How long does it take for a male cat to stop spraying after he is neutered?

Question

We just took in a stray adult male to be neutered because he started coming in the cat door when we are not home. He was a major sprayer and he has already done so several times since we brought him home last night. Any advice?

Answer 1

I adopted my female cat as an adult, and had her spayed when she went into heat and I found out she wasn't spayed.

She will still spray when she is nervous, but luckily it is in the litter box and she just hits the wall behind it. I rigged up a system to protect the wall and floor and to stop the urine from spreading. Plain white trash bags taped to the wall with painters tape, where the bags hang low enough to go under the litter box. Along the wall edge on top of the bag there is a thin line of clumping cat litter to stop the urine. The system works for us.

You need to clean every spot that he marked with a good enyzme cleaner made for cat urine. You can use a hand held black light to find all the spots that were sprayed/marked. A good product is Simple Solutions.

I added a Feliway diffuser to my apartment, away from the boxes, and it has calmed my female cat down and we havn't had an over the box incident in awhile. It mimics facial marking and encourages cats to mark that way instead of spraying. You can get it cheapest at www.petsmart.com, but not the actual store (about $10-$20 more expensive in the store). Do not get the spray though, just the diffuser.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I would find it hard to believe, but it is at all possible that the neutering was done at such a young age for him that it didn't take. You should take him to the vet and explain the behavior. If not spraying, it could be that he is having some sort of urinary problem in general that is causing this as well. If he seems just to be doing it in one spot, that's a good thing, cause the comforter you can always replace, furniture or floors you wouldn't be so lucky. He could also have a lot of testosterone in his system even beyond the neutering, which sounds odd but could be possible. The tendency to be possessive is just a pecking order. My male cat is that way over my submissive female cat as well, for no real other reason than dominance. So long as your other cat doesn't feel rejected by you and so long as there's no hair pulling or blood involved.

Answer 4

Like previous posts said he is likely to keep up this behavior it is not only male tomcats that spray, females can also do and so can neutered cats even if they were neutered before the spraying started...although the odds of them starting after being fixed are pretty low. I have never found anything to stop a cat once they spray it's just their behavior and nothing you do will change it, best to take him to the shelter and let them try to find another home...not many people want a spraying cat though but it was a very nice thing you did by neutering a stray, not many people would even consider trying to do that much.

Answer 5

As several have already stated, neutering a male doesn't always stop the spraying although studies say give it 6 weeks because of the hormones. We had the same problem with a Persian and our Vet put him on Prozac. This did help and almost eliminate the problem for awhile. As soon as he was off Prozac, he would start spraying again. You can goggle it and get info both pro and con for the Prozac use and talk to your Vet. Before I get all the thumbs down for "drugging my cat" for me the decision was easy. I could not allow the cat to destroy my home and make it smell like a giant litter box. It was either Prozac or get rid of the cat. It is also a good idea to get rid of the smells from previous sprays (using a product made for eliminating the order of cat urine). The smell could entice him to continue this behavior.

Good luck.

Answer 6

There is no guarantee he will stop spraying even after being neutered. Once a sprayer always a sprayer. Lets say he does stop after neutering and has completely marked your house. Any type of upset in your house will get him going again, dog, cat, moving..... I'm just stating the facts. I hope he comes to a stop though, good luck!

Answer 7

It's too late. If you wait more than 8 months to neuter your male kitten, he will always spray as an adult. It is impossible to train an adult male cat especially if he was a stray. In my honest opinion, the only way to have cats as pets is to get them as kittens, train them to use their litter box immediately, and neuter them when they are four to six months old.

Answer 8

He may not stop spraying,but he may,give him time for his hormones to settle down post op and see what happens then.
Can I just say well done on getting him Neutured,I work in a cat rescue centre and we are over run with unwanted kittens at the moment,to many people dont get Toms neutured because they are not the ones that will have the "litter",well done for being such a responsible cat owner :)

Answer 9

it will take several weeks for all the hormones to work their way out of his system.

However, if he is a full adult, neutering might not take care of the issue outright. Cats spray to mark territory, and when they are feeling threatened they mark - and as an adult it might be a learned behavior as well as instinct. Make him feel as comfortable as possible. Establish routine feeding schedules, and provide safe places for him to hang out.

Answer 10

Yes, the cat may never stop spraying.. it is a habit, and not a very pleasant one....

Neutering sometimes slows this down, but i can't predict what your cat will do.

He is marking his territory...

Mom worked for a vet for 23 years, and she always commented "you can neuter their body but can't alter their minds..."

When a person gets a male kitten, it's best to have them neutered as young as possible. It doesn't always work, either.

take care.