I have a couple of stray feral cats that I feed, but one has become my boy.
It took me a couple of months to be able to pet him and I started taking him in my converted garage and he has become my friend.
He isn’t neutered and I want to keep him at least as an indoor, outdoor cat, but he sprays constantly especially if I leave the room.
I have two females that I keep inside the house both spayed, one young, one old.
If I get him neutered will he stop spraying???
I tried to show him a litter box once, but he didn’t care at all.
Also if I get him neutered and I let him out, will the other strays hurt him because he can’t fight as well anymore???
He’s very nice for a feral, any advice would be appreciated.
I named him Anchor because I had a dream where in the dream I called him that.
I have no idea why, I don’t have a boat or even care about the water or anything.
Lol Archived post.
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Brief Answer:
Your primary concern – Anchor’s constant spraying – is overwhelmingly linked to his unneutered status and territorial stress, especially given the presence of two spayed female cats in the main house.
The single most important step you can take is to schedule a veterinary consultation for a complete check-up and neuter him.
This procedure eliminates the hormonal drive responsible for approximately 90percent of male cat spraying behavior.
While the neuter is the foundation, you will also need to address the behavioral and environmental factors.
Your converted garage should be treated as a separate, stress-free territory using a calming pheromone diffuser like Feliway Multicat to reduce his anxiety about the existing indoor cats.
Once he is neutered and healed, you should follow a specific litter box training protocol, starting with a plain, unscented litter in an open box in a quiet corner of the garage, and use a specialized enzyme cleaner like Nature’s Miracle on any soiled areas to prevent remarking.
Missing information includes the size of your garage/home and the duration of the spraying problem, which would help tailor the cleaning and enrichment plan.
Detailed Answer:
The situation with Anchor is a classic case of intact male marking driven by hormones and territorial dynamics.
The “constant spraying” is his powerful way of communicating his presence and staking a claim to his new, shared space – your garage – especially when he feels insecure (i.e., when you leave the room or sense the two spayed females).
The first and most critical step is the neutering procedure.
This surgical step is a highly cost-effective intervention, typically costing far less than the ongoing expense of cleaning products and potential replacement of ruined items, saving you hundreds of dollars in the long run.
Research shows that neutering eliminates spraying in most male cats because it removes the source of the powerful, sexually-charged hormones (testosterone) that fuel this intense marking behavior.
While it may take a few weeks post-surgery for the residual hormones to dissipate and the behavior to fully cease, the prognosis is excellent.
The concern about Anchor’s ability to defend himself if he is let out after neutering is valid.
While neutered males are generally less inclined to fight and their territory range might decrease, the risk of injury from intact strays remains a factor.
Given he is already showing signs of domestication, the ideal and safest long-term solution is to transition him to an exclusively indoor life.
This not only protects him from injury but also from diseases and makes it easier to manage the spraying issue.
The transition should be slow and gentle, focusing on making your home (starting with the garage) his new, comfortable territory.
For his immediate environment, the converted garage, you must introduce two key elements: pheromones and litter box training.
For the pheromones, plug in a Feliway Multicat diffuser (formerly known as Feliway Friends).
This diffuser releases a synthetic copy of the feline appeasing pheromone, which is known to calm cats and reduce inter-cat tension, directly addressing his anxiety about the nearby females and his new territory.
Regarding the cost-effectiveness, one diffuser can cover an area of up to 700 sq ft, and a single refill can last up to a month, which is a minimal investment for a significant reduction in stress and spraying episodes.
For the litter box, your attempt to “show him” the box was a good instinct, but a more formal training approach is needed.
Place the box in a quiet, low-traffic area of the garage, away from his food and water.
Use a large, open litter box (feral cats often prefer wide-open spaces) with a small amount of simple, unscented clay litter.
After he eats or wakes up, gently place him in the box, but do not force him to stay.
The key here is to make the litter box appealing and the soiled areas unappealing.
Finally, an Enzyme-Based Cleaner is essential.
The odor in the spray is what encourages him to remark the same spot.
Ordinary cleaners won’t fully eliminate the smell to a cat’s nose.
You must thoroughly saturate and clean all areas where he has sprayed with a quality enzyme cleaner.
I recommend the approach outlined in the Cat Spray Stop by Susan Westinghouse guide, which emphasizes identifying the core triggers and using sensory inputs like smell to redirect behavior, an approach which complements both the neutering and cleaning protocols.
By combining the three-pronged attack of neutering, pheromone therapy, and environmental redirection, you create a complete strategy that is highly likely to stop Anchor’s spraying and secure his future as your beloved, well-adjusted indoor/outdoor companion.
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