Posted- May 23, 2008 2 a.m. EDT
Q: Besides neutering my cat, is there anything I can do to get him to stop spraying? I purchased a pheromone diffuser, which has helped, but he recently started doing it again.
Do you know anything about products that are designed to keep a cat from spraying? I just want to make sure I’m not spending money for a product that doesn’t work.
A: The majority of intact tomcats (males) will spray. Accept it as a fact of life, like death and taxes.
It is very important that toms are neutered, unless you are a reputable breeder with a controlled breeding program. As a general rule, neutered males won’t spray, they are not as apt to declare war on other cats and, if allowed to roam the neighborhood, they won’t have the desire to wander far from home.
Pheromone diffusers are good products, but they work in conjunction with behavior modification, elimination or modification of the causes of the spraying, as well as thoroughly cleaning with an excellent enzyme cleaner. No anti-spraying products work as stand-alone magic bullets. The causes of the problems need to be addressed and either eliminated or modified. In your case, it appears that the trigger is biological. In order to stop the spraying, I highly recommend getting your tom neutered.