Male cat with 2 Bad Habits

Question
We have two cats, one female (perfect cat) and one male (Jeckyl and Hyde).  The two cats get along well and like each other.  We have had both for about 8 years

My question is how to curb two very bothersome behaviors (believe me he has many more) with Toby the male cat:

1)  He will mark his territory on items on the floor in the house.  Whether it's a bath mat, an area rug, a towel on the bathroom floor, etc.

2)  He will scoop the water out of the water dish and onto the floor and lick his resulting wet paw as his method of drinking water.  He creates pools of standing water on the floor.  We have tried the flowing water fall cat water dispenser - and he still scoops the water onto the floor.

HELP.  We are seriously thinking we are done with 8 years of this, but our other cat would likely be lost without Toby (they get along so well).

HELP!

Answer
Vincent,

The water question first.  There is nothing you can do about this cats method of drinking water (which is by no means unique).  When we have had cats who do this, we put the water dish on a place mat that has a reasonable lip (app. 1/2 inch high), so that the water is contained.

The territory marking problem next.  First of all, I would check out the following article by Dr. Susan Little, a veterinarian and a cat breeder:

http://www.netcat.org/housesoiling.html

Next, is Toby neutered?  If not, this could cure most territory marking problems.  (Note it takes approximately 6 weeks after neutering for the testosterone to be at negligible levels in a neutered male.)

Thirdly, I would make sure I clean anywhere he has marked thoroughly with an enzyme based cleaner like Outright or Simple Solution (available at most pet supermarkets).

If he is marking washable items and not carpeting or walls, this is not too bad.  He may be expressing an opinion as opposed to marking territory.  Check out the article I referenced above.

You can also not leave items he likes to mark where he can mark them!  Hopefully, the marking habit will not move elsewhere.  You might also try Fel-o-way (a pheromone based spray) which may or may not discourage him from marking.

One final note! An 8 year old cat has certain habits very, very ingrained.  It could be difficult overcoming habits which have been going on for an extended period of time (e.g. years).

Good luck & best regards... Norm.