FELINE URINE MARKING
I am finding urine on vertical surfaces like walls and backs of furniture.
What does that mean?
When cats deposit small squirts of urine on vertical surfaces, it is known
as urine spraying. This is a scent marking behavior rather than elimination.
Usually the cat backs up to a vertical surface, raises its tail, treads with
its back feet, the tail may quiver and a stream of urine is directed backwards.
Marking with urine may also occur by depositing small amounts of urine on horizontal
surfaces. Occasionally feces may be used to mark an area. A behavioral history
should help differentiate marking behavior from elimination behavior problems.
Spraying may be a normal sexual behavior in both males and females who are not
neutered. A cat will mark its outdoor territory in order to communicate with
other cats but when urine marking occurs indoors it is often a manifestation
of stress.
Why do cats "mark" with urine?
Cats mark the locations where they live, or which they frequent, in many ways.
Cats will mark with scent glands on their feet, cheeks, face and tail as well
as with urine. Deposition of a chemical leaves a message in a location long
after that animal has gone. Marks within a territory may signal the presence
of an individual and may advertise their sexual receptivity and availability.
Marking in response to other cats in the vicinity and even in response to housemates
may be used to maintain distance between individuals and avoid potential confrontation.
Marking within the home increases in response to a number of stressors including
a change in household routine or composition, alterations in living arrangements,
new living locations and other environmental and social changes. Marking is
a method of delineating territory and therefore urine is often found in prominent
locations and near windows, doors and heavily traffic areas in the home.
Which cats are more likely to urine mark?
Any cat male, female, neutered or entire can mark with urine. However, urine
marking is most common in intact (non-neutered) male cats. When an intact male
sprays urine, it will have the characteristic "tom cat" odor that is strong
and pungent. Neutering will change the odor, and may reduce the cat's motivation
for spraying, but approximately 10% of neutered males and 5% of spayed females
will continue to spray. While cats in multiple cat households are often involved
in spraying behaviours, cats that are housed singly may also spray.
I am finding small amounts of urine in a number of locations around the
house, not always on vertical surfaces. What does that mean?
Some cats will mark their territory with small amounts of urine (and on rare
occasions, feces) in various locations. These locations can be similar to those
for spraying, i.e. near doors, windows, new possessions in the home or favored
locations, but may occasionally be found on owner's clothing, items of furniture
or other favored possessions. However, small amounts of urine deposited outside
of the litter tray can also be an indication of numerous other problems including
inappropriate elimination problems and medical conditions including diseases
of the lower urinary tract. Similarly feces found outside of the litter tray
can be due to a multitude of medical conditions including colitis, constipation
and any other condition leading to difficult, more frequent or uncomfortable
elimination. If you find small amounts of urine in a number of locations around
the house a complete physical examination and appropriate laboratory tests will
be necessary to rule out potential physical causes.
How do I treat a spraying or marking problem?
As with all behavior problems, the history will help determine treatment options.
The location of the urine marking, together with the frequency, duration and
number of locations are all important. For example is the urine found on walls,
6-8 inches up from the floor, or are there small urine spots found in multiple
locations on both vertical and horizontal surfaces? Does the urine appear every
day, several times a day or less than once a week? In addition to this information
you also need to determine the number of cats inside the household as well as
possible contacts outside of the home and any changes in environment, social
patterns of humans and animals, and additions (people, pets, furniture, renovations)
to the home. A urinalysis should also be performed to rule out medical problems.
If the cat is not already neutered, and is not a potential breeder, then neutering
is recommended.
Treatment is aimed at breaking the habit and decreasing the motivation for
spraying. This is achieved by paying attention to adequate cleaning and also
by working to decrease stress and anxiety.
If the problem relates to cats outside of the home, then the best options
are to find a way to deter the cats from coming onto the property or to prevent
the indoor cat from seeing, smelling or hearing these cats. Cat flaps may need
to be boarded up, at least temporarily. It may be helpful to house your cat
in a room away from windows and doors to the outdoors, or it may be possible
to block visual access to windows up to the height of the cat. When you are
at home and supervising you can allow your cat limited access to these areas.
It may be necessary to keep windows closed to prevent the inside cat from smelling
the cats outside, and you will need to use an appropriate cleaning regime to
deal with those areas where the outdoor cats have eliminated or sprayed.
If the problem is due to feline social interactions inside the home, it may
be necessary to determine which cats do not get along. Temporarily keep these
cats in separate parts of the home with their own litter and sleeping areas.
Reintroduction of the cats may be possible when they are properly supervised
and can be aided by allowing the cats together for positive experiences such
as feeding, treats and play sessions whereby they get used to the presence of
each other, at least on a limited basis, in a positive context. However, when
numbers of cats in a home reach 7-10 cats you will often have spraying and marking
problems that cannot be resolved without rehousing one or more of the cats.
Where the problem is related to disruption in the household through renovation
or redecoration it can help to keep the cat isolated from the worst affected
areas, and where the cat's anxiety is related to new members of the family in
the form of a new spouse or a new baby treatment will need to include desensitizing
and counter conditioning the cat to the new arrival.
I've cleaned up the spot but the cat keeps returning to spray. What else
can be done to reduce the problem?
Since the "purpose" of spraying is to mark an area with urine odor, it is
not surprising that as the odor is cleaned up, the cat wants to refresh the
area with more urine. Cleaning alone does little to reduce spraying and in cases
where the cleaning materials used have contained ammonia or chlorine there is
room for a lot of confusion. Ammonia and chlorine are constituents of cat urine
and the application of household cleaners that contain them can actually induce
the cat to mark more. It is therefore very important to use a suitable cleaning
regime and the most effective one is to use a warm 10% solution of biological
washing powder, rinse with cold water and then spray over with surgical spirit,
making sure that the area is completely dry again before allowing the cat access
to the area. The one exception is when synthetic facial pheromones are being
applied in the treatment of an indoor marking problem and in such cases it is
best to clean he area with water and then spray over with surgical spirit as
the presence of the biological washing powder may interfere with the action
of the "pheromone" spray.
Cats that mark in one or two particular areas may cease if the function of
the area is changed and it is unlikely that cats will spray in their feeding,
sleeping or scratching areas.
Recent research has shown that cats appear to naturally produce a group of
chemicals which together have a calming effect. These chemicals which are produced
by the face glands are known as the feline facial "pheromones" and they are
normally rubbed onto familiar objects in the home. Some cats are less likely
to spray if a little of this cheek gland scent can be placed in the sprayed
area and it is thought that the scent acts to reduce any anxiety which is underlying
the marking behavior A commercial product containing feline cheek gland scent
has recently been introduced in Europe. The product is a synthetic analogue
of a particular faction of the so-called feline facial "pheromone" and is designed
to mimic cheek gland secretions from a cat. This product appears to be very
safe and does not seem to suffer from the same problems as anti-anxiety medication.
It needs to be applied to the environment on a daily basis and when sprayed
on areas where cats have sprayed urine in the past or on those areas where it
can be anticipated that the cat is likely to spray, it may decrease the likelihood
of additional spraying in those areas. The "pheromone" spray has also been used
to calm cats in new environments. It is only available from your veterinary
surgeon, but may be useful if it is thought that anxiety plays an important
part in the onset of the marking problem. It is possible to achieve a similar
effect by rubbing a cotton ball or gauze square on your cat's cheek or chin
glands and then rubbing the scent onto the previously sprayed areas.
Are there any drugs that are available to treat this problem?
Over the years many pharmacological means have been tried to control spraying
behavior The choices have focused on the theory that one of the underlying causes
for spraying and marking behaviours is anxiety. For that reason, anti-anxiety
drugs and female hormones have all been tried with varying degrees of success.
Few of these are presently approved for use in cats and some carry a list of
possible side effects, but the newer generation anti-anxiety medications appear
more promising and your veterinary can discuss with you the potential indications
and contraindications of drug therapy for your cat. Of course, if the underlying
reason for spraying is not addressed, the problem is quite likely to occur when
the drug is withdrawn. In addition even when behavioral modification has been
used there are some drugs which carry a high risk of relapse once the medication
is withdrawn due to their blockade of short term memory, inhibition of learning
and induction of drug dependence. In general if anxiety is suspected, pheromone
therapy with behavior modification is advised as the first line of treatment.
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