When Your Cat Sprays....

Dog owners understand urine spraying for the purpose of territory marking. Outdoors, many male dogs will hike their leg on every tree or post within the yard. They're leaving their scent behind to say, "This is my space. Keep out." For indoor cat owners, this territory marking is more of a problem.

First, a cat's "spraying" urine is mixed with a particularly bad smelling ingredient meant to thoroughly cover any other cat's scent. It will do that and more! And, cats that spray are not satisfied with the yard. They will often claim the whole house, from the drapes to the sofa. The unpleasant scent can linger for a long time.

Spraying is primarily a male activity, although sometimes female cats will indulge in the act.Do not confuse spraying with not using the litter box. Being"out of the box" can indicate medical problems. Spraying is an intentional deposit of urine in a specific spot. The surest "cure" for this natural behavior is to have your pet neutered. Many cats that are neutered when they are young never spray. The majority of cats neutered when they are adults will stop spraying.

In some cases, however, even the best mannered neutered cat will spray. If this should happen in your home, you may want to take your pet to the veterinarian to make sure there's no medical problem. If you pet gets a clean bill of health and still sprays, do not punish your pet. It is a natural behavior and cannot be "corrected". The solution is to determine the cause of the spraying and remove it.

Indoor cats may spray when they see a strange cat outside. This is an aggressive, territorial response. In these cases, keep your cat away from windows and doors. Try restricting the view by pulling drapes or moving the furniture your pet uses as a perch away from the window.

Cats can also spray when they're feeling competitive with other pets. You can try keeping your pets separated by placing them in different rooms or even different floors of the house. Or, you can try to promote their friendship by playing with them together and lavishing affection on them at the same time.

You can also strengthen the bond between two cats by encouraging mutual grooming. Once or twice a week, use a wet towel to "wipe down" all your cats. After grooming themselves, they may begin grooming each other. Offering one bed and encouraging them to sleep together is another bond builder. Cats that are friends are less aggressive with one another.

In some rare cases, your pet will spray for no apparent reason. It could be a reaction to stress or a response to change. Try keeping your pet's routine stable. Once whatever was different has passed, your pet will most likely return to his usual habits … those that don't include urine marking of household items!

If you cat has sprayed inside your home, simple soap and water won’t completely remove the odor. There are several odor removal products made especially for this problem.(See your local Feeders Supply store for product suggestions.) It's important to remove the odor because once the cat sprays a particular area, the urge to do it again in the same place can be triggered by the scent.

Spraying is an unattractive aspect of cat ownership. However, once you understand its causes and if you try thinking like a cat, there are things you can do to help control the behavior.