Training The Cow Mau Not To Spray�.(but Can It Even Be Done?)

Plan A was to use the air filter. The filter is good, but it could not remove all the smells.

Plan B was to paint the room. That did not quite work too. I think the urine had already seeped into the walls (in places which I failed to spot, or failed to wipe off immediately).

Plan C was to tile the room, and that has helped a lot as wiping the Cow Mau’s spray spots is made easier now. Hopefully, it’s cleaner too for surely his urine cannot possibly seep INTO the tiles, right? The day the room was tiled, my son checked (he is the only one who can smell anything as he isn’t at home every day) and said, for once, there was “no more smell”!! 100% smell-free, he said. Hooray!

Plan C is now further reinforced by a Feliway diffuser too (thank you, Megaa). �Megaa said it might take a month or two for it to work, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the Cow Mau can be subdued by Feliway’s happy hormones.

Meanwhile, tiling has proved to be a great idea.

�I also have a new table with stainless steel legs now. The top is just laminated plywood, nothing fantastic. It’s the legs that are important.

We asked for a deeper (non-standard sized) table so that there is space for the cats to sleep on while I do my work.

This old mat is for Indy as he likes to sleep in the middle of the room so that I am within sight. It’s been cold lately, so the mat is good for them too.

�Here are the stainless steel legs of the table.

Cow Mau is sniffing at them. And yes, on the first day it arrived, he sprayed on one of the legs. But I managed to wipe it off quickly. The contractor had assured me that “should your cats make the legs rusty”, he will be able to change the legs for me. He said he could not “cat-proof” the legs. This is just ordinary stainless steel, he said. No worries, I understand.

�I’ve put boxes to block off the favourite spray spots.

�This deeper table is really good for the cats. Three cats can sleep on it at a time, with enough personal space. As you know, my cats are all alphas (except for Tiger). They won’t share their personal space with anyone.

Don’t worry, be happy?

Doesn’t he look innocent here?

This wooden door is Cow Mau’s biggest “victim”. He sprays on this poor door like nobody’s business. Sometimes, as much as ten times a day (am not exaggerating). There was once when I was at my table, and within 5 minutes, Cow sprayed five times on this door). So now I put a box in front of it, but he sprays a bit higher so it hits the door and streams down onto the floor. Or, he sprays onto the box. Cow Mau has a personal vendetta against this door, I guess.

Hmm…how to make him not do it? After all, he is a cat. A cat has to do what he has to do.

The water gun!

I resorted to using it, and Cow got water-shot for a few days whenever he got into position or even approached the vicinity of the box or the door. After a few days, hey…the spraying stopped. But I’m not celebrating yet…The water gun must be always available and always in good working order.

Maybe it’s the water-gun, or maybe the Feliway is working – I shall keep using both.

�The rest seemed ok. The shelf is popular again. It’s their apartments again and everyone shares.

�Mother and daughter (Pole/Cleo) have found their old spots again.

�The seniors are all comfortable.

It is only poor Tabs who seems to be always lost now. She tries to run out of the room whenever we open the grille as Bunny has targeted her as his victim. Bunny picks a fight with Tabs as and when he feels like bullying someone. After all, who else can he bully?

Cow bullies Bunny, so Bunny cannot bully Cow.

The mother-and-daughter pair (Pole/Cleo) is so fierce even we are afraid of them.

Indy is kind of left alone because Indy is…”a little weird”. I heard black-and-white cats are “a little weird”.

In a way, Tiger cannot be bullied because he doesn’t react to anything. He just closes his eyes and “Gandhi-s” you away. What fun is bullying such a person, right? For all your know, in cat language, Tiger says: An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. I come in peace and mean you no harm. May all beings be well and happy. So, who would want to keep hearing that, right? �It’s just no fun.

Who does that leave? Poor little Tabs. I guess Bunny finds it “fun” to bully her because she reacts. She is afraid and she runs.

Lesson to be learnt: When people irritate you, do not react. (excerpts from Tiger Wisdom)

Poor little Tabs.

There is always this pattern with my senior cats. They don’t mind the presence of kittens, but the moment you are “old enough” to be a threat to them, they chase you out. Bunny is doing that to Tabs now, and if Tabs were not confined, she might have run away from home or migrated out to be a community cat. I guess our role now is to find Tabs her own space in Bunny’s Place. We know the penthouse on top of the condo is still hers, so that’s still good.

�Dear old Indy. He’s happy anywhere, as long as he is near me.

And how are things outside?

Ginger’s favourite place.

Rosie’s.

Another new kid on the block? I think this cat is from Mr G’s house. I caught Ginger and this new cat “quarreling” on the wall.

The Bunnyphant is his Jabba-the-Hut pose! Look at that cute little face…but this cute little face is a big bully.

�My box (plus water-gun) trick seems to be working well…and it doubles up as a sentry post as well.

Even sentries need their rest, sometimes.

Oh, it’s not resting, it’s guarding the water-gun.

�This sentry guards me.

Sentry duty can be in various positions.
Observe how tail wraps around laptop to ensure no one steals laptop?

Source: http://myanimalcare.org/2012/11/18/training-the-cow-mau-not-to-spray-but-can-it-even-be-done/

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