Do Male Cats Spray After Being Neutered
Neutering is a surgical procedure where the testicals are removed from a male cat. Similar to spaying for female cats were the ovaries and uterus are removed, this expensive procedure can sometimes stop spraying.
Many male cats often start spraying to advertise their sexual health to females. They are basically spraying and showing off, with a foul smell! Although neutered male cat spraying is rare, it is still possible. A neutered male cat can still pee and therefore it can still spray.
If your cat is still spraying after theyâve been neutered, then youâll need to teach your cat to stop. Donât worry itâs not as hard as it sounds, and there are plenty of techniques to use. With patience and practice, you can stop your cat from spraying in as little as 7 days.
Help Your Cat Feel Safe
As well as being mostly a territorial and mating behavior, spraying can be a sign that your kitty is anxious – but you can help them to feel happier.
Using FELIWAY CLASSIC Diffuser and Spray can improve your cats well-being, creating a calm and comfortable space, and reducing their desire to spray. The Diffuser should be used in your cats favorite area to help them feel relaxed.
You will know your cat feels safe when they nuzzle their cheeks and body on your legs when they do this, they are marking their territory in a nice way! Though rubbing themselves on things does leave a territory smell, it is not noticeable to humans. This is a positive sign that your pet feels happy, comfortable and safe!
The Differences Between Male And Female Cats
Many people think that male and female cats act differently and swear that boys or girls make the better pets. But is that true?
A lot of cat lovers swear that their boy and girl cats behave in different ways. So, is there really a difference between the ways boys and girls behave, or is it more complicated than that?
Our vets have delved into some common myths to find out more!
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Is The Cat Urinating Or Spraying
Firstly, its important to differentiate between true urine spraying, and inappropriate urination. During true spraying behaviour cats stand with their tail erect, with the rear end elevated. They may twitch the tail, pad with the hind feet, or pull a strange face before spraying a small jet of urine. This is usually only a couple of millilitres of liquid. Inappropriate urination is usually a normal sized urination in places other than the litter tray.
There are some problems that can cause both urine spraying and inappropriate urination, however leaving large volumes of urine in the wrong place can be a sign of more serious illness such as kidney disease or diabetes. Its therefore important that this doesnt get passed off as spraying, and a more serious condition goes unintentionally ignored.
How To Choose A New Cat Or Kitten
In the US, we have 69 million pet cats. Is there a perfect cat out there for you?
The key is to select a cat or kitten that will adapt well to your environment. Take into account whether you are single, have a family with children, a multi-cat household, or a house with both cats and other animals. Cats are well known for having personalities. Aside from temperament, there are also differences in size, body types, and hair lengths that should be factors in your decision. Researching breeds and learning about gender differences can help you make your choice.Choosing a breedThe hobby of breeding and showing cats is called “Cat Fancy.” The Cat Fanciers Association , which may be thought of as the cat equivalent of the American Kennel Club for dogs, officially recognize 39 breeds of cats. Whether or not you choose a purebred or mixed breed cat, the following characteristics, which are typified in breeds, can help you to zero in on the perfect pet for you. Think about these traits and refer to the CFA site for breed.
Choosing a genderEach gender has pros and cons associated with it.
- Male cats tend to be much larger than females.
- Males, or toms, can be friendlier than females.
- Intact male cats “spray” to mark their territory and howl for females .
- Female cats tend to be more reserved than males but are far less likely to spray.
- Females tend to howl when they go into heat and can become pregnant before their first year talk to your vet about getting your female spayed.
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How Can I Tell If My Cat Has A Litter Box Problem Or A Communication Problem
It takes a bit of detective work to determine whether your cat has a litter box problem or is urine marking. Cats who urine mark also use their litter boxes for voiding, so urine in the litter box does not rule out marking outside the box. But urine marking deposits are usually qualitatively different than inappropriate eliminations outside the box.
The following is a list of characteristics that indicate urine marking:
- Urine marks are usually deposited on vertical surfaces. Marking on a vertical surface is known as spraying. When spraying, a cat usually backs up to a vertical object like the side of a chair, a wall or a stereo speaker, stands with his body erect and his tail extended straight up in the air, and sprays urine onto the surface. Often his tail and sometimes his entire body twitch while hes spraying.
- Urine mark deposits often have less volume than voided deposits. The amount of urine a cat sprays when hes urine marking is usually less than the amount he would void during regular elimination in his box.
- The urine smells pungent. The reason cats can learn so much from the urine mark of another cat is that a urine mark isnt just urine. It also contains extra communication chemicals. Those chemicals smell pungent to people.
There are also certain characteristics of a cat or a household that can contribute to urine marking:
Why Do Male Cats Spray
Aside from the aforementioned reasons, a male cat will spray urine to announce to potential partners that he is ready and willing to mate.
Although male and female cats, especially those that are still intact, will spray urine for mating purposes, intact tomcats are more likely to spray. Spaying a cat can drastically reduce spraying between 90 and 95 percent.
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Is There A Medical Cause Of Spraying
Its estimated that approximately 30% of cats will spray urine for medical reasons, rather than behavioural problems.
The most common medical cause of urine spraying is cystitis which is an inflammation of the bladder. This can be caused by bladder stones or infection but there is often no known cause in cats. Theres lots of evidence that cystitis is related to stress in cats, a syndrome known as feline lower urinary tract disease . If left untreated male cats are at risk of urinary blockage. This is where grit or stones obstruct the urethra, or inflammation causes it to go into spasm. If the urethra is blocked the cat cant pass urine, and will quickly become very sick. This is an emergency and needs immediate veterinary intervention.
Some cats may adopt a more upright position to urinate, similar to spraying, due to pain in the hips or spine. This can be due to a previous injury or osteoarthritis developing with age. Other signs may be present such as reduced willingness to jump, sleeping more, and grooming excessively around the affected areas. Joint pain can usually be identified on examination and successfully treated with pain killers.
All cats who suddenly start spraying should initially see a vet to check for an underlying cause.
What To Do To Decrease Urine Spraying
The strong, pungent, hard-to-get-rid-of scent of cat spray is something you wouldnt want to touch your furniture. And for sure, pet parents would like to stop this .
Now, completely eradicating this might be far from happening. But lessening this is possible. Here are a couple of things you can do:
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Differences Between Male And Female Cats
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You know the biological differences between male and female cats, but you may wonder if one sex is better than the other when it comes to picking a new feline friend to join your family. Exploring the contrasts between strutting toms and purring moms may help you choose a cat that better fits your lifestyle and personality. So, should you get a male or a female cat? Let’s first explore the difference between male and female cats before you can properly answer that question.
Spay Or Neuter Your Cat
Spaying or neutering your cat is one of the best ways to stop spraying. Although not all cats will stop spraying after they are fixed, it can help immensely in many cases.
Older cats that have been spraying for a long time are more likely to keep spraying after being spayed or neutered, but many cats will stop or significantly reduce the behavior.
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Try A Synthetic Cat Pheromone
Using a product like Feliway can help calm your cat. Apply it to your hand before petting your cat, and apply it to their bedding as well.
You can also apply it to your cats favorite spraying spots after cleaning with an enzymatic cleaner, which can further help deter them from re-marking those spots.
Litter Inadequacies May Also Be A Reason For Your Cat To Spray
The issue of proper litter box maintenance should always be addressed when dealing with a spraying cat. Although spraying is not an elimination problem, if there are too few litter boxes in a multi-cat household, a conflict may arise over litter box use, which could contribute to spraying.
So, make sure you have one cat litter box furniture for each cat, plus one extra. This means that if you have two cats, youll need a minimum of three litter boxes. The size and area matter too: The litter box should be bigger than the cat and be placed in a quiet, low-traffic area. Most importantly, keep it clean scoop the litter twice a day and clean the toilets with warm water and unscented soap once a week to reduce the presence of any offending other cat smells.
Problem: Your well-behaved cat doesnt connect with the litter box anymore and has started to leave unpleasant surprises around the house.
How to fix it: Try to change the litter box. For example, if you have changed the mix to a scented one or have placed a liner that makes your pet uncomfortable, she or he may decide to pee outside of the box. So, go back to normal. If you have multiple cats, place litter boxes in low-traffic areas with at least two exit routes the point is to avoid conflict between the cats. Dont forget to keep the box clean and completely replace the litter once a week.
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Wild Toms Vs Mild Moggies
Myth: Boys are fighters and will often get into a tussle with other tomcats. Girls will avoid confrontation where they can.
Reality: Unneutered male cats are much more territorial and will defend their patch if another cat wanders in. This can end up with them getting hurt in fights and they could catch a life-changing infection like FIV . However, there are a lot of other things that can also make your cat aggressive and which arent to do with their gender.
Any cat can get aggressive if they meet a stranger in their territory, or are scared or confused. Female cats will stand up for themselves just as much as males and neutered male cats can still get into the occasional scrap. It really depends on how many cats are in your local area, as well as on your cats personality and mood. It could also come down to the health of your cat theyre more likely to lash out if theyre frightened or in pain.
Spraying Reason #: Your Cat Isnt Neutered
Male cats that arent neutered have a strong desire to spray or mark their territory. If you can neuter your cat before hes five months old, most of the time you can prevent the behavior from developing in the first place.
If youve adopted an older cat, you can still get him neutered and most of the time, this will end the spraying behavior.
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Is A Cat Marking In The House The Same As Spraying
When you have a cat marking in the house, it is a frustrating problem. In fact, this is the number one reason that cats are surrendered to shelters and pounds.
Cat marking in the house is similar to spraying. The difference is that spraying is done on vertical surfaces. This is when a cat backs up to a vertical surface with their tail erect and squirts urine. Oftentimes, the tail will quiver while they are spraying. Regular urine marking is done on horizontal surfaces. This is when your cat squats to pee on a horizontal surface, like the floor or the furniture. Both male and female cats can spray and squat while urine marking.
Urine marking is not a litter box issue.
Some cats will eliminate outside the litter box at some point in their lives. Some of these cats have issues with some characteristic of their litter box. To learn more about this problem, go to How Do You Deal with a Cat Urinating Outside of the Litter Box? The rest of these cats who are urinating outside the litter box donât have any problems with their litter box. Itâs a communication problem.
Urine marking is a form of indirect communication used by cats.
Whenever possible, cats in the wild will go off on their own and claim certain territories for themselves. Through urine marking, a cat is alerting other cats to his presence. He is showing what property belongs to him. Urine marking also tells other cats that they are looking for a mate.
Check Your Cats Litter Box
The act of elimination is something you want to do in private. The same goes for cats. Apart from keeping your cats litter box clean, you also need to ensure that there are enough litter boxes for everyone.
Remember that cats are territorial. This means that they wouldnt want to poop on someone elses litter box . As such, if you have multiple cats in your home, its a good idea to have one litter box for each cat plus a spare one.
So, if you have three cats, make sure to have four boxes at their disposal. This ensures that all the cats have a box ready when they feel the need to eliminate.
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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:
Is It A Common Problem
In the neutered population it is estimated that 10% of males and 5% of females engage in urine spraying. The incidence of urine spraying in a household is directly related to the density of the cat population. The likelihood of urine spraying increases in direct proportion to the number of cats within a household, to as much as 86% with 7+ cats .
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Fixing Stress Related Issues