Cat experts, help w/ your opinions:

[elehhhhna]

He's gorgeous. Snowshoe siamese. Feral but found at four weeks (one pound!). After 3 attempts at neutering, the final op about 6 months ago, he still pees all 'round the downstairs area -- not spraying, it's pee -- on a regular basis. He hates us all but for mur 11 y/o daughter -- he suckson her throat and nuzzles her each a.m. & p.m. for about 5 minutes or so and that's the extent of his interest.

I suspect he still isn't successfully neutered or something. At first it was undecended so he was half-neutered, next op to go digging for it, third attempt (reportedly successful) by a specialist with a special instrument.

We have 2 fixed cats, m & f, bothe older than him, and a labby. They're all pals and he avoids them, except for occasional playfights w/ the male cat, Ricky.

He's 18 months old now and his fighting is getting really aggressive. I think he & Ricky are drawing blood. What now? We've tried really hard w/ this guy but I'm afraid he may have to retire to a no-kill shelter.

Thanks

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Sometimes you can't get the feral out. I've had some who are just born "wild" and

they always lived outdoors and avoided the family at all costs. (And these were born to very tame Mamas, so I suspect some sort of a genetic throw-back.)

[elehhhhna]

2. I fear sending him outdoors would cause his untimely demise

which could easily be noticed by my daughters. Is 18 months some sort of hormonal threshold he's crossing? He's mister naghty lately.

[Haole Girl]

3. I've never had a cat I couldn't tame...

or litter box train with: 1. A litter box for each cat, 2. Lots of love and attention, 3. Letting the cats establish superiority on their own (do not break up cat fights).

If things do get really bad, behavioral-wise, I've used "time outs" in the guest bathroom with the lights off (but just for a minute.....a minute to a cat seems like an hour!). And I did that only VERY rarely.

Positive reinforcement works, well, too. Reward your cats with treats when they do behave! :-)

Good luck. Remember, the key to successful litter box training is to be vigilant about keep the litter box clean and to have one litter box per cat.

Good luck! :hi:

[elehhhhna]

4. okay, we can add a litter box (god knows where)

and we don't break up the fights (one today was out of hand, though, imo, so I hollered & clapped. They stopped.)

lemme sleep on where the third box might go. geez.

Thanks. That's a hopeful answer.

[huskerlaw]

5. I second the suggestion of another litter box

Is there any way you could put it near where he's been peeing? Also, get Nature's Remedy (available at pet stores) to clean up after him. It seems like cats can still smell things that have been cleaned with regular products and if he can smell the pee, he'll keep peeing there.

I have also used "time-outs" with my cats. Not for long periods, but they sometimes worked.

One last suggestion: take him to the vet to make sure he doesn't have a bladder infection or UTI. I've often heard that's a common cause when cats pee in random places.

Good luck!

[TML]

6. A spray bottle?

I have a ten-year-old male and two nearly two-year-old females. All fixed. They all get along because I give extra attention to the older cat, but I also use a spray bottle filled with water to discipline bad behavior.

Or at least I did. I ditched the bottle almost a year ago and haven't needed it since. We all get along fine now. :-)