Spraying - Marking Territory
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 10:19:14 -0500 Subject: FEL-L: Spraying
Is there any technique that will reduce or eliminate spraying behaviours in a male serval? My male has just reached eleven months old, and has discovered a new trick that we're hoping can be slowed down. He is sharing our home with a female (nine months). Neither cat has been (or will be within the next three years) neutered. No other animals (save my husband and I) share the house, so competition for territory should be minimal. Any suggestions? Or do I just get used to cleaning?
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 08:07:26 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
The only thing that will eliminate sexual behavior is neutering. There may be hormone treatments that will temporarily suppress sexuality if you want to breed your servals some time in the future, but I don't know enough about it to give you a recommendation. If you are not neutering them because you want to breed them, I would recommend building separate enclosures for them outside of the house until you're ready to breed them. This is what commerical catteries do with their breeding stock; you will quickly tire of tomcat spraying in your home. The female is less of a problem, although once she goes into heat you will have a difficult time with her.
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 14:22:52 -0400 Subject: RE: FEL-L: Spraying
Spraying is only a partial sexual behavior, so even though neutering will eliminate some sexual behavior, most cats I know will still spray even after being neutered. Neutering will not eliminate a cats sense of territory. I've heard that Servals are especially bad at marking their territory, but this information is by word of mouth, I do not have personal experience with Servals.
Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 13:05:21 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but even neutering is no guarantee that the cats won't spray. I have a 3 yr. old bobcat that was fixed at 6 months, used a litter box until he was a year old, and then out of the blue started spraying like he was putting out a house fire! I tried the hormone treatments at $50 a week. No help at all. So I decided to put my money into lots of "Natures Miracle"and a couple of good spray bottles! :) He still comes in the house and sleeps with me, but I spend the first half hour following him around, cleaning up! But it's worth it!
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 20:28:47 EST Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
Get used to cleaning. Sometimes you can get them to "mark" on rugs or something that can be exchanged and washed.
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 23:41:41 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
I have never heard of anything that will eliminate this behavior even spaying and neutering will not alter the behavior because it is a territorial behavior and not a sexual behavior. I would suggest buying lots of lysol spray and a steam cleaner to manage the problem. Good Luck Glenda
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 23:51:01 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
Nature's Miracle is a really great product and does the trick. Glenda
Date: Fri, 04 Dec 1998 07:03:46 -0600 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
If you neuter a domestic cat BEFORE it starts spraying, it will usually keep the behavior from ever happening. However, it is best done close to sexual maturity to avoid other problems later (this I remember from my excellent vet when I managed the animal hospital, but it's been a looooong time ago). No exp with servals.
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 08:12:26 -0600 (CST) Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
> If you neuter a domestic cat BEFORE it starts spraying, it will usually
Yes...it seems to be a long time....today, EARLY spay neuter is fast becoming the way to go. I have been a long time advocate of early spay/neuter. I do extensive work with Ferals, abandons, strays, etc, and have found that EARLY is the ONLY way to go.
To date, and with hundreds of cats done this way, I have yet to have a SINGLE problem. And almost never a spray.
More and more vets today are beginning to see the advantage of early spay/neuter. In older times, it was believed that this would cause problems later in life, these fears have been found not to be a problem.
It takes a bit more technique and a little bit of practice, but early makes it far easier for the cat also.
My vet now-a-days has a saying..."If I can see um, I can cut um", and so far I have all wonderfully well adjusted, healthy, non-spraying cats to thank him for. Jack 'No Doc, the cat..not ME" Carter
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 10:05:21 -0500 Subject: RE: FEL-L: Spraying
I have received many recommendations for an early spay/neuter of my servals. I understand and appreciate what you are saying--it does have a certain degree of effectiveness in preventing a couple of the more "adult" urges. However, my two cats were very specially selected to be as far apart genetically as I could manage, so that I could produce two litters of healthy, vigorous kittens. I am committed to that objective.
So, basically, it looks like I am simply going to have to encourage the serval to use specific areas, and buy stock in cleaning products! He does seem to have a knack for choosing just the right time and place to spray--on a book I'm reading, my freshly laundered housecoat, the VCR (very messy!).
Date: Fri, 04 Dec 1998 13:41:46 -0500 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
Does anyone have experience with Methionine? It doesn't stop spraying, but supposedly weakens the smell a lot. Any first hand testimonials would be great!
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 98 13:49:08 -0000 Subject: FEL-L: Re: Spraying
I hate to be a wet blanket. The thing about spraying is that once it starts, neutering may or may not stop it. Another thing to keep in mind is that I have to male domestics, both neutered before 6 months of age, and one will spray anywhere, the other is nice enough to only spray outside. The one who will spray anywhere, Percy, seems to be marking territory. He'd really rather be an only cat. If this is a territory thing, as the cat would rather be the only cat, neutering won't help.
There is a product called Feliway. I saw it in the KV vet catalog, and you can get it from your vet. It encourages the rubbing to mark instead of the spraying. Jury's still out here, though Percy hasn't sprayed on the big mirror again since I used it, but I'm still finding it on base boards treated with the Feliway.
There are more reasons than spraying to neuter, though. For instance, they will be healthier later in life. That is something to consider. Debbie
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 23:56:48 -0500 Subject: FEL-L: re:spraying
Methionine is a urinary acidifier, I have never heard of it being used to weaken the smell of urine.
Date: Sun, 06 Dec 1998 11:03:49 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
I've had a number of male Servals here at the sanctuary for the past 10 years and there isn't one of them, neutered or not, living alone or with another cat that does not spray! I also have Bobcats, Siberian Lynx, and Canadian Lynx, and they all spray mark their territory (both male and female). The only cat I know of that doesn't is a cougar. I know several people who were told that if they neutered the males or spayed the females at a very young age, that they would never spray -- WRONG!! I think that's the biggest reason for 'disillusionment' of exotic pet owners who planned on having a house companion.
Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 10:13:11 -0500 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
For those of you with "sprayers" in the house and who would like to lessen the smell, there is a product called "Frebreeze" (not sure about the spelling) that is supposed to remove smells from fabrics; including carpet, furniture, etc.
NOTE - read the warning under cleaning products!!! May not be safe!!!
I have never actually used this product, (my guy stopped spraying before this stuff hit the shelves), but I have a friend who swears by it. She uses it to get rid of cigarette smells. I know, I know, they are two totally different smells, but it's worth a shot.
I don't know who makes it, but I believe that it is available from normal retail stores, it is not some infomercial rip-off type of thing.
Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 08:31:17 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
Well what I do is hang beach towels on the vertical surfaces they spray the most. You need two sets and you have to change them often but don't try to get by with one set cause tehy will remark b4 you can finish washing the towels.... Change then wash not the other way around. They will get stiff as a board too..... wash them without anything else in the machine of course. They don't really have to be stink free when they come out of the wash cause they will only get re-stunk-up in a few minutes.....
Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1998 11:50:58 -0800 (PST) Subject: FEL-L: FeBreeze and cat spraying
I remember when FeBreeze first came out and advertised how it got rid of most ANY odor. I couldn't believe it would get rid of cat spray odor because so few things do. So I looked on the back of the bottle and got the 800 number for the company that makes it and called them to ask them if it gets out cat spray odor. Of course, her answer was, "no". She said that it doesn't work on that. So, I never tried the product.
NOTE - read the warning under cleaning products!!! May not be safe!!!
Date: Mon, 7 Dec 98 12:41:20 -0000 Subject: FEL-L: Re: More spraying
Does the person with the spraying cat have the cat living indoors with them? If so, check the carpet backing, if you have carpet. If the carpet and/or the pad are synthetic, chances are the cat smells the urea, especially in the padding. He won't stop spraying if this is the case. The urea smell tells them "This is the bathroom."
Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 14:02:31 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: FeBreeze and cat spraying
I found it works great for that!!! didn't think it would but it surely does! I raise Bengal cats and have dogs as well--nothing like I have found yet!
NOTE - read the warning under cleaning products!!! May not be safe!!!
Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1998 17:47:59 EST Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
Frebreze DOES work! I spray it on my car seat when I get out at home after being sprayed by lions. You have to spray alot, almost enough to "wet" the fabric, but it is much preferable to the "perfume" of lion spray. At least that's what my wife says.
NOTE - read the warning under cleaning products!!! May not be safe!!!
Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1998 23:44:17 EST Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
NOTE - read the warning under cleaning products!!! May not be safe!!!
I use Febreeze also and it does a really good job of loosing that uh "smell" but you do need to make the fabric wet. So glad they came out with it.
Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 22:55:04 -0600 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Spraying
I know this is going to sound a bit odd, but here is what I do for my female who has the "spray" habit. She likes to spray only things that smell like outside, so I keep a bucket by the litter box. She sprays this. It sits on a rubber backed piece of tile. I switch buckets a couple of times a day. Seems that when the outside smell wears off, it doesn't work as well. Right now, that is the only place she sprays. Hope my luck holds :) Also, when we come in from outside, we are quick to hang up our coats. No more just tossing across a chair!!!
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 05:10:13 -0700 Subject: FEL-L: Spraying
For spot cleaning carpets I take a 16 gage 3" needle and a 30cc syringe filled with Natures Miracle or any one of the neutalizer's and saturate the carpet padding AND the carpet. Sometimes it take a couple of times depending on how many times the spot has been used. After letting it sit for a while, but before it is completely dry, I use a portable carpet cleaner to suck up what's left and then rinse and/or clean the spot with a regular carpet shampoo.
I have also used Bitter Apple or even a lemon wedge to discourage cats and it is all natural.