Friday, March 29, 2024

Cat Is Fixed But Still Sprays

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Why Do Neutered Cats Spray

What To Do With Neutered Cats That Spray | Two Crazy Cat Ladies

The question of why neutered cats spray is a pretty common one. Obviously, neutered cats arent interested in mating, so why would they spray?

Heres the thing, spraying is a behavior your cat has learned. If you take your cat to get neutered before its six months old, you may be able to prevent the problem. spraying can be a sign of maturity, and about 90% of cats wont start spraying if you neuter them on time. Basically, you need to neuter them before they even learn how to spray.

On the other hand, if maturity isnt the reason your cat is spraying, then neutering wont help. Youll need to do a bit of spying on your cat in order to determine why its doing what its doing.

Before we explain how to stop a neutered cat from spraying, there are several reasons why your cat may be spraying.

Treating Urine Marking Caused By Conflict With Outdoor Cats

You can try the following recommendations to remedy urine marking behavior caused by conflict with an outdoor cat:

  • Close windows, blinds and doors. Prevent your indoor cat from seeing other neighborhood cats.
  • Attach a motion-detection device to your lawn sprinkler. Set the sprinkler by windows to deter the presence of neighborhood cats.
  • If your cat is intact, neuter him or spay her.
  • Use a synthetic cat pheromone in areas where the cat has marked. Products like this deliver a synthetic pheromone that has been shown to have some effect in relieving stress in cats. Deliver the pheromone through a diffuser plugged in close to where your cat has seen the outdoor cats. This type of product is typically available as a spray or through a diffuser, and can be found in many pet stores and online.
  • Use medications. Because marking is often a sign of stress or anxiety, medication might provide additional treatment help. Always consult with your veterinarian, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or a veterinary behaviorist before giving your cat any type of medication for a behavior problem.

Are You Worried Your Neutered Cat Is Going To Mark His Territory

Because the worst thing for every Cat parent is to come home from a hard days work or just waking up in the morning only to smell Cat urine has literally engulfed the whole house!

I mean just a little drop of Cat urine somewhere has such strong odor it can smell for days, weeks even months!

And not only that

It smells the whole room up

What makes things even more worse is

You have no idea where that smell is coming from!

So youre basically sniffing around like a Police dog that is looking for drugs!

This can be really frustrating and annoying

Trust me,

I know how you feel

Because my Cat would love to mark his territory

He would come from the Garden and all of a sudden spray somewhere in the house

Oh did I mention that he is neutered?

So yes,

Neutered Cats do still spray unfortunately

Theyre not just spraying for the sake of it

Or to just get on your nerves

There are reasons for this

And Im going to talk about the different reasons your neutered kitty is spraying

So carry on reading

One of the questions Cat parents ask is How to stop a neutered cat from spraying?

Or even Do male cats spray after being neutered?

And the answer is yes

I know that is not the answer you are looking for

But its the truth

We as Cat parents need to understand why are neutered Cats still spraying?

I mean what is the reason?

We need to dig deep and play detective mode

Because a neutered Cat or even just a Cat will not just start spraying for no reason

Something is causing this behavior

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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 To Do If Your Cat Is Spraying

16+ Surprising Will My Cat Stop Spraying After Being Spayed

First, determine whether your cat is spraying or urinating. Cats urinate by squatting onto a horizontal surface spraying occurs standing up. The cat makes a treading motion with her back feet and quivers her tail, leaving her scent mark on a vertical surface.

If your cat has begun urinating outside of her litter box, be sure that the box is regularly cleaned. If the behavior persists, take her to the vet to check for lower urinary tract disease and cystitis. A urinary tract infection can cause your cat to urinate while standing, confusing the act with spraying. Cystitis can also cause symptoms of lower urinary tract disease, including frequent attempts to urinate, straining to urinate, crying while urinating, and blood in urine. Cats who suffer from recurrent cystitis often benefit from increased fluid intake, which may require switching your cat to wet food. Consult your vet for nutritional management.

Consider recent changes to your household that may be affecting your cats behaviorespecially if she spends most of her time indoorssuch as the arrival of a new baby or pet, a house move, schedule changes, or even rearranging furniture. To deter threats from other household or neighborhood cats, block access to cat flaps or doors. Once your cat feels that her territory is not threatened, she will no longer feel the need to mark it.

Once your cat has urinated or sprayed in your house, she may return to that spot again if the area isnt thoroughly cleaned.

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Urine Marking In Cats

The most common behavior problem reported by pet parents of cats is inappropriate elimination. Its estimated that 10% of all cats will eliminate outside their litter box at some point in their lives. Quite a few of these cats have issues with some characteristic of their litter box , but approximately 30% dont have litter box problems at all. These cats are urine marking, and urine marking isnt a litter box problemits a communication problem. Urine marking is a form of indirect communication used by cats.

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.

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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.

Why Does My Neutered Male Cat Spray Around The House

How to stop a cat from spraying | Neutered cat spraying

Now, there could be a number of possible reasons about why a neutered male will spray urine around the house. We shall discuss some of the most probable reasons about why your tom-cat is behaving in such a way. Remember, the cat is not spraying to make you angry or take revenge. He is doing just as he is programmed by his genes to do so. You should understand there is a difference between spraying and urination. If the cat urinates on a vertical wall or furniture, it means he is spraying. If he urinates on a flat surface, your clothes, rug, bed, etc., it means he is just avoiding using the litter box. Sometimes, male cats urinate in the litter box and will also spray on a vertical surface. All for a particular reason.

The main reason for spraying is marking the territory. Male cats are prone to develop territorial issues and will spray around to make sure the other cats know, they are on the wrong turf. The territory marking is generally carried out outside the house, where the cat thinks competition will arrive. When a cat reaches sexual maturity, he will start spraying to spread pheromones and let the females know that he is ready to mate. This sexual behavior causing spraying will continue, till you dont get him fixed. He will become more and more aggressive, whenever he is in heat.

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Why Do Female Cats Spray Urine

Like a male cat, a female cat may spray urine for a variety of reasons but these reasons can typically be classified as either a response to an environmental stressor or a territorial behavior.

Environmental stressors may include new people, such as a baby in the home, a new puppy or other animal that is annoying or upsetting your cat, construction or remodeling in your home, boredom in the feeding regimen or lack of playtime, litter concerns such as scented or dirty litter, a litter box that your cat doesn’t like, such as a covered or automatic cleaning box, and more. Basically, if your cat is upset or stressed about something it may spray but it may also be hard for you to figure out exactly what your cat is upset about.

Territorial reasons for spraying can include outdoor cats that your cat can see or hear while it is indoors or even new cats in your home. Spraying tells other cats that the space has already been claimed by them and they are not to be messed with.

Remember Cats Are Cats

It is highly suggested that having your male cat neutered before they reach sexual maturity can greatly reduce the likeliness of cat spraying. For male cats that are neutered before 6 months of age, they are being neutered before they start to instinctively behave based on the testosterone coursing through their veins. Theres no reason to wait on getting your male cat neutered, do it before six months of age to reduce cat owner frustrations later on.

It is always important to practice patience and slowly introduce new felines to reduce the likeliness of upset cats reacting like, well, cats!

As we know, cats are not fans of change. Have you recently added to your clowder of kitties and your existing cat has started spraying as a result? As mentioned above, cats are territorial beings. They like change strictly on their terms and they cannot protest by way of meows. Therefore, they rely on other means to object to the presence of a new cat encroaching on all their precious things in their home.

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Why Is My Cat Spraying Urine Indoors

Cats may spray indoors when they are:

  • threatened by other cats in the neighbourhood – or other cats coming into their home
  • stressed by a perceived threat
  • stressed by changes at home, such as a new baby or building work

Often cats spray because of a combination of factors.

And sometimes cats start spraying for one reason, but continue for another. For example, a cat that is punished for spraying may feel more anxious and may be more likely to spray.

Spraying Reason #: Medical Issues

Cat Pee Deterrent Will A Cat Still Spray After Being ...

If your cat has stopped using the litter box or if he urinates right in front of you, its time to see your veterinarian. A urinary tract infection may be responsible for your cats recent spraying behavior.

Kidney disease may also bring about changed urinary habits, including more frequent urination.

Since cats cant verbalize when theyre in trouble, they may use changed behavior to signal to you that something is wrong.

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How Can I Tell If My Cat Has A Litter Box Problem Or A Communication Problem

It takes a bit of detective work to determine whether your cat has a litter box problem or is urine marking. Cats who urine mark also use their litter boxes for voiding, so urine in the litter box does not rule out marking outside the box. But urine marking deposits are usually qualitatively different than inappropriate eliminations outside the box.

The following is a list of characteristics that indicate urine marking:

  • Urine marks are usually deposited on vertical surfaces. Marking on a vertical surface is known as spraying. When spraying, a cat usually backs up to a vertical object like the side of a chair, a wall or a stereo speaker, stands with his body erect and his tail extended straight up in the air, and sprays urine onto the surface. Often his tail and sometimes his entire body twitch while hes spraying.
  • Urine mark deposits often have less volume than voided deposits. The amount of urine a cat sprays when hes urine marking is usually less than the amount he would void during regular elimination in his box.
  • The urine smells pungent. The reason cats can learn so much from the urine mark of another cat is that a urine mark isnt just urine. It also contains extra communication chemicals. Those chemicals smell pungent to people.

There are also certain characteristics of a cat or a household that can contribute to urine marking:

Common Reasons Why Cats Spray

Territory: Spraying is one way cats mark their turf, especially if another cat is lurking around and leaving their own mark in your yard. Even if your cat never goes outside, theres still the possibility that they will see or smell the intruder, and then spray around a door or window in response.

Conflict: In multi-feline households, spraying can also be a way for cats to draw boundaries, establish pecking order, and settle disputes.

Change: Moving to a new place, a home remodeling project, changes in routine, or the arrival or loss of a human or pet sibling can all make a cat feel insecure and stressed. The changes dont have to be big, either. Even moving around the living room furniture can upset a more sensitive kitty. Spraying is just one way for a stressed cat to show their stress.

Mating: Both female and male cats spray although unneutered males are more likely to leave their mark as a way to let the opposite sex know theyre available . Even if your spraying cat is spayed/neutered, if the procedure was done later in life, this could be a learned behavior theyve carried over from their previous fertile days.

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Treating Urine Marking In Intact Cats

Here are a few things you can do to remedy the urine marking behavior of an intact cat:

  • Neuter or spay your cat. Although marking isnt limited to advertisement for a mate, advertisement is one reason that cats mark. Neutering or spaying is a proven treatment for cats who mark as a reproductive advertisement.
  • Close windows, blinds and doors. Prevent your indoor cat from seeing other neighborhood cats.
  • Attach a motion-detection device to your lawn sprinkler. Set the sprinkler by windows to deter the presence of neighborhood cats.

Correcting Neutered Cat Spraying

Do Neutered Cats Spray – Stop Cat Spraying

Correcting cat spraying takes time, so be patient. Try to increase playtime with your cat, reduce stress and enrich your catâs environment. In multi-cat households, provide high perches and cat trees to increase vertical space. Never punish your cat for spraying because that will only cause more stress and it could lead to even more spraying.

See your veterinarian and make sure that your catâs spraying is not related to a health issue. Neutered male cats are prone to bladder and urinary tract problems. Thatâs because the male cat has a longer, slimmer urethra than a female cat. Neutering a male cat can narrow the urethra, even more, making blockages more likely. If your veterinarian rules out a medical cause for your catâs spraying, ask for suggestions on how to better deal with the behavior. Your cat may need to be on an anti-anxiety medication.

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How Do I Clean The Place My Cat Is Spraying

If your cat has sprayed on curtains or upholstery, then you can use an enzymatic cleaner specifically sold for removing urine stains and odour. Some items may need to be professionally cleaned. You might then want to move these items out of the way while you deal with the issue of your cat spraying. For example, you could remove curtains or secure them above the level of your cat, cover furniture with plastic or use disposable incontinence sheets which will absorb any future spray before it gets to the item underneath.

Just cleaning the area your cat has sprayed may not resolve the problem, and your cat might simply find new areas to spray. As well as cleaning you can also apply a synthetic pheromone such as Feliway®, which your cat will find reassuring. Clean the area with warm water and then some surgical spirit before applying the pheromone.

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