Cat Spraying

Stop Cat Spraying Inside your House

Do you have a cat that sprays outside the litter box? If yes, then you have smelled the horrible odor and experienced frustration when attempting to get your cat to stop spraying. To resolve the problem, you must first figure out what is motivating your cat to spray.

Territorial marking is the number one reason why cats spray. Felines are compelled to let others of their kind know that they are around. They may also spray when they are looking for a mate. If you have another cat in your home that fights with the culprit kitty, the spraying may be done to show aggression. Cats hanging around outside of your house can also cause your cat to spray. A move to a new home, the arrival of a new child, or other upsets to the cat's daily routines can cause the behavior. A cat that is under any kind of stress such as living in a noisy household can also resort to spraying.

Generally, male cats are the prime spraying offenders. But, some females will also spray, especially if they are in heat. The unique smell of spray is due to chemicals in the anal glands that are expressed along with a small amount of urine.

If your cat has not been neutered or spayed, doing so is likely to solve the problem. But, some altered cats will still spray. For the best results, the surgery should be performed before the age of six months.

One thing that you should not try is punishing your cat. Kitties do not understand the relationship between behaviors and punishment, and the stress may cause your cat to spray even more.

Regular cleaning and scooping of the litter box is important as some cats will spray as a form of protest against poor litter box maintenance. Keep routines consistent including bed time, play time, and feeding. When your cat sprays, be sure to clean the area with enzyme cleaner so that no odor remains. Otherwise, the cat may return to the same spot to spray again.

After trying measures to curb spraying, take your cat to a veterinarian. Bladder infections and other health issues can lead to the behavior. Drugs for anxiety such as Prozac can also be prescribed, since your cat could be anxious even if you are not aware of it.

For fighting cats, put them in separate parts of your home if possible. Unfortunately, sometimes the best choice is to give the spraying cat to a new owner. Neither cat will be happy if they are constantly picking fights. Especially if no other cats live in the new home, the cat may stop the behavior.

Another option if the spraying appears to be over territory is to confine the cat to a small area of your house. The feline will not have as large of an area to defend, and may decide to stop spraying. At least the number of messes to clean should be lessened.

Cat behaviorists analyze cat behavior and develop plans to change unacceptable actions like spraying to more desirable behaviors like using the litter box. They can be successful in working with you and your cat to develop better behaviors.

Read Part II of this article for more solutions to stop cat spraying. Annie Clark is the owner of two former stray cats. More articles and cat products are available at Feline Info

My previously feral male cat got in a fight and smells like spray. Whats up with this?
We rescued him from a life filled with no given food (hunting only) and coyotes and foxes and mountain lions etc. Most of his siblings and Mom were eaten, apparently. We chose to not neuter him right away because he was so small at a year old. He has more than doubled his size in a healthy manner these last few months and it's time to clip him. (poor guy!). He got in a fight today and has some scratches and a possible bite that he seems to be keeping quite clean, The thing is he smells AWFUL! Like male cat spray. I'm thinking this is due to the stress of the fight he was in? I almost want to give him a bath but think he'll maul me if I try. Obviously he needs to be neutered but wanted to give him a chance to grow first, which he's done. I guess I'm wondering why he smells so freaking awful! He doesn't come indoors because it freaks him out. And he only comes to me or my fiancee when called. THE POINT: I want to stress him as little as possible while still taking care of him as much as possible. I KNOW he needs to be clipped. Other than that any advice?

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how can i remove the smell of cat spray outside?
i have 2 cats, both have been done before they were old enough to spray / go into season (boy and girl) we get local cats coming into our garden and spraying outside my back door, which in the warmer weather stinks. someone just mentioned a cat has sprayed outside my front door as u can smell it out there. is there anything like a spray i can use to remove and deter a cat from spraying, i dont want to deter cats from my back garden completely as my girl cat only likes to go out there. im in the uk.

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Help stop cat spray PLEASE!?
My cat is fully grown and started spraying recently. I think it might be due to the new furniture in my house stressing him out. My dad wants to get rid of him but i really love my cat. Every website says to use feliway but where would i spray it?? I cant coat every wall in my house with this stuff. He is nOt fixed but im not sure if that would help or not.. How effective is it to get him fixed? Is there anything i can do?? Thanks

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How do you get rid of the smell of male cat spray?
My husband had to carry a stray cat through our house yesterday to get it outside (it snuck in behind us coming in after an outing). Well the cat must've sprayed in the house as my husband carried it out. It was a very hostile cat. Now my house smells like a nasty cat litter box. We've never owned cats (just not for us, personally). We have a dog, but she stays washed and mostly likes to be outdoors. Besides the smell is distinctly cat odor. How do you get rid of cat smell in your house if you can't even identify where it may have sprayed?

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Why does my female cat spray? ?
I have a mother & son cat & they both spray...neither of them is fixed yet but they have appointments in April

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