"spraying" cat

[denny steven]

I have 2 cats, one is a gentle female aged 13 the other is a neutered male aged 11. He hates the female cat and I have to keep them separate as otherwise he half kills her every time he gets to her. I manage that OK (mostly) but when I swop them over - one to upstairs, one to downstairs the male cat can smell that his enemy has been around and sprays everywhere. I know he is only remarking his territory but is there anything I can use to deter him? I wondered about citronella as dogs dont like that. The vet cant help. Any advice gratefully received.

[wolf63]

Are they fighting for real? Or is it all noise and posturing with some half-hearted punches?

My two are siblings and really don't get on - but ignore each other most of the time. When a fight happens it is the 'lady' cat that wins as she is built like a tank and has massive paws. The stupid male has been at the vet for war wounds a few times.

But - it never gets really, really serious. (So far!)

[denny steven]

Hi Wolf 63 They are definitely fighting for real. It is horrendous. If the male cat is in the front garden and spots the female sitting on the window cill inside he launches himself at the window, spitting and snarling. I can mostly manage to keep them apart but it is when I have visitors things get hairy. People never think it is bad as it is. I just wondered if I can spray everything in sight with something that will stop the male peeing. My electric fire is a fav. place.

[showcatbenga]

Your male cat is definately scent marking & yes it's because just as each gets settled in their area you swap them over. He is still trying to intimidate your girly through scenting everywhere!
I have two suggestions. First allocate each cat a 'core territory' for example a bedroom each. Only allow access to that area to the 'owner'. Never allow the other cat in. Then they should be able to 'share' the rest of the house. Set up a few boltholes for both cats - a small cardboard box with only 1 cat sized entry/exit, concealed/placed behind things like the sofa or on top of a wardrobe. Increase the 'resources' for both cats. More water bowls, feeding places, resting places & viewing places, making sure they are spread around the house. This eliminates a lot of the conflict of competing for these things.
Then the second suggestion - using a pheramone spray to change the marking behaviours. This can be purchased from your vet or online, the best known brand is 'Feliway'. It comes with full instructions to change clawing & urine marking to facial rubbing. Hope this helps.

[denny steven]

Hi showcatbenga Thank you so much for your answer. You sound like you really know cats. In theory your answers are wonderful but in practice...!! The problem is I like the male cat to be downstairs as he has access to the cat flap so mostly he stays downstairs. Sometimes, he is desperate to get upstairs and it doesnt seem fair not to let the female have access to the garden therefore I have to swop them over. I did get that spray you mentioned from the vet but it didnt work. The vet also suggested wiping a cloth around 1 cat's face, then the other cat, back to the first cat and so on so they could get used to each others scent. I did that for about 1 month but at the end of that time the male still wanted to attack on sight. I agree they might like their own space but it seems only fair that they both get a chance to go through the cat flap. Perhaps I will pick a bedroom that only the female can go in. It does sound good advice so many thanks.

[mandimoo]

how long have they known each other? i had very similar problem when i introduced my 12 year old neutered male to his new home and the resident 13 year old female. she scared the life out of him and would not tolerate him and would even stalk and hunt him! we bought a cage and put one cat in at a time so they could get used to each other but unable to get at each other. seems like a good idea but im afraid it didnt work for us. this went on for approx 10 months and then we found out she had an inoperable growth on her larynx and she had to be put down.

[denny steven]

Thats sad about your cat. Misty the female cat was very young - less than 1 year I would think and we bought the male cat and his sister home. Everything was fine when they were kittens but as soon as he grew up (his sister had to be put to sleep just before 2 years old) he had it in for her which seems very unfair as she was here first. He also will fight with other cats in the street but is a real coward - scared of other people, particularly men, dogs etc. whereas Misty has a lovely nature and isnt scared of anything.