LafayetteLady
Posts: 7683
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Northern New Jersey
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ORIGINAL: Duskypearls
Boy, is this ever a hot-button topic for cats and their owners! More cats are abandoned or put in shelters for this reason alone. This can be tricky to resolve, and may take time, effort, patience and creativity. Some cats are harder than others to shift, in this regard, especially those who have strong behavioral components to the problem (which it sounds as tho' Sparkly may have), or those who have been doing it for a long time. If it were my cat, I'd consider the following:
Have I ruled out FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease), congenital, neurogenic, and musculoskeletal, DJD (degenerative joint disease)? Chiropractic, acupuncture and Naturopathic remedies may be helpful. Have you a holistic vet in your area?
I realize some people may disagree, but while I am paying to have him fixed, I'm not going to put out the money for a lot of tests. So any remedies that involve regular vet visits for things like chiropractic or accupuncture are NOT going to happen. I have not yet chosen a vet in the area.
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Does he spray near windows, cat doors, or house doors in response to seeing/smelling other cats, which inspire it to mark territory? If so, can you block his visual access? If the spraying is a response to cats outside, you could cover the windows or put something slightly aversive on the windowsill like a lemon-scented solid deodorizer. You could also discourage the neighboring cats from coming into the yard.
His spraying is not a response to outside stimuli. He sprays all over, whenever he wants. Well he used to. Now he has slowed down somewhat, but that is because I've gotten my housemate to be more vigilant about watching him. He likes to spray on boxes, which with packing to move, you can imagine is not acceptable behavior.
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Spraying can result from fear, stress, anxiety, anger, aggression, neglect, or change. Cats are VERY sensitive to change! Does Sparky pick on Socks, as well? So he bites when you pet him, and swipes at you as you walk by. It may be predatory aggression. Does he react with more aggression when corrected? Perhaps Flower Essences may be supportive, i.e., Rescue Remedy (Bach), Snapdragon (Flower Essence Society - FES) for biting/aggression, FES Tiger Lily for hostility/aggression.
He actually was like this long before I came into the picture. If it was simply the change, I would at least have the comfort of hoping as he adjusted, the behavior would correct itself. He also regularly bites and swipes at his owner. I admit that my friend does not understand that he needed to be the alpha between them, which I'm sure contributed to the problem. My friend has been very lax about correction. He is a little better now, but mostly the correction comes from me. I don't favor my cat either. If Socks does something she knows she isn't allowed to do (like jumping on the counter), she is sharply corrected.
How do I use those flower essences? Are they in a form that if fed to him, or just the scents?
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Does Sparky get enough attention, handling and special treatment? I know it's hard if he's aggressive, but sometimes extra love, play and treats can be helpful. Aggressive animals don't realize their aggression creates avoidance behaviors in humans, which means they get less positive attention, which often translates into more stress for them, which may equal more aggression. Re-directed aggression occurs when a cat sees another cat, but cannot reach it and attacks the owner or another cat in the household instead. To treat redirected aggression, remove the cat to a quiet dark room and isolate him until he is calm. Don't try to handle the cat—push it with a cardboard shield to maneuver it into a quiet room. Try to prevent visual contact with strange cats—the usual cause of redirected aggression.
My housemate gives his cat attention, although Sparky doesn't get the attention that Socks gets, but Socks comes looking for it. I have pointedly given Sparky special attention (albeit at a safe distance, lol) right when Socks was there, as well as correctly Socks when she misbehaved in front of him, hoping he saw that it wasn't purely focused on him.
But it does sound as though the crating could have some potential. He will be in an area of the house away from Socks, and possibly away from everyone.
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Is he spraying in response to Socks, who is unspayed? How old are both cats? Are they indoor or outdoor pets, or both? What's Sparky's full history, including all medical issues?
No, he isn't spraying in response to Socks, or at least not only in response to Socks, since he has been doing it for a very long time. Socks is 100% indoors and not permitted outside. Sparky does go out on occassion, but only for very short periods of time. The aggression with Sparky has been since he was a year old as has the spraying, no medical issues that my housemate is aware of. Sparky is about six, and Socks' age is unknown. I believe she was a little over a year when I got her, so that would make her about 3 now.
I would only correct when actually caught in the act of spraying. Doing so after the fact is counterproductive, and actually may increase the behavior. Timing is everything. You can try a loud noise, water pistol, plant sprayer, bean bag, etc.
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"Re-training" in a crate w/a litter box, food/water is a good first step, and as Blushes said, it may take time. Too much time in a crate may create more problems, as he won't get the attention, stimulation and exercise he needs. It can be a fine line to walk. You might consult with a good vet to get their opinion as to whether crate re-training would be better begun before the move or after. FES Chestnut Bud helps instill effective learning patterns during training by stimulating the animals emotional memory and ability to retain training, and not repeat mistakes.
The plan for him being in a crate is that he will be in there much of the time, but my housemate can take him out to play with him or give him affection. He can also be let out of the crate to go outside and be a cat for a while. While the ultimate goal is to re-train him, the immediate issue is I can't tolerate him spraying all over the new house. His crate will be mostly kept in my housemates modeling workshop (he builds models, i.e. planes, cars, etc.) so he won't be totally isolated.
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Have at least 1 litter box per cat, and keep it spotless. Find the litter that works best. Some cats hate scented ones, some won't use mechanical boxes.
Socks doesn't care what is in her litter box, just that she has one. She will always use it, even if it needs changing. She is a bit of a slob in that she kicks the litter out, but that can be mostly resolved with a covered box (had one before). Sparky just doesn't use the box at all. He didn't before Socks came here either. He pees anywhere the mood strikes and I guess poops when he goes out. Although he has started doing both in the shower (gross!). Hopefully the concept of not pissing where he sleeps will get him in the litter box in the crate.
I can't afford one of those mechanical boxes! That is what my housemate is for, lol, litter box cleaning is one of his chores.
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Find and clean all previously “marked” areas (fluourescein dye and black light may be necessary). Use enzymatic cleaners to remove it well. NEVER ammonia! Try turning such sites into positive play areas with toys, catnip, litter box, food/water, resting perches, vertical cat trees, etc. Or make the area less attractive to the cat using items like aluminum foil, sticky paper, sandpaper, or a carpet runner with the nubby side up.
That would be nearly every space in this house, which is why I'm waiting until we move. Then we can examine/clean the furniture that my housemate brings to the new house (he doesn't have much) while Sparky is still confined to the crate. He does have a little "kitty condo" that my housemate wants to bring along, but I haven't yet "examined" (giving it the good 'ole sniff test) to see whether or not Sparky has marked it. If he has, the item does not move with us.
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Cats use facial pheromones to mark/own people, places, and objects, and usually will not spray where they have facially marked an area. Try rubbing a washcloth along his whiskers/cheeks repeatedly, then rub it over areas he's previously sprayed on, that have already been cleaned.
I didn't know this! Sounds like something worth trying. Should the washcloth be damp or completely dry?
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“Feliway,” a synthetic feline facial pheromone analogue, has a calming effect on marking cats. Try using it on/near the marked areas one to three times a day.
Well this is much easier than trying to wipe his face and avoid teeth!
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Drug therapy may be helpful, i.e., Valium, Buspar, Prozac, Amitriptyline, Clomipramine, but can be toxic, so get liver/kidney baselines before beginning, and monitor their levels during drug therapy. Hormone therapy; Ovaban or Depo Provera may helpful, as they hormonally “feminize” male cats, which may reduce/stop their masculine desire/need to spray/mark.
I will ask the vet about this.
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Surgical interventions are rarely performed to treat urine marking, but, bilateral ischiocavernosus myectomy and olfactory tractotomy have had some success in reducing or controlling urine marking.
I'm honestly not willing to take this route.
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He'll probably want to "mark" his new home as territory, so use his own facial pheromones or Feliway to mark it for him before he gets there. FES Walnut before/during/after move may help him break ties to his old home, and make ties to his new home.
That's all that comes to mind right now, my dear. If I think of anything else, I'll post later. Good luck with him!
Well, he will be confined to the crate when we first move, so we will have to do the alternate "marking" once we are there. We won't have the luxury of being able to have him somewhere else and doing this.
As usual, you have been very helpful. Sounds like I have a lot of work ahead of me. Which really sucks since I honestly have not been able to develop any liking for this cat. My housemate is very passive and tends to be forgetful, so most of the work will fall to me. The worst case scenario right now is that Sparky becomes an outdoor only cat, but I would like to avoid it if possible.
ETA: had to fix the damn quotes
< Message edited by LafayetteLady -- 12/13/2011 9:53:30 AM >
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