question on male cats

"Arjun Ray" wrote in message
...
In , "Karen Chuplis"
wrote:
| "Arjun Ray" wrote in message
| ...

| That wasn't spraying, it was peeing. Spraying is always on vertical
| surfaces

| That's some of the problem for boy cats. Everyone thinks that any kind
of
| pee outside the box is "spray".

Makes me wonder about the 10% statistic cited elesewhere in this thread.
How much of that could have been based on mistaken reporting?

I've yet to see reliable evidence that neutered toms *will* spray (i.e.
that some of them are incorrigible.) Even if the 10% figure is reliable
it's still a small percentage, which leads me to believe that some kind
of unchangeable predisposition is unlikely to be the root explanation.

More likely, the behavior is triggered by something in the environment,
so that properly addressing that undesirable external stimulus is a
sufficient answer for the problem when it occurs. JMHO.


I think that is very true.

Karen

"Arjun Ray" wrote in message
...
In , "Karen Chuplis"
wrote:
| "Arjun Ray" wrote in message
| ...

| That wasn't spraying, it was peeing. Spraying is always on vertical
| surfaces

| That's some of the problem for boy cats. Everyone thinks that any kind
of
| pee outside the box is "spray".

Makes me wonder about the 10% statistic cited elesewhere in this thread.
How much of that could have been based on mistaken reporting?

I've yet to see reliable evidence that neutered toms *will* spray (i.e.
that some of them are incorrigible.) Even if the 10% figure is reliable
it's still a small percentage, which leads me to believe that some kind
of unchangeable predisposition is unlikely to be the root explanation.

One of the cats next door, an indoor/outdoor male who was neutered as a
kitten, has now begun to spray in the house. He's about 5 - 6 years old, &
hasn't exhibited this behavior before. I've seen him back up to things &
spray outside lately, too. (IOW - it's not just inappropriate peeing, it's
honest-to-goodness spraying.) So, I know it happens, but I bet the
percentage *is* quite small.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

"Arjun Ray" wrote in message
...
In , "Karen Chuplis"
wrote:
| "Arjun Ray" wrote in message
| ...

| That wasn't spraying, it was peeing. Spraying is always on vertical
| surfaces

| That's some of the problem for boy cats. Everyone thinks that any kind
of
| pee outside the box is "spray".

Makes me wonder about the 10% statistic cited elesewhere in this thread.
How much of that could have been based on mistaken reporting?

I've yet to see reliable evidence that neutered toms *will* spray (i.e.
that some of them are incorrigible.) Even if the 10% figure is reliable
it's still a small percentage, which leads me to believe that some kind
of unchangeable predisposition is unlikely to be the root explanation.

One of the cats next door, an indoor/outdoor male who was neutered as a
kitten, has now begun to spray in the house. He's about 5 - 6 years old, &
hasn't exhibited this behavior before. I've seen him back up to things &
spray outside lately, too. (IOW - it's not just inappropriate peeing, it's
honest-to-goodness spraying.) So, I know it happens, but I bet the
percentage *is* quite small.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

From:

Anyway there is an ad in the paper for
blue point and flame point kittens with no
papers (doesn't really matter since they
are cheaper with no papers and the kitten
would be fixed anyway).

The kitten may be cheaper now, but considering it is from a backyard
breeder there are any number of health problems that could or have
already cropped up and could cost you a fortune. I would be very wary of
this and recommend you not buy this kitten. Please take your mom to your
local shelters. There are zillions of kittens to choose from and
zillions more being killed to make room for the new arrivals. I have no
doubt that your mother will find one that she likes and as an added
bonus she will be literally saving a life.

Great advice. I would definitely recommend adopting from your local shelter or
rescue facility. The ad definitely sounds like it's from a backyard breeder.
You could really be setting yourself up for heartbreak by buying a kitten from
this person, and it also encourages the BYB to keep selling.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From:

Anyway there is an ad in the paper for
blue point and flame point kittens with no
papers (doesn't really matter since they
are cheaper with no papers and the kitten
would be fixed anyway).

The kitten may be cheaper now, but considering it is from a backyard
breeder there are any number of health problems that could or have
already cropped up and could cost you a fortune. I would be very wary of
this and recommend you not buy this kitten. Please take your mom to your
local shelters. There are zillions of kittens to choose from and
zillions more being killed to make room for the new arrivals. I have no
doubt that your mother will find one that she likes and as an added
bonus she will be literally saving a life.

Great advice. I would definitely recommend adopting from your local shelter or
rescue facility. The ad definitely sounds like it's from a backyard breeder.
You could really be setting yourself up for heartbreak by buying a kitten from
this person, and it also encourages the BYB to keep selling.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

We have a 7 yr old male and a 5 yr old female. He is definitely more
comfortable/affectionate with people than she is. But I don't know if this
is because of his being a male or just his personality. Our female took a
really long time to really warm up to us. Both our babies are fixed and we
got both of them when they were still kittens. I've only ever had three cats
(2 females and 1 male) and the only cat out of all to spray was a female.

I would think that any cat would be more inclined to use the litter box if
it is kept clean. I scoop ours out daily and then every week I wash it out
with a toilet brush and very hot water in the bathtub. You could use very
diluted soap or cleaner, just nothing with ammonia or bleach. Something like
diluted 409 or dishsoap would be better if you want to use soap. Honestly
though I never do and we never have a smelly box.

"Laura" wrote in message
...
hi
I presently have 2 female fixed cats and 1 8-10 week old female kitten
whom
i rescused from a lady with at least 35 other cats and kittens. My mother
wanted a part persian or hym but she felt so sorry for the kitten we have
that she got her, and we are all happy for her. Well now she still wants
her part persian or hym kitten, or purebred, as long as it looks like a
persian or hym she doesn't really care. Anyway there is an ad in the
paper
for blue point and flame point kittens with no papers (doesn't really
matter
since they are cheaper with no papers and the kitten would be fixed
anyway).
Problem is they only have one kitten left and it is a male, my mom doesn't
really like males since she thinks most spray, since in the past we have
had
ones that sprayed and everyone my mom has known had males cat's that have
sprayed, while none of the females have. I personally could care less
which
sex the kitten is. My mom also wants a lovable kitten, I have heard that
males are supposed to be more lovable then females. I know my mother is
picky, but that's just the way she is, she annoys me with her pickiness
but
that's just her.

So basically I was wondering what are the odds that a male cat would
spray?
I don't think they would spray that much if the litter box was clean and
if
he did spray he would get checked by a vet and the accident would be
cleaned
up with an enzyme remove (none of the people we know with male cats that
spray have used one to clean up the accident, just normal soap and water,
or
febreeze maybe). Also are males more lovable?

thanks

We have a 7 yr old male and a 5 yr old female. He is definitely more
comfortable/affectionate with people than she is. But I don't know if this
is because of his being a male or just his personality. Our female took a
really long time to really warm up to us. Both our babies are fixed and we
got both of them when they were still kittens. I've only ever had three cats
(2 females and 1 male) and the only cat out of all to spray was a female.

I would think that any cat would be more inclined to use the litter box if
it is kept clean. I scoop ours out daily and then every week I wash it out
with a toilet brush and very hot water in the bathtub. You could use very
diluted soap or cleaner, just nothing with ammonia or bleach. Something like
diluted 409 or dishsoap would be better if you want to use soap. Honestly
though I never do and we never have a smelly box.

"Laura" wrote in message
...
hi
I presently have 2 female fixed cats and 1 8-10 week old female kitten
whom
i rescused from a lady with at least 35 other cats and kittens. My mother
wanted a part persian or hym but she felt so sorry for the kitten we have
that she got her, and we are all happy for her. Well now she still wants
her part persian or hym kitten, or purebred, as long as it looks like a
persian or hym she doesn't really care. Anyway there is an ad in the
paper
for blue point and flame point kittens with no papers (doesn't really
matter
since they are cheaper with no papers and the kitten would be fixed
anyway).
Problem is they only have one kitten left and it is a male, my mom doesn't
really like males since she thinks most spray, since in the past we have
had
ones that sprayed and everyone my mom has known had males cat's that have
sprayed, while none of the females have. I personally could care less
which
sex the kitten is. My mom also wants a lovable kitten, I have heard that
males are supposed to be more lovable then females. I know my mother is
picky, but that's just the way she is, she annoys me with her pickiness
but
that's just her.

So basically I was wondering what are the odds that a male cat would
spray?
I don't think they would spray that much if the litter box was clean and
if
he did spray he would get checked by a vet and the accident would be
cleaned
up with an enzyme remove (none of the people we know with male cats that
spray have used one to clean up the accident, just normal soap and water,
or
febreeze maybe). Also are males more lovable?

thanks