WHAT is With My CAT?

[iLander]

So our male black cat is about 1 1/2 years old, and he's started spraying in the house!

I caught him yesterday, spraying the Christmas tree skirt. I yelled at him and told him "No!" and he wasn't very apologetic about it (I know, it's weird that I think I can talk to him, but let's put my bit of oddness aside for a minute ). I have been smelling cat pee in the house for the last couple of weeks, but no one else could smell it. Now I know I'm not crazy; he's definitely been peeing somewhere.

He's fixed, and I thought that was supposed to take care of it!

What the heck?!!

ETA: That skirt is in the trash, now. Sigh . . .

 

[JewelFreak]

iLander, has anything changed in your house or routine? Cats are slaves to habit; change makes them feel extreeeemely uncomfortable. To get you to notice that, they often urinate around the house -- frequently your bed or in your closet; both places are closely associated w/you by scent. This is NOT "getting even," as people usually think! Cats can't tell you what's wrong. This is their only way of communicating, "I'm UPSET. Help!"

Spraying is, as you know, how males delineate the edges of their territory. The tree itself may be the motivator for spraying. Originally it could have had scent-marking urine on it from an animal where it was growing & your cat felt the need to re-mark his territory. Even if not, the introduction of something with an outdoor totally unfamiliar, wild-ish scent might have triggered the reaction.

New babies, a new pet, change in job/home schedules, even a new boyfriend who's suddenly around a lot -- any change in environment or routine can unsettle a cat enough to start spraying (or inappropriate peeing in females). This is 1) reassuring to him, making his own boundaries secure; and/or 2) his way of telling you, "Hey, Buddy, NOTICE! I'm unhappy!"

If you're sure he doesn't have any physical -- bladder or urethra -- problems, see if he stops when you get rid of the tree. BUT -- he will spray where he has already done so. Good idea to wash anywhere you find evidence he's sprayed -- walls or furniture, curtains, all at tail height, take a look around. Clean it off w/soap & water, then rinse w/ 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts warm water to neutralize the urine odor so it won't attract him there again.

Good luck! Would love to know the outcome.

--- Laurie

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Inappropriate urination (especially in front of you), to me, is a sign of a UTI. Male cats are especially at risk of crystal growth in their bladder. Please have a vet check him out.

 

[movie zombie]

we have one cat for whom spraying has been an issue for years. anything new or out of place in the house. plastics seem to set him off, bathroom rugs backed with rubber, etc. its a stress issue for him.

oddly, he's been really good the last months. i've gone out of my way to give him attention and cover things with cotton materials.

have your kitty checked out first and start looking for clues in what changes you've made in the house during the holidays. putting the house back into pre holiday order sooner rather than later may be helpful.

MoZo

 

[Aoife]

I agree with all the advice already given, but there is another possibility to check out, too. If any of the spraying has been on or near a window, it's possible that there might be another male cat hanging around outside. One of my daughters has a neutered male cat that just recently started doing this, around the time our SIL noticed a feral cat hanging out under their deck. Years ago we had a female that sprayed a couple of times when a neighbor's cat would hang around outside the french door to the deck.

The good news is that once they've been neutered, the spraying isn't quite as stinky as it is if the male is intact! If you have a UV light it might be worth cruising around your house with the UV on to make sure you've found all the spots your kitty marked.

 

[Haven]

Inappropriate urination (especially in front of you), to me, is a sign of a UTI. Male cats are especially at risk of crystal growth in their bladder. Please have a vet check him out.

YES! He needs a visit to the vet ASAP.

One of my childhood cats suffered from chronic UTIs, and each one started with spraying in the house.
My mom ended up cooking for him and he never had a UTI again. I think it was boiled ground beef and rice, or something. She got the recipe from a natural vet, and it did the trick.

 

[VRBeauty]

Ditto all of the above - and while you figure it out, be sure to keep plenty of Nature's Miracle on hand!

BTW neutering apparently reduces some but not all of the impulses that tempt a male cat to spray... as my (sigh) recently departed Squeaky taught me. If he's spraying now, you can probably expect more in a month or two as randy males start roaming the neighborhood looking for a little action.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Inappropriate urination (especially in front of you), to me, is a sign of a UTI. Male cats are especially at risk of crystal growth in their bladder. Please have a vet check him out.

YES! He needs a visit to the vet ASAP.

One of my childhood cats suffered from chronic UTIs, and each one started with spraying in the house.
My mom ended up cooking for him and he never had a UTI again. I think it was boiled ground beef and rice, or something. She got the recipe from a natural vet, and it did the trick.

The increased urine crystal growth is thought be due to cats general lack of drinking along with an inappropriate balance of calcium, phosphate and ash in their diet. Commercial availability of a quality cat food is lacking. There's really no good alternative to a prey model diet, but then again, that's not perfect either.

If you do take the cat to the vet and they recommend a specific Science Diet blend for UTI's take the sample and then do your own research into a better quality food or raw diet. It will probably save you money in the long run after you can find all the sources. If you want more information of raw feeding for cats I'll post some lynx

 

[LGK]

I bet it's the tree, if he doesn't have a UTI. My mom's girl cat always went ballistic over the tree- it's big, it smells weird, it's in kitty's territory. Actually rather than spraying on the tree, she would then spray where the tree had *been*, forever. Finally mom had to find some piece of furniture to occupy the space so she felt that "her" tree was still there. She passed away maybe three or four years ago, but the tree corner still smells faintly of cat pee.

 

[Haven]

Inappropriate urination (especially in front of you), to me, is a sign of a UTI. Male cats are especially at risk of crystal growth in their bladder. Please have a vet check him out.

YES! He needs a visit to the vet ASAP.

One of my childhood cats suffered from chronic UTIs, and each one started with spraying in the house.
My mom ended up cooking for him and he never had a UTI again. I think it was boiled ground beef and rice, or something. She got the recipe from a natural vet, and it did the trick.

The increased urine crystal growth is thought be due to cats general lack of drinking along with an inappropriate balance of calcium, phosphate and ash in their diet. Commercial availability of a quality cat food is lacking. There's really no good alternative to a prey model diet, but then again, that's not perfect either.

If you do take the cat to the vet and they recommend a specific Science Diet blend for UTI's take the sample and then do your own research into a better quality food or raw diet. It will probably save you money in the long run after you can find all the sources. If you want more information of raw feeding for cats I'll post some lynx

We feed our animals raw diets! Our cats eat the Nature's Variety raw medallions--do you happen to use that, Davi? (If so, what is UP with the bison lately? It's so gooey, we keep returning it, and DH has contacted NV several times and they keep saying "It's just he way bison is." It wasn't that way several months ago. Ick.)

We feed our dogs a raw diet, but we feed them actual raw pieces of meat, nothing prepared. DH researched for months and months to make sure he's doing it right. The dogs love it.

ETA: Sorry, I called you Danny in the original post. I always mix you two up.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Inappropriate urination (especially in front of you), to me, is a sign of a UTI. Male cats are especially at risk of crystal growth in their bladder. Please have a vet check him out.

YES! He needs a visit to the vet ASAP.

One of my childhood cats suffered from chronic UTIs, and each one started with spraying in the house.
My mom ended up cooking for him and he never had a UTI again. I think it was boiled ground beef and rice, or something. She got the recipe from a natural vet, and it did the trick.

The increased urine crystal growth is thought be due to cats general lack of drinking along with an inappropriate balance of calcium, phosphate and ash in their diet. Commercial availability of a quality cat food is lacking. There's really no good alternative to a prey model diet, but then again, that's not perfect either.

If you do take the cat to the vet and they recommend a specific Science Diet blend for UTI's take the sample and then do your own research into a better quality food or raw diet. It will probably save you money in the long run after you can find all the sources. If you want more information of raw feeding for cats I'll post some lynx

We feed our animals raw diets! Our cats eat the Nature's Variety raw medallions--do you happen to use that, Davi? (If so, what is UP with the bison lately? It's so gooey, we keep returning it, and DH has contacted NV several times and they keep saying "It's just he way bison is." It wasn't that way several months ago. Ick.)

We feed our dogs a raw diet, but we feed them actual raw pieces of meat, nothing prepared. DH researched for months and months to make sure he's doing it right. The dogs love it.

ETA: Sorry, I called you Danny in the original post. I always mix you two up.

I actually don't have cats lol, but in my quest to find the best food possible for my dogs, I couldn't neglect the kitties and their needs. Pet nutrition is one of my other hobbies (weird, I know)

I've been told we're never feeding raw by the better half. I choose my battles. We do however, rotate between Innova EVO, Wellness Core and Orijen. I would love to control their diet to an absolute T like raw feeding gives you.

I haven't heard of the the problem with the buffalo. I would guess that since the price of buffalo is steadily on the rise, they're using lower grade cuts.

Don't worry about the mix up I confuse you and kenny all the time

 

[Haven]

I just had my first hearty laugh of the new year, Davi!

You would have a lot to talk about with my husband. Like you, reading about the raw diet has become an obsessive hobby of his. I thought he was insane at first, and it takes A LOT of time to keep up with the pups' food, but he enjoys it so who am I to say otherwise?
As long as he doesn't expect me to hack up the chicken carcasses, it's all good.

 

[Imdanny]

I don't know that this will help, iLander, but was the cat fixed early (like at 9 weeks) or later? I think I've read that it's less effective the later it's done.

 

[iLander]

I don't know that this will help, iLander, but was the cat fixed early (like at 9 weeks) or later? I think I've read that it's less effective the later it's done.

Hi Danny

We fixed him right after we rescued him, but he was a biggish kitty. I think he must have been around 6 months old, but nobody at the shelter seemed to really know . . .

Dang.

Hope you're wrong . . .

 

[iLander]

even a new boyfriend who's suddenly around a lot-- Laurie

This part made me smile, Laurie. DH wouldn't allow a new boyfriend hanging around.

Well, not a LOT anyway. . .

Actually, what you posted has the ring of truth to it. I think he was marking the tree!

The tree skirt is like a Santa hat, red fun fur with white fun fur trim. He was very careful to sprinkle EXACTLY on the white fur. While walking in a little circle.

It was both amazing and disgusting . . .

Now, I threw the skirt away, does that mean the little ween is going to mark "his" tree again?

Is it in my best interest to get rid of the tree ASAP?

 

[davi_el_mejor]

even a new boyfriend who's suddenly around a lot-- Laurie

This part made me smile, Laurie. DH wouldn't allow a new boyfriend hanging around.

Well, not a LOT anyway. . .

Actually, what you posted has the ring of truth to it. I think he was marking the tree!

The tree skirt is like a Santa hat, red fun fur with white fun fur trim. He was very careful to sprinkle EXACTLY on the white fur. While walking in a little circle.

It was both amazing and disgusting . . .

Now, I threw the skirt away, does that mean the little ween is going to mark "his" tree again?

Is it in my best interest to get rid of the tree ASAP?

Yes. Get the house back to normal for him. If he does it again in front of you, I'd schedule a vet appointment too

 

[iLander]

start looking for clues in what changes you've made in the house during the holidays. putting the house back into pre holiday order sooner rather than later may be helpful.

MoZo

I think you're right, Mozo. It's the tree. That tree is coming down tomorrow.

 

[iLander]

I agree with all the advice already given, but there is another possibility to check out, too. If any of the spraying has been on or near a window, it's possible that there might be another male cat hanging around outside. One of my daughters has a neutered male cat that just recently started doing this, around the time our SIL noticed a feral cat hanging out under their deck. Years ago we had a female that sprayed a couple of times when a neighbor's cat would hang around outside the french door to the deck.

The good news is that once they've been neutered, the spraying isn't quite as stinky as it is if the male is intact! If you have a UV light it might be worth cruising around your house with the UV on to make sure you've found all the spots your kitty marked.

THIS WAS A BIG HELP, Aoife! I started sniffing around the window, thinking about the new male orange tabby that has been wandering through the yard for the last couple of weeks. Sure enough, I found a little wet spot. Gross.

Used the vinegar, hope that does it . . .

PS-Congrats on the 30 years of marriage that you mentioned in my other thread!

 

[iLander]

I bet it's the tree, if he doesn't have a UTI. My mom's girl cat always went ballistic over the tree- it's big, it smells weird, it's in kitty's territory. Actually rather than spraying on the tree, she would then spray where the tree had *been*, forever. Finally mom had to find some piece of furniture to occupy the space so she felt that "her" tree was still there. She passed away maybe three or four years ago, but the tree corner still smells faintly of cat pee.

I am now thinking it's the tree, too.

DH thinks the cat wanted to claim it as his domain, to keep the dogs away from it.

 

[iLander]

even a new boyfriend who's suddenly around a lot-- Laurie

This part made me smile, Laurie. DH wouldn't allow a new boyfriend hanging around.

Well, not a LOT anyway. . .

Actually, what you posted has the ring of truth to it. I think he was marking the tree!

The tree skirt is like a Santa hat, red fun fur with white fun fur trim. He was very careful to sprinkle EXACTLY on the white fur. While walking in a little circle.

It was both amazing and disgusting . . .

Now, I threw the skirt away, does that mean the little ween is going to mark "his" tree again?

Is it in my best interest to get rid of the tree ASAP?

Yes. Get the house back to normal for him. If he does it again in front of you, I'd schedule a vet appointment too

I happened to walk into the room when he was just finishing it.

I have to sign off, but I am interested in hearing more about the special cat diet. For my dogs, I microwave chicken breasts in the evening, and feed them BilJack dog food in the am. They also get leftover rice, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, some lettuce (only the papillon eats this, I think for the crunch), steak, roast beef, fish, etc. I guess a lot of people would call that table scraps, but one glance at a Beneful Dog Food commercial convinces me otherwise.

I never understood how it's nutritious dog food when it's packaged by a huge corporation, but when I cook it myself, it's table scraps.

I only give the cat a small chunk of the chicken breast, Fancy Feast in the am, and DeliCat at night. I don't actually believe in commercial dog food, but haven't really paid much attention to the cat food.

I've tried giving the animals raw food, and they just won't eat it . . .

 

[iLander]

I just had my first hearty laugh of the new year, Davi!

You would have a lot to talk about with my husband. Like you, reading about the raw diet has become an obsessive hobby of his. I thought he was insane at first, and it takes A LOT of time to keep up with the pups' food, but he enjoys it so who am I to say otherwise?
As long as he doesn't expect me to hack up the chicken carcasses, it's all good.

Please see the post above this (about my animals' diet) , and also tell me about this diet. I've heard about it vaguely, but I can't get them to eat raw food, don't know why . . .

 

[davi_el_mejor]

I'll get back to you tomorrow with a more detailed post about what I know about dog nutrition and possible diets that may work for your family

 

[Haven]

Hi, ILander,

My husband did all of the research into the raw diet, and he does all the work for it now, so I'm passing on information from him.
Have you done any preliminary searching on the Internet about the raw diet? There is a lot of information out there.

Before I say anything, it's really important that you do your research before you switch your pup's diet. The food we feed Bailee isn't going to be right for your dog. Even a quick Google search will bring up a lot of information about this.
Nobody can tell you what a good diet will be for your dog without knowing the dog, its weight, and energy level.

First, check out these resources to start with. You'll find more as you do your research, but this is a good start:
- Dr. Billinghurst's books (DH says the websites not great, you need the books)
- http://rawfeddogs.net/
- http://www.rawlearning.com/
- http://www.pitbulllovers.com/health-articles/feeding-raw-diets.html

The most work you'll do will be cutting up chicken carcasses and skinning them and such.
Do you have a small dog? If so, you could just feed the prepared raw medallions from Nature's Variety. That's what we feed our Shih Tzu. Our Pitbull gets the real stuff.

After you do your research you'll need to devise a diet for your dog.
Bailee's diet consists of a variety of chicken pieces, ribs to gnaw on the bones, raw eggs once a week, a whole fish once a week, a Cornish hen every once in a while, and a little bit of organs. DH has it all figured out as far as when and how much. He also makes veggie cubes and freezes them with a ton of blended ingredients and gives them to her once a week. And he squirts fish oil on her food every now and then, too.

She eats 1.5 lbs a day. If you have a big dog, this diet could get very expensive. We know a couple with a Great Dane that eats 8 lbs a day!

As for the pups not eating raw, I have no idea how to help that. We switched Bailee from high quality kibble to raw several months after we adopted her without a problem, and when we inherited our Shih Tzu we immediately switched him to the raw medallions and he devours them. He's 8.

The only thing Bailee has been picky about are the fish. She loves rainbow trout, so we typically just give her one of those every Sunday. We've tried mackerel, and she wouldn't eat it. The fish is tough, according to DH, because there are some that they shouldn't eat.

All of this food comes from Whole Foods by the way. Life's tough, huh?

ETA: To add another link from DH.

 

[waterlilly]

Inappropriate urination (especially in front of you), to me, is a sign of a UTI. Male cats are especially at risk of crystal growth in their bladder. Please have a vet check him out.

YES! He needs a visit to the vet ASAP.

One of my childhood cats suffered from chronic UTIs, and each one started with spraying in the house.
My mom ended up cooking for him and he never had a UTI again. I think it was boiled ground beef and rice, or something. She got the recipe from a natural vet, and it did the trick.

Spraying and urinating are two different things. Well, technically they are the same, but you know what I mean! A cat spraying is not the same as a cat suddenly urinating in a strange place which may indicate a UTI.

Spraying is done as a territorial marking thing - not an indication of a UTI. Was your tree a real tree? Another cat could have marked the tree before you brought it in the house, spraying christmas trees is not that unusual...

Unfortunately, I have never found a product that really gets rid of cat urine odors. You MUST bleach, scrub, decon the sprayed area as thoroughly as humanly possible or he will be able to smell it.

 

[kenny]

I don't know what's with your cat.

 

[Imdanny]

Whatever it is, iLander, I hope it stops soon!

 

[Haven]

Inappropriate urination (especially in front of you), to me, is a sign of a UTI. Male cats are especially at risk of crystal growth in their bladder. Please have a vet check him out.

YES! He needs a visit to the vet ASAP.

One of my childhood cats suffered from chronic UTIs, and each one started with spraying in the house.
My mom ended up cooking for him and he never had a UTI again. I think it was boiled ground beef and rice, or something. She got the recipe from a natural vet, and it did the trick.

Spraying and urinating are two different things. Well, technically they are the same, but you know what I mean! A cat spraying is not the same as a cat suddenly urinating in a strange place which may indicate a UTI.

Spraying is done as a territorial marking thing - not an indication of a UTI. Was your tree a real tree? Another cat could have marked the tree before you brought it in the house, spraying christmas trees is not that unusual...

Unfortunately, I have never found a product that really gets rid of cat urine odors. You MUST bleach, scrub, decon the sprayed area as thoroughly as humanly possible or he will be able to smell it.

This is really good to know, Waterlilly. Thank you for clarifying. We have three male cats, and while I *hope* I never need to know the difference, it may prove useful one day.

ILander--How's your kitty?

 

[yennyfire]

We have dogs, so I can't comment on cat behavior, but I will agree with you that raw food, when prepared by "humans" is considered "scraps", but when canned and priced exhorbitantly, is called "gourmet"....


BTW, don't try to type when you've had one glass too many....this post just took me 20 minutes....grrrr

 

[iLander]

ILander--How's your kitty?

Stupid kitty! He went on the tree again. I took it down tonight and put it out on the porch.

I do believe he is reacting to the orange tabby, who came thru the yard again yesterday, and sprayed every bush we had. My kitty could only watch from the screen porch. Then my kitty sprayed the tree. I shooed Mr. Orange Kitty, which I hadn't done before.

Here's my plan: I will cut up the tree with loppers and spread the branches in the yard where the other kitty sprayed. Plus some other soggy branches all around the yard. He'll essentially be covering the other cat's scent by proxy.

Does that sound like it would keep Mr Orange out of the yard? Will it make my kitty happy?

This is getting annoying. . .

i've got to go find my beer hat . . .

 

[JewelFreak]

iLander, on Barking Mad, an adorable English program where behaviorists solve pet problems, about all they could suggest for this one -- a cat spraying the house in response to one outside -- was to close the curtains on windows where your cat could see the other. There are sprays to keep cats away but if your yard is very big, that's not too practical.

Rather than discouraging the other cat, putting the tree w/ the scent of yours will motivate him to cover it up. On & on, isn't it?

--- Laurie