Expert: Karen Craft - 6/3/2007

Question
QUESTION: I thought having a cat fixed would stop them from spraying, and I had no idea that female cats COULD spray, but I've caught Grayleigh in the act numerous times.  She was spayed at about 5 months.  I'm not sure when she actually started spraying, but I know I kept telling my husband it couldn't be her because female cats don't spray.  Well she does -- so how do I get her to stop?  She's an indoor/ outdoor cat, and she spays indoors and outdoors.

ANSWER: Hi Kim,

Before I can give you advice on how to change the spraying behavior, you need to take her to the vet first. She needs to be checked to see if she has an urinary tract infection. A lot of times that could be the reason she is doing that.
Also are you sure that she is spraying? I don't mean to sound stupid. I have three cats that look like they are spraying. The tail is upright and does that little quiver thing but nothing is coming out. It's sort of like a little quiver of pleasure.
Sometimes it takes a little while for the spay to take affect. After one of mine was spayed it took her about a month to stop. Let me know after the vet visit if she is okay and I will try to help you. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Karen,
Thanks for the excellent and prompt response!  I really appreciate it.  Here are the answers to your questions:

Yes, the vet is the first place to start and I've had her to the vet -- she's fine.  I take her every six months unless there's an issue and then I take her right away.  I wish more people understood that pet ownership is a responsibility.  Thanks for putting the vet first on your reply!

Unfortunately yes, I'm sure she is spraying.  She backs up to her target, the tail upright, she quivers, she sprays, and it drips down whatever she sprayed, leaving an odorous mess.

Greyleigh was spayed about 2 years ago.  I don't know if she was spraying prior to being fixed at age 5-6 months, since when my husband did tell me, I didn't believe him.  But I do know that she sprays a lot.  She is not an only cat.  We have 2 neutered male and 2 (including Greyleigh) spayed female indoor/outdoor cats, and 2 male outdoor only strays that we care for.  Greyleigh was the last of the four indoor/outdoor cats to move in with us, but only by about a month, and she is the same age as the other female.  We got her when she was about 8 - 10 weeks old.  All of our cats are rescue cats, but we got them all as kittens.  The 2 neutered males are 12, and 8 approximately.  They all get along fairly well, and we have a 4000 square foot home for them, so they have plenty of room to be alone if they want.  When we first realized there was a spraying problem, we blamed it on the newer of the 2 males, and restricted him from the walk out basement which is where the majority of the problem was.  Eventually we discovered that it wasn't him.

Greyleigh doesn't seem to be spraying as much in the basement (we used so much of the anti odor cleaners and keep away type sprays we should have bought stock in the companies!  But she does still spray a lot outside, and inside a bit too.

Answer
Hi Kim,

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I had a bit of an emergency here. It's great that she checked out okay. What she is doing is a stress induced urine marking. You can try these things to get her to stop. First off, make sure all areas she is marking are clean. Use an enzymatic type of cat urine remover and get all areas. If she smells her urine she will try to remark that area. Next, get a product called Feliway. They make a product called Comfort Zone. It is a whole house spray. What this does is mimic the "happy" pheromones a cat releases. This will calm her down so she won't spray. And if these two things don't work, take her back to the vet and see about putting her on Busprione. This will also help calm the cat down. Also a little positive reinforcement goes a long way too. When she uses the litter box give her extra love and maybe a special treat. Good luck and let me know what happens.

Ciao, Karen