Oof. We just had several months' worth of regular issues with feline lower urinary tract disease. The treatment? Don't stress the cat. (It started long before I moved in, and the longer it goes on, the worst it gets.) We're not really sure what stopped it, although I don't think the Feliway stuff does much. :/
garpu might be on the right track - a UTI will cause cats to start 'spraying' and the other cat is responding with his own opinion.
If you can, check to see if the spray (or pee) is showing crystal formation. That is a surefire indication of a UTI. Usually cats that have been fixed don't get them, but we did have a cat that had crystals in his urine and we had to adjust his diet (I don't remember how as it was over twenty years ago) to lessen the crystal formation. The cat did live to be about 16 or 17 and traveled with my folks in their motorhome for several years.
Feline lower urinary tract disease isn't just a UTI. It's more the vet has no clue what's causing them, after about $1000 in tests and emergency vet bills and has no idea how to fix it beyond more testing that stresses that cat out further.
Sounds like it's time to resort to medical therapy (which can be _so_ much fun, depending on the cat).
I had a fair bit of success with amitryptiline with my problem cat - it seems to help with the brain side of things (it is, after all the generic of Elavil :)), making the cat more relaxed. And there's some evidence that it may help directly decrease inflammation in the bladder. Big plus: cheap, cheap, cheap (available as a human generic, provided you can get pills into the cats). Also, side effects tend to be mild (as opposed to diazepam, which used to be the go-to drug for this sort of thing, until multiple cats turned up with liver problems due to the drug). Buspirone is another possibility.
As to trigger - well, things have changed quite a bit in your home recently. And there could be stray cats outside but in your cat's "territory".
YMMV. Consult with your vet. I'm a vet, but currently being a mommy :)
Cat door. We had two or more intact male housecats for years with no problem.
They spray to mark the boundaries of their territory. If they can go outdoors at will, the boundaries are outside the house. So they save up their spray for outside.
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cats. Gotta love 'em, you know?
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If you can, check to see if the spray (or pee) is showing crystal formation. That is a surefire indication of a UTI. Usually cats that have been fixed don't get them, but we did have a cat that had crystals in his urine and we had to adjust his diet (I don't remember how as it was over twenty years ago) to lessen the crystal formation. The cat did live to be about 16 or 17 and traveled with my folks in their motorhome for several years.
Reply
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I had a fair bit of success with amitryptiline with my problem cat - it seems to help with the brain side of things (it is, after all the generic of Elavil :)), making the cat more relaxed. And there's some evidence that it may help directly decrease inflammation in the bladder. Big plus: cheap, cheap, cheap (available as a human generic, provided you can get pills into the cats). Also, side effects tend to be mild (as opposed to diazepam, which used to be the go-to drug for this sort of thing, until multiple cats turned up with liver problems due to the drug). Buspirone is another possibility.
As to trigger - well, things have changed quite a bit in your home recently. And there could be stray cats outside but in your cat's "territory".
YMMV. Consult with your vet. I'm a vet, but currently being a mommy :)
Reply
They spray to mark the boundaries of their territory. If they can go outdoors at will, the boundaries are outside the house. So they save up their spray for outside.
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