Five Tips to Cut the Root Cause of Cat Spraying

Most of people mistake spraying for urination. But there are differences between them. Especially they should be aware that spraying is not a litter box problem. Cats with spraying problems may still use the litter box regularly.

So, how can we tell the difference? When cat sprays it stands straight up and lifts its bottom high in air against a vertical area like a wall. Also, spray usually has a distinct smell which is different from urine smell. If you don’t see the upright posture when cat does it, then you are dealing with a cat with urinating problems.

Cats do this spraying due to several reasons.

1. To mark the territory - cats are extremely territorial animals. Some cats (that are much socialized) don’t need big territorial area. Your cat may do it when it feels threatened by an intruder cat or a dog. Blocking the view of outdoor may give a relief to such cats. But they may still feel the smell.

2. Unaltered male and female cats spray to attract a female/male. - In such cases spaying or neutering may change the behavior.

3. If cats spray on certain persons clothing, it may have some conflict with the person. There may be another cats’ or dogs’ smell in that persons clothing.

4. In multi-cat homes a cat sprays to communicate things to another cat - this case can get worse if they haven’t got enough territorial space. If one of them decides that he hasn’t got enough attention, you will have to deal with mischievous cats.

5. To relieve stress - a stressed cat is hard to be handled. So try to lower your cats stress by playing with it and showing affection.