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Post by momof3boys on Mar 24, 2010 6:18:13 GMT -5
I'm getting very frustrated with my male cat named Oreo. Last night he pooped in the basement and today he sprayed on the blinds. I don't know if he's trying to defend his territory against the outside cats but I'm getting sick to death of cleaning his messes! There is no reason for it! What can I do to rememdy this problem? He is an inside cat.
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Post by sleepymom on Mar 24, 2010 8:01:03 GMT -5
What I`ve always heard is to first make sure there isn`t something medical going on, especially if this is a new problem. Is he neutered? That is supposed to help, but can take awhile to get all the hormones out of their system. Another thing you could try to break the pattern is if you can put him in a small room, such as an extra bathroom, if you`re lucky enough to have one, with his food, water, & litter pan for several days. Don`t ignore him, spend some time with him throughout the day, but keep him in there so he gets used to using the pan again.
Good luck!
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Post by breakingfree on Mar 24, 2010 8:39:54 GMT -5
Hi momof3boys,
Sleepymom has some excellent adivce. If he is not already neutered, do so as soon as you can afford to. Also, make sure his litter box is scooped every day and fresh litter put in once a week. My cat, Kiki, will definitely let me know if his litter is not up to par by pooping on his favorite blanket that is on the couch. He has done this twice, and each time after I have completely cleaned out his litter box he resumes using it.
Good luck!
BF
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marika
New Member
Joined: February 2010
Posts: 75
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Post by marika on Mar 24, 2010 10:43:57 GMT -5
If it isn't a medical issue, you might want to try lavender oil. Clean everything he's ever sprayed on, and then spritz the items with lavender oil. It helps neutralize the smell that male cats keep trying to add to! You can also find repelling sprays in the pet store, though I don't know how effective they are. It doesn't work on all cats, but maybe you'll get lucky and your cat will hate it,  ! If not, well, at least it still helps neutralize the smell! |
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Post by fluffernut - now Jannie on Mar 24, 2010 12:28:15 GMT -5
Have him chgec ked at a vet for male urethra blockage. This has happened to every male cat I owned and it darned near killed them because I didn't recognize the symptoms. It startts with spraying and ends up with infection and blockage. See, male cats get "crystals" that form from the high ash content of the foods we give them. These crystals clump together and block up their itty bitty kitty urethras. Femals cats have a wider urethra. When they get fully blocked, you have only a matter of hours to get them to a vet. Any unusual peeing behavior must be evaluated. He's not necessarily "marking or being "bad". Maybe he's got a problem. And don't say you can't afford a vet. Anyone who takes in a cat makes a promise to take care of them for better or for worse. Yeah,it's like marriage. Only better, with furr and purring.
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Post by mellowyellow on Mar 25, 2010 18:03:43 GMT -5
My parents' cat had the exact issue that fluffernut mentioned. $900 dollars of surgery later (after countless other medical interventions).... Now their cat is a completely happy and unspraying creature. Expensive? Yes, tremendously. That's one particular reason why I have female cats. Male cats are notorious for many issues, and crystals is a big one. Not to say that only males have problems. One of my female cats sprayed on the living room curtains for one full year before her hormones stopped coursing, after her spaying surgery. It was not exactly a fragrant greeting every evening from work.  |
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Post by DJ on Mar 25, 2010 18:08:39 GMT -5
better to find out sooner rather than later.. and less expensive to deal with also...
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Post by momof3boys on Mar 26, 2010 13:53:48 GMT -5
I feel like I'm being attacked in this thread. I never said anything about not taking my cat to the vet's.
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Post by DJ on Mar 26, 2010 14:30:09 GMT -5
naw, not attacking... cat showing weird urinating behavior suddenly, especially a male cat i'd be concern about urinary problems. it just really is way easier to catch the problems sooner rather than later. i had a ferret die a few years ago because of other medical complications... everything presented atypically... it wasn't caught in time... 3k in vet bills later and my ferret still had to be euthanised and what had me wanting to slam my head against the wall was if it had been caught it would have been a quick and easy and relatively inexpensive fix. urinary blockages can happen quickly, spiral out of control and lead to other organs shutting down.
sorry. worked at a vet clinic for years as well and it still slipped past me because it presented oddly.. and saw so many pet owners that had been frustrated with their pet for inappropriate urination and it can quickly lead to a nightmare and losing a pet.. sorry if it came out as an attack it's just one of those things that can start so quietly and lead to huge debt, emotional trauma for all and the loss of a pet.
on the other hand he might have just seen a cat outside and decided to pee on the blinds. as a more helpful answer, i would first take him in for a checkup to eliminate physical problems and then move on to addressing behavioral issues once that's ruled out :>
the frustrating thing with animals is there is always SOME reason for it. it can just be hard to decipher what in the world is going on in their demented furry brains.
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Post by bigrae on Mar 27, 2010 8:03:00 GMT -5
Hi would just like to say I had a female cat that started peeing where she shouldn't an not always using the tray for poops,it wasn't till she lost weight that I realised she was ill,as I got her to the vets she collapsed ,she had diabetes that caused her kidneys to fail it cost lots to try to make her well but she had to be put down in the end. I recently lost a male neutered cat to cancer ,his initial symptoms were a fascination for the litter tray and eating cat litter. I think what I am trying to say is if it Oreo has been litter trained in the past and this is new behaviour get him checked out at the vet ,they can also give advice on getting him to go in appropriate places. Ive got an elderly female cat with neurological damage who poops on the floor in the kitchen ,in the end I had to get a small tray and put it in the spot that she favours and slowly by degrees move the tray to a more convenient place for us,seems to be working though if the tray is not clean she reverts to the floor.She just needed a refresher course on litter tray use  Hopefully Oreo will figure out where to go and he was just spooked by something. Good Luck BigRae |
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Post by fluffernut - now Jannie on Mar 27, 2010 13:37:25 GMT -5
sorry if I seemed to 'attack' you about not going to a vet, Mom of 3. I am a true animal lover and I had two cats nearly die because I didn't realize they were blocked. I ended up taking both to the vet, who was able to clear out their urethra and save their lives. Also I put both on low-ash low residue cat food the rest of their lives. I certainly didn,'t mean to hurt your feelings, Mom of 3. Please accept my apology.
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Post by breakingfree on Mar 29, 2010 13:25:17 GMT -5
Wow...I didn't know that female cats could spray, mellowyellow! Learn something new every day  |
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Post by mellowyellow on Mar 29, 2010 18:43:26 GMT -5
Sad to say it's true.  And she ruined several areas on my hardwood floors too. "Spraying stains" that you don't notice in time turn the wood black. Yuck. I hand-sanded one large area and then bleached and dried and tried to apply varnish, but boy oh boy what a huge job. No more of that..... Thank goodness for area rugs.  |
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Post by SueDonym on Apr 2, 2010 21:55:22 GMT -5
There is a product called "Cat Attract" that supposedly attracts cats to the litter box. I think it is available as litter and as a supplement to add to your own litter. I knew one person who used it, and she said at first the cat wanted to lay around in the litter box because she was so attracted to it, but then did decide to use the box after all.
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Post by Butterfly on Apr 2, 2010 22:10:50 GMT -5
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