I Am Finding Small Amounts Of Urine In Multiple Locations What Does That Mean
Some cats will mark their territory with small amounts of urine in various locations. These locations can be similar to those for spraying , but may occasionally be found on owners clothing or other favored possessions. However, small amounts of urine deposited outside of the litter box is more commonly due to either a disease of the lower urinary tract or litter box avoidance, which could have many causes. Similarly stool found outside of the litter box can be due to a multitude of medical causes including colitis, constipation and any other condition leading to difficult, more frequent or uncomfortable elimination. As with any other elimination problem, a complete physical examination and laboratory tests are necessary to rule out each physical cause.
How To Prevent Spraying
Its extremely important to consult with a veterinarian any time a cat is having going outside the litter box. Inappropriate elimination behavior often means the cat is sick or experiencing pain.
Whether a cat suddenly starts spraying or having other accidents in the house, or has been spraying for a long time, a visit to the vet is in order to rule out a medical issue. The veterinarian will conduct a complete physical exam and might recommended a urinalysis and/or bloodwork to make sure the cat is not suffering from a urinary tract infection or any other medical condition that might be causing the spraying.
If your cat gets a clean bill of health from the vet, you can assume the spraying is behavioral.
Here are some steps you can take to prevent spraying, listed in order of importance:
If You Have Multiple Cats Encourage Them To Get Along
The tension between household cats can cause spraying. According to the ASPCA, cats living in the same house should have separate resources and plenty of space from each other.
Also, utilizing your vertical space with cat trees and perches will provide your cat with more opportunities to seek their own space.
If youre introducing a new cat to the household, do so gradually. Petfinder recommends keeping them in separate rooms at first. This lets the cats hear and smell each other before they meet face-to-face.
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Check The Usual Places
Cats love to pee in corners, on beddings and carpets, and on new things that smell. You ought to start with these places for an efficient search.
Sometimes, they throw random objects over their pee to hide it. You might as well search under any item that looks out of place.
You may not be able to see the stains your smelling sense will now come in handy! Smell all the areas you suspect until you reach your goal.
Tips For Peeing Outside The Litter Box
Peeing outside the litter box cannot be solved by punishing your cat. Responding with anger will achieve the opposite of what you want. Often the cause has to do with the litter box or the litter inside or there may be a medical reason. Determine when you cat started peeing outside the litter box, especially if there are multiple cats living in the house. Cats prefer to have a litter box of their own. Make sure you always have at least two litter boxes if you have two cats. In addition, cats enjoy a clean litter box they will not use a dirty one. Clean it regularly and in time. There may also be a medical reason why your cat is failing to pee where it should. Check your cats urine. Does it contain any blood? Does it seem to have difficulty peeing or does it mew a lot while in the litter box? Do bring it into the vets office for a check-up. Pay attention to how your cat enters the litter box, a lot of older cats get arthrosis and will find it increasingly difficult to step over the tall edge.
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Male Cat Spraying: When It Starts
In cats, spraying is the word to describe when a cat sprays a small amount of urine to deposit their scent.
In the wild, cats spray to communicate with other cats. They might be marking their territory, trying to find a mate, or simply acting out from stress or anxiety.
A domestic cat that sprays might be trying to tell you that something is wrong either medically or mentally. Thats why every new cat owner should watch out for spraying behavior and address it, ideally before it starts.
What Not To Do
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Negative reinforcement, like shouting at your cat, wont help the situation and will probably make things worse because your cat will end up feeling more stressed.
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Deterrent sprays can also make your cat nervous and increase their stress. And even if the spray deters them from marking that particular spot, they will probably just go off and find a new place to mark.
Although having a cat thats spraying in the house can be pretty frustrating, try not to take it personally! Your cat isnt mad at you theyre just letting you know that theyre either feeling threatened or insecure. If you and your vet have ruled out an underlying medical problem and youve tried some of the DIY solutions above and youre still not having much luck solving the problem, heading back to your vet or to a board-certified veterinary behaviorist truly is your best bet. And doing so sooner, rather than later, is a good idea. Not only can they help guide you with some other, more specific suggestions for your cat and home, they can also prescribe medications that have been shown to help spraying cats.
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Stop Your Cat Spraying With 1 Simple Trick
Cat spraying sucks. Especially when it seems no matter what you do your cat wonât stop. Not only does it leave your house smelling horrible, but it costs you money, wastes your time and causes you stress.
Hoping your cat will just stop spraying on their own is a bad idea. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life scrubbing walls and living in a smelly dump? Using our unique Touch Taste Smell method, you can stop your cat from spraying in just 7 days.
Can Female Cats Still Spray After Being Spayed
Spaying a female cat will decrease the likelihood that it will spray but a small percentage of cats will still spray after having this surgical procedure performed. According to the Cornell Feline Health Center, 5% of female cats will continue to spray even after they have been spayed. Spaying a cat especially helps to decrease territorial reasons for spraying since less hormones are affecting it but if your cat is stressed or upset about something in its environment, it is still physically capable of spraying.
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Tips To Stop Your Cat Spraying Or Toileting In The House
- Why do cats urinate or toilet outside of their litter tray?
A common misconception is that cats may be punishing you as their owner, for leaving them alone for too long. Cats do not do this, there will always be another reason.
- Inappropriate Site Preferences
Your cat may prefer using another surface, for instance carpets- and if so would not use a tiled bathroom floor. Alternatively your cat may choose to use the same inappropriate site likely due to not wanting to use the litter tray. Unfortunately a medical problem such as cystitis may lead on to another problem such as preferring to use another type of surface.
- Urine Spraying
If your cat rubs with his cheek, or scratches a surface, they are leaving their scent on the area. Similarly cats will sometimes spray small amounts of urine to leave their scent. This marks out their territory.
When cats spray it is usually on vertical surfaces, like the backs of chairs, or walls. They dont crouch down to spray , but lift the tail which quivers, leaving a small patch of urine, often in the same places in the house. Un-neutered males and sometimes, un-spayed females spray most commonly, but 10% of neutered males and 5% of neutered females also spray. In households with multiple cats the likelyhood of spraying is markedly increased.
You should always take your cat to the vet, as soon as you have noticed a problem, so that they can rule out medical causes of the abnormal behaviour.
Spay Or Neuter Your Cat
Cats often spray to mark their territory, especially male cats. While spaying or neutering your cat wont remove their ability to spray, it reduces their hormone levels, which may also reduce their urge to spray. According to the professionals at Manhattan Cat Specialists, only 10% of males and 5% of females will continue spraying after theyve been spayed or neutered.
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What Does Cat Spray Look Like
If your cat is around four months old, hasnt been neutered, and has been smelling somewhat fishy lately, you can expect to find signs of spraying. This usually results in vertical spots at the height of a few inches on your walls, furniture, or your carpets. Your house may smell a lot like cat pee, and it is actually because your cat is marking his territory.
While you can distinguish the act from inappropriate urinating by the scent, you can also know whether your cat is spraying or not by observing the marks visually. Usually, these are small spots, unlike puddles in case of urinating. These will also be more frequent around places your feline visits most often.
While cats can spray almost anywhere they can physically reach, they only do so in places they deem their own, a.k.a, their territory. Therefore, if you notice vertical pee marks outside the litter box, you can know your tabby is marking.
Lastly, if you find your kitty standing with his back to a vertical surface, his tail erect, and his posture stiff, you have caught him in the act. This is different from urinating because cats crouch down doing so and have somewhat less tense body language.
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What Are The Signs That My Cat Is Ready To Spray
Spraying is not the same as urinating, as previously noted. When your cat has to urinate himself, hell stoop down.
Watch alert if you observe your cat twitching his erect tail and pounding the ground with his rear legs!!
This is a warning indication that your cat is preparing to spray his fragrance. Normally, a cat sprays on a vertical surface like a wall or a door. However, pee spray may be seen on garbage bags or at a cat flap.
Although the volume of pee splashed is usually minimal, the odor may be just as irritating. Once your cat has sprayed pee in an area, he will likely return to use it as a toilet or to scent mark it.
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Talk To Your Veterinarian
If all else fails, its time to consult your veterinarian. Your vet can run tests to determine whether a physical problem is behind your cats sudden tendency to spray. They may also recommend consulting a cat behavioral specialist, as they can offer suggestions on how to curb unwanted behaviors like spraying.
Dealing with behavioral problems like spraying in the house can be stressful, but there are ways to combat this obnoxious behavior. Just remember that contrary to popular belief, your cat isnt spraying to spite you. In all likelihood, your fur baby is marking their territory, expressing their anxiety, or trying to draw your attention to a medical problem. When in doubt, contact your veterinarian for advice. Once youve eliminated the problem, youll be able to enjoy your cats company minus any lingering odors.
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How Can I Stop My Cat Spraying
Cat spraying can be tricky to resolve on your own as spraying can be caused by a number of different things.
The most important thing that you can do is ensure your cat has everything they need and keep an eye on the spraying and their general behaviour. This is particularly important if you have other cats in the house as there is a risk that there may be issues between them that you havent noticed. Here are some practical things you can do to help stop your cat spraying:
- Ensure your cats needs are being met. There are certain things that all cats need to be happy and healthy and providing this kind of environment will help to reduce any stress your cat may be experiencing.
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Urine Marking In Cats
The most common behavior problem reported by pet parents of cats is inappropriate elimination. Its estimated that 10% of all cats will eliminate outside their litter box at some point in their lives. Quite a few of these cats have issues with some characteristic of their litter box , but approximately 30% dont have litter box problems at all. These cats are urine marking, and urine marking isnt a litter box problemits a communication problem. Urine marking is a form of indirect communication used by cats.
Ive Cleaned Up The Spot But The Cat Keeps Returning To Spray What Else Can I Do To Reduce The Problem
Because the purpose of spraying is to mark an area with urine odor, it is not surprising that, as the odor is cleaned up, the cat wants to refresh the area with more urine. Cleaning alone does little to reduce spraying.
“Cats that mark in one or two particular areas may cease if the function of the area is changed.”
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What Age Does A Female Cat Start Spraying
Uncommon in kittens, urine spraying is more often seen in adult cats. Because spraying is often linked to mating behaviors, female cats may start spraying any time after they reach sexual maturity, which is around 6 months of age. Similarly, male cats may start spraying around the time they are 6 months old. For this reason, veterinarians recommend that all cats are spayed or neutered before they turn 6 months old.
Why Is My Cat Spraying
Cats who havent been neutered will use spraying as a way to attract a mate. Neutering your cat will reduce the amount of spraying of this kind, if not stop it completely. If your neutered cat is spraying this is called reactional spraying. This kind of spraying occurs when there has been a change in your cats environment, either physically, or with the addition of new cats or people. Theres most likely to be a reaction when the change is in a place where they usually feel safe which is where they eat, sleep and play. It doesnt matter whether your cat is confident or anxious, male or female any cat will spray if they feel like they need to.
Spraying of this kind normally becomes an issue when a cat feels threatened by something in the house and sprays indoors in order to help them feel safer.
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How Can I Stop My Cat From Spraying
Since there are so many reasons why a cat might start spraying, there are also several ways to stop it. Every cat is unique and will respond differently to different techniques. Some will instantly stop overnight and never do it again. While others will require behavioral training over several days or weeks.
The first thing youâll want to check is your cats litter box. As weird as it might sound, itâs often the most common reason why cats start spraying in the first place. A litter box is a catâs sacred place to do their business and when you start messing with it, they can get stressed. Have you recently moved your catâs litter box to a different location? Or have you recently got a different brand of cat litter?
Cats love a routine and a safe environment. If their litter box is constantly moving around the house and having new litter put in every week, they can feel threatened and stressed. Did you know that scented cat litter is a common reason why your cat started spraying in the first place?
Scented cat litter often gives off a smell to cover up your cats business. Sometimes this can backfire and actually cause your cat to start spraying in order to cover it up. A good tip is to make sure you buy unscented cat litter from the brand. Changing the scent and texture every week is a bad idea if youâre trying to keep your cat in a routine.
Common Reasons Why Cats Spray
Territory: Spraying is one way cats mark their turf, especially if another cat is lurking around and leaving their own mark in your yard. Even if your cat never goes outside, theres still the possibility that they will see or smell the intruder, and then spray around a door or window in response.
Conflict: In multi-feline households, spraying can also be a way for cats to draw boundaries, establish pecking order, and settle disputes.
Change: Moving to a new place, a home remodeling project, changes in routine, or the arrival or loss of a human or pet sibling can all make a cat feel insecure and stressed. The changes dont have to be big, either. Even moving around the living room furniture can upset a more sensitive kitty. Spraying is just one way for a stressed cat to show their stress.
Mating: Both female and male cats spray although unneutered males are more likely to leave their mark as a way to let the opposite sex know theyre available . Even if your spraying cat is spayed/neutered, if the procedure was done later in life, this could be a learned behavior theyve carried over from their previous fertile days.
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