Anytime your cat backs himself up to a door or other object in your house, lifts his tail, and releases urine, you have a problem. This problem is known as spraying, and is very common with cats kept indoors. Even though it is a very annoying problem, it’s a problem that can be solved. Contrary to what many think, spraying isn’t a litter box problem, but rather a problem with marking. Cat urine that is sprayed contains pheromones, which is a substance that cats and other animals use for communicating. Pheromones are much like fingerprints with humans, as they are used to identify the cat to other animals.When a cat sprays something, he is simply marking his territory through his urine. If you raise your voice or show angry towards your cat, it can very well result in more spraying.
Cats that are in heat are easily attracted to the odour of urine. For female cats in heat, a male cat will spray to get her attention. Keep in mind that cats not only spray during heat, as some will also spray during encounters with other cats, or when they are feeling stressed.
Although spraying is a way of communicating for cats, the smell for people is horrible. The good thing here is that most cats will do a majority of their spraying outdoors. If you have an indoor cat that never goes outside, spraying can indeed be a problem. If you’ve noticed spraying in your home, you should take action and do something about it immediately.
The most effective and also the easiest way to stop spraying is to have your cat either neutered or spayed, which of course depends on the sex. Sometimes cats will spray when they are stressed, or indeed there may be a medical problem present that is causing the problem, which your vet can identify.You should always do something about spraying the moment it starts.For most people Spraying will not be a problem as most cats will be neutered or spayed.If you are considering getting a cat or already have one, pop into us to see our full range of cat products or to pick our brains with any questions you may have!