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Fitting Pee Throughout House

Spartacus

Savannah Super Cat
We need help. Spartacus, our 11 month Savannah has started a bad habit.

Once sometime ago I found pee in our guest bathtub, yes our bathtub. I thought it "might" be pee but didn't really give it much thought because we never had any problems from him.

Twice with company over, he peed on his toy our rug and one of his toys. We assumed he wasn't getting enough attention.

However, for the past week, let's see he peed, not sprayed, once again in our bathtub, on another toy, in the spot where that you was, a spot he has never peed on and I think he has sprayed twice upstairs. As far as the spraying, he looks outside a window where he can see another cat so I think that's why he sprays in the corner. Not acceptable, but neutering is something I'm not positive we want to do right now since he isn't full grown. We are going to try making it where he can't see out the window.

Back to the peeing, we thought he was mad at what we were feeding him as he was doing the "burying" motions. We didn't change his foods, but basically as a treat a couple times a week we would feed him raw meat instead of his raw meat frozen patties and canned food. We assumed he wanted just the raw meat, which we were planning on starting to make our own anyways once we find the right grinder and get all the ingredients. Anyways, so for the past 3 days, we have fed him raw meat and I've still found one pee spot.

I could be wrong, but I don't think it's a UTI. It's too precise as to where he pees.

Any suggestions on how we can fix this and get him to stop, or are we going to have to figure out WHY he is doing it first? Even though he is spraying upstairs could be be peeing downstairs over that cat too?
 

Patti

Admin
Staff member
He is peeing and spraying because he has not been neutered. Unfortunately, once a cat starts spraying (male or female) and it becomes habit, it doesn't always stop even after neutering. Be prepared for the possibility that you will be cleaning up after him for the rest of his life now.
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
It is a common error to think that neutering a cat will stop their growth potential, most studies have actually shown the opposite...that early neutering results in a bigger cat. Testosterone causes closure of the growth plates. Your 11 month old male needs to be neutered if you want a chance at stopping the peeing. By not neutering him, his hormones are telling him to mark his territory so that other males know it is HIS house but also to "attract the ladies". He thinks his pee smells great!

By not neutering and allowing this to continue, you are allowing him to develop a habit such that even when you DO neuter him, he will still think he should pee around your house. It is going to be harder and harder to break the habit the longer you allow this to continue.

If this cat is not to be a stud male for a breeding program, I think you need to have him neutered asap.
 

casper75

Savannah Super Cat
Get him fixed it's the responsible thing to do & this will actually decrease your cat's chances of suffering other health issues.
 

Mr. Twister

Savannah Super Cat
It is never wise to have an intact male cat in the house. Trying to get him to nor spray or pee in the house will be just as easy as teaching him to not breathe or to not play. It's just part of being an intact male. Get him neutered yesterday.
 

John Popp

Site Supporter
A late neuter can make getting litter box habits back to normal an extreme challenge. A taste of those adult urges don't all go away after a neuter. It's definitely not like an on/off switch where once you get them snipped the marking stops and some painstaking efforts need to be made to remedy the situation.

Make sure you have some anti-icky poo at the ready. What your vet has in their office and what your pet store has on the shelf won't work. It may provide you with some temporary relief, but that spot will be marked again. Unfortunately it also calls for your kitten to be sequestered for a while. A master bathroom works best, removing any area matts and of course stepping on the roll of toilet paper before you place it on the holder.

You have a long life ahead of you with your pet and your challenge over the next weeks will make it a lot happier one. Extra diligence is required to keep the litter box clean (at minimum 3x a day) and 7 days of absolute litter box compliance opens the door to a larger portion of your home. Not totally free roaming rights, but a portion at a time until you are sure things are remedied.

I can't even begin to tell you the heartbreak and sometimes outright anger experienced if you don't get this remedied in the short term. Personal items destroyed, anything worn outside the home becoming a target and that twelfth hour smell of cat wiz when you are getting ready to head out the door. For me the worst was on a business trip to europe and upon opening my suitcase realized that while packing my big buddy had used it as a litter box. Hand washing clothes my first evening and then drying them with a hair dryer was not pegging the laugh meter, and some 10 years later I am still surprised he survived my return.

We still have the occasional incident, but I wouldn't need to use a second hand to count them over the last few years. The only male kitten we have had that grew to an age of having his adult urges before being neutered and the only cat we have had that had poor litter box behavior.

So get that boy snipped as soon as possible, you'll both be happier as a result.
 
S

shelby

Guest
You are going to be very sorry if you do not have him neutered as soon as humanly possible. The pee you are seeing right now is going to turn into smelling rather than seeing. You have no idea what your home is going to smell like. If you love your boy and want him to remain a cherished family member get him neutered. This is something you may be able to stop if it is done now...if not...remember it is not his fault when your house reeks of intact male urine;>(
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
On that note, John, I once got on an airplane for a long plane trip, and was using my long coat as a lap blanket when I realized that oh no, someone had peed on it... it's the WORST sensation. Not only the noxious smell but the embarrassment of whether those around can smell it and yikes how to get rid of that smell :-(

I've also done the get to a hotel room and realize my cat peed in the suitcase... and it was a trip sans cats so I hadn't brought my usual cleanup kit which includes Zero Odor and enzyme cleaner. It's no surprise that litterbox avoidance is the number one reason that cats are surrendered to shelters, it's so hard to live with.

I second the recommendation of AntiIckyPoo, and I love that that product comes in an unscented formula too. I also love the Unique Distributors Odor Eliminator which also contains the live bacteria as well as enzymes and is very efficient. As you say, the stuff bought in pet stores just is not nearly as effective.

I live in my house with hormonal intact females and it is hard...continual cleaning and maintenance so that my non-cat friends can visit and tell me my house smells fine. I would NOT do this if I did not want to be a breeder. Spay/neutered pets are so much easier, there's no comparison!
 

John Popp

Site Supporter
Really hard to click like on these posts as it can be such a nightmare.

Not sure if this happens to anyone else, but one whiff of cat wiz and I can smell it all day whether it's present or not.

With our big boy it was a major issue, and again I believe the root cause was a late neuter. Anything that had exposure to areas outside his immediate domain was a target. Your shoes, a suitcase, a bag from the store, the mail, just anything that might pick up an unfamiliar scent. Once he marked something it always needed an upgrade which is why we became acutely aware of what worked and what didn't.

Again, I never want to live that again and despite all the anguish the Big Bubbus created in his early life he's a handsome, loving cat that our neglect caused us all a lot of grief.
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
Late neutering can have more of an effect on some than others. It's part of that "individuality" thing again, I've neutered stud males and two weeks later they never set a paw wrong... thankfully. But on the whole, once they are neutered, if you effectively work on breaking any habit of peeing outside the box..you can fix the problem. Just it is more work if you let it get to the situation they are peeing all over the place before you realize and neuter etc... I'm glad you resolved the Big Bubbus' issue!

I know what you mean about one whiff and you smell it all day, I swear I start imagining it in places it can't possibly be. I'll be in a shop and smell it! LOL!
 
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