Did you ever notice that rude behavior your cat has been doing? During the first few months after my daughter's cat, Miming, came to live with us, a new male stray came every morning. Soon, he decided to come live with us too. And for that few months thereafter, I was having fits almost all the time.
The cat never seems to tire of annoying me by depositing small amounts of urine, from our mailbox, to my daughter's swing set, car hood, on my furniture, on my porch, on kitchen counters, on doorways and even window panes! It drove me nuts; I kept on following her with a Lysol on one hand and alcohol on the other. It was being O.C., I know. But it just wouldn't stop.
Is this a litter box problem? My veterinarian disagreed. The doctor informed me that this act is called Feline Spraying or Cat Spraying. It is when a cat is seen backing into an area, with tail high and quivering and a little crouching, as it SPRAYS its urine.
Apparently, urine spraying is a communication system for cats. My tom (male cat) started spraying when he reached sexual maturity, and this occurs between 5 months to a year old. This is his way of marking his territory and letting other cats know that my house, this area, this particular boundary is owned by him. Talk about being possessive, huh?
Sometimes though, my veterinarian pointed out, that cat spraying may be due to stress. He may have felt some threat that he needed to mark his territory around my place. Additionally, the spraying could have also been done by Miming, my daughter's female cat. Cat spraying is common to unneutered males. However, female felines can also do cat spraying if they are in heat and they want to let the male cats know that they are.
I was determined to stop this behavior, despite the fact that this may be a natural occurrence in homes with cats. Since I do my living, baking and catering, it is my utmost rule to keep the house, particularly my kitchen, clean and tidy. Does this mean I should give up taking care of kitties?
Fortunately for my little girl, the veterinarian said it's not necessary. The easiest way to deal with the problem is to consider having "Tom" neutered or spayed, which I did. Statistics showed that at least 90% of neutered male cats stopped spraying after the process, 78% of which stopped immediately and 9% stopped in a few months. There were about 13% that did not stop spraying even after being neutered. If this procedure didn't work for my Tom, the doctor suggested giving him anti-anxiety drugs. So, I have learned that felines can suffer from undue stress and that can cause this urine spraying.
Did you know that Clomicalm and Valium are some drugs being administered by vets to address cat spraying problems? However, as with people, these uppers have certain effects on our pets. Some cat owners reported a change of behavior of their cats on anxiety medication.
Another alternative suggested is the use of diffusers and sprays. These new pheromone products (e.g. Feliway) offers us cat owners the chance to help our cats manage cat spraying. By spraying 'friendly' pheromone in places where Tom sprays, which lets the cat know that cat spraying is not allowed in this area. Additionally, the product is available in plug in diffusers which could work best for felines doing cat spraying around the house.
As this cat spraying may be due to stress, it is important to reassure Tom that there is no need to be anxious, and no need to feel threatened.
Did you know that problems in the household and human stress can also affect cats and cause them stress? Just like children, our cats need special attention and a bit of shelter from the stress we grown-ups are so accustomed to. Reducing these in our homes could significantly help in stopping our cats from spraying.
More so, cleaning the areas where our cats have sprayed proves to be not just an O.C. practice, but a good O.C. one. This helps in removing the odor and communicating to Tom that urinating in these areas are a big No-No. To effectively wash the areas clean, it is advisable to use a laundry detergent and mixing white vinegar and water, spraying a little onto the surfaces to remove any unwanted smell.
If your cat should continue spraying despite being spayed or after following the above suggestions, it is best to consult a cat behavior analyst. Your veterinarian may be able to recommend a good one in your area and help your cat get over cat spraying.
The cat never seems to tire of annoying me by depositing small amounts of urine, from our mailbox, to my daughter's swing set, car hood, on my furniture, on my porch, on kitchen counters, on doorways and even window panes! It drove me nuts; I kept on following her with a Lysol on one hand and alcohol on the other. It was being O.C., I know. But it just wouldn't stop.
Is this a litter box problem? My veterinarian disagreed. The doctor informed me that this act is called Feline Spraying or Cat Spraying. It is when a cat is seen backing into an area, with tail high and quivering and a little crouching, as it SPRAYS its urine.
Apparently, urine spraying is a communication system for cats. My tom (male cat) started spraying when he reached sexual maturity, and this occurs between 5 months to a year old. This is his way of marking his territory and letting other cats know that my house, this area, this particular boundary is owned by him. Talk about being possessive, huh?
Sometimes though, my veterinarian pointed out, that cat spraying may be due to stress. He may have felt some threat that he needed to mark his territory around my place. Additionally, the spraying could have also been done by Miming, my daughter's female cat. Cat spraying is common to unneutered males. However, female felines can also do cat spraying if they are in heat and they want to let the male cats know that they are.
I was determined to stop this behavior, despite the fact that this may be a natural occurrence in homes with cats. Since I do my living, baking and catering, it is my utmost rule to keep the house, particularly my kitchen, clean and tidy. Does this mean I should give up taking care of kitties?
Fortunately for my little girl, the veterinarian said it's not necessary. The easiest way to deal with the problem is to consider having "Tom" neutered or spayed, which I did. Statistics showed that at least 90% of neutered male cats stopped spraying after the process, 78% of which stopped immediately and 9% stopped in a few months. There were about 13% that did not stop spraying even after being neutered. If this procedure didn't work for my Tom, the doctor suggested giving him anti-anxiety drugs. So, I have learned that felines can suffer from undue stress and that can cause this urine spraying.
Did you know that Clomicalm and Valium are some drugs being administered by vets to address cat spraying problems? However, as with people, these uppers have certain effects on our pets. Some cat owners reported a change of behavior of their cats on anxiety medication.
Another alternative suggested is the use of diffusers and sprays. These new pheromone products (e.g. Feliway) offers us cat owners the chance to help our cats manage cat spraying. By spraying 'friendly' pheromone in places where Tom sprays, which lets the cat know that cat spraying is not allowed in this area. Additionally, the product is available in plug in diffusers which could work best for felines doing cat spraying around the house.
As this cat spraying may be due to stress, it is important to reassure Tom that there is no need to be anxious, and no need to feel threatened.
Did you know that problems in the household and human stress can also affect cats and cause them stress? Just like children, our cats need special attention and a bit of shelter from the stress we grown-ups are so accustomed to. Reducing these in our homes could significantly help in stopping our cats from spraying.
More so, cleaning the areas where our cats have sprayed proves to be not just an O.C. practice, but a good O.C. one. This helps in removing the odor and communicating to Tom that urinating in these areas are a big No-No. To effectively wash the areas clean, it is advisable to use a laundry detergent and mixing white vinegar and water, spraying a little onto the surfaces to remove any unwanted smell.
If your cat should continue spraying despite being spayed or after following the above suggestions, it is best to consult a cat behavior analyst. Your veterinarian may be able to recommend a good one in your area and help your cat get over cat spraying.
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