Conference misery::feline_v1

    
    
    I think it's important to have them "done" early , around 6 months
    old before they get in the habit of spraying . 
    Has yours just been fixed ??
    
    have a look at note 326 , especially 326.2 & also not 69.9
    
    regards    Dave W
    

    Unfortunatly, he cat could be trying to tell you something else,
    like he might be having urinary problems. You might want to have
    your vet put him on a low-mag. ash diet, and have do a urine test
    before the cats becomes plugged. As the human of a cat with cronic
    FUS, I can tell you that this is the first thing that I would do
    if my other little boy started spraying.
    
    Deb

    The drug that was given to your cat was Ovaban.  It is usually
    effective in controlling spraying.  One of my cats could not be
    brought under control with this medication.  As a solution, I treated
    the problem as behavioral.  When you catch your cat spraying, tell
    him "no" firmly and dip your fingers in vinegar and touch them to
    his tongue.  He should associate the unpleasant taste with the spraying
    behavior.  You have to do this consistently.  Be sure to clean the
    sprayed area with a non-ammonia type cleaner (vinegar and water).
     This will keep him from using the same spot again.  It has been
    my experience that the age of neutering has little to do with spraying.
    One of my cats started spraying at age 5 after never having done
    so before.  He was neutered at 8 months.

    
    What if you can't catch him in the act?
    
    Our 4 year old started doing this about 9 months ago when our female
    kitten came back from her neutering session. He's been checked,
    several times over, for any sort of physical disorder, including 
    an ultra-sound and other *expensive* tests. We've tried the hormones 
    as well but no good.
    
    I'm afraid it's getting to a breaking point. When you can't buy
    the new furniture you need because of your cat things aren't quite
    right.
    

    I'd really appreciate any other suggestions you experts can offer!!!
    
    Thanks,
    Ray
    

    Ray,
    
    You said you've tried hormones...what did you use???  I'm assuming
    that he is neutered himself.  If you haven't already tried it, you
    may want to use "Ovaban".  It's a hormone that I know alot of breeders
    use when they want to show male cats and keep them from spraying
    or acting like males.  
    
    I wouldn't suggest it if the male hasn't been altered.  I know of
    some breeders who have used it, and it has actually made their males
    sterile.  
    
    purrs...
    cin
    
    p.s.  I want to add, that I have never used it myself....but I have
    heard that it works. 
    

    
    
    More info about 348.0 - I have tried Ovaban.  It had no affect.
    He has been tested for FUS.  That's not the problem.  He is fixed
    and has been since he was 6 months old.  
    
    In addition to the spraying problem, he also mates with my Abby
    females when they come into heat.  The first time I saw this, I
    nearly died!!!  I called the Vet and informed him that if I had
    a set of black Abby kittens in 65 days, I was going to name each
    of them "Doctor Nelson"!  He informed me that my altered male was
    not - repeat NOT mateing with my Abbys (go ahead - try to argue
    with these guys!).  I think when I took him to be fixed, they
    gave him a Vasectomy instead.
    
    To be honest, though, I think he is just doing what comes naturally.
    All the other cats I have are female.  He is the only male and I
    think he is just doing what a male cat in the wild would to to protect
    his "pride" (correct word for his ladies?).  I suppose I could get
    another male to sort of give him the hint that he is not there to
    be the love of their life, but if I am wrong I could have two cats
    with a spraying problem.  
    
    In the final analysis, I think I will bring the little guy in to
    have a sex change operation.  After all, I was told he was a female
    when I got him.
    
    Thanks for all the help, you guys.  I've got to go hose down the
    walls now.  bye -
                                           

    EPETERSON- Maybe its time to treat him like a whole tom and provide
    him  with his own "quarters".  I know that this isn't what I would
    want to do but it might be your only alternative.  I was very lucky
    with my cat that I was able to change his behavior with the method
    I described earlier.  My vet and I decided that it had to be a
    behavioral problem since the cat was on a double dose of Ovaban
    and still sprayed occasionally.
    
    A friend of mine recently purchased a 7 year old whole Birman male
    to use for breeding purposes.  She can not give him Ovaban because
    it might cause him to be sterile.  Purely by accident she discovered
    that he wasn't really spraying, he just prefers to urinate from
    a standing position!  Now, stop laughing and listen to this.  She
    brought home some empty computer boxes, covered the insides with
    plastic, cut a door in one side and now the cat confines all his
    spraying to the boxes.
    
    If only we could all be so lucky!
    
    JoAnn

    I forgot to tell you about another of my breeder friend's cats.
    This friend has a whole male (he doesn't spray by the way) that
    isn't the slightest bit interested in four of her females.  He will
    only mate with one of her females and will not mate with any other
    cats!  She would give anything for a cat with as much "drive" as
    your cat seems to have.
    
    The grass is always greener.....
    
    JoAnn

    Some males have a preference for breeding....Fire, my Red Tabby
    Male will breed anything, as long as it isn't black!!!  Believe
    it or not, he'll breed any color cat but a black.  I took a tortie
    in last week for breeding with him, and he did fine with her, but
    a black female, no matter how much in heat she is, he'll beat her
    up.
    
    sheesh, sometimes I don't understand felines!!
    
    cin
    

    Munchkin's grandfather, who was a big chocolate-point, would only
    mate with Munch's grandmother (Tara).  One of my mother-in-law's
    friends in India had a beautiful lilac-point female.  When she was
    in heat, they put her and Bik-Bik (Munch's grandfather) in a room
    with a litter box and food, closed the door, and left them there
    for a couple of days.  Well, this little female did everything she
    could to entice Bik-Bik, but nothing doing.  When they came out
    of the room, Bik-Bik gave my mother-in-law the dirtiest look she's
    ever seen, and proceeded to spray every piece of furniture in the
    apartment!  I guess it proves that their is some fidelity amongst
    cats.
    
    J.