I need help for a cat who sprays

[Dar]

One year ago smokey was dumped at the end of my driveway. here he is napping with my daughter in her fridge box fort

about 8 months ago I could not figure out why I was smelling cat pee/spray all the flipping time.. everywhere I went I smelled it... Hubby thought I was loosing my marbles... that was until we started to re-do the office and found the corner of the desk.. corner of the book case.. wet.... so we ripped up the carpets and OMG the amount of pee/spray was UNREAL.. now bear in mind that during this time the cats were only allowed upstairs because my moms dog had the run of the down stairs (we were babysitting him because of my moms house burning to the ground Dec 4th/10)..

so from that point on Smokey was outside during the day and he was allowed to come in at night BUT he was to be crated.. when he was allowed out in the morning he went straight outside and only came in to eat shortly after breakfast.

We fixed that mess the proper way and decided to look deeper.. we looked at the floors in my daughters room... same thing... corners soaked.... fixed it there and my room and the spare room...all the floors were sealed and then hard wood put in its place. We then found wet marks on the dining room floor... tore up the linoleum floor to find he had ruined that floor too.

so now we have spent about $5000 on floors and vet bills and HE IS STILL SPRAYING!!!

Smokey was taken to the vet.. he is neutered so thats not the problem Vet said blood work looks fine some counts are elevated bt still within normal ranges... says we can put Smokey on kitty Valium and see if that works... but that can get costly AND there is no guarantee it will work

so now that the weather has started to turn cold again my daughter had been getting lax about making sure he stays outside and we have found him inside and she gives the excuse that its to cold out.

IF we were to build him an insulated cat house in the front porch... and he will be fed out there.. the only time he will come in the house is at night and he will go straight to his crate.. in the morning he will go straight outside again and be fed breakfast outside.. then that way he can spray all he wants but will still be safe from night time predatory animals.

Is this a humane solution or should we just put him down?

The vet says he is a healthy cat.. no issues .. he is about 4 years old... no way of telling when he was neutered so this may because he was done late in life.

he is just so loveable.. hes a GREAT cat... GREAT personality!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I would pen him up outside, just make sure he'll be nice and toasty!

Can you make him wear a kitty diaper? lol

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

A diaper would work if you are willing to change it 3-4+ a day!

 

[Dar]

Quote:

not likely!

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Sounds like a great solution to me. There are also kitty hormone-sprayers you can try, but that's an expensive option too that may or may not work. Once they start spraying in the house, it's really hard to get them to stop....

 

[Dar]

i would like hubby to build something like this

we will put the food and water on the top level so that we can use the small bird bath heater to keep the water ... well... water not ice (its about the size of a quarter)

 

[ChickenfootDuckbutt]

Once a cat starts spraying, even once neutered they don't stop.

if he likes being outside, It may be best to have him as a strictly outdoor cat. if he has his claws, you need'nt worry about predators, a cat with claws can take care of itself, and he looks like a big boy to boot.


putting a cat down just because he sprays shouldn't even have crossed your mind, IMO there's no sense in that.

he could have been a TNR cat, or he culd have been dumped for the very reason you are having issues.

but geting rid of a cat or putting it down JUST because he is spraying in the house, nonsense.

honestly the ONLY thing I can think of is it transition him as an outdoor cat.

 

[Dar]

Quote:
he likes outside but he likes to be inside too.. he will race yo to the door to get in.. but then meow at the door to get out but then he will scratch at the window an hour later to be let in... and yes he does have his claws and yes he is a BIG BOY!! But I have also seen the damage a run in with a raccoon can cause

the idea of putting him down was actually the vets because he sees it all to often that ppl say they will work with the issues but then the animal becomes neglected and then abandoned or 6 months later comes in to be put down.

I dont want to put him down... I just want whats best for him.

 

[Linn Bee]

My oldest granddaughter's cat had that problem. Didn't cost quite as much as yours in damage, but still in the thousands with repairs and vet bills.

Vet decided she needed to be in a one cat household. It was euthanize her or let her stay here. Started her just in the bathroom. Seemed to do well. A week later? Clean litter boxes and cat smell in corners. I relegated her to the basement. She sprayed in cement corners. I sent her outside - something I didn't want to do since her front paws had been de-clawed. Once it got cold outside, I tried letting her back inside - just into the sun room. She walked in and sprayed the brick wall.

My solution was to make a box to block the wind. Inside the box I put a plastic-covered pillow with a blanket over all. Then I added a "MOON" blanket - a metallic blanket that is supposed to reflect body heat. She did sleep in the box on really cold nights, but she also found other places to get comfortable outside.

She's been 'my' outside cat for 6-7 years now. I don't like having an outside cat, but she doesn't seem to mind.

She did sneak in late last night while I was waiting for the dog. I heard her prowling down the hall, but knew she'd be looking for me. Sure enough, it wasn't a few minutes when she was back and jumped up on the bed. I let her cuddle in bed with me for a while before she went back out.

Love, Linn B (aka Smart Red) Gardening zone 5a - 4b in south-est, central-est Wisconsin

 

[teach1rusl]

My mom has a large wire pet cage - three levels, so maybe it was marketed as a ferrit cage??? It's pretty roomy. She keeps food dishes on one level and a small litter box on the lowest level. She uses it for a cat that developed behavioral issues w/toileting.
You could have the rule that when kitty is in the house he has to be in the cage unless he's being petted/cuddled. As soon as cuddle time is over, back in the cage. If he wants outdoors, no problem. But when he comes back inside, it's into his cage.
That might be an option to consider... I doubt he would spray his personal space.

Here's an example: http://www.wayfair.com/Midwest-Pets-Cat-Playpen-130-L2250-K~MDW1023.html?refid=XT49-MDW1023