I had a male cat (neutered at 3 months) who started spraying in the house when he was about 5 after we adopted a female stray. He was otherwise neutral with her. He would mark certain things, corners of furniture, even my husband's briefcase (!!!). My best research indicated it was territorial stress and the cat was saying "this is mine!" I sprayed Feliway on those areas and others like them that he might use and it worked.

Feliway has zero effect on my cats.

@Bunny @sas95 Did you use Spray or Diffuser. Vet recommended diffuser. Bunny it sounds like you used spray for specific spots which was successful. That wont work for us, he is just all over stressed but no marking, thank goodness, just literally licking all his hair off. He is becoming quite unattractive LOL

i used both spray and diffuser. The diffuser had zero effect but the spray worked. This was over 16 years ago so perhaps their diffusers have improved.

Volunteer at feline rescue/shelter; it seems to work well for some cats, and not at all for others. Worth a trial.

I have used the spray. Our house is too large/open for the diffusers to have any effect. My vet said what mdln said... that it works for some cats but not for all.

I've tried the spray and plug-ins in a couple of different environments (small, enclosed room / big, open space) and cannot tell that either effectively changed the behavior of my little stinkers when there was an issue.

It sounds like it is worth a shot, personally I am pretty dubious. I feel so sad for my gentle giant. I would love to see him more at ease.

If any one has any other ideas, please share

I'd try Feliway before Prozac. It works for some cats but not for any that I've had. Do keep an eye on the dispenser. I always worry about plug-ins being a fire hazzard.

I'd really concentrate on changing the physical space to provide snug hideouts. Keep a bedroom closet propped open (don't want kitty to accidently get trapped!) and provide nesting options inside. Some cats feel safer off the ground and some want to burrow.

The favorite spot for one of my girls is in a closet with a heavy pocket door that I leave partially open. The princess naps on a stack of Elfa drawers that has an old cashmere sweater on top.

My cat liked to sleep in the plastic carrier. It is the Petmate with the solid bottom. The top half had a lot of small openings and the door was wire. He didn't like it when I would get it out, but if I left it off to the side with the door open, he would crawl in to sleep. He has a pet bed in it so it was soft. He could see out, but felt like no one could see him and no one could get at him since he would face the door.

Maybe yours would feel safe if you did that, even if you just fixed a box with a favorite blanket.

Similar to this:

https://www.chewy.com/petmate-vari-dog-cat-kennel/dp/101582

ETA: Actually it was big enough for him to stand up in and he weighed 16 lbs.

We tried for Sunshine. She’s a grumpy one 🥰. It didn’t work. But, throwing this out there in case you’d consider it. We bought probiotics for cats for her for a different reason, and I think her maniacal cleaning of herself has lessened. I don’t know if it’s that. But it happened after we started.

Grain free diet too is good

I agree the Feliway is certainly worth a try, but if it doesn't work, I don't think you should hesitate with the Prozac. Our DD, who is a veterinarian, used it on two of her cats when she moved in with her husband, who is also a veterinarian. Between them, they were co-mingling five cats and two dogs. Only two cats still had difficulty after the normal adjustment period. She used Prozac with those two for a few months (I think) and they were forever fine after that.

That’s what I was thinking - maybe the Prozac for just a little while until he settles in. I have a big ol’ boy who is also a very passive softie. So far nothing has pushed him over the edge other than one overly aggressive cat I adopted to be his buddy. That cat returned to the shelter after a two week trial and life returned to normal. I’m so sorry your big guy is upset. If it were me I’d try the Prozac to help him find comfort during this transition. Medication isn’t bad - it helps both us humans and our pets when used properly.

We got a kitten and my then very playful first cat was not happy and became very stressed and this continued for a year until the vet suggested Feliway. We used the plug in and near where she spent the most of her time and it helped for her. She got over her jumpiness with the other cat and although they are not best friends she went back to playing and started engaging with the younger cat too to play. So for us it worked and we noticed a difference clearly after a month of use. We continued to use it for about two years and now we’ve been without for a year.

on a note she has also woken me up when I had a low blood sugar by stepping on top of me and pushing on me until I woke up. My Dexcom failed to alarm even though it read “low”. She has never gotten on top of me at night as she prefers to sleep next to me. So they sure can sense something is wrong.

I absolutely learn something everyday from this board!

Thanks all, for the responses. We are going to try the Feliway, but if we see no improvement after 6 months we will try to Prozac.

He should have enough getaway space; we knew we were downsizing with 2 cats and 2 dogs so we carved out cat space. From our great room, there is a tunnel under the staircase that goes to our mechanical room. They have this space it is warm and cozy. This space also has a backstory tunnel into out master suite. Also the dogs do not, generally, go up stairs so the cats have my office and ds2’s bedroom. I think I will purchase one of those wool cat caves though as a bonus space too though.

i do have pet CBD that I bought when I needed to remove porcupine quills from dog(which is another whole story). So maybe I can try that too.

Feliway can work for some cats, but I'd ask the vet about trying Trazodone now, which is very safe and is being used more and more in cats (and dogs) for anxiety. It works for fear and anxiety during vet visits, thunderstorms, etc. One of our cats who hated being groomed will stretch out, doze and purr through having mats cut from armpits and tummy, etc. It's good stuff. I don't think there's any reason to wait months to give the cat some comfort and relief if it works; sometimes it's better to address anxiety more quickly before the pattern gets too set.

@ debrak6, in felines, would try fluoxetine/Prozac first, as it is not as sedating as trazadone can be. "Cats are not little dogs."

Localeater - I thought I was the only one with a bald cat.

One of our has no hair on the inside of his hind legs, lower belly, inside of one front leg, and a spot on the outside of the leg.

First, we thought it was allergies and we switched to a limited ingredient food but that didn't make a difference.

The vet and I discussed and think it is probably stress. I have had the Feliway diffuser plugged in for about 10 days now and I think it might make a slight differens. Their website says it can take up to 30 days to see an effect.

Unforrtunately, he is very mistrusting of me now because I have given him pills and a liquid med and I have a hard time cactching him to administer the one thing that seems to help. It is not treating the stress but the symptoms
Itch support

I just ordered Crabapple Bach Flower Remedy. The drops can be added to the water or rubbed on the ear tips or paws.

Pet chart

Bach Rescue Remedy is great for stress and anxiety and you can mix Remedies to make your own cocktail.

Oh glasberl it is nice to hear from someone else with a bald kitty. My guy has pretty much the same bald areas. Thanks for sharing the Bach Rescue Remedies info, I didnt know they had pet remedies. I am a big fan of them.

We had to go the Prozac route with our Gabby Mayhem, she had some kind of anxiety with peeing, to the point that she was holding it (then it would concentrate) and then it would hurt when she went. So then the litter box (in her mind) was the devil making it hurt, so she'd find other creative places to try to pee comfortably. We were at our wit's end and finally tried the drugs, and it had an almost immediate effect. We kept her on it for a couple of months, and then she kinda told us she was done and didn't need it anymore. She started acting more and more lethargic, so we knew it was time, she had just lost some of her Gabby-ness. We weaned her off, and she's doing great! If you do end up going that route, ignore all the info saying you can't mask it and have to give it by pilling them. I got a small stainless mortar & pestle and would grind it to a powder, and mix it in Almo nature tuna and sardines, and she ate every bit, no problem. (Regular canned tuna in water worked too.) We tried the feliway collars and they didn't work.

ch47gunnergirl I am glad Gabby is better now. Our little kitties can make us worry so, cant they?

We tried feliway and it may have reduced some territorially between adult cats but for my anxious cat Prozac made a big difference.