Cat Lovers Digest

Anytime your cat backs himself up to a door or other object in your house, lifts his tail, and releases urine – you have a problem. This problem is known as spraying, and is very common with intact cats kept indoors. Even though it is a very annoying problem, it’s a problem that can be solved.

Contrary to what many think, spraying isn’t a litter box problem, but rather a problem with marking. Cat urine that is sprayed contains pheromones, which is a substance that cats and other animals use for communicating. Pheromones are much like fingerprints with humans, as they are used to identify the cat to other animals.

When a cat sprays something, he is simply marking his territory through his urine. The spraying is simply the cat’s way of letting others know that the territory is his. Even though it may make you mad and annoys you, getting angry with your cat will solve nothing. If you raise your voice or show anger towards your cat, it can very well result in more spraying. The cat can become anxious around you, and that will result in other behavior issues.

Cats that are in heat are easily attracted to the odor of urine. For cats in heat, spraying is more or less an invitation for love. Sometimes cats that spray while in heat, and have access to other cats, will produce a litter of kittens in just a few short months. Keep in mind that cats not only spray during heat, as some will also spray during encounters with other cats, or when they are feeling stressed.

Although spraying is a way of communicating for cats, the smell for people is horrible. If you have an indoor cat that never goes outside, spraying can indeed be a problem. If you’ve noticed spraying in your home, you should take action and do something about it immediately.

The most effective and also the easiest way to stop spraying is to have your cat neutered or spayed. Most male cats that have been neutered will stop spraying the same day they have the surgery. If your cat is already neutered, then you need to look for other causes of the spraying. Have you recently brought a new cat into the house? Is there a cat walking outside that your cat sees but can’t get to? You’ll need to remediate any territorial issues between housemates or discourage the presence of outdoor cats.

Encourage other forms of marking, such as bunting (facial marking) and scratch marking. To encourage scratch marking, place scratching posts in areas where the urine marking is occurring. To encourage facial marking, spray Feliway, a synthetic analog of the feline facial pheromone, directly on places soiled by the cat, as well as other important locations in the environment.

The best thing to do in this situation is to talk to your veterinarian. He will be able to give you advice and treatment options. There may be a medical problem present that is causing the problem, which your vet can identify. You should always do something about spraying the moment it starts – simply because cat urine stinks and it can leave stains all over your home.

Clean affected areas thoroughly with an oxidizing cleanser. You want to be sure to remove all the ammonia from the area to keep the bacteria from growing.