Male Cat Spraying. Advice Needed.

J.huff23

Arachnoking
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Jun 23, 2007
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Well now that my little kitten is becoming a man, he has started to spray to mark his territory. I got him neutered hoping that it would stop it, but it didnt. My bed room (where he sleeps) has had this strong ammonia smell despite continous cleaning. Im a little bit of a clean freak sometimes so my bed room keeps swept and mopped (Hardwood floors) a few times a week. His littler box (Also in bedroom) gets emptied, washed out, and re-filled several times a week. However the smell remains constant. I have scrubbed the walls, floors, and everything in between and even bought this bottle of "No Mark" spray repellent and the local pet store. Nothing seems to help.

Those of you with male cats who have been in this situation, how did you handle it? How did you eliminate the smell?
 

TigerLily87

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Nov 16, 2010
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Wow how funny I have just been having the same problem with my cat, he is also neutered and I also bought that no mark spray!
Have you caught him in the act? I hadn't with mine so I decided to take him to the vets to rule out any medical issue, if its urine then it could be a UTI something like that making it painful for your cat to pee so hes trying to go elsewhere thinking it will stop the pain (male cats are very prone to UTIs, crystals all that stuff) also having some kind of internal pain can cause male cats to spray due to stress. Being that hes neutered its unlikely hes spraying to mark territory (unless you got a new cat, had a baby etc.)
I know he was just neutered at the vets, but get them to do a urninalysis on him with my cat they actually found blood cells in his urine and said it was where he wasn't drinking enough water for his body (even tho I always gave him fresh water everyday) so I have to encourage him to drink more, mix water with his kibble etc.
If its a behavior thing the the vet will probably recommend Feliway, I haven't tried it but heard it does work.
Any way my cat is a much happier cat now and so far haven't found anymore pee! To get the smell out sprinkle baking soda (Arm & Hammer have one just for cats) on the areas let that sit for a bit then vacuum and go over the patches with regular carpet cleaner (409 something like that)
Hope this helps! Good luck!
 

TigerLily87

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Nov 16, 2010
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Just saw that you said you had hardwood floor, so use something like Pinesol with a strong citrus scent, cats hate that smell so would also aid in deterring him from spraying those areas :)
 

Anastasia

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Jan 8, 2007
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Jake,
here is what I found that worked with my cats
Spraying

Spraying or marking territory with urine, is a natural behavior for both male and female cats. It should not be confused with ordinary urination outside of the litter box. Spraying usually involves just a small amount of urine on walls, furniture, floor, or occasionally the owner’s bed or clothes. A trail of urine on the floor means the cat was standing to spray not squatting to urinate. Since the frequency with which it occurs is related to hormone levels and sexual state, the problem can be reduced or eliminated by neutering the cat.

However, even neutered cats spray occasionally if an established territorial pattern has been disrupted by moving to a new home, being forbidden from a space formerly allowed, or by adding a new cat to the family.

You can discourage cats from spraying in a number of ways. You should clean the area completely with an enzyme product specifically designed to remove pet odors. This will help prevent your cat from going back to the same area. You can also use your cat’s pheromones to trick your cat into thinking the territory is already marked. To do this, simply rub a soft cloth between your cat’s eye and ear. Wipe the cloth on the soiled area repeatedly over several weeks. This tells your cat that this is a friendly zone and diminishes the need for them to mark the area. Remember this is only useful for marking not for urinating outside the litter box. You can also place a scratching post where your cat normally marks so the cat will mark with the scent off its pads and not with urine. You can also leave a little of your cat's food in the areas where the cat sprays. This helps for two reasons. First, the smell of the food has a calming effect on the cat making him less likely to spray. Second, cats don't usually spray where there food is.
Hope that will help :)
 

jonnyquong

Arachnosquire
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Oct 20, 2008
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What Anastasia said.:) Nature's Miracle is what I've used, and it seems to be the best at getting rid of that :barf: odor. Downside:COST. The stuff is pretty expensive, but it's worked the best for me.
 

JColt

Arachnoknight
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Mar 25, 2007
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I had a huge male siamese male who would occasionally spray. One day I was ignoring him and out of spite went in front of the tv and sprayed. He got a static shock that made him flip in the air and he never sprayed again, lol. Nature's Miracle is very good. My last old cat got incontinent and used that on carpets after he passed.
 

Ms.X

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If its a behavior thing the the vet will probably recommend Feliway
Jake, Feliway is a product that goes along with what Anastasia quoted about pheromones. It's a diffuser (you can get it at the chain pet stores) that emits feline pheromones and may help him feel comfortable enough that he doesn't feel the need to mark. It's a bit on the pricey side, but I have heard that it is usually quite effective.

As stated by others, I would rule out any possible medical issues first. Also, you will need an enzyme cleaner as others have previously mentioned. You may be able to get rid of what you can smell with traditional commercial or homemade cleaners, but he will still be able to smell the evidence if you don't use an enzyme based pet cleaner.

I hope some of this is helpful.

-Becca
 

J.huff23

Arachnoking
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Jun 23, 2007
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Thanks for the info everybody. I will look into getting the mentioned products. I have been scrubbing the floors and walls with pet odor remover and it seems to be getting better. But I will still get some of the other stuff mentioned. He is slightly protective of the bedroom. I bought him a cat basket with an attached play set to put near my desk and he guards that thing. One of my dogs stuck his head in the door to the box and oliver sneak attacked him, lol.

Once again, thanks for the info everybody!
 

bugmankeith

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This may sound weird and I wanted to know if anyone else had this happen, but sometimes my neutered male cat gets "excited" and you would think after being neutered that would not happen. He does not try to mount my female cat who is spayed, he could be sitting down and poof out it comes for no reason. It happens rarely, but i've seen it more than once. Do you think mabye he was cleaning the area and then I walked in right after he was done to see that?

Interesting fact, non-neutered male cats have barbs on their private, which fall off a few days after being fixed. Barbs stimulate female cats to release their eggs, and their scream, well, how would you like barbs scratching you down their! Cats dont have periods like dogs.
 

Anastasia

Arachnoprince
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my neutered male cat still use to try to hump my foot while Am sleep every time he had a chance
I though it was weird, he suppose to be snip snip not hump hump :rolleyes:
 

jebbewocky

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Oct 1, 2009
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I haven't had any issues like that. The spayed female cat occasionally humps the neutered male cat. I have no idea why.
 
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