Don't understand why my cat is spraying, help!

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I have the most cosseted cat EVER-scratch posts in every room, a huge cat tree, microchip cat flap so free access. He's cuddled, adored and played with but he's spraying

I've seen him spray in the garden against the bushes and I've posted about him spraying when I was sorting out my cupboards and I think he got unsettled. Understandable.

Last night he was playing and purring and generally being delightful and suddenly sprayed against the wall!! No sign of being spooked or another cat near by so I don't understand what's going on.

He seems completely fine in himself.

I've ordered Feliway,Pet Odour destroyer spray and a UV light to see if he's been busy any where else.

What else can I do? I'm reluctant to get the calming capsules as I've read reviews about making the cat feel poorly.

Any other suggestions?

I take it he's already neutered, Dame?

Yes

Is he an only cat? Are there lots of cats in your area?

Ime cats spray when they feel their territory is threatened. So if you have more than one cat, or he meets other cats a lot, that could cause it.

Just him and we have had issues with other cats but if anything it's died down recently as I've been soaking them and put citrus spray on the gate where there pass through the garden. Just seemed strange to do it when we were playing.

We haven't had him long, only since Xmas , he was a stray but actually seemed more settled when he was more feral if that makes sense.

Should I worry about uti's?

9/10 times it is due to stress if they are already neutered. The spraying is interesting though because usually they will wee on the floor rather than spray up against a wall. On the floor = stress, up the wall - territory.

I suggest doing 2 things. 1) Clean all areas you think the cat has sprayed with bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar (wipe walls with a cloth and saturate the carpets) Leave this to dry and within 2 days the vinegar smell will disappear along with the urine smell.
2) Keep the cat inside for at least 2 weeks. Ensure that no other cats come into the house (unless they live there too so keep them in also).

Whilst the cat(s) are kept inside, ensure there is always a litter tray per cat and that it is kept clean. You can go all posh if you like and get a cat genie www.catgenie.co.uk (ok, we have one, but then we do have 4 cats and it saves us a fortune in litter and we never have to scoop the poop )

If the urination gets worse or does not stop after 2 weeks, take the cat to the vet as it might have a UTI.

Urination inside the house is a major issue for people with cats and is one of the biggest reasons to re-home. However, I've had 5 cats leave me who have had this issue when going to a new home and these steps have ALWAYS worked and they have not come back to me (thank goodness!).
HTH

Thank you!

I've cleaned and I will use the UV light when it comes.

He's definitely spraying- tail up and quivering. Only a few drops of liquid, I presume this is because he's been neutered and wasn't offensive smelling but probably would be if I didn't clean up though!

I can't keep him in, he goes bonkers, seriously bonkers, he needs to go outside or screams the place down ( very vocal Bengal!)

I will take him to the vet's if it doesn't stop for sure.

The feliway plug in might help. Should come tomorrow.

My female cat was spraying, it was a UTI.

How do they test for a uti ?

They can take samples from the bladder apparently, not sure how eat it is on a male cat

OK , thankfully he seems more settled with the feliway plug in
Fingers crossed!!

I'd be down the vets, otherwise if it is infection it's like us having cystitis with no pain relief or antibiotics.

Ours does small wees when he has infection but no other signs. No lethargy, loss of appetite & no sign of pain.

If he sprays on a wall you can use an oral syringe from the chemist to suck it up and transport it to the vet. They only need a bit. They can manually empty cat bladders.

Which does not sound fun for either of them. They offered to do it to mine until I said he's 6.3kg.