What Does It Look Like When A Cat Sprays Urine
The classical presentation for urine spraying involves the cat backing up to a vertical surface, often after sniffing the area intensely and showing a flehmen response. The cat stands with its tail erect and quivering and raises its hindquarters. The cat may or may not tread with its hind paws while squirting a stream of urine . Some urine marking can take place on horizontal surfaces , either in a squatting posture or by standing and spraying. The spray marks can be quite hard to find, you may just be aware of the smell. Sometimes all you can see is a small trickle of brown, sticky substance on a skirting board, radiator or door. Other favoured targets for urine spraying include electrical equipment, full-length curtains, plastic bags and clothing.
Female Cat Pretending To Spray
Despite spraying being associated with male cats, female cats may also spray. Testosterone isnt only present in males . While males have significantly more testosterone than females, female cats do still have some testosterone.
An excess of testosterone in females of any species can lead to behaviors associated with males. So, if your female cat pretends to spray all the time, it may have an excess of testosterone.
A female cat may also have learned the habit of spraying from watching other cats. As discussed, cats learn social behaviors from their parents and other cats when they are young.
Besides, spraying and marking territory is important to female cats. Females also need territory to live safely and to hunt in the wild. Spraying in female cats is more common when the cat is in heat, so spraying helps with finding a mate, just as it does in male cats.
How Can I Keep My Cat From Spraying In My House
The first step is always a veterinary exam. You’ll need to differentiate between spraying and inappropriate urination and make sure there isn’t a medical reason for it if it’s inappropriate urination. Additionally, all cats in the home should be neutered or spayed.
Any surface that your cat has marked needs to be cleaned thoroughly with an enzymatic cat urine cleaner. Otherwise, the original cat and others in the home will continue to mark over the area. You can use a black light to help you find areas of urine that you might not know are there.
is a great tool in your arsenal against cat marking behavior. It is a substance that mimics feline feel-good pheromones, and it can really help decrease stress marking. Feline Multicat is great for households where cats aren’t getting along. It helps calm all the cats down.
Make sure you have plenty of good scratching posts in your home for your cats. Scratching helps relieve stress in cats and is an alternative way to mark territory and give other cats scent information through the glands in the paws. The posts should be strong, sturdy, tall, and plentiful.
You can consult an animal behavior specialist for more ideas individualized to your household and your cat.
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Identifying Scent Marking In Female Cats
If you catch your cat in the act of scent marking, which is performed by spraying urine with a stiff-tailed stance, you can be sure that what they are doing is indeed spraying. However, in other circumstances it is important to be sure that your cat is actually spraying, rather than simply urinating in the house, which may indicate a health issue or other type of behavioural problem.
If they are urinating and not spraying, or if you are not sure, ask your vet to check your cat out.
Why Do Female Cats Spray After Being Fixed
To answer the question âdo female cats spray after being fixed?â we need to take a look at why cats spray in the first place.
Cats can spray for many different reasons and not all of them are related to attracting a mate. In fact, sometimes a cat can spray when they have medical problems such as an infection or feline idiopathic cystitis . If you suspect your cat is having trouble peeing and is not using their litter tray, then itâs best to take them for a checkup. The last thing you want to do is assume they are spraying when really they are crying for help!
Other reasons cats might start to spray after being spaying include behavioral issues such as such as being stressed or threatened by cats in the neighborhood. Cats are very territorial animals and mark their territory by spraying on walls and furniture. If your cat starts to feel threatened or insecure, then they will often spray to make themselves feel safer.
If your neighbor has a new kitty or you notice a lot of other cats around your area, then your cat could be trying to scare them off. By spraying inside and around your house, they are basically telling other cats to stay away. This means no matter if your cat has been spayed, they will still spray if they feel in danger.
Lots of other big cats do this in the wild, and it works wonders. However, for a domestic house cat that spends most of their time inside, its really not necessary and can cause owners lots of stress.
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Why Does My Catpretend To Spray On Me
It is rare for a cat to spray on another cat or person. Cats will spray at nose level on a vertical surface of some kind.
This allows other cats to find the spray and sniff it easily, which is its purpose. Spraying on another cat or a person doesnt seem to fulfill this purpose, so why do cats do it?
You Are a Vertical Surface
You are much taller than your cat. So, your height may trigger a cats instinctual spraying reflex.
Cats will spray on tall things like trees, lamp posts, and walls. They do so without thinking about the surface because its inconsequential. All that matters is that it can spray at nose height where other cats can smell it.
Cats Spray on Other Cats When Fighting
In rare circumstances, a cat may spray on another cat when the pair are fighting. The purpose of this behavior is to display dominance. Its almost as if the cat is marking the other cat as its own territory.
This behavior is not atypical, but it is unusual. Your cat is unlikely to do this to your leg unless you make it feel very stressed or uncomfortable or unless you are fighting. Its an unlikely behavior, but it can happen.
How Do You Get Rid Of Female Cat Spray
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My Spayed Cat Wont Stop Spraying Could She Be Sick
Taking a cat to a vet is not always the best thing for cat parents. This is because not only is it expensive but also a possible stressor for cats. However, once you notice your spayed female cat spraying, you might want to observe her.
You should keep an eye on other signs and symptoms of feline urinary tract infections. These will depend on the exact type of illness your cat is suffering from.
Health complications related to a spayed female cat spraying
As much as cat spraying is a frustrating behavior, you might consider checking on your cats health. Some of the illnesses that are related to this behavior include the following
UTIs
This should not come to you as a bummer unless you are a new cat parent. A female cat is at a higher risk of contracting a urinary tract infection as compared to male cats. In addition, adult cats are an even larger risk than young kittens. Some of the symptom you should look out for include the following
Frequent urination
Blood in urine
The cat may pee when you can see to exhibit pain
Pungent smelling urine which may be cloudy
Need to drink more water than normal
Urine is usually in the form of small and frequent sprays.
Your cat may also suffer from loss of appetite.
Crystalluria
Your cat may also make more vocalization due to the pain and discomfort that comes with the illness. spraying and enlarged belly are also indicators of crystalluria in felines.
Bladder stones
Do Female Cats Spray After Being Fixed
If youâre thinking about getting your female cat spayed, then you probably have some concerns in the back of your mind.
Is it worth the money? Will it hurt my kitty? Do female cats spray after being fixed?
All of these are reasonable questions that could be going through your head. After all, you only want to commit to something if its the best for your kitty.
If youâre thinking about getting your female cat spayed to stop her from spraying then be warnedâ¦
Spaying / neutering isnât guaranteed to stop your kitty from spraying.
If youve already our article on do female cats spray? Then you should know that female cat spraying is quite a common issue.
Thereâs still a good chance that even after theyâve been âfixedâ theyâll still be able to spray. Remember, if your cat can pee, then they can still spray.
But how is this possible? Didnât the vet tell you it will fix every catâs spraying problem? Well, unfortunately, not in all cases. To explain why cats can still spray after being âfixedâ weâre taking a look at how its possible and what you can do to stop them.
So get ready to jot down some notes, hereâs everything you need to know about spayed female cats spraying.
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Is It Only Male Cats That Spray Urine
Males and females are capable of urine spraying although the frequency is higher in males. The incidence is much higher in intact animals , suggesting it may be facilitated by sexual hormones, providing information about the sprayers presence and reproductive status. Approximately 90% of intact males and 95% of intact females show a significant decrease in spraying after castration/spaying.
Do Female Cats Spray And How Can You Keep Your Cat From Spraying Is Spraying A Medical Issue Or A Behavioral Issue Reduce Your Cat’s Anxiety And Provide Environmental Stimulation And She’ll Be Less Likely To Spray
Do female cats spray? Its a myth that females dont spray, says Dr. Cori Gross, a feline-only veterinarian who provides in-home behavior consultations through Feline Behavior Housecalls. Spraying is different from inappropriate urination. When a cat is urinating a puddle on a horizontal surface, this is possibly a litter box or medical issue. When a cat is spraying urine vertically against a wall or window, this is a true marking behavior.
Why Do Female Cats Spray?The more territorial your cat is, the more likely it is that shell mark her territory. Unneutered cats and cats living in multi-cat households are more likely to spray to mark their territory. If your kitty sees another cat, even through the window, she may immediately go into an instinctive marking mode.
Cats have an instinctive physiologic need to leave their scent also known as pheromones around their territory, Gross explains. They do this by scratching with their paws, which leaves a visual cue, but also leaves pheromones emitted from the paw pads. They also do this by bunting or rubbing their cheeks, which also have scent glands against walls, furniture, and other objects.
Pheromone sprays are artificial versions of the chemical released by a cats cheek glands when bunting. Spray these around the home in the places your cat is spraying to help trick her into thinking shes already marked this location, Gross suggests.
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How To Stop A Neutered Cat From Spraying
Has your purrfect pal started to spray and urine mark around your home? While cats of all types, males and female can spray, neutering and spaying tends to greatly reduce this practice.
So, if your neutered or spayed kitty has started to spray and mark around the house, it is worth considering why.
To stop your cat spraying, its important to think about the causes. Spraying is commonly used as a territory marker or as a signal to potential mates however spraying may also be due to stress, illness, or if your kitty is unhappy with their environment.
Following the tips below will help you eliminate the causes of spraying and ensure your kitty is happy and relaxed!
What Is Scent Marking
Scent marking involves urine, but it is different to normal urination, both in terms of the action and the resulting substance. Cats urinate in a squatting position and they do this to relieve their bladders, usually going to great pains to cover or bury their urine to mask its smell from potential predators.
Scent marking, on the other hand, is designed to be smelled and noticed, and takes the form of spraying onto a vertical surface in order to deliberately deliver the substance over a greater area. Additionally, scent marking spray is more concentrated and stronger than normal urine, and also contains hormonal chemicals designed to send a message to other cats in the vicinity.
In intact tomcats, scent marking in this way is designed to both attract a mate, and to warn any other males in the territory off, and when an unneutered female who is in season and so, also seeking a mate scent marks, the reasoning is the same. When it comes to neutered cats spraying, for males this is likely to be a territorial behaviour and/or a learned behaviour if they were neutered after they began exhibiting marking tendencies.
But for neutered female cats for which scent marking is uncommon and serves no procreational purpose, the reasons are likely to be different, and may indicate a problem.
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What Cat Spraying Means
One of the ways cats communicate is through scent, specifically leaving their scents in certain places. In the cat world, spraying is a totally normal and appropriate way to converse, just like scratching*, rubbing their face on objects , or even rolling around on the ground.
Of course, in the human world, were usually fine with our cats communicating by rubbing their face on things or rolling on the ground, but were less excited about having our cats communicate by spraying urine. So lets explore why your cat might be doing it and how you can help them .
*Need help with your cat scratching your furniture, too? Or want to learn how to prevent them from ever doing so in the first place? Check out our Scratch this, NOT that!article.
Ive Cleaned Up The Spot But The Cat Keeps Returning To Spray What Else Can I Do To Reduce The Problem
Because 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.
“Cats that mark in one or two particular areas may cease if the function of the area is changed.”
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When Should You Get Your Cat Fixed
Spaying and neutering kittens at four months, before they reach sexual maturity, offers the best protection against a number of health risks. However, adult cats can be also be spayed or neutered. If you’re unsure about when to get your cat fixed, just ask your vet, they can help you decide when to get your cat spayed or neutered.
What Should I Do If My Cat Sprays Urine Indoors
The first thing you should do is contact your veterinarian. If your cat is young and has not yet been neutered then the most likely cause would be that your cat is becoming sexually mature. Neutering at this time would probably prevent the spraying from recurring and would avoid roaming, fighting and unwanted pregnancies your vet will advise.
Caution should be taken in presuming all urine spraying has a primary behavioural motivation as diseases causing localised pain or discomfort may result in a cat adopting a spraying posture to urinate. Research indicates that up to 30% of cats that present for spraying may have an underlying medical problem, for example, cystitis, also referred to as feline lower urinary tract disease. Your vet may, therefore, recommend analysis of your cats urine or other tests to rule out disease.
Once medical causes have been ruled out your vet will refer you to a behaviour specialist.
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Consider Other Cats And Conflict
Is there any kitty conflict happening in your house? If your pet feels stressed by other cats they may be urine marking out of anxiety or to show their territory. Outside cats, who may be visiting your garden or walking by, can cause a lot of stress for indoor cats. If this is a factor, you can try to stop other cats from visiting or close curtains and blinds to stop your kitty from seeing them.
Can A Female Cat Scent Mark By Spraying
Everyone knows that intact male cats are apt to scent mark by spraying urine onto vertical surfaces, and once you have smelled it once, this strong, pungent and unpleasant smell that can be a challenge to neutralise is very hard to forget! Neutering your male cat will go a long way towards preventing or curbing this behaviour, but what about female cats? Can females also scent mark by urine spraying, and why might they do this?
The answer to this question is yes-whilst spraying or scent marking is much more common in male cats all cats can physically spray urine, male and female, neutered and intact.
However, the reasons behind why a female cat may behave in this fairly unusual way are usually different to that of tomcats, and so if your female cat is scent marking in your home or garden, it is important to find out why in order to curb the behaviour in the future.
In this article, we will look at why female cats scent mark in more detail, including some tips on how to curb and correct such behaviours too. Read on to learn more.
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