Cats don’t need high-tech devices to
communicate. In addition to
body language,
vocalizing,
scratching objects and
rubbing, they use urine to broadcast their intentions and emotions. Cat
spraying, which is one form of urine marking, is not hugely popular
with people, especially when done indoors.
It can be difficult to tell the difference between
cat peeing
and cat spraying because some cats stand instead of squat while
urinating. The smell and the amount of urine indicate whether it’s
urinating or a cat spraying behavior. Spray is highly pungent because it
contains pheromones. This unpleasant smell sometimes is the only
indicator that cats have sprayed in the house. One positive note is that
less urine is deposited when cats spray than when they urinate.
Kitties are sometimes caught in the act — backing up to a vertical surface, treading with the front paws, and quickly
twitching their tails while spraying. Simultaneously, they may close their eyes.
The reasons behind cat spraying
Cat
spraying is a form of communication: broadcasting availability and
emotions of the spraying cat. Photography by DavidTB / Shutterstock.
Urine is a powerful communication tool — cats can tell a great deal
about each other from it including age, sex, status and sexual
availability. Although adult cats of both genders, whole as well as
fixed, might spray under specific circumstances, intact ones are most
often guilty of the smelly behavior.
Whole males, as a rule, are prone to cat spraying behaviors.
Pheromones, released into the urine, advertise they’re ready, willing
and on the alert for girlfriends. Additionally, cat spraying broadcasts
clear messages to other male cats to stay away. Intact female cats
spray, too — the chemicals in their urine indicate where they are in
their cycle.
Spray from intact cats is more pungent than from those who are fixed.
The unpleasant smell is easier to detect from a distance — important
for advertising for a special friend.
What causes cat spraying in spayed and neutered cats
Although spayed and neutered cats aren’t looking to connect with
members of the opposite sex, they have other reasons to engage in cat
spraying including …
1. Marking boundaries
Cat spraying is the feline version of drawing lines in the sand and
putting up “no trespassing” signs. Kitties are territorial — the
far-reaching effects of the pungent urine lets other animals in the hood
know the extent of their stomping grounds.
2. Reacting to neighborhood cats
Inside cats sometimes spray around doors and windows when they see or
smell unfamiliar cats hanging out around their homes. They spray to
mark territories and because they can’t reach the intruders to chase
them away or engage with them. Often, the unwelcome visitors leave their
own calling cards, which the resident felines smell.
3. Recognizing their own scents
Cats sometimes will spray inside their territories so they can smell and recognize their own scents.
4. New objects and furniture
Some cats will spray new furniture or objects that are brought into their homes.
Insecurities and stress can trigger cat spraying. Some cats are more
sensitive than others, responding by marking to situations such as other
cats, household changes, owners
traveling,
illness, new household pets and even schedule changes.
6. Mingling scents
Some cats will spray their favorite people’s belongings in an effort
to mix scents together and create a bond. Another reason is for
security. Stressed, fearful cats will sometimes spray objects that smell
like their owners, helping the cats feel a little more secure.
7. Not adjusting to change
Some cats do not adjust well to household changes, including problems between the humans residents, a
new baby, schedule changes,
moving and remodeling.
8. Conflict resolution
Conflicts in multicat households can cause cat spraying. Stressed,
anxious and threatened felines will spray in order to communicate status
and territorial boundaries. In theory, the smelly behavior might keep
cats from fighting. Cats who engage in hostilities often are
scratched and
bitten. Settling wars through cat spraying is much safer.
How to stop cat spraying
The following tips and suggestions help stop cat spraying, and they also help stop the behavior before it begins:
1. Don’t punish cats
Never punish cats when they spray. Don’t yell, rub noses in the
urine, or hit them. Those responses will cause kitties to feel more
stressed and escalate behaviors. Sadly, it also breaks the bonds between
them and the punisher. Kitties aren’t being bad — they have good
reasons for marking. Instead, identify the causes for the behavior and
address them.
2. Use an enzyme cleaner
Thoroughly clean marked areas with an effective enzyme cleaner. It
might take a couple of applications until the smell is eliminated.
3. Change mental connections
Change your cat’s association with the targeted areas after the areas
have been cleaned with the enzyme cleaner. Do activities she enjoys
such as playing, petting and
clicker training on the areas. Placing toys and scratchers near them will also change how she relates to the sprayed spots.
4. Use synthetic pheromones
Using synthetic pheromones around the marked areas can help calm and relax your cat.
5. Close doors
Temporarily keep your kitty out of the rooms that are being sprayed.
6. Interaction
If your cat is spraying a family member’s belongings, encourage the person to feed, play, and interact with the kitty every day.
7. Address inter-cat issues
Increase the resources to reduce the competition in multi-cat
households. Provide more vertical territory, hiding places, scratchers,
and toys throughout your home. You might need to add feeding stations,
placing them a distance from each other. Make sure there are enough
clean litter boxes — one per cat, plus one, and place them in different
areas of your home. Sometimes separating warring cats from each other
and gradually reintroducing them will stop the squabbling and cat
spraying behaviors.
8. Discourage neighborhood cats
Keep neighborhood cats off your property by placing safe deterrents
around the outside perimeter of your home. Temporarily block your
kitty’s view of the unwelcome visitors by covering windows. After the
intruders stop visiting, uncover the windows.
9. Spay and neuter
Although all adult cats can spray, the chances of their marking are greatly reduced by
spaying and neutering. In addition to eliminating the reasons to mark, spaying and neutering also helps curtail hostilities.
10. Daily interaction
Help your cat feel more secure and less anxious by doing activities she enjoys every day, such as playing, treasure hunts and
clicker training.
11. Vet check
Before assuming your cat has a behavior challenge, have a
veterinarian examine her in order to rule out any possible medical
problems that could be causing her to spray.
Newly adopted kitties need to be separated from your resident felines
and gradually introduced. It might take a month or longer to introduce
them to each other with a minimum of stress.
Some final thoughts on cat spraying
Although cat spraying can happen with any cat, it is a behavior that
intact cats are more likely to engage in than those who are fixed. Once
the reasons for the smelly behavior are identified, you should be able
to stop it or at least reduce the occurrences by addressing the causes
and modifying the environment.
