I think its great that you have opened your home and your heart to this kitty! It sounds like Bud has a great home and let's try to make sure he gets to keep it!
First, struvite stones aren't the only stones that can cause problems for cats. There are stones that can form from having an acidic pH in the urine as well. SO...if it's possible, I think Bud needs a urinalysis and a good physical exam to rule out an medical problems.
How long ago was he neutered?
I think using a small room to sequester a cat is perfectly acceptable as you are trying to resolve a medical or behaviorial issue. The only concern I have about laundry rooms are that the noisy washer and/or dryer can sometimes scare cats away from the litterbox. (Imagine how spooked you would be if you were in the bathroom and a giant machine started bumping and banging around!!).
If he checks out ok medically, I would recomend that you post a question to our Behavior experts in the Ask A Vet Pet Behavior Expert forum. Our veterinarians there can help guide you towards stopping his behavior.
Oh...by the way...thanks for the promotion, but I am not a doctor. It would be cool if I was because then I would be "Dr. Dock"!! Imagine the marketing I could do with a name like that!! :-)
Thanks for the heads up, Doc.
We figured at first it was urinary since our previous kitty, Suzy, had the Calcium Struvite stones. So, Bud is now on the Royal Canin Urinary SO 33 to keep him from the surgery. Now, we think whats going on is since the Alpha Kitty, Chloe, has been taken from the household Buddy is trying to assert dominance over Missie, poor Miss has a very skittish disposition. So he's back to marking the territory which is a real pain in the butt since the house has been painted and we're getting ready to lay fresh carpet which on one hand I am a little hesitant to do but on the other hand you can't sell a house smelling like the bottom of a litterbox and I think may do wonders for him by keeping his legs crossed until he visits the litterbox.
Doc, as for confining him to certain areas of the house, would the laundry room work to keep him sequestered? I suggested this once to my parents about some of Sue's behavior and I was told I was gonna be a bad parent. LOL. But in all seriousness I don't want to see him go the pound; I rescued that cat from the gutter. Bud is really such a ham; what we think happened to him: We have a wildlife preserve running behind the house and think he was dropped off, somebody didn't want him hanging around their house and poured something on him burning the scruff off. The scruff was basically dead tissue the first time we saw him. He'd be on the lamb for a year and all the intestinal pests that go with it. Tried to get him in to the Vet quite a few times but he was pretty crafty at his getaway and finally an abcess slowed him down enough that I could catch him. I certainly didn't rescue him to turn him over to the pound but this is getting to be quite frustrating to say the least.
Thanks and I will certainly pass this information along to my Mom.
KSA
Sadly, neutering will not always stop spraying 100% of the time, especially if the cat was neutered later in life.
First, I would want to make sure that you are dealing with a spraying problem and not an inappropriate urination problem. Is he urinating on vertical surfaces or horizontal surfaces? If it is horizontal, then likely you have a medical or behavioral issue that is causing him to urinate away from his box. He should be check by a veterinarian as a first step.
Next, you didn't mention what you are using to clean up and deodorize the area where he is marking. I would recommend using a good pet stain and odor remover like Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution. You might also consider blocking access to the area where he has been marking.
You might even need to confine him to certain areas of the house where he has a litterbox and food/water until he "unlearns" this behavior.
I hope this helps....
All right, so what happens after my Tom has been neutered and still continues to urinate all over the house? Jeez he's a brazen little bugger. Tried the Feliway and that has had zero effect.
Thanks,
KSA
Hi Jenn...wow, cat urine smell is pretty tough to handle so I completely understand your desire to get this stopped.
Sadly, as zodiacqueen mentions, getting the cats neutered is really the only way to start to stop this process. I noticed that you are from Ontario. I think you can contact the Ontario Humane Society there in Windsor and apply for a low cost spay/neuter program.
You will also need to get a good stain and odor remover (like Simple Solution or Nature's Miracle) to help remove the urine odors so the cats aren't tempted to continue to go in the same spots.
How many of your cats are male and how many female? How many litterboxes do you have in your home? How old is everyone?
Let me know the answers to these questions and hopefully we can find a way to help you out.
Sorry to tell ya this, but getting them fixed is the ONLY way to get them to stop. Call your local humane society or ASPCA, they offer very low cost neutering. If you can't afford to get them fixed, how will you be able to afford their routine vet care? If you love them, maybe you should consider finding them a new home w/ someone that will be able to get them the care that they deserve.