Male cat spraying and peeing

by Amanda
(Burleson, TX)

I have a 10-year-old male cat that has a small urinary tract and has been on special food, UR Purina, for about 7 years. He is healthy but has a habit of spraying on my walls, curtains, and peeing on rug and bed. I have shut off rooms to prevent this but he will find a new spot. He has no problem going to his litter box. I'm getting desperate with this situation as I have no tolerance for this behavior and am very particular about cleanliness in my home. I hope you have some advice for me. The advice my vet gave me was to put him on a tranquilizer. I have not and will not go that route as I feel he will become too relaxed and not go to his box. I will be honest with you about the fact that I do not want to spend a lot of money on this situation. His food is extremely expensive and I want to do something to prevent this economically.

Thank you,
Amanda


Dear Amanda,

There are dozens, maybe hundreds of questions on the Cat Doctor site regarding this exact problem. Please see them for suggestions. Most pages have a search box which will allow you to search specifically for your topic. We also have an extensive Table of Contents which you can find on the navigation bar on the left of each page. I would also recommend reading Cat Elimination Problems.

In summary, your kitty needs to be seen by a veterinarian for an exam with blood work and a urinalysis if he hasn't had that recently. It is impossible to know if his problem is medical or behavioral without diagnostic tests. If it is medical, your veterinarian will advise you as to the treatment. If it is behavioral, there is extensive information on our site about treating behavioral inappropriate urination in cats.

If you have tried absolutely everything, then your veterinarian is correct in suggesting tranquilizers. They will not make your kitty too sedate to use the box. They may take away some anxiety that is manifesting itself through his inappropriate behavior. However, medical issues must first be thoroughly ruled out.

I hope your kitty feels better soon.
Dr. Neely