Siamese Sweeties

Hi Greta,

Yikes!! I rarely hear of a cat spraying after they are fixed. Although rare, it does happen and I am sorry you are going through this.

Why Cats Spray

Cats spray for many different reasons, but some of the most common reasons are to mark their territory, claim belongings and to send a warning to all possible threats; real or imagined. Both males and females can spray, although it is much more common in males.

In your cat’s mind, your home belongs to him, this includes everything in it, especially the family members. To him, you and your family are his people, and because of this it is very common for cats to spray items that are important to his family members. For example, the baby’s bed and your child’s backpack. Your first instinct may be that he is striking out that them, however it is most likely the complete opposite. He is most likely claiming your children as belonging to him and by spraying on their belongings, he is warning others that these kids are taken and protected.  This is all natural cat behavior.

Spraying After Being Neutered

What is not natural is for a cat to either start or continue to spray after being neutered. To figure out the best course of action we will need to try and pinpoint why your cat is suddenly starting to spray.

First are you sure he’s spraying and isn’t just peeing outside the litter box? The best way to tell the difference is to watch as they go. If your cat is standing up and preforming a little butt and tail shake dance and then letting a very small amount of urine out at a time, then this is most likely spraying. A cat that is having issues with peeing outside the litter box will generally squat to pee, even males. They will also completely empty their badder, so you will notice a good amount of pee. Both behaviors will need to be corrected, however each will likely have a different reason behind it.

The next question would be was he spraying before he was neutered?  If so then the spraying may have become a habit. Although habits such as these can be hard to break, in the end it may end up easier than correcting a cat that is spraying because he is fueled by hormones.

You have taken the biggest step which is getting him fixed. Keep in mind it can sometimes take a few weeks for the hormones to fully dissipate after his procedure, so depending on how long it has been it might still be part of the issue.

Intact Females

Generally, male cats don’t feel threatened by female cats, unless the females are overly dominant. Does his sister seem like the overly dominant type? Does your male seem anxious around her? Even if she is dominant it is still rare for a male to be spraying because of a female, although some will to try to attract females. However, at his age this is unlikely. If she is the source of his anxiety, getting her fixed will calm her a bit, so it may help him him in the long run as well.

Other Males In The Neighborhood

My next thought is outside your home. Even if he is an inside cat, outside cats will still seem like a threat. Do you have many cats in your neighborhood? Particularly we are looking for a male, probably not fixed that may be spraying around your home. If you can do anything to stop this, this may fix the behavior.

Cats hate citrus, you can leave citrus peels around your yard or spray citrus fragrance. You will also want to make your property as unappealing as possible to cats. Make sure there is no food or shelter for them. You can try to scare them away. You can use flood lights that come on with motion or alarms. Also if you have a dog, you can use him to scare them off. A few scares and the cats will remember your house is not a safe place. You will probably also want to restrict your male cats access to doors and windows for a short time.

Anxiety

Anxiety can play a huge role in spraying. You will want to try and lessen any he may be feeling. Make sure he has his own safe area. You can also try adding an extra litter box. Even if you already have 2, there are some cats that want one for pee and one for poop. See if that makes any difference.

I have heard great things about Feliway. It has been said it can help with spraying so it may be something worth looking into.

Stop The Habit Of Spraying

You will want to make sure everywhere he has sprayed in the past inaccessible or undesirable. Maybe keep him out of your children’s room for a while. The other areas you can block off or cover up.

Anything new keep out of reach. These are always prime targets for spraying cats.

I would also suggest making sure he has some good scratchers. Cardboard ones are inexpensive. If you get a few of these to put around the house. He can scratch them up to show everyone he is a tough manly kitty as an alternative to spraying. There’s a bonus too, these can also help with anxiety as scratching has a calming effect of cats.

See Your Vet

You will also want to make sure there isn’t anything medical going on such as a urinary tract infection (UTI). Do you notice him crying as he pees or showing any pain during urination? Although UTI’s are rare in male cats, but they do happen and they tend to cause males in particular to stop urinating in the litter box. I would give your vet a call and see if she thinks you might need to bring him in for testing.

Hopefully with these steps you will soon have the spraying under control and you can have your sweet little boy back to once again!