissell carpet cleaning machine every 6 months to help freshen up the carpet. Opening the windows when the weather permits to air out the smell helps, too. Febreeze, candles, etc can mask the odor some.
My parents have had up to three cats at a time and they keep the "main" cat box in the garage where the cats spend the night and then they have an indoor cat box next to the garage door to reduce the impact of cat box odor. The biggest thing they do is changing the cat box very often.

Hi,
Get the boy cat fixed and it should stop. Cat pee is the worst!!! I have no solution for that...good luck.

The first thing you need to do is find out who exactly is spraying/marking. Separate the cats and figure out who is not using the litterbox. Then make sure there is not a medical condition such as a urinary tract infection causing kitty to pee outside the pan. If it is a behavioral problem, you can try a spray called Feliway, which is a pheromone. There are prescription drugs that can also be used to stop marking behavior. (that is what I have to use with my female cat) Another thing is to make sure you have a litterbox for each cat (3) and be sure they are cleaned daily. You can use a black light to find urine on carpet and use an enzyme cleaner to get out the smell. Good luck.

spay and neuter them all I have and then you wouldn't have to worry about the smell and there are place that you can get it done for free just call your humane society in your area

You're right - there is NOTHING worse than a house that smells like cat pee! Neuter the male and see if that helps. Also, there are sprays you can get at the vet or an animal supply store that might help! And think, you're walking on, sitting on, standing on, your kids are playing on the very things that cat is spraying!

If the male is marking (spraying) there will pee on the walls so check your walls too. Try "felaway" , it comes in a spray or a plug in. Cleaning the areas to get rid of the smells of the other kittys and puting more literboxes in the places where they go Clean the boxes every day. If they are not already spayed and neutered, get that done! Also there maybe a medical problem, so you should take them to your vet. Good Luck

Are they all 3 spayed and neutered? That generally takes care of the issue, especially if you got all 3 cats at the same time. They do have products at the pet store that discourage them from doing this... you just have to find all areas where it's happening and spray it on. I have a feral kitten that I just took in who kept going potty on the floor under a table, so finally I put a litter box right there and she is using it now. Good luck, I know it's very frustrating. Believe me, I live in a zoo and right now have 4 extra feral kittens I am caring for until I get homes for them. Take care, C.

I agree with the many litter boxes. Let the kids keep them clean if they are old enough. One for each cat in a different room and I lock up the house at night from the cats... i.e. they each are placed in their own room for the night when I can't watch them (also for feeding). This also stopped the tearing up the living room rug. Plus lots of play and exercise. CLean, clean, clean as it happens and be sure to look (sorry - SMELL) outside for cat pee too, as other cats may sense that there is a pee war going on and could be instigating it by peeing on your back door! ugh! Wash, scrub that down and put your "own" scent on it. Claim your house! Be sure to get them all fixed if not already. Also be careful to watch behavior and not let one cat bully the others or favor one over the others. You must make it clear that you are alpha, much like with dogs. Good luck. Pee wars are never fun.

There is a good website called www.indoorcat.org

Good Luck
C.

Hi R., I am not sure how old the kittys are, but the first question is are they fixed? Also are they boxed trained? I have found when you have more than one cat, it is best to get 2 litter boxes. Some cats do not like to share. If you know where they are peeing, Natures Miracle works well to get the smell out, also there are a few other things they sell at the pet store that work. I have several cats, and only had to deal with that situation one time. I know it is frustrating, but I am sure it will work out. Good luck

Yes, this is a tricky one. I'd recommend calling the San Francisco SPCA for advice. They have amazing cat behavior volunteers who give all kinds of great info out to the public. I would call the general number for the SFSPCA, say that you're a member of the public who has a specific question about cat behavior, and ask to speak with one of their cat behaviorists. If by chance you don't get a call back, try again! They're great people. They gave me good advice about my cats peeing indoors. These situations are very specific, depending on both your cats and how you're handling it and setting up your household. Good luck. I know this can be such a pain.

First, if he isn't neutered, do it! Then, make sure that the boxes are changed often, I had two boxes when I had 3 cats. I also agree about the enzyme cleaner.

Cat spraying can be tough...I have several suggestions. Make sure you have as many litter boxes as you have cats, and clean them often. You can also try something called Feliway, which is a feline pheromone. It helps to lower there "kitty stress". You can get it from your vet, or some pet stores carry it. Good Luck!!

Everyone has given you some great advice. I would just like to add there is one more product out there that is useful if you need to spray something you can't wash. It is called Zero odor. I got mine online but I have heard Bed Bath and Beyond was going to carry it. Yes it WORKS on cat pee. A great product that I can't say enough good things about.
Good Luck from another animal lover.

Hi R. -

Here's a response I posted to a similar question...

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Hey Jennifer --

Been there done that...

1) Go buy a gallon size of Nature's Miracle. Be prepared to buy more.

2)You don't say if your big boy is neutered. If not, make the appointment.

3) Buy at least one more cat box. Keep ALL of the catboxes immaculately clean (at least for now). Clean them once a day. Once a week, take them outside and hose them down. Introduce big boy to the new cat box -- this one will now be his.\

4) Go around the house and thoroughly spray each area the cats have peed/pooped on with Nature's Miracle.

5) Rent a rug cleaner, add about 1 cup of Nature's Miracle to the solution before you begin to clean. Clean all of the carpets thoroughly

6) Mix 1 cup Nature's Miracle in a bucket of cleaning water (with Spic N Span, or something). With a sponge, go through the house and clean up wherever pee might have gotten -- floors, walls, etc.

7) If there is a specific place where the cats are peeing, cover it with tin foil (beds, couches, carpets). Cats HATE walking on foil. Crumple it up first, then straighten it out -- Tack it down so that the cats can't move it.

8) To the extent possible, close off the rooms where the cats have been peeing. WATCH THEM LIKE A HAWK. If they even enter into a room where they have been bad, bark at them!

9) When you see your cats use the litterbox, give them a treat, strokes, and happy words.

Keep at it -- it's a hard habit to break, but you CAN do it. Just like potty training a toddler, lol!

Best,

J.

Wash what ever you can with cat pee on it (pillows, throw rugs, pet beds, curtains, etc.) the following way: Your regular laundry soap in the soap tray of your washer, Natures' Miracle enzyme cleaner in the fabric softner tray of your washer, and white vinegar in the bleach tray of your washer. I've found the combination of these three things works really well.

For things that can't go in the washer, wash them as well as you can with a sponge and soap and water, then Natures' Miracle (do a test to make sure it doesn't discolor things) then 50/50 white vinegar and water. If you have a box fan, blow it on what ever you cleaned for several hours for it to dry so it doesn't mold/mildew.

Good luck!
K.

P.S. "Fix" all three cats - even if they are indoors all the time.

I had a neutered male who started doing this in a multi-cat household. I tried everything suggested here. Gallons of Nature's Miracle, multiple clean litter boxes, feliway, steam cleaners. It was all very expensive and exhausting and worst of all, it didn't work. Finally, the vet suggested prozac. Worked like a charm and we were all much happier. I think some pets are just meant to be only pets and they get anxious around others. Once the marking becomes a frequent habit it's so hard to break. I'm not saying it's impossible without drugs, but very, very difficult. I wished I'd tried prozac earlier.

How frustrating! I can relate. I have two cats that can be spiteful - peeing and pooping in strange places if something is not to their liking. I see other people have recommended Feliway. I highly recommend this product!!!! It is on sale right now at Drs Foster and Smith. Worth every penny. Worked wonders for us. Also, make sure you have multiple litter boxes. My final suggestion is to consider changing their diet. I put my cats on a raw diet and noticed a significant difference in their behavior. They are now much more relaxed and we haven't had any accidents. It’s kind of a pain to make the "slop" but well worth it if it stops them from peeing all over the house. We feed our cats a recipe by feline instincts. (Buy the liver powder as the other option is pretty nasty!)I was very surprised by how much they changed once on the raw diet. The raw diet can also help medical issues related to their urinary tract. Good Luck!

Don't believe that if an animal is spayed or neutered, they won't "mark". All my cats are fixed and I have a male that constantly marks his territory. Here's what has helped:

1) Feliway
2) Not just cleaning, but replacing the litter in all of our cat boxes every 1-2 weeks.
3) Use unscented litter.
4) Never get a male cat again (poor DH is WAY outnumbered in our house now).

UrineGone (I buy it at Walmart) helps tremendously in getting rid of the smell, and I've tried just about every product out there.

Also, when we replaced our carpeting, we got special padding that helps with animal smells. It must help because now our cat doesn't pee on the carpeting anymore.

Good luck!

Good morning!

How old are your cats and are they fixed? I know that when animals are fixed they do not spray. Female cats also spray so it may be all the cats. If they are not fixed I suggest they get fixed and hopefully this will solve the problem. Wish you well!!

This question was just asked in the last week. My advice is put the spraying cat on Prozac. It works.