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Tip
47 - Cat marking by spraying and urination
The
phenomenon of cats marking their territory, especially indoors,
produces anxiety for many cat owners. The very first thing to
know is that cats are not malicious or sneaky; They don't
go around marking objects by spraying to irritate you. Long
before we took cats into our homes, they developed behaviour
patterns that helped them survive and reproduce in the wild.
These behaviour patterns which include marking or spraying through
urination are 100% natural and are in the genes of every domestic/wild
cat. Cats spray and mark territory as a way of communication
and declaring ownership. Unfortunately for the cat, these types
of problems are disliked by many cat owners, and all too often
they lead to their abandonment. Usually adjustments in the
home can solve the problem.
Is
the cat spraying or urinating - What's going on
When
cats urinate as a means of elimination, they normally do it on
a horizontal or flat surface like the ground or in a litterbox.
When cats spray in order to mark their territory, they turn their
backsides to the object, twitch their tails and spray urine on
the vertical surface, usually at another cat's nose level. They
are telling other cats that this territory belongs to them. They
might also be telling other cats that they are ready to mate.
Non
spayed/neutered cats, especially males are the heaviest sprayers
which is in itself a great reason to have kittens spayed/neutered
at 6 months. Spraying behaviour rarely occurs if the kitten was
neutered/spayed before sexual maturity. However there is no absolute
guarantee, marking behaviours can appear in any cat regardless
of whether or not it was spayed or neutered. This often occurs
when potential stresses i.e. (new cat, new house, new house member
etc.) present themselves.
Dealing
with the behavioral reasons for territorial spraying require
the examination of the individual cat's pattern. Is the cat spraying
near the drapes or around a window area? This could indicate
that it sees another cat through the window or even that another
cat has come onto the porch and given a spray of its own.Your
cat may retaliate naturally by spraying near the door or window
to tell foreign cats who's turf this really is. In this case,
maybe temporarily blocking access to the offending window is
the way to go.
Urinating
on the rug, floor, in a tub etc. are not usually territory markers,
they are signs of inappropriate elimination, that is urinating
where the cat is not supposed to. The first thing to rule out
is any type of urinary or bladder infection which may have formed
due to crystals in the cat's urine. This is a very common reason
cats urinate in strange places. Straining and making strange/painful
sounds while urinating is common to this problem and a good indicator
that it is time to see a veterinarian today.
Once
you have ruled out medical problems, urinating in strange places
is also often due to litterbox problems. Cats like a really clean
box with litter scooped daily and changed completely once a week.
They like private quiet areas for their litter boxes. They also
like an extra litterbox in a different area. (if 2 cats, 3 or
more litter boxes) Some cats have certain preferences when it
comes to the type of litter. Have you changed the brand of litter
lately, have you moved the location of the litterbox, has another
pet recently been introduced?
Once
you figure out WHY the cat is spraying or urinating in a strange
place only then can you deal with the problem. It should be noted
that there are commercial sprays that can help some cats stop
from spraying. Before using the spray, you should have figured
out why the cat sprayed where it did.
© Pets.ca
2006
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