Help!

Please help! I have a three year old ginger tom which was neutered when he was six months old. I took in two kittens about eighteen months ago and since then my ginger tom has decided to do something he never even got started at.............spraying around the house. I know this is because of the kittens (1 male, 1 female both neutered) and he was marking his territory, and there was the female influence into the mix!! My problem is now how to stop him now he's started. I think I read somewhere that giving him hormones (female) may stop him, has anyone out there had this problem???????????

Would appreciate all suggestions,

Many thanks.

Rosemarie.

Is your Tom neutered? That may help if he is not...There are phermones you can buy in a spray bottle or in a diffuser you can plug into a wall outlet. Check out this link:

http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-72.htm

Cindy

Hi Cindy,

Thanks for that. I will look into the plug in pheramone thing, the link was helpful too.

Thanks again,

rosemarie,

If he is neutered, he may have reverted to it because he has to state his territory and is somewhat insecure since two new kitties have arrived. Did you introduce them slowly so he adjusted to them? Has he accepted them now or is he still not playing with them? Often, if cats are neutered later in life, they will revert to old habits - especially if stressed so even Rescue remedy in his water might help or Feliway may also be of assistance. But I think once he knows the cats are there for good and not taking his territory - give him as much attention as before, make sure he has his own litter box (you know the cardinal rule, one box per cat plus one so now you need four). Do not move his box and do not chnage any of his habits due to the new kitties. Let him get to know them and all should go well. (I hope!!!)

Good luck! And congrats on the new kitties!!

Many thanks for your advice. I have had the kittens over a year now, and when they reached maturity I noticed that even though the little female had been nurtured there were tom cats paying a visit! I think it was this, more than anything else that started Ollie off spraying, and now he does it whenever he plays with Freddie and "loses the run of himself" (Irish saying!) They have access to outside through a cat flap so it isn't a toileting problem; the down side of this is that the stray toms also come in and spray around my home, this also started with the arrival of the little ones which I now see wasn't one of my better ideas!!

Thanks again for your help, will definitely give Felway a try.

Rosemarie.

If there are other cats spraying in your house, it sounds like your ginger cat is spraying to reclaim his territory.

Here in North America, not sure about Ireland, there are catdoors you can get that come with magnets to "lock" the door and only the cats who have the magnetic "key" on their collars can open the catdoor to go in & out.

The downside I have heard about these type of doors are if the cat looses the collar they can't get back in on their own until you get a replacement "key", sometimes they don't open fast enough ie cat being chased by a dog/cat/wildlife, and if someone in your area has one their cat's "key" might open your door.

The upside to this of course would be keeping the other cats & wildlife out of your house.

When are the other cats coming in to your house? If it is @ night or while you are @ work you may want to consider placing a board or something to block the door during this time to keep them out & your cats in (they can "hold it" until morning or you get back from work or set up a litterbox for this timeframe) while there is no one to make sure the other cats aren't coming in.

Some things to consider :)

You hit the nail on the head when you said Ollie was re-establishing his territory after the stray cats came in through the cat flap. That's exactly the time when he first started, but the problem is now how do I stop him now he's got the hang of it? I do close the flap when I'm not there, and I have left it closed at night in warm weather which gives a bit of peace once the 'visitors' realise they can't get in and stay away until word get around that it's open again. I have no objection to letting any stray coming in for a heat and a bit of comfort at night if only they didn't spray!!

I live next to the beach in my town here in Ireland and there are a lot of rocks which were put there to keep the sea at bay (so far!). The cats love to hunt there but would, I feel, be susceptible to getting caught if they were to wear a collar while in among the rocks.

I have another problem with my 'old girl' Kitty who is over 15 years old and needs a general anesthetic in order to have her ears cleaned out as they are in a bad way and are causing her some pain. Since she was tiny she has hated her ears being interfered with and gets so stressed she will pee and even vomit while cleaning is being attempted. I'm wondering if it is best to leave her as she is, the little bit of cleaning the vet managed to do before she freaked completely:pawprint: seems to have settled her a bit for now, or should I chance the GA and get a proper job done. She is perfectly healthy apart from some kidney problem which is controlled by diet.

Grateful for any suggestions.

Rosemarie.