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Feline Spraying or Urine
Marking
What is it?
Spraying is when cats place
urine on surfaces to mark
territory. Usually cats back up
to a surface, tail straight up
quivering in the air and spray
urine. Some cats show this
behavior
without spraying urine.
Both male and female cats mark
but marking is more common in
male cats.
Cats may also mark territory by
leaving small amounts of urine
and occasionally stool on
horizontal surfaces.
Marking may be triggered by the
stress of seeing other cats
outdoors, or from feeling
competition with cats that live
in the same household. Cats mark
territory when they feel
threatened or stressed.
Cats do not mark out of spite.
They do not have a large enough
prefrontal cortex area of the brain
to process that level of thinking.
They do mark in response to changes
such as the arrival of a new pet,
new baby, changes in household
routines as well as in response to
other environmental and social
changes.
In general, cats don't respond well
to change.
What to do?
If a male cat is not already
neutered, and is not a potential
breeder, castration is recommended.
A urinalysis should be performed to
rule out medical problems.
The location of the urine spots
should be determined, then a little
detective work is indicated to
determine possible stressors.
Treatment is aimed at decreasing the
motivation for spraying.
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