So I've been learning something new about cat behavior. Barb over at The Daily Gs has her Mr Gandalf on a confinement program to stop his spraying. It sounds like a lot of work, but in the end it's worth it for both kitty and people. And Mr Gandalf seems to be responding, so that's great news!
I had always thought that neutering a male cat takes care of quite a few obnoxious things they do, like spraying or territory marking. I never worried much about it with Mr Tucker. He was a nervous spook, as I think I mentioned before. And his life with me had a few high stress times, like a 2-day road trip when we moved from southern California up here to Washington, then staying in a strange place with 2 high activity country gentlemen, then the move to an apartment in Renton, followed by the move here to the condo.
Not to mention the visits to our place by those 2 rambunctious country gentlemen and nearly a year's worth of external construction!
Stress can bring on inappropriate marking or spraying behavior. But Mr Tucker never did it. He'd miss occasionally, but he always used his litter box.
So I did what any responsible kitty Dad, or kitty Dad-to-be, would do...I Googled. I found this site, among others, which did confirm that most neutered males will not spray. Although, the sites also indicated that a stressed out kitty, whole or no, might mark territory or develop other inappropriate behaviors due to stress. These sites also cautioned that if such behavior occurs, the most important thing is to get to the vet to rule out possible medical reasons.
Good safety tips!
Mr Tucker and I got together pretty much by accident. I hadn't intended to get a cat. It just sort of happened and I never regretted it. This time around, Pam and I are going to be more prepared. We'll have to be, especially if we start with kittens.
Awh...I love your picture of Mr. Tucker. Every male cat I ever had sprayed after the were fixed. Thus they were outside cats for the most part. Bruno our current male cat does not spray. He does go through the motions, but nothing comes out. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteGood to know about this site.
Gandalf's inappropriate marking is definitely stress-induced. He was neutered at about 4 months old. He and Grayson lived contentedly together for years... then we moved from Florida to Georgia. My parents moved in with me. Then I got Whitey. Then we moved from the Pecan Orchard to the Swamp where there are many strays and ferals and all sorts of wildlife. Then I got Gracie...
ReplyDeleteIn December Whitey became very ill. Gandalf and Whitey were snuggle buddies. I'm sure Gandalf also picked up on my fears, worries and stress of caring for Whitey.
I've literally tried everything else, some at great expense. Everything from calming collars to Prozac. When Whitey died at the beginning of March I decided to try the confinement as a last resort.
He's 4 weeks and 4 days into the 8 week confinement protocol and he has not marked once! He's also much calmer, more like the old Gandalf. Hoping this does the trick once and for all.
I think you'll have no problems starting with kittens. Hopefully. :)
Look at that sweet boy!
ReplyDelete