Posted on 04/30/2007 12:26:03 PM PDT by Nachum
OK. A little while ago we adopted a beautiful male cat from the animal shelter. We dutifully had him neutered, got him the required shots and began to care for him. About a week or so ago, the cat is leaving some serious odor from his "marking" (spraying). My wife, is having a major problem with this and says the cat has got to go.
We are moving into a new home in a few weeks and she does not want to have to clean after this cat. I know my kids will be heart broken over this, but she is resolute. Perhaps adoption by another party? She thinks we can return it to the shelter. I wasn't so sure about this, so I am asking other cat owners for advice.
Males cats who do this no longer can reside inside a home (unless you don't mind living with the constant stench)and roaming males are predators, contract undesirable diseases.
Funny you should say that. I just put him outside, along with his food bowl, water bowl, and litter box. He is now outside. I think he likes it better too.
I would get the advise of a vet before you get rid of the cat. It's not fair to your kids or to the cat.
Good Lord! It's a wonder the poor guy didn't accidentally electrocute himself.
My neighbor had a male who regularly deposited his spray all around her home until she did the same as you. To date, that cat has killed at least three sets of baby cardinals, scratched the finish on two neighbors' cars, left dead, rotten baby bunnies out for neighbor dogs to eat and the list goes on!
One neighbor has "adopted" him as their outdoor cat and they plan to move to the country. That can't be soon enough for most of the neighbors (one has even threated to poison him just to put an end to his destruction.)
FYI if these male cats defacate in kiddie sand boxes and pregnant woman comes in contact, it could cause her to have problems.
I called the vet's office before I started this thread. They said that I should try the repellent spray and there is little else that one can do. Even neutered, some makes still spray or pee to mark territory. They were of little help.
Does he meow when he does this? Take him to the vet to see if he has a urinary tract infection. They are very common in male cats as their urethras are very narrow and can become clogged with crystals that form due to something in the food. We had a male kitty when I was growing up, who one day jumped up onto my mother’s bathroom vanity, and peed in the sink right in front of her. It was his way of showing her that something was wrong. Anyway there are urinary-tract-health types of kitty food that will prevent it from recurring.
Yeah, I think he had some sort of guardian angel watching over him. The fact that as a homeless half-grown kitten, he managed to land himself in my sucker-for-kitties household, and then not get kicked out despite all his antics, lends credence to this theory.
Cats like moving water. Buy him one of those pet fountains, if you don’t want him to drink from the aquarium.
I do have at least two neighbors who also have outdoor cats. One of which told me that his cat lived for eleven years in my neighborhood. Another of which is a friend of mine a half a mile away. He has had him for a number of years also. It is sounding like that is more and more to be the way to go for now.
Not that I have heard or seen. He seems to do it when no one is around or late at night when we are asleep.
My 21 year old cat was free to go outdoors his entire life, and did so regularly right up until 2 weeks ago, when he died of a pulmonary embolism. The risks to a cat outdoors vary a great deal with the home’s surroundings, but unless there are major dangers other than cars (which most well-cared-for cats have the sense to avoid), I think they often live longer if they’re free to go outside. Most cats are a lot happier that way, and get more exercise, so are less likely to be overweight or depressed.
Sounds about right to me. This cat has been aching to get out every chance could.
Nachum said in his original post, and has repeated in subsequent posts, the cat HAS BEEN NEUTERED ALREADY.
I don’t think there’s any such thing as “spraying” from the anal sacs. That’s something skunks do, not cats.
See my previous posts on this thread. Amitriptyline solved that problem with my cat.
The stats show that indoors cats live longer. I know this is from a site that sells cat fences but it has some interesting stats.
CAT FACTS
There are over 65 million cats in the U.S.A.
Over ten million households in the U.S.A. have a cat.
People will spend money on their pets before they spend it on themselves.
From a crouched position, cats can jump 4 to 5 times their own height.
Anything beyond that height, cats climb. Even though you might see a cat on a roof top, he didn't jump all the way up there. Possibly he climbed a tree and dropped down to an eave and then climbed up.
Roaming Cats
One roving female cat and her offspring can produce over 400,000 cats in seven years.
Tax payers spend millions of dollars each year for animal control services to rescue, treat, feed and house stray cats.
Roaming cats defecate in children's play boxes, dig up neighbor's flower beads, and break into garbage cans.
Feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency viruses are diseases that kill a large number of roaming cats. Both are transmitted from cat to cat.
They come in contact with rabid animals and spread the disease to humans.
Roaming cat are poisoned by chemically treated lawn and plants, antifreeze from cars, special bait left out to kill rats and mice.
They are injured by other cats, dogs, or wild life and cause expensive veterinarian bills.
The average life expectancy of a roaming cat is two years.
Misguided humans may be cruel or trap wandering cats.
Roaming cat pose a great threat to motorist who swerve to miss them.
The Humane Society of the United States estimates 400,000 animals are killed each day on the nation's roads and highways. Street traffic is the major cause of cat deaths in the United States.
My condolences on the loss of your cat, 21 years is a long time!
Cat lover needs your sage advice.
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