How do I stop my cat from Spraying?
That erect tail, quivering bottom and staring look in his eyes is a definite give away – your normally well-trained cat has started spraying. There are a number of reasons why a cat ‘sprays’ indoors as opposed to normal urinating in an acceptable place such as your garden or a litter tray.
*Firstly, male cats or toms reach sexual maturity at about the age of 6 or 7 months and will begin to mark their territory and become quite vocal about this time if they are not neutered. Neutering of males is always recommended and it is recommended at the early age of 5 – 6 months before this behaviour is established.
*A cat who has normally been clean and suddenly starts spraying usually does it as a result of some form of anxiety. There will be some disruption to its territory (whether male or female).
*The most common problem is a new cat in the neighbourhood who has possibly even entered through the cat flap and helped itself to your horrified pet’s food. This sets up a stress cycle of spraying indoors to mark the final space your cat may feel it has left.
*Try to deter any intruders in your home, even if they appear harmless and friendly. Water pistols work well here or a loud noise as soon as they enter your home.
*Magnetic cat flaps also work well, but clients always make me laugh with stories of their cat bringing in teaspoons or rusty nails hanging off the magnets on their collars. One young cat was even temporarily stuck to the fridge by its collar when it was younger!
*Other anxieties that your cat would feel would be the introduction of a new baby or animal to your home, new furniture or the British love of DIY and renovations - all very stressful to your family pet.
*Other reasons for sudden indoor urinating could be medical rather than psychological, such as bladder stones or crystals causing your cat to urinate much more frequently indoors.
*A bladder infection or cystitis can be differentiated from anxiety related urinating by the way your cat squats when it has a cystitis and strains to pass small amounts all around the house and very often there is blood present. This requires treatment by your vet with antibiotics and sometimes a dietary change if it persists in your cat.
*There is an excellent product on the market called Feliway. It is a natural substance that you spray onto the areas in your home where your cat urinates or it comes in a diffuser that you plug into the wall and change once a month. It mimics a cat’s natural facial pheromones that basically make your cat happy and calm (a bit like catnip). You need to spray it directly onto areas used by your spraying cat, as well as on prominent objects that it uses to mark the boundaries of its territory for 30 days.
*Do not use the spray when the cat is in the room. I have seen it working very well in certain situations. I was so impressed to see the diffuser plugged into the wall at one of the surgeries I locum at to keep the hospitalised cats calm and they certainly always look very content at that hospital, even with their legs bandaged or drips set up.
*Some vets like to use a hormone preparation called Ovarid to control a cat’s behaviour. I personally do not use this as its side-effects outweigh the benefits. Your cat could be at risk of developing diabetes which is a far greater problem than a spraying cat.
*Be aware of an indoor cat that has just recovered from a bout of cystitis. It is a very painful condition and sometimes a cat may associate the pain with the litter tray and stop using it. If your cat chooses just one spot to urinate on, cover this area in aluminium foil shiny side up. A cat that sprays against this will never use that spot again.
*Never use an ammonia based product to clean an area that your cat has urinated on, use water and surgical spirit. Urine is composed of ammonia and your cat will try to cover it up with yet more of its urine.
*Never punish a cat for urine marking or scratching as this will only increase their stress levels.
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