# Sailor Jerry updates and a few questions



## Comadreja144 (Dec 23, 2010)

So recently it looked like Sailor Jerry was getting sick or really beat up, I have been so worried - and to top it off he has been refusing to come inside. By the time I get home from work its dark out so I havent really gotten a good look (his face has been looking grungy/eyes watering relentlessly). The night before last he wanted to come in, it was freezing raining and sleeting out when I got home. I let him in and brought him into the bathroom (which was a work out in its self) then I attempted to clean his face with a warm dish cloth, wich was a giant fight. When I got it as clean as it was going to get, I realized that his eye gunk was getting all caught up in a bunch of scabs. He'd been in a pretty rough fight, little did I know that this wasnt the half of it though. I put on some antiseptic for pets - i got to keep cuts from infecting, keep it from itching/burning and keep him from licking. In a few hours he looked pretty right as rain. I was pleased! We decided to keep him in the house over night despite anything (Jerry's protests/the chance he'd go to the bathroom inside/the chance he'd fight with Tequila, my chihuahua) He cried a lot but he got through the night with out an accident. In the morning he went darting out the door as my fiancee took Tequila out. 
Last night he came home again and although his face looked great he was bleeding from his dew claw area and it was swollen. At first I was freaking, then I realized- wait.. thats the dew claw that _had been_ ripped out back when I first met him, it was bleeding a little but not as much as one would expect. We called an emergancy vet who had a tech who is a friend of my friend and she said to just put some styptic powder on it. So I pulled out my ferret first aid kit (its a just in case thing, it actually has stuff for the ferts and tequila in it these days lol) and got out my handy dandy styptic pencil and hes been fine ever since, until last night. Bare in mind I met him near bout half a year ago so its been a long time for it to suddenly open now.. Well, my best friend and her fiancee have the worst cat to bath. She loves them but will kill them to get out the bath! I figured they'd be the best people to help us give Jerry a bath. They came over and Jerry was suprisingly cooperitive, didn't bite/scratch anyone or even hiss/spit. He just looked really scared and cried pathetically, then when he got out laid their while we dried him and applied more of the antiseptic. The thing is, while in the bath we learned it wasn't just his face that was scratched/missing dewclaw area that was bleeding. He had some pretty nasy bites and cuts around his ear and behind his cheek. We slathered him all up and let him free into the living room. He cried by the door a lot, nibbled at his food, gave me a ton of "emo" looks and looks of hatred and then went to sleep. When we wrapped up the evening to go to sleep and my fiancee and I were settling into bed we hear Jerry start yeowling. It was an aweful noise (deep and ghostly sounding) and he did 3 long ones and then went to sleep. This morning, again no accidents! When I left for work my fiancee said that he would try to take him out on a leash (we have harnesses for Tequila that will fit Jerry, I told him good luck with that) So I guess well see how that goes. The reason for attempting to put him on lead this morning being, since we bathed him, were worried he'll go to use the bathroom and never come home.
I do have a few questions:

1) When he gets neutered, will he stop peeing standing straight up like hes marking his territory? (he will actually pee this way, its gross but ive witnessed it vs him spraying)

2) Is it a difficult process to litter train a stray/semi-feral? (Any of the ones ive been around all still go outside to go to the bathroom)

3) What is the best way to remove stenchs if he a) urinates in the house or b) sprays (do they still call it spraying? I said that word to someone in petco and they looked at me like I had 6 heads) in the house? (I heard the smell of male cat urine is more difficult to get out than other pets)


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

I have very limited knowledge of male cats, having only owned females. I do know that neutering will help with any spraying issues you may have, but I'm not sure if that will help get him to "sit" and urinate, rather than stand and spray it everywhere. I have no experience training any cat to use the litter box, but I have had to make many changes to my boxes and litter until I got it just right for my picky girls...you may have to make changes until you get it right for your semi-feral too.

I can however help you out a bit with question 3, because when Rochelle had her UTI, she went outside the litter box several times. Cat urine sucks, plain and simple...it smells terrible and it's an awful mess to clean up. _ If a cat can smell their urine, more than likely they will do it again in the same spot if it's not cleaned up properly._ Clothes and towels and small things are easy, and just need to be well washed. Carpet is a whole 'nother story. More than likely, the carpet will need to be pulled up a bit, and the underneath cleaned very well, because the urine can stay in the carpet pad, and that's just making it easy for the cat to mark the area again. I used a mixture of soap and water and a mixture of vinegar and diluted bleach for underneath and on the carpet itself, until all smell was gone. I then used Arm and Hammer for Pets, and sprayed with a No Mark! for cats spray once things were dry. I still continue to use the No Mark! once a week in the few areas that Rochelle did manage to mark, and there have been no more accidents.

Hope some of this helps, and I hope your Sailor man's injuries heal up soon and completely.


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## Emma32 (Jan 22, 2011)

With regards to your first question, it's hard to say. Any time I've encountered at cat that urinates standing up (minus one) there's been some sort of problem, be it arthritis or a UTI. Some cats do pee standing up though, and if they're house cats, the only solution I've read about is an enclosed litter box. I have one question though, when you've seen him urinate standing, is he standing with his backside close to something like a wall or fence? if so then he is spraying, not urinating - they do look very similar.

As for litter training, when is your cat usually inside/outside? It's easier to litter train a cat when they're inside more, or so I've found myself, others may have different opinions.


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