The Voyeur is an adult male cat, neutered, and the alpha of his pack. he's established that Sam is not a threat, but that the dog still outranks him.
I can handle the late night concerts and the tendency to be underfoot, but he deliberately pees in inappropriate locations, particularly when I am watching. Shoes I can wash and carpets can be cleaned, but he's attacking library books.
Any ideas?
(Is it felicide to murder a cat?)
7 comments:
Hardee has the problem too. I think she's developed a surface preference for carpeting at this point. Icko.
First step is to get all books off the floor and onto some sort of higher-up surface (I've never yet met a cat who would pee on a table). You might be able to get some spray at your vet that really kills the smell, so he doesn't get attached to one particular spot. Aluminum foil is sometimes effective too - they don't typically like walking on it.
We have never had the peeing problem with our cat in 13 years, but I have read that often times it is a urinary tract infection, you might get that checked. That or the cat feels threatened in some way.
Felicide? No. In fact, you might just be doing the universe a favor.
Two things:
1. Natures Miracle. Lots of it. Clean up every mess with it. It does a good job on the odor and helps keep the cats from wanting to remark the area. However, if you have wall-to-wall carpeting and your cat is peeing a lot in the same place, you may need to roll up the carpet and treat or replace the padding beneath. This is no fun, so it's better to just stay on top of it as best you can.
2. Cats usually do this because they're stressed. Supposedly Feliway helps calm them down. It comes in a spray and also in a plug-in ball (kind of like one of those air fresheners, but not stinky). I am not sure why it works, but it does seem to be rather effective. If you use the spray, treat marked area with Nature's miracle first and then spray with Feliway. If you use the plug in, put one in each area that is marked.
3. Another vote for picking stuff up off the floor. But also watch for lower bookshelves and walls. If a cat is marking rather than just peeing, they spray.
Good luck! If I think of anything else, I'll email you.
Thanks for the ideas. I'll look into the Nature's Miracle. Vinegar got the stain and some of the smell out,but the Voyeur keeps trying to return to the spots,which does sound like marking.
Moving the books isn't really an option, and I confess that they are what's putting me over the edge. My bookshelves are full, and taking books off the bottom shelves will make them topple over, so that all of the books end up on the floor.
Any guesses as to why it took the Voyeur a month to start destroying the place?
He's destroying the place because he's pissed. Maybe he's patient and thought his owner would take him away before now, but since he hasn't gotten to go home, he's going to tell you all how very, very pissed off he is. Harriet's suggestions are what worked for us in a similar situation. You are going to have to move the books, though. It sounds like the whole bookshelf is going to have to be stacked somewhere else. This is kind of like getting fleas or headlice in your house--it won't stop until you are able to entirely eradicate the root cause--which is, in this case, the cat's "reward" for marking, which is the smell that the cats can smell even when you can't anymore.
I'd have a Vet check for a urinary tract infection. Also, have the Vet double check that he is in fact neutered. It's unusual for an altered animal to spray or mark territory like that.
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