Cat Spray/Marking Territory

You could kill the cat.

Am I correct in saying that you're the new owner/custodian? New furniture litter box.../new foods...new water bowl. What you may be seeing is not spraying as females don't spray, (I don't think). It may be inappropriate urination. You did write 'she'..or was that a typo? That spraying behavior is more often than not a trait of a male cat. Others who are more expert than I can comment more on that.

I had 2 cats (m & F) who were 19 and 17 passed on last yr). After many years of observing cats, I've only seen that "spraying" as a male trait but it's possible your female may have some urinary problem or some behavioral issues?

Dietary and Behavior Issues:
Are you feeding the cat different food/foods in a different bowl than she is used to? This can cause inappropriate urination problems. Diary is often suspect..or tuna and/or other fish can cause inappropriate urinating. A Vet can and SHOULD clarify this with testing.

Litter box issues also can cause this. A change of familiar litter box, improper cleaning of litter box...moving the litter box can cause behavioral issues. Also environmental changes (new owners/custodian) and/or change to new furniture. I'm afraid that there's no easy solution here to this issue. I'd get the vet to rule urinary problems first, though.

Also, did you ask the previous owner if they had the same sort of problem with this cat? Why did they give up on the cat? Perhaps the cat did this before, too?

My answer was more succinct and definitely more effective.

I'd get the vet to rule OUT urinary problems first, though.

Looking for the Gustav spray

Although I've thought about it...I won't be killing the cat. ;(

She is definitely not just peeing in the wrong place. I've caught her and she is spraying to mark her territory just like the males usually do.
I don't know why the family left her, but we figured they would. The male of the house was not good to her. But it has been 4 years and I'd hoped any spraying due to changes would've been settled by now. I'll just keep checking back here to see if anyone has any other ideas. Thanks.

You can just ignore my responses in the future, CTwildheart. Everyone else here has learned to do that.

big question: has this cat been neutered/spayed? Sometimes, a remote possibility can be that the operation might have been botched and there are still some ovaries left in there. I've heard of that happening.

Oh..somehow I thought this behavior was more recent from you're description.

I'll post some links that can help shed more light. However, I'd still bring the cat in for testing.

He's a good guy so this is Gustav's own special way of saying hello.

[Edit]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/31052/how_to_break_your_cats_spraying_habit.html

House cats are wonderful creatures. They love to play, they catch mice and other rodents, and they make cuddly companions. Since they can't speak verbally, cats communicate in other ways. They purr when they're content, hiss when they're upset, and they also have a tendency to spray urine for a number of reasons. If this is a problem in your house, then you need to know how to break your cat's spraying habit.

The first step in this process is to make sure your cat actually has a spraying habit. That is, are you sure your male or female cat is actually spraying? Or, does he or she simply miss the litter box? Are you finding pools of cat urine on the floor? This isn't a sign of spraying either. Normally, cats that have a habit of spraying will back up to doors, windows, walls, and furniture, et cetera. You'll find squirts of urine about a foot or so up from the floor.

The second step to break your cat's spraying habit, is to find the cause of the problem. It's a common fallacy that only male cats "mark their territory" by spraying urine. While it's true that male cats spray urine during the mating season, they do it at other times too. Female cats also spray urine to arouse the interest of a tomcat. And, they spray for other reasons as well.

However, research shows that cats who are spayed or neutered are less likely to spray than cats who aren't. If your house cats aren't "de-sexed", talk to your veterinarian about performing the surgery. Not only can it break their spraying habit, but it will help keep the problem of overpopulation down.

Ideally, all cats should be spayed or neutered by the time they reach six months of age. However, they can still be "fixed" when they are older than that. "

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[Edited for brevity]

I've never found a way to stop it once it begins. One of our former housecats started it over a year ago. She is now an outside cat.

related question.. I have a new rescued cat and I'd like to have him declawed but he's almost 2 and the people at the shelter said he was too old. Is that factual? I know these rescue people sometimes lean towards the extreme.

cat declawing
OH MY GOSH!!!! Please do NOT declaw the cat! It is a horrible painful practice! It is not like ripping off a nail (which also hurts!), it is more akin to taking off the entire top third of our finger (nail down to first joint). There is no medical reason to have a cat declawed.
If you're concerned about the cat scratching furniture...get a good scratching post now. They also have cat sheaths that will go over their claws and stay there until they grow out. Then you must have more to replace the ones lost, but it is a much more humane way to deal with the problem. Squirting them with a water bottle when they scratch in the "wrong" place may also help deter the cat.
www.softpaws.com/
As for the age, just like getting a newborns ears pierced, it's "better" when they're young because they don't (supposedly) remember the pain. By the time they're older it will "hurt" more. I believe that is why they told you 2 years is too old. But you can get a cat neutered/spayed at any age, so I don't think the age means anything.
Again, please...don't declaw. If you're unsure about it, do more online research and/or talk with your vet.
www.declawing.com/