Cat Spraying - How Can I Stop It?

Cat spraying is a problem in many homes and we have to begin at the very root of the problem, why does a cat spray, to find the solutions. It’s a problem that causes major issues in many homes.

Even devout cat lovers can get very frustrated and upset when they find cat urine on the walls and on the furniture. Also the smell is very strong going into a home that smells like cat urine isn’t much fun and living with that odor can’t be very healthy either.

Cat spraying is often a type of communication for your cat. The spray contains a pheromone which sends a message to other cats. Cats will often spray to mark their territory and the cat urine odor tells other cats to stay away.

A cat that sprays and one that urinates indiscriminately around the home are 2 different problems and need to be looked at individually. Here we will focus more on the spraying problem.

Normally it is an issue with male cats and is often found in multi cat households, especially if there is also a female kitty present. If most of the spraying is around doors and windows where your cat can see outdoors, the problem is often because of other cats hanging around outside. Common sense is that if your male cat sees another male cat outside and it just marked its turf at your front door, what do you think your kitty will do.

Sometimes stress can be a huge factor, either because of other cats or dogs in the home. Children that haven’t been taught how to treat and handle your kitty etc. Observe the atmosphere in your home and see if there are any obvious things that you can eliminate or change to remove stress for you pets.

Punishment.

Punishing your kitty for spraying will normally only increase the stress for your cat and will not stop him from spraying. Your cat typically won’t relate the punishment to the act but to the one doing the punishing. It may make the cat afraid of you and only compound the problem.

Remember, cats don’t pee deliberately where they shouldn’t, it’s often an instinct and a way of communication. Don’t rule out that it could also be a medical problem. A check up and a few blood tests could find another problem that needs to be corrected.

Neutering.

Neutering a cat will often greatly reduce cat spraying. In the majority of cases, neutering will solve your cat spray problems especially if done before sexual maturity is attained. Many times it isn’t as effective as on adult cats that start spraying.

Bottom line is understanding cat behavior and why they do what they do. Only then can we begin to solve the problems of a spraying cat and the other issues we run into.