We have 4 cats that are all about 9 years old. Ever since my 2 year old started to get moblie around the house my cats (I think one in particular) started to spray in the house. They pretty much kept it to one room, but now it is getting worse. They are now spraying in every room. I just got my carpets professionally clean and I have locked all of the cats outside. They are not happy about this, but it is the only solution I can come up with. I have tried all of the air sprays and plug in things you can buy to stop the spraying but nothing is working. So my first question is- does anyone have a great fix to this so I don't have to push them outside?
My other question is ....now that we have them outside they are using our new play structure as their litter box. We have wood chips all around it and now think that is their litter box. Does anyone else have a play structure with wood chips and have outdoor cats? How do you make them stop using it as a litter box?
You could try that stuff Feliway - it's a cat pheromone that's supposed to calm cats and stop spraying, I tried it but didn't use it long before I put my cat on Prozac for the same problem - so I never did find out whether the Feliway works. It's kind of expensive.
I'm a DOG behaviorist so this is not my speciality, but...
I know the first piece of advice is always "get more litter boxes".
I'll second the advice for Feliway although I'm not sure how it will work for outdoor cats (and that may be the "plug-in thing" that you already mentioned). You can also call the Humane Society's behavior helpers for free advice: http://hssv.convio.net/site/Survey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_AC...
And finally I have a colleague who is a cat behavior specialist:
The Cat Coach
Marilyn Krieger, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant
###-###-####
email: ____@____.com
www.thecatcoach.com
Best of luck!
red pepper powder and keep it wet...along the perimeter
every month...
it will disovlve and baby will not get into it but cats cannot stand the smell that they can smell..not us
I'm not a great lover of cats, so my advice may not be the best. Personally if I had cats that were reacting that much to my kids and creating an unsafe, unhealthy environment for my kids, I'd find new homes for the cats. That may not be acceptable to you and your family though. I don't have any ideas on how to put a stop to their spraying habits. Perhaps your vet, or a local pet supply store might be able to give you some help on that. As for getting the urine smell out of things once it's happened, I highly recommend white vinegar. It's inexpensive and seems to work the best.
As for them spraying on the children's outdoor play structures. the best suggestion I can think of is to build the cats and outdoor 'run' area (like a dog run, but with an enclosed top so the cats can't climb out) and restrict them to that area.
OK so I had a problem with my cat many years ago doing this and I finally asked my vet what to do. He told me that cats will not do this type of thing around their food, and told us to sprinkle the dry cat food in the problem areas. I know it will probably be a bit of a challenge with your little one but it works. My sister also tried it with her cat and it also worked for her. Also dont be too surprised but female cats can spray also, fixed or not. Good luck to you I knw how hard this can be.
There is an enzyme treatment that biologically "eats up" the urine. Most products just cover it up, but cats can still detect the marking. Cats can be very territorial and may spray to mark their territory, if they feel threatened, etc. It helps to treat with the enzyme so that all traces of the marking are removed. That way it is less likely that the other cats in the house will feel compelled to also mark. I bought my enzyme treatment at Hayes Supply in Vallejo...it is very reasonable...about $30 for a gallon container.
Greetings Celeste: After spending 300.00 at the vets to find out why our cat was marking my brand new furniture- frown- I learned they hate change. Yes he is fixed. I decided it was the cat or the family and ofcourse the family won. Bently stayed outside in the detached garage(he has a way in and out) for about a month. Once we let him in again things had changed. Now when all the Grandchildren come and there are several he takes off and hides which the small ones thinks is a game but he doesn't mark anything anymore.
We had a great company come and clean the furniture and I have not had any trouble with smell or cat since. It was Marty Newell Carpet and Furniture cleaning. He is in the East Bay Area, but like most business' he travels. I was very pleased with his work. If you need the number contact me back. My cat does play a big part of our lives as he runs the show (smile) but I refuse to have any animal stay that will be a problem to our family because children come first. Becareful that whatever you put in the play area won't cause a problem for the children. Talk to pest control, or vet, or garden shop for advice. I know that CLark's told us to use pea gravel and that is what we have in our play area & have never had a problem with dogs or cats. Have fun in the great adventure of parenthood it's the best thing that you will ever do. Nana G
IS he fixed? Neutered male cats should not be spraying.
Get rid of the cats! This just is too gross. either crawl around in their spray or play in their feces outside. Is there really a question here?
Hi Celeste,
Is it all the cats spraying or just one? I had a cat that sprayed - a female of all things. I took her to the vet who checked her for a bladder infection. When that was ruled out, we tried prozac. Years and years later, it turned out that it was a bladder infection all that time - the vet didn't get a deep enough sample. Once the bladder infection healed, the cat stopped spraying.
I have used moth balls in my planters to keep the cats out. That may not be a good idea with a two year olf. Is there anyway you can tarp the area when the kids are not using it. (I've seen this done at preschools.)
Best wishes to you.
J.
Hi Celeste, are your cats fixed? Have you taken the one that is spraying to the vet? There could be something wrong other than he is probably jealous somehow. We had a cat who recently passed but she started urinating on everything. She was pissed off because we were remodeling. The vet said she had anxiety issues. Once the work was done she stopped. I hope you find an answer so you can bring your kittys back in the house.
