spraying furniture

Question
Hi Jessica! I have moved into a large apartment which I share with a room mate about 2 months ago. I have 2 cats which have been indoor cats since they've been with me (5 and 9 years). My room mates 2 cats (brothers) have been outdoor cats. We live in the city, so no more outdoors for them. The transition was unbelievably peaceful, but someone has started to spray my furniture over the past week. We haven't "seen" who's doing it, but one of my cats is female, the other one male, but has never sprayed, even when I intruduced my second cat in a very small living space. All cats are fixed. I'm sure it's one or both of my room mates cats,they do have a history of spraying. What can I do?!!!There are plenty of litter boxes which are cleaned constantly, it's definitely behavioral.I hope you can help!!!
Thank you, Anja

Answer
Hi, Anja.  This certainly could be behavioral, but I would still suggest a vet visit.  I have a cat who suffers from lower urinary tract disease, and he sprays when his bladder hurts.  A urinalysis should be done just to make sure there is no blood, crystals, or bacteria in the urine, which would indicate illness.

The tough part will be determining who the culprit is.  You'd have to separate the cats and allow only one of them access to the furniture that has been sprayed at a time.

There is a product called Feliway that is great for treating behavioral problems like spraying and destructive scratching.  It's a synthetic facial pheromone.  Cats spray and scratch to mark areas with their pheromones.  It helps calm them when they smell the familiar scent.  Feliway eliminates the need for them to spray.  You would clean any sprayed areas with rubbing alcohol, then rinse with water.  When the furniture is dry, spray Feliway directly onto the surface several times daily.

You can also try a Feliway product called Comfort Zone, which is a diffuser to plug into an outlet.  It will reduce stress to prevent the cat from spraying other areas.  Both products are available at pet stores and www.felineway.com.

If this doesn't work, your friend may need to talk to a vet about a medication.  Prozac works best to treat urine marking due to stress.  It can usually be tapered off and discontinued once the behavior is controlled.  Those who were treated with Prozac have proven there are fewer relapses than with other drugs, as well as fewer side effects (none noted with Prozac).

If it seems as though he is marking territorially, a female hormone injection of megestrol acetate might be advised.  Normally, a 2-week course will break the behavior.  However, if used for two months or longer, serious side effects including diabetes and cancer are possible, so this medication should only be used for short term treatment.