Hi All hope you can help

I have had my cat for 4 years, until approx 1 year ago he was an indoors cat, we moved and now for about 11 months he has been going out (although he stays indoors of a night), i had him neutered when he was young, this morning we woke up and there was an awfull smell of cat spray in the house, i have never seen my cat spray (although he does attempt on vertical surfaces) or have i ever smelt this smell from my cat, we have noticed another cat in the garden who we beleive is out of a night time and spraying near the back door, could it be possible that our cat is now also spraying as well to protect his terriotory?

thanks

Darrren

Do you have a cat flap? if you do maybe the other cat came into you home and tried to mark it as his own

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No we dont have a cat flap, but there is a slight gap under the door (approx 1.5cm) which allows wind / draughts to blow in, and if the other cat sprayed near there, the smell would come into the house.

Is it possible that my cat could have urinated inside near where the other cat sprayed, would it smell as bad as spray if he did? I know cats are clean animals and don't normally urinate or poo on there own doorstep, it would be the 1st time he ever has if he did and there where no puddles on the Lino, having said that the house is warm at the mo as we have a newborn baby within and could have dried

The strange cat, an entire tom, has moved into your cat's territory, and is maknig it very clear HE is top cat, and your house and garden are HIS.

We have a few entire toms around here, and one of them also sprays against the doors, causing an awfully strong smell. We, too, thought it was our own cats, at first. But then I saw him do it. He only sprays against doors of other cat residences.

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Jiskefet & the mognificent Dutch bunch

My little angels at the rainbow bridge

short answer? Yes.

also, resident-cats mark [spray or stool] as a reflex to social-stress: they're upset by an invader,
or upset by upheaval or discord in the house, & mark to alleviate their distress: the odor reassures them.
unfortunately, we don't find that smell reassuring or comforting; we find it stinky & nasty.

keeping the interloper out of the garden is one way to solve the problem; keeping Ur cat indoors
will also help, as he won't be threatened, assaulted, or intimidated by other roaming felines.

a cat-proof fence is one option; a Scarecrow attachment on the garden-hose is another.
[it sprays anything that moves - obviously, it must be TURNED OFF to access the garden without being
sprayed by the squirting head!]

there are also odors which can create an invisible 'boundary', but they must be reapplied after rain,
plus a cat who already regards the yard as 'theirs' & frequents it, will rarely stop just to avoid crossing
a smelly barrier. Physical barriers are much-more effective.

FELIWAY is also a very helpful adjunct: it's a synthetic version of the cheek-pheromone produced by glands
below the eyes, which are a soothing & calming influence; cats lay these odors down when they 'cheek'
a surface: our pantsleg, a sofa-edge, a pillow, the resting shelf on the cat-tree, etc.

i prefer the pump-spray as i can put it anywhere that seems apropos: the edge of a crate, the doorway,
the kitchen-threshold, the cat-tree tube, etc. It can be sprayed wherever the cat has been spraying urine,
& to find those, USE A UV-Light or 'blacklight' to see the pee; turn off the lights after dark,
& carefully shine the UV-light in any area that might have been sprayed; clean it well with pet-waste
enzyme-based cleaners with odor eliminators, let it dry [keep the cat OUT of the room!], & then spritz
with 2 or 3 pumps of the pump-spray Feliway.

Planet Urine, Pee-Be-Gone, etc, are all useful cleaners; bio washing-powder for laundry is not nearly
as effective - U need to remove the smell so completely, that the cat cannot find any trace.

confining the cat away from the door / window, etc, so that the other cat's scent or sight
are well away from him, is another good short-term tool; that gives U time to FIND, clean, dry, spray,
etc, over a few days' time, then release him for an hour or so, put him back, etc; if U simply let him out,
especially if he sees or smells his nemesis, the marking is liable to begin again / recur.

slowly re-introducing him & keeping the Feliway sites refreshed every 3 to 4 days, is the best method.
it may take a week to 10-days to get to the point where he can be free-roaming in the whole house.

periodically checking with the UV-light to find any new sprayed-spots is a good idea!

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terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007