Hello all!!

I've read most, if not all, of the recent posts regarding spraying and
have digested the information about Felliway and behavioral modification
drug use, however, all the suggestions seem to involve male cats.

Well, I have a 6-year old FEMALE sprayer!!! Lucky us!! :-)) I was
wondering if anyone might have some *female*-cat-specific suggestions,
similar situations or success stories they could share??!! Any other
suggestions besides what I've read?? Perhaps *female* spraying issues
might have suggestions other than what I've recently read.

THANKS for your time!! Let me give some background if I could...

I have 4 cats, ALL female. Two oldest ones are sisters (same litter,
age 6 1/2). Those two moved with my girlfriend and I from NJ to FL in
August 2000. While in Florida, we got our third cat who is now 3 1/2
and then our fourth cat who is now 2 1/2. After all the new-smell
introductions, hissing and dominance indications, everyone really gets
along well. We often wake up with all four on the bed!! Anyway, all
are spayed and healthy.

Our move from NJ to FL in August 2000 was to an apartment for a year
where there was NO spraying. Our second move from the apartment to a
townhouse was when the spraying started in December 2001. We took her
to the vet and it does NOT seem to be a medical problem but more
behavorial. Also doesn't seem to have to do with a litter box problem
either as she tends to spray *targets*--an empty box, mat, jacket
mistakenly left on the floor, papers on a table. We think the problem
stems from a combination of (1) looooong introduction of our fourth cat
to the house and (2) the fact that the previous owners had a cat in the
town house. The fourth cat was quarantined for a good few months in her
own bedroom prior to being introduced to the rest of the cats and we
think that such a long time went by without the older cat knowing the
source of the "new smell" in the house that she started marking
territory as a dominance move and never really kicked the habit. Also,
I think the prior-owner's cat smells were still in the house and might
have been a bit threatening, especially coupled with the 4th cat :-((

We've been in our CURRENT house since August 2002. The new home is VERY
clean from a human standpoint but I know they owned 3 long-haireds (and
a puppy for about a month).

We've tried reprimand and Felliway previously (when the problem was
first noticed in Dec 2001) and, for the past few months have been using
"Clomicalm" (aka Clomipramine...more often used with dogs but used with
cats as well!) The first suggested dose of Clomicalm stopped the
spraying but really basically KNOCKED her out :-( So we gradually
lowered the dose to what controlled the spraying but made her more
"normal".

We had hoped to ween her off the Clomicalm TOTALLY but, when we did,
spraying started again so we put her back on the low dose that was
working. Now, however, it seems she might be getting either "used to"
the medication or, as the Vet has indicated, used to the FEELING of the
medication in that she realizes, "Oh this is how I feel normally (on my
medication) so, not that I'm used to it, I'll start spraying again!!"
Wish I could talk cat to see what her problem is!!! :-))

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone might have some *female*-cat-specific
suggestions, similar situations or success stories they could share??!!
Any other suggestions besides what I've read?? Vet suggested upping the
dose of climicalm for the next couple weeks to see if that controls the
spraying again so that's where we're at.

Thanks again for reading!!

Scott

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