Jaffa sprayed the wardrobe this morning during an altercation with Mosi. He's never done it before. He's always coped very well with Mosi - he'll hiss and swipe at him if Mosi pushes his luck and sometimes he seems to enjoy a bit of rough and tumble with him. He's always remained his happy little self and even after any incident if I go up to him he's happy with his tail held high and a purr on the tip of his tongue. I didn't see it happen but am 99% sure it was Jaffa as I came into the bedroom from the bathroom and Jaffa was standing with his back to the wardrobe and Mosi was facing him. They both moved away and I noticed a wet patch on the carpet, then I noticed it trickling down the wardrobe door! I've wiped it and drenched it with simple solution - will that be sufficient? If there's any lingering smell will he be attracted back to the same spot or does that not apply to spraying?
I'm now in a bit of a quandry about what to do. He doesn't seem stressed - just marking his territory against another dominant cat - but how can I stop it? Will feliway/rescue remedy help since it's not really a result of being stressed (like inappropriate peeing). I normally have a feliway diffuser in the lounge but it's ran out, and there's not a suitable plug in the bedroom for one.
Any suggestions on how I handle this? Could it be just a one off or is he likely to do this again now that he's started? Or heaven forbid they both do it?! I say it's the first time, but a few months ago Jaffa weed in a large ikea carrier bag. It was definitely weeing and not spraying on that occasion and I think Mosi was in the litter tray at the time so I assumed he was just caught short and reckoned a large plastic bag was a bit like a litter tray!
For those who don't know his background - Jaffa is almost 10 years old. Lived with his brother until age 8 when brother died. I got Mosi 6 months later in April 2006 as a 3 month old kitten. Both are dominant cats and both are neutered. Both are indoor cats. Mosi is now 16 months but not fully grown as he's a somali and they mature slower than moggies. Both are large cats but Jaffa has the edge and is also heavier than Mosi. Mosi challenges Jaffa a lot by pouncing on him. Jaffa responds by either wrestling with Mosi (and usually wins) or by hissing. Sometimes it's clearly play and Jaffa seems to enjoy it too, at other times it's obviously Mosi challenging Jaffa. Jaffa doesn't seem stressed by Mosi in general and is fine with him being around, but when Mosi challenges Jaffa and jumps on top of him he gets fed up and will often hiss at him. They've actually been getting on really well the past few days which is why the spraying this morning came as a bit of a shock.
