Stop Cats Spraying Indoors
Many cat owners consider spraying as a regular part of the urinary elimination patterns of animals. Like all organisms, humans included, cats and other pets also urinate to get rid of excess fluids as well as unwanted substances from the body.
Unfortunately, this is not the only reason why they spray especially inside the house. Before you begin your quest on how to stop cats from spraying in the house, it is very important to understand their behavior first.
Why Cats Spray Indoors
According to animal psychologists, urine spraying is closely related to the animal’s need to feel safe in its own territory. Urine spraying, therefore, is often interpreted as marking one’s territory. The scent left behind by the urine is a form of communication both to the cat and to other cats that this particular area belongs to a particular cat. It tells them of the existence of another cat.
Now, it should not be misconstrued that marking territories are equivalent to marking boundaries. It does not necessarily work this way. The urine spraying will only mark certain areas but will not necessarily make that area exclusive to a particular cat.
Most animal psychologists believe that cat spraying is an indication of feline insecurity. The cat that sprays certain areas want to feel safe and secure in that particular area.
Given that cat spraying is uniquely related to cat psychology and especially to feelings of insecurity, for stopping your cat from spraying in your house you should take into consideration this particular information.
Ways to Stop a Cat From Spraying in the House
Before you think about even considering getting rid of your cat, please know there are ways to stop this behavior. It’s not the cats fault so rather than getting rid of them, instead take steps to eliminate the problem.
Have Your Cat Neutered
Taking your cat to your veterinarian to be neutered is one of the most practical and most efficient ways to dampen the spraying behavior especially if you have a male cat. Urine spraying is often regarded as a means of finding a sexual partner while at the same time feeling secure in their territory.
Neutering can suppress such instinctual behaviors so you will not necessarily have to worry about your cat spraying in your house again. However, in cases where the cat still sprays even after neutering, then the problem might require a different approach.
Determine the Reason for Your Cat’s Urine Spraying Behavior
Sometimes, you only need to close the window to the outside so that your cat will not feel insecure every time another cat passes by. There are many ways in which a cat can feel anxious. It can be that you have so many cats, and every cat is fighting for your attention.
It is also possible that there have been changes in your household that somehow made your cat feel insecure. These changes don’t need to be very dramatic because even a misplaced newspaper can already mean a significant change to a cat. Changes in daily routine, a new person or baby added in your family, or even a slight change in the overall scheme of things can make your cat insecure. As its owner, you need to determine which is creating a problem for your cat.
Thoroughly Clean Areas that are being Marked by Your Cat
Cats will always try to respray their areas. More often than not, cats will also spray over the markings of other cats to learn if they are welcome or not.
It is, therefore, important to remove the scent from areas sprayed by your cat to dissuade your cat from spraying in the same area. However, it is quite tricky to clean such areas. You will need products that are primarily intended for the removal of pet urine.
Repurpose the Area being Marked
Cats don’t want to spray in areas where they frequent. If you have identified the area that is frequently sprayed by your cat, try to repurpose this.
Move its food bowl or scratching post near the area. You can also try playing with your cat near the marked spot or spray synthetic cat pheromones over the spot. By doing so, it should dissuade your cat from spraying in these areas.
Keep Your Cat Calm and Relaxed
Trying to make your cat feel more secure is one of the best ways to stop your cat from spraying. If your cat is able to feel calm and relaxed in its environment, then it will not feel the urge to mark its safe territory. Again, the point here is for you to show your cat that there is nothing it has to feel insecure about.
Stopping your cat from spraying in your home requires an understanding of cat psychology. If these don’t work, you can always ask your veterinarian to check your cat.