12yo has started spraying
- he has been checked by a vet
- we have multiple litter boxes set up
- Rehoming either is not an option
- Prozac and other meds have not stopped him peeing
Our 12yo spayed male cat has peed out of the litter box on and off since our son was born (son is now 7). After years (inc multiple vet trips, cat behaviour specialist, prozac, feliway, enzyme spray) we got the peeing down from 2+ times a day (he'd jump up onto tables and pee on things/pee on laundry while I was folding it/etc - it was TERRIBLE), to a manageable 2-3 times a month.
He has multiple litter trays, plus a 12m2 enclosed cat run/outdoor area with decking/verandah and grass that he can access whenever he wants.
We've recently been looking after a stray mother cat and 3 kittens until they were spayed/vaxed. They were locked in a spare room, but our old cat's peeing, understandably, increased.
We have kept 1 spayed male kitten (we chose the most submissive, chilled one that would fit in best with old cat and old dog) and have introduced very slowly/carefully and been very careful to keep kitten away from old cat's food, litter boxes, bed (kitten is out roaming the house a lot, but has a room he's popped in for toilet/feed/sleep).We've made sure to make a big fuss of the old cat (and have him sitting on us rather than kitten, etc) and never force contact.
Old cat's peeing has continued to escalate, even though mum cat and other kittens have left. Old cat has peed on my husband's synthesiser and guitar, my laptop, three lamps, and his own bed. Last week, he sprayed on a bookcase 1m from where we were sitting, while making eye contact with us - and I cracked. He's now locked in the spare room (with heating, snuggly bed, food/water/etc) because I just can't mentally deal with spraying - my husband and I both work from home, and have work related things around the house that we CANNOT risk being sprayed on - the peeing was risky enough, even when we got it down to 2-3 times a month. Also, I'm terrified of the kitten smelling the urine and beginning to pee around the house, too. The spare room is obviously not a long term solution, but even prozac/strategies from specialist/feliway wasn't enough to stop his peeing entirely.
Has anyone tried nappies??? Or have any other advice? We don't know what to do.