My neutered cat sprays when guests are over. Is it anxiety or stress?

Intact male cats often spray in the home due to elevated testosterone. Instead of isolating him, which will only make him more anxious and likely to spray more, I would suggest getting him on anti-anxiety medication through your vet. Fluoxetine can work well for cats that spray in the home and can be used up 1-2 months after his neuter, which is the typical time it takes for all the testosterone to diminish in the body. You can also consider moving him neuter surgery to an earlier date. I hope this helps and best of luck getting Mochi to stop spraying in the home. Take care.

No, there isn't. If you have multiple cats, keep a litterbox per cat plus an additional box in a "neutral" area of the house. Try litterbox attractants. You can find them in most pet stores or at www.pet360.com. Consider pheromone sprays or collars to decrease any stress or anxiety. If he can see out a window, draw the blinds to restrict his view. He could be seeing an outdoor cat that he perceives as a threat. Use a small animal repellent along the border of your property. Use an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle to thoroughly clean sprayed areas.

Hi there. Cases like this can be very challenging, because of the need to sort out how much of a role continued medical issues might be playing vs. behavioral issues like stress and anxiety. In general, urinary marking issues in cats are very treatable, but it's hard to give much more than basic advice (keep litter boxes clean, make sure they're in convenient locations, reduce stress in the household, etc.) without a more in-depth behavioral history and in-person evaluation. Because of this, I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate your kitty in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on this issue. There's a good chance this can be dramatically improved with professional help. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org , or ask for a referral from your regular veterinarian.

I'm glad to see that Pippin has been neutered because this eliminates that possibility of hormone-fueled behavioral changes and aggression. Behavioral changes in cats can occur at any point in time, and could be related to anxiety or stressful situations (even rearranging furniture or introducing new people to the home can be stressful to cats). Without a lot more information and observing Pippin's behaviors, I can't precisely tell you why these changes are occurring. It may be best to consult a veterinary behaviorist in your home so that they can observe everything firsthand. You can also try using calming pheromone collars or diffusers (Feliway is one example), and discussing the use of anxiety medication with Pippin's vet. I hope that all goes well!

This can happen from stress, and also because Onyx isn't neutered, he may be doing this to show the home is his territory. I'd definitely have him neutered, and use a Feliway diffuser in the home to see if that helps settle him. Cleaning up the marking areas is tough, but I recommend using Skout's Honor cleaning products to get rid of the smell. I've found them to be effective. You can get them online or at a pet store. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Alfie. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian since you have tried a lot of at home remedies without success. He may benefit from an antidepressant medication as this can help spraying in cats. It is important for the veterinarian to rule out a medical problem first though. Urine testing is usually necessary to look for evidence of inflammation, infection or bladder stones. I hope this information helps!

Have Meow Meow examined by your veterinarian to diagnose medical causes for the inappropriate urination. A urine sample can be collected and submitted for urinalysis and urine culture to rule out UTI or stones. Once medical causes are ruled out, you can focus on behavioral issues. Provide an additional litterbox in a neutral area of the home. Consider different brands, types and depths of litters. You can also use a litterbox attractant to get him back into the box. Thoroughly clean soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle. To decrease any anxiety he may experience when other animals come over, you can try a pheromone product such as Feliway spray or plug in diffuser. A small animal repellant can also be used along the border of your property. You can buy a liquid or powder form in most hardware stores or home improvement stores.