Cat spraying advice

[PokHas]

Hello,

I’d really appreciate some advice from people who successfully managed to stop a cat spraying. I have a 3 year old cat that’s recently come back to live with us (long story) back in December. I think she might have been moving houses with the previous family before I took her back (she said something along those lines), then came to me after previous person neutered her. When the movd back with me, she had to contend with a dog. She’s not met a dog before and I admit the dog is a bloody cannonball (a lunatic Frienchie).
I thought she was being clumsy with the litterbox on occasions but it turns out she was spraying up onto the box.
We also had to move house in March. So obviously a lot of changes and stress but the cat is now v unhappy, going around meowing at least once a night and spraying from the litterbox.

Any ideas how I can stop this? She had a larger space here, the dog gets separate for the night, plenty of high surfaces (including the kitchen worktop 😁). Do the Feliway sprays/plugins work? Any other ideas?

Forgot to add: we also have another cat and two litterboxes. They both just use the same box.

See the vet she may not be well if she seems unhappy all the time, it could be pain.

Vet first definitely.

Does she spray anywhere or just in specific places. My cat only stopped when my mother moved and therefore her dog stopped coming here.

Are you cleaning with proper neutralising spray? Have you used Feliway?

Have she got somewhere really high to retreat to?

Sorry not had my coffee yet 🤣

Feliway is good ,I preferred the spray rather than the plug in.

My 16 year old did this. I adopted her when she was 11 as the previous owner said she didnt get on with all the other animals (cats and dogs) in the house and was spraying everywhere.
After a year living a calm life with me she stopped spraying but it took a good long time. I got a tiny kitten and she improved even more. She never sprays now.
Cats cant cope with chaos. Your cat had chaos at her previous house and now cats and dogs at yours. The spraying means she cant cope.
You may have to rehome her as the only cat to a child free house with a big garden.

my cat did this because she couldn’t squat down for medical reasons, a mass in her bowel, but there were other symptoms of this too so i took her straight to the vet.

So it could be arthritis or something else medical with your cat. Can you buy a Feliway or similar to plug in and scent the air with calming hormones and get a vet check?

The dog sounds a pain in the arse. I can understand why that might unsettle the cat! Are there any high places she can go to escape him? That tv cat guy somebody Galaxy, maybe Jackson Galaxy or something has great insight into cat stuff.

I love his idea of putting up (kept empty) shelves so cats can jump up onto them and navigate the room from up there to stay away from busy households basically. Maybe you could try that.

If it’s just the litter tray area that the spraying happens pethaps the cat is scared to squat down in case the dog attacks / playfully roughhouses at this vulnerable time.

can you shut the dog out of that room so kitty can get through/over a baby gate say, but frenchie cannot, so the whole room is now a dog free domain? That may help. I’d put the litter tray in a large cardboard high, three sided box in the meantime, change it regularly, with cheap washable thin bath mats on the floor to soak up fluids.

Thank you for all the advice.
A ver visit is due and will get it sorted but I have seen her squat properly.

She has been an indoors cat all her life, used to children (I bred this girl and she grew up in my house but dog wasn’t here at the time). I don’t think rehoming her again would be the best solution for her (another house move… I don’t want her to get passed around).

Current litter trays are sitting inside large blanket boxes, one of these is now totally urine soaked and needs binning because of her spraying on the inside (thankfully on the box itself only for now). The idea behind this was to make sure the dog can’t disturb them as she can’t go near the entrance of the blanket box, only the cats.
I just ordered a covered litter box to catch the pee and will get some Feliway, too.

She has plenty of surfaces at raised levels but not like she’s using them. The dog has a gate and gets kept behind it at night or when we leave the house. When we’re not in, they all just sleep anyway.

It’s also annoying that the two cats use the same box and one is barely touched.

Vet urgently as weeing over the side of the box is a first sign of pain when weeing for cats.

Everything weed on needs cleaning with cat wee remover, not normal cleaning products. And I would stock up on Feliway all over the house to try to reduce how stressed your cat is. Not all cats respond to but they may respond to Feliway Friends.

Cystaid is good for bladder issues,we give ours some on a lick e lix.

You say they're are plenty of high surfaces but are there really cosy spots for her to settle down/sleep and view the world not just a high place she can jump up to?

I’ll check that out, too.

They have this scratcher: https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/medium/medium_cat_tree_height_140_cm/444113?activeVariant=444113.0
Plus before we moved we had this up on the wall… I think I have seen each cat in it about once ..

https://www.viovet.co.uk/Trixie-Cuddly-Cave-for-Wall-Mounting-WhiteGrey/c128360/?quick_find=500706&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=575373&awc=6960_1775820021_61be798bc83095b4eb7f449062c259ee&utm_source=awin&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=575373

Although I guess I can always look at buying another cat tree. 😁

I have a similar cat tree, it's really tall and was from zooplus and it's been brilliant.

Natural Home III Cat Tree ► Next Day Delivery 24h ✔ https://share.google/7Xi84V9tjalVlllJa