neutered male cat spraying

Question
Hi, I have three indoor-outdoor cats, two female one male and all neutered or spayed. The male cat has been spraying in and out of the house for a number of years now, and I'm not sure what to do. We always thoroughly clean the area when we find that he's sprayed (usually on the carpet near a wall) and cover the area with a scented spray so that it won't smell bad, and we also try to keep him outside as often as possible because of the problem. In my research on the internet about why he may be spraying I've found that it is most likely because of a lack of attention, sense of competition (with other cats), or stress from a big change in environment or schedule. Our cat has always been very skittish, and although he loves to be petted once he approaches you he doesn't seem to want much attention besides this. He spends most of his time hanging out in the backyard. We also keep a very regular feeding schedule. It could possibly be from a sense of competition with our other two cats, but I'm not sure how this could be dealt with.

If you have any ideas as to what may be causing his spraying or how we can get him to stop your advice would be great.

Thank you,
Katie

Answer
Hi
well it could also be because of other cats in the area. if he is a particularly skittish cat he may be affected more than other cats by the presence of other cats in your area. this is making him feel threatened and so to make him feel better about his home environment he is scent marking 9 this not only marks the area but the scent does also reassure them)

if this is the case it is a difficult problem to over come as you can't stop other cats from coming by near the outside door. i would suggest cleaning your outside door area thoroughly and then spray it with a strong citrus scent to deter any other cats from the area. Also when he starts to display this behaviour he may benefit from a short period of litter re training using the confinement process which helps to also calm them down. the process is described here

/cat-litter-box.html

Also when you clean up his urine in the house have you tried neutralising the scent as well as covering any remaining scent. Bicarbonate of soda is very good for this as even the tiniest scent remaining will attract him back to that area (sometimes if is difficult to for us to see the tiny drops)

I have a web page about cleaning solutions bought and home made here which you may find of further interest

/cat-urine-cleaner.html

best wishes Kate