It is normal behaviour for cats to use urine marking as a means of
communication. However, this urine marking becomes inappropriate
when happens inside the house, or for inappropriate reasons such as
excessive anxiety or excitation.
What is spraying?
When a cat is spraying they will approach a vertical surface, turn
around and stand with straight legs, their tails up and sometimes
flicking from side to side. A small jet of urine will be sprayed
backwards onto the surface and the cat will move off. They often do
not scratch and do not squat.
Who Does it?
15% of desexed cats, both male and female, spray urine. Spraying and
marking behaviour can change when cats routines are interrupted,
such as springtime and increased sexual excitation, or increased
stress from moving house or where new cats have entered the
neighbourhood. Even for desexed cats, spring and summer are when
there is increased activity of other cats in the area, often leading
to increased anxiety.
Cats in multiple cat households are more likely to spray.
Why do they do it?
Urine contains pheromones, these are natural chemicals that are used
to communicate with other cats. The pheromones in urine are used to
express stress. They are usually sprayed to let other cats know that
they are on already controlled territory and to alert themselves
that they are in an area that is not secure or that they feel
stressed in.
You have probably also noticed your cat rubbing their face against
objects and yourself. There are facial glands that produce
pheromones that express happiness and well being. Cats like to mark
their environment this way because the facial pheromones make them
feel secure that they are in a familiar area where they feel happy
and safe.
Can this lead to other problems?
Yes. Excessive stress can precipitate disease such as Feline Lower
Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD), urine crystals, cystitis or
gastrointestinal upsets. Cats can also go off their food if
stressed.
The situations that cause stress can also be linked to problems,
such as bullying cats causing catfight abscesses or wandering cats
causing unwanted pregnancies.
What Can We Do About it?
There are several options to correct inappropriate urine spraying,
not all can be done by the vet!
Reducing stress at home is very
important. This may mean increasing the number of litter
trays if there are several cats. They need to be washed
with soapy water daily (after each use if possible).
Place the litter trays in quiet, relatively private
areas and try changing the type of litter, some cats
find different textures more inviting or comfortable.
Clean urine stained spots with
detergent and use a product that breaks down the
urine/stain rather than trying to mask the smell. Do NOT
use ammonia-based bleaches, as they will only increase
the amount of spraying! (the cats will try to cover the
foreign smell of ammonia with their own urine smell)!
Talk to new neighbours and let them
know if their cats are entering your yard or if they are
fighting with other cats. Bringing them inside at night
might be an easy solution!
Medication is available to reduce
anxiety, but this does not reduce the cause for the
stress. Most of the medications available do not cause
drowsiness. In most cases medication is only used in
conjunction with other measures and may not need to be
permanent.
Facial pheromones are available to
increase your cats ‘well-being’ feelings. They are quite
useful when moving to a new home or where providing a
secure, safe zone away from other cats is required.
