If your cat is marking different parts of your house with urine, there may be something behind this behavior.
Do you want to know why this is and how to stop your cat from urinating everywhere? Then you are in the right article!
Keep reading to find out.
Differences between urinating outside the litter box and marking territory with urine
First, it’s important to determine if your cat is actually marking or if he’s just peeing outside his box.
- With urine marking, cats tend to stand upright and leave a small urine mark on vertical surfaces such as a wall.
- When cats are urinating, they generally crouch down to urinate large amounts of urine on horizontal surfaces.
If you are unsure of the reason for your cat’s behavior, it is best to have your feline medicine veterinarian examine your cat to determine the cause of the problem before treating it on your own.
If you are sure that what your cat is doing is marking territory, there are some things you can do to stop this practice.
Why do cats mark with urine?
For cats, urine marking is a normal way of communicating with others. While most cats mark by releasing small amounts of urine on vertical surfaces, they may also occasionally spray on horizontal surfaces, or even defecate.
But why do they do it?
- Most cats that mark their territory with urine are males that have not been neutered; hormones can play a crucial role in this type of behavior.
- For territorial reasons or when they feel anxious or threatened. For example, the presence of stray cats in your yard may cause your cat to mark near windows and doors as a way of identifying that this is its territory.
- Due to the arrival of a new animal to the family or a conflict between existing pets in the same home, pets can also feel the need to mark their space. We recommend that you read our article ” How to introduce two cats that are going to live together? “
- Changes to your cat’s environment, such as rearranging its living space or moving to a new home, can add stress and induce marking. You can read our tips to reduce your anxiety .
- A recent trauma, if for example, you have rescued an abused cat or in an adverse situation, it is possible that it remains upset and its actions are excessive. In this case, give it time to recover.
- Loneliness. Cats are very independent, but it does not mean that being alone for a long time causes them to feel unwell and even depressed and they communicate this by marking.
- Little space. If you have limited space where your cat lives, there may be insufficient square meters for its well-being and it needs you to expand its freedom of movement.
- Occasionally, the cat may target the clothing or bedding of a person or visitor in the house because it dislikes it.
Ways to prevent your cat from marking territory with urine
There are several ways to change marking behavior, but it is important to remember that punishment should be avoided as it will only increase your cat’s stress and increase spraying.
Sterilization will prevent marking
It is the first step to avoid spraying. By sterilizing your cat, his sex hormone levels will be reduced, so his innate urine marking behavior will greatly decrease.
What if the sterilized cat marks the territory?
Three types of marking can be distinguished: with nails, (strategic marks on furniture), facial, (rubbing with the back or neck and leaving an olfactory mark), or with the most problematic, urine. Sterilization usually corrects around 50%-70% of cases of urine marking. The rest of the marking does not influence castration.
The remaining 30% chance of continuing to mark with urine may be due to the stress reasons seen in the first section. If you think there is no apparent reason for this, go to your veterinary clinic to rule out any pathology. The most responsible solution is always to go to an expert.
Find the conflict that causes stress
Evaluate if there is any kind of dispute with other animals in the house that is causing your cat’s stress.
If your cat is being chased, harassed, or tormented in any way by a cat or dog in your home, this matter should be addressed with a qualified professional. He or she may recommend techniques such as temporary separation, desensitization, counter-conditioning, and training to improve the relationship between your animals.
Limit going outside
If stray cats are causing your feline stress, installing temporary window blockers on the bottom half of the windows or lowering the blinds can help your cat relax.
On the other hand, if you let your cat go out into the garden, avoid going outside for a while, as this way you could eliminate the stress that your furry companion may be encountering outside.
Enzymatic cleaning
Enzymatic cleaners should be used to eliminate any odors on bedding and floors that might prompt a cat to re-spray an area where it has previously been marked.
Once all odors have been removed, spray this area with a feline pheromone spray. This will help your cat feel more secure in the area and may encourage marking with their cheeks instead of urine marking.
Increases the number of sandboxes
On the one hand, place several cat litter boxes in various places in your house. This way your feline will be able to have free access to its tray without being interrupted by other cats. This will help reduce their stress, especially in a multi-animal household.
On the other hand, also changes the type of cat litter. It is possible that you do not like your litter, so it is possible that the change is to your liking and the behavior of urinating everywhere disappears.
Give your feline toys to focus on during the day, such as food puzzles or interactive cat toys that he can handle even in your absence. This will keep him busy and he will have less time to be stressed or mark your house with urine .
Additionally, you can read our post “Discover what cats’ 5 favorite games are” to share wonderful moments with your furry companion.
Create a stable routine
Schedule a couple of play or trick training sessions with your cat every day to give them a routine in their daily lives and stability in their interactions with the humans in the house. Always respect their ‘hiding places’ and favorite places when they want privacy.
Another trick that can also work is to change your cat’s association with its favorite marking area by doing other activities that your cat enjoys in this space, such as petting and cuddling it to reduce its stress, or if necessary using anti-stress products for cats.
How to eliminate the smell of cat urine?
Cat urine can penetrate and smell strongly in the home. If you do not have products specifically formulated to clean urine, a temporary remedy is:
- Immediately dry the area, and scrub it with hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and concentrated dish soap. Or mix vinegar, lemon, and baking soda and apply to the area, being very careful not to lose shine in the case of tiles or similar materials.
As mentioned in title four, the ideal is to use products intended for this and then apply an anti-urine repellent for cats so that it does not happen again.
In conclusion, getting your cat to stop urinating everywhere to mark territory is a complex task. But with patience, and applying the advice we have given you throughout this article, you can get your cat to stop marking.
