Elvis

Remember the friendly stray kitty I mentioned a few months back? The
one I put a collar on with a note "if this is your cat, please call
[my number]? Well, after that we didn't see him for a long time. Then
one day about a week ago, he was back, and quite hungry. He got fed,
of course, and then stayed close. It's been frigid here so I put a bed
out for him in the carport. It got used....

He's indoors now, in our quarantine cage, and will be getting a bath
shortly, and seeing TED in the morning. Today is his 2nd day in the
cage. We had to go out for a while and when we returned, he had
managed to break out by tearing a hole in a spot near the wall. The
house smelled of male marker spray. I put him in the bathroom while I
repaired the cage. He sprayed in the bathroom too.

If Elvis quits spraying after his snip, he'll be able to stay indoors
with the other kitties. Otherwise, it's back out to the carport until
the yard enclosure is completed.

He's a beautiful cat, with bright blue eyes. I will try to get some
pics soon.

"Pat" wrote in message
...
Remember the friendly stray kitty I mentioned a few months back? The
one I put a collar on with a note "if this is your cat, please call
[my number]? Well, after that we didn't see him for a long time. Then
one day about a week ago, he was back, and quite hungry. He got fed,
of course, and then stayed close. It's been frigid here so I put a bed
out for him in the carport. It got used....

He's indoors now, in our quarantine cage, and will be getting a bath
shortly, and seeing TED in the morning. Today is his 2nd day in the
cage. We had to go out for a while and when we returned, he had
managed to break out by tearing a hole in a spot near the wall. The
house smelled of male marker spray. I put him in the bathroom while I
repaired the cage. He sprayed in the bathroom too.

If Elvis quits spraying after his snip, he'll be able to stay indoors
with the other kitties. Otherwise, it's back out to the carport until
the yard enclosure is completed.

He's a beautiful cat, with bright blue eyes. I will try to get some
pics soon.

Lots of luck with Elvis. I've never had experience with an entire tom apart
from Boyfie when he first came here, with his testicles well in place.
He never sprayed anywhere before he met the vet, but I know many do.

"Christina Websell" wrote

Lots of luck with Elvis. I've never had experience with an entire tom apart
from Boyfie when he first came here, with his testicles well in place.
He never sprayed anywhere before he met the vet, but I know many do.

Thanks.... We just brought him back from TED. All is well, except he
tossed up a few ascarids on the towel in the carrier. It's time to
worm everyone, anyway.

He was very good in the bath last night, and now smells as wonderful
as he looks.

According to TED's office, the chances of him continuing to spray post-
neuter are better than 50%. We'll give him one day to prove he can be
a good boy in the house after coming out of quarantine. That means
aside from no spraying, he better not pick any fights either.

"Pat" wrote in message
...
"Christina Websell" wrote

Lots of luck with Elvis. I've never had experience with an entire tom
apart
from Boyfie when he first came here, with his testicles well in place.
He never sprayed anywhere before he met the vet, but I know many do.

Thanks.... We just brought him back from TED. All is well, except he
tossed up a few ascarids on the towel in the carrier. It's time to
worm everyone, anyway.

He was very good in the bath last night, and now smells as wonderful
as he looks.

According to TED's office, the chances of him continuing to spray post-
neuter are better than 50%. We'll give him one day to prove he can be
a good boy in the house after coming out of quarantine. That means
aside from no spraying, he better not pick any fights either.

One day?? Are are you mad or something?

Tweed

"Pat" wrote in message
...
"Christina Websell" wrote

Lots of luck with Elvis. I've never had experience with an entire tom
apart
from Boyfie when he first came here, with his testicles well in place.
He never sprayed anywhere before he met the vet, but I know many do.

Thanks.... We just brought him back from TED. All is well, except he
tossed up a few ascarids on the towel in the carrier. It's time to
worm everyone, anyway.

He was very good in the bath last night, and now smells as wonderful
as he looks.

According to TED's office, the chances of him continuing to spray post-
neuter are better than 50%. We'll give him one day to prove he can be
a good boy in the house after coming out of quarantine. That means
aside from no spraying, he better not pick any fights either.


It can take *several weeks* before you will see results. There are still
hormones in a cat's system that certainly will not disappear after one day.
Males can also be fertile for a few weeks after the operation.

MaryL

Christina Websell wrote

Pat wrote

According to TED's office, the chances of him continuing to spray post-
neuter are better than 50%. We'll give him one day to prove he can be
a good boy in the house after coming out of quarantine. That means
aside from no spraying, he better not pick any fights either.

One day?? Are are you mad or something?

Well, no... but if he sprays on Day One, he's going to keep it up, so
why let him spray up the whole house? Have you ever smelled male cat
spray? It's definitely not something you want to allow to happen
repeatedly in your house.

From observing him so far - in the quarantine cage where he can
interact through the wire with everyone else - I doubt he will be a
fighter. But I cannot have another sprayer inside. It's bad enough
that Tommy and Eli still do it once in a while.

MaryL wrote:

It can take *several weeks* before you will see results. *There are still
hormones in a cat's system that certainly will not disappear after one day.

I thought there'd be a major reduction right away. I guess not enough
to end the problem, then?

So... how do I suggest keeping him from spraying for that length of
time?

"Pat" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:

It can take *several weeks* before you will see results. There are still
hormones in a cat's system that certainly will not disappear after one
day.

I thought there'd be a major reduction right away. I guess not enough
to end the problem, then?

So... how do I suggest keeping him from spraying for that length of
time?

- - - - - - - - - -

I think you just need to be patient for awhile. It works much better if
surgery is performed *before* spraying begins (obviously, impossible in this
case). Is there any way that you can keep him in a location for awhile
where spraying will not be so noticeable (and more easily cleaned--which I
realize is not an easy task)? But please give him a chance.

MaryL

"Pat" wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote

Pat wrote

According to TED's office, the chances of him continuing to spray post-
neuter are better than 50%. We'll give him one day to prove he can be
a good boy in the house after coming out of quarantine. That means
aside from no spraying, he better not pick any fights either.

One day?? Are are you mad or something?

Well, no... but if he sprays on Day One, he's going to keep it up, so
why let him spray up the whole house? Have you ever smelled male cat
spray? It's definitely not something you want to allow to happen
repeatedly in your house.


Yes I have, but it was years ago with the cat of my childhood who was was a
very lost elderly man with a big smell. Vet said do not even try to neuter
him because he is too old now, so we didn't.
He stunk dreadfully

MaryL wrote:

I think you just need to be patient for awhile. It works much better if
surgery is performed *before* spraying begins (obviously, impossible in this
case). Is there any way that you can keep him in a location for awhile
where spraying will not be so noticeable (and more easily cleaned--which I
realize is not an easy task)? But please give him a chance.

OK....

He found another weak spot in the cage during the night (I didn't
build it well, I was in a rush) and when I got up today he was sitting
calmly on top of the television. No idea how long he was out, but he
didn't spray and there were no fights (I would have been awakened by
that, and I wasn't). This time he stayed in Dave's room while I made
the repairs, because I thought the still unscrubbed previously sprayed
spot in the bathroom might be a temptation to him to spray more.

He was in Dave's room for almost an hour and didn't spray. Several
other cats came and went while he was in there, and no fights
happened, not even a little tiff. I guess he's young enough that he
remembers being part of a litter and how to be friendly to other
kitties. And of course the other kitties here are well accustomed to
being with lots of others. They're like a huge family (with hoomin
parents).

So far, so good. Elvis will spend the remainder of the weekend healing
from his snip and interacting with the rest of the clowder from behind
the wire, then we'll see how it goes. Meanwhile, I've got to charge up
the cam, get a few pics, and put out feelers for a good adoptive home,
before he gets too entrenched here.