My Cat is Getting on My Last Nerve . . .

[Zoom-boing]

He's old, 14 1/2. He's been a neutered inside cat all his good life. But he is continually marking all over the living room curtains and the youngest kids clothing. I'm ready to shoot him. I know it's from the damn feral strays and he's just doing what cats do. But I'm still ready to shoot him.

I swore I'd not do any more trapping but I am at my wits end and have no choice. I'm going to have to trap these damn cats then block off any access (as best I can) to the front porch to keep them outta here. Hopefully that will get my cat to stop marking because washing the curtains nearly every other day plus cloths plus the youngest just told me he went in a corner in her room --- grrrrrr.

Have to go clean that now . . . . . . .

 

[syrenn]

He's old, 14 1/2. He's been a neutered inside cat all his good life. But he is continually marking all over the living room curtains and the youngest kids clothing. I'm ready to shoot him. I know it's from the damn feral strays and he's just doing what cats do. But I'm still ready to shoot him.

I swore I'd not do any more trapping but I am at my wits end and have no choice. I'm going to have to trap these damn cats then block off any access (as best I can) to the front porch to keep them outta here. Hopefully that will get my cat to stop marking because washing the curtains nearly every other day plus cloths plus the youngest just told me he went in a corner in her room --- grrrrrr.

Have to go clean that now . . . . . . .

Have you had him into the vet for a check up? His age and sudden marking could be something else other then pissed off about the ferals.

 

[MeBelle]

Sounds like he could have a urinary tract infection.
I had two males with the same issue at approximately the same age as yours.

 

[Zoom-boing]

Not to vet yet -- oh, that's a nightmare in itself trying to get him into a cat carrier -- but all of the urine is vertical. He's marking, not peeing.

I'm just so sick and tired of it. Crazy cat lady started feeding crazy cats several years ago and despite my best efforts of trapping them they continued to breed and more and more cats are around. We have to block their access to our front porch -- 90% of the marking is taking place in the living room. Our cat sees outside cat then marks. Never catch him in the act, though.

I stopped opening any living room or dining room window (the porch spans both) thinking that might help. It didn't.

 

[syrenn]

Not to vet yet -- oh, that's a nightmare in itself trying to get him into a cat carrier -- but all of the urine is vertical. He's marking, not peeing.

I'm just so sick and tired of it. Crazy cat lady started feeding crazy cats several years ago and despite my best efforts of trapping them they continued to breed and more and more cats are around. We have to block their access to our front porch -- 90% of the marking is taking place in the living room. Our cat sees outside cat then marks. Never catch him in the act, though.

I stopped opening any living room or dining room window (the porch spans both) thinking that might help. It didn't.

Sudden marking can also be something psychical going on...... so ya may want to take him in just in case.

I know it may look weird.. but you may want to pin plastic sheeting or puppy pads up onto your curtains... at least you wont have to keep washing them.

Try calling your local rescue groups to come and trap the feral cats .

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Something is going on. He is not doing this to piss you off. If he's neutered, it sounds like he has a physical problem.

Get him to the vet asap because, if this is a physical ailment, its very serious.

despite my best efforts of trapping them they continued to breed and more and more cats are around.

If the cats are TNR (trap, neuter, release) the population will stabilize and no more will appear. OTOH, if they're being trapped and removed, more will move in to replace those that have been removed. Sorry, but its just a fact of live.

If you TNR, be sure to have the vet notch the ear so you'll know which ones have been altered.

If TNR, the spraying will stop. It always does.

Animals are driven by three things - food, reproduction, territory. Feed them, alter them, and don't upset the territory by taking any individuals out of the population. If you remember that, you can beat this.

 

[waltky]

Yea, feral cats are a problem...

... dey climb up the tree next to my trailer...

... an' den dey chase each other around on my tin roof...

... sounds like a herd o' elephants...

... not only that but they crawl up through my a/c vents...

... an poop under my bathtub...

... it smells up the whole house...

... an' den I have to get out the Lysol an' spray to kill the smell.

 

[percysunshine]

Don't shoot. Use toast;

Flying Horse - Gatorrada (Cat-Toast) - YouTube

 

[waltky]

possum don't trust cats `cause dey'll sneak up on ya an' pounce on ya...

Study: Female Owners of Cats More Prone to Suicide
July 03, 2012 - Researchers have found that women who own cats have an increased risk of suicide and mental health problems due to a common parasite found in their pet's litter bins.

A study found that women infected with the feline parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) were one-and-a-half times more likely to attempt suicide then those who are not infected.

It says the risk for self-harm increased for those with higher levels of antibodies to the parasite present in their bloodstream. The study involved more than 45,000 women in Denmark and was published online in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Researchers say the parasite infects about one in three people worldwide, but usually causes few or no symptoms. The T. gondii parasite lives in the intestines of cats. People can become infected by changing cat litter boxes, or by ingesting contaminated and undercooked meat, unwashed vegetables or infested water.

Study: Female Owners of Cats More Prone to Suicide

 

[Katzndogz]

Not to vet yet -- oh, that's a nightmare in itself trying to get him into a cat carrier -- but all of the urine is vertical. He's marking, not peeing.

I'm just so sick and tired of it. Crazy cat lady started feeding crazy cats several years ago and despite my best efforts of trapping them they continued to breed and more and more cats are around. We have to block their access to our front porch -- 90% of the marking is taking place in the living room. Our cat sees outside cat then marks. Never catch him in the act, though.

I stopped opening any living room or dining room window (the porch spans both) thinking that might help. It didn't.

Likely your cat doesn't see any cat marking. Your cat smells it and remarks as a way of telling other cats to keep off, it's his territory.

If you want to keep cats off your property, get some mountain lion pee. Sometimes pet stores will sell it. Sprinkle it around the perimeter of your property and the cats will go away.

 

[tinydancer]

He's old, 14 1/2. He's been a neutered inside cat all his good life. But he is continually marking all over the living room curtains and the youngest kids clothing. I'm ready to shoot him. I know it's from the damn feral strays and he's just doing what cats do. But I'm still ready to shoot him.

I swore I'd not do any more trapping but I am at my wits end and have no choice. I'm going to have to trap these damn cats then block off any access (as best I can) to the front porch to keep them outta here. Hopefully that will get my cat to stop marking because washing the curtains nearly every other day plus cloths plus the youngest just told me he went in a corner in her room --- grrrrrr.

Have to go clean that now . . . . . . .

Green apple palmolive dish soap will help with the laundry to descent what your cat marks. The best for "real stinkos" is if you have a local hunting store and can actually buy descenting detergent.

I have a female (indoor) that marks every spring when my neighbors start letting their cats out and they start roaming.

It's a vicious circle. They will mark, then she marks in the house, then they mark again. Aye carumba! I know the pain.

This year I tried pepper on the porch when I first saw them roaming and it worked for me. Didn't hurt them but they sneezed up a storm and haven't been back. Sonya has such a good nose though that I have to be careful that when we come home from a friends place that has a cat, I literally have to throw our clothes in the laundry ASAP in case she gets the "urge".

Good luck with the ferals. Once they bunk into an area they are so hard to get rid of.

 

[Zoom-boing]

He's old, 14 1/2. He's been a neutered inside cat all his good life. But he is continually marking all over the living room curtains and the youngest kids clothing. I'm ready to shoot him. I know it's from the damn feral strays and he's just doing what cats do. But I'm still ready to shoot him.

I swore I'd not do any more trapping but I am at my wits end and have no choice. I'm going to have to trap these damn cats then block off any access (as best I can) to the front porch to keep them outta here. Hopefully that will get my cat to stop marking because washing the curtains nearly every other day plus cloths plus the youngest just told me he went in a corner in her room --- grrrrrr.

Have to go clean that now . . . . . . .

Green apple palmolive dish soap will help with the laundry to descent what your cat marks. The best for "real stinkos" is if you have a local hunting store and can actually buy descenting detergent.

I have a female (indoor) that marks every spring when my neighbors start letting their cats out.

It's a vicious circle. They will mark, then she marks in the house, then they mark again. Aye carumba! I know the pain.

This year I tried pepper on the porch when I first saw them roaming and it worked for me. Didn't hurt them but they sneezed up a storm and haven't been back. Sonya has such a good nose though that I have to be careful that when we come home from a friends place that has a cat, I literally have to throw our clothes in the laundry ASAP in case she gets the "urge".

Good luck with the ferals. Once they bunk into an area they are so hard to get rid of.

This is exactly what he's doing. It started when a mom cat had a litter of 6 under our front step. They were less than a week old. Unfortunately she didn't like us poking around and she moved them. So there's 6 more cats that will be having kittens of their own.

He started marking right when we found the kittens. We put up lattice all under the porch although I have seen a cat or two still wandering up. Shadow meows that 'different' kind of meow so I can always tell when there's a cat outside. I took all of the curtains down in the living room, got a black light and sprayed with Simple Solution and haven't put the curtains back up yet. Also thoroughly cleaned his litter box again and moved it just a bit. He does what your cat does with my two youngest. Will pee on their clothes because he smells another cat. It helps that the A/C has been on for nearly a week. I found a homemade spray I can make and spray on the bushes to keep the ferals away too. No one in the neighborhood will help do anything about them (I trapped them and took them to the spca for several years), nor will the township. Maybe when we start getting over run with cats something will happen. Or maybe we'll just move! Thanks for the tips everyone.

 

[Moonglow]

my dogs take care of any cats in the area, except bobcats

 

[Zoom-boing]

my dogs take care of any cats in the area, except bobcats

My older dog went after them a few years ago. Our yard is fenced in but they come in anyway. She ended up slamming her nose into something and it got infected and it took quite awhile for it to heal up. We have two dogs now and I've no doubt that the newer, younger and fast-as-a-bullet dog would catch and kill any cat he caught out there. One can hope!