When Do Male Kittens Start Spraying
If youâve just got yourself a new kitten then congratulations, youâve just started an incredible journey with your feline friend.
With so much to look forward too, from their first cuddle to their first hairball, having a kitten is full of interesting surprises.
Unfortunately, there will also be many challenges along the way. From litter tray training to, scratching furniture, youâll need to teach your kitten how to be a well-behaved kitty cat. One of the biggest problems youâll most likely encounter along your journey will be spraying.
Most common in male cats, spraying is when your kitty leaves noticeable smells around your house which are hard to ignore. Not only do they smell foul, but they can also damage wallpaper and furniture, costing you some serious money.
To get you prepared for this stage in your catâs life, weâre taking a look at what age male kittens start to spray and what you can do to stop them. No matter if youâve never had a cat before, weâve got all the answers to your questions.
So when do male kittens start spraying? Well, hereâs everything you need to know.
Why Do Cats Spray What Does Spraying Look Like
Cats, by nature, are typically very neat and tidy when it comes to their bathroom habits.
So if you find your feline friend away from the litter box with their backside raised, tail quivering and marking against a wall, fence or other vertical areas, it can be a little confusing!
But, this is perfectly natural and is, in fact, spraying – meaning your cat may be marking their territory or even leaving a message to let the opposite sex know that theyre available!
Spraying is an often-misunderstood cat behavior it can be confused with urinating and may be done in combination with meowing and yowling cat-speak for Im available for dating!
Our kitty friends can spray for a number of reasons – such as to reduce stress, to comfort themselves, and mark their territory. This goes for both male and female cats, even after neutering or spaying. However, its important to look out for when your cat first starts spraying, as this is a good indicator that your kitten is now an adult!
So when can you expect your cat to start spraying, and what should you do about it?
What If My Cat Is Stressed Or Anxious
Cats can be stressed by a multitude of triggers, and spraying can become the way they cope with stress.
Some examples of stress-inducing events include:
- A new cat in the home
- Rearranged furniture
- Boredom
Watch this video, which identifies 11 common stress-triggers for cats, to see if youve made any changes to your cats routine that may have induced stress. Then, address the issue by using some of these calming techniques to keep your cat happy and stress-free.
You May Like: Kitten Fleas Dawn Soap
In The Absence Of Testosterone A Cats Masculine Behavior Is Not Inactive Simply Less Active
Sexual behavior by cats is a pretty gnarly business. A male waits for his moment and then darts after the female, pouncing on her from behind, biting her in the neck and pinning her to the ground, while he intromits his barbed penis. As he withdraws, the backward-pointing spines on his penis lacerate the females vagina, causing her to scream and roll away, and she may smack him if he doesnt get out of range quickly enough.
All in all, a pretty unpleasant sounding experience though, surprisingly, the female will tolerate such ravishes multiple times from multiple suitors when she is at the peak of estrus. Most of us dont want this type of behavior going on in our homes, and neither do most pet owners want an intact male cat around for other reasons notably, intact males are generally more aggressive, frequently engage in objectionable marking and mounting behavior, and have a constant eye for the door, particularly when a neighboring queen is in heat. Thats why most cat owners who are not specialist cat breeders gladly accept neutering, in addition to birth control reasons.
How Often Does A Single Cat Spray The House
This behavior is called urine spraying. The statistic shows that urine spraying constitutes 44% of all house soiling complaints. The frequency of spraying in single cat households is approximately 25% and near to 100% in multi-cat households with over ten cats. But cats are not spraying to make us angry or to spite.
Therefore, it is advisable to neuter or spay your cat before the age of 6 months so as to curb this behavior from developing when puberty hits. However, a small percentage of neutered males and an even smaller percentage of spayed females will spray.
Recommended Reading: How Much Do Cats Eat A Day
How To Stop A Female Cat From Spraying While In Heat
If your female cat is in heat and spraying all over, the following are the most effective solutions:
Clean previous sprays
The first thing you should do is to clean the previous sprays that your female cat made. As the scent lingers, the cat will be more attracted to re-spray that area.
Heres the trick: your cat can still sniff the previous sprays even after cleaning the area with soap. Cats have a strong sense of smell so they can still pick up the slightest hints of scent.
What you need to use is an enzyme cleaner made for pet urine. Unlike soaps and detergents, enzyme cleaners are packed with microorganisms that break down and consume the remaining proteins of your cats urine. After their job is done, the microorganisms will die and leave no trace of pet urine. This formula is safe to use near cats as long as you choose one with a mild smell and natural ingredients.
One more tip: clean after your cat. Letting the urine settle on the surface that a cat sprayed will only make the scent linger longer. Ive dealt with cat urine on carpets many times, and you wouldnt want to let those fluids soaking and drying on the surface for long.
Ask the vet about prescriptions
If your cat keeps on spraying even after the heat cycle, its possible that there are stressors on their surroundings. The neighborhood cat might be threatening their territory, or you suddenly changed your schedule.
Consider spaying your cat
Do Female Cats Smell When In Heat
female catheatheatfemale catssmell
People also ask, how can you tell if a female cat is on heat?
Signs a Cat Is In Heat
- Vocalizing.
- Raising hind end into the air.
- Wiggling hind end when the back spine is stroked.
- Begging to go outside.
Furthermore, do female cats spray when in heat? When your cat is ‘in heat‘ she is in the fertile period of her reproductive cycle and is looking to mate. Cats in heat will howl loudly and constantly as they try to attract a male to mate. They may also spray walls or furniture with strong-smelling urine also in an attempt to indicate their availability to a male.
Besides, how long do female cats stay in heat?
four to seven days
Do female cats bleed when in heat?
It is not common to observe vaginal bleeding from a cat in heat. The most notable signs of estrus in cats are behavioral. Most cats become very affectionate, even demanding they persistently rub against their owners , constantly wanting attention.
You May Like: How To Know If Allergic To Cats
What Is Urine Spraying
Urine spraying is a form of territorial marking behaviour, performed by adult cats. There is still some debate about the purpose of urine spraying but it is suggested that it facilitates communication between cats from a distance, to coordinate different cats movements in a territory to enable timesharing, and for the avoidance of aggressive encounters.
There is, however, no evidence to show that any cat investigating the spray marks of another cat avoids or retreats from them. Information about the timing of when these marks were made may be present because sniffing and flehmen response varies depending on the age of the urine deposit. Odours are so important to a cats survival that they have a second organ of scent called the vomeronasal or Jacobsens Organ enabling them to taste significant smells.
This organ consists of two small apertures behind the front teeth in the roof of the mouth that connect to the nasal cavity. The cat opens its mouth and draws the air into the apertures the facial expression adopted at this time looks like a kind of grimace and is referred to as the Flehmen response .
See our information on identifying and addressing the signs of stress.
When Do Female Kittens Start To Spray
If trying to guess when a male kitten will start spraying wasnât hard enough, then how about female kittens?
Did you know? Around only 5% of female cats ever spray.
That in itself should tell you how unlikely a female kitten is to start spraying, especially if they are only a few months old. If we had to give you a timeframe, then it would be around 6 months, the same as a male kitten. But remember, thereâs a really high chance that your female kitty will never end up spraying anyway.
But what if they do?
Spaying or neutering your kitten is an option, but itâs not pleasant for anyone. Instead, there is a much cheaper and painless way that doesnât involve surgery.
Read Also: Can You Become Allergic To Cats
How To Prevent A Cat From Spraying
Last Updated: March 20, 2020ReferencesApproved
This article was co-authored by Brian Bourquin, DVM. Brian Bourquin, better known as Dr. B to his clients, is a Veterinarian and the Owner of Boston Veterinary Clinic, a pet health care and veterinary clinic with three locations, South End/Bay Village, the Seaport, and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinary Clinic specializes in primary veterinary care, including wellness and preventative care, sick and emergency care, soft-tissue surgery, dentistry. The clinic also provides specialty services in behavior, nutrition, and alternative pain management therapies using acupuncture, and therapeutic laser treatments. Boston Veterinary Clinic is an AAHA accredited hospital and Bostons first Fear Free Certified Clinic. Brian has over 19 years of veterinary experience and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 82% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 210,243 times.
What Is Cat Spraying
Spraying is essentially your cats way of marking his territory, much like how some dogs urine mark. But whats the difference between spraying and urine marking?
Essentially, its in the position your cat assumes. When cats spray, theyll back up to a standing object. It might be a wall, a chair leg, or another piece of furniture. They raise their tail erect and squirt urine.
When cats urine mark, theyll squat just as if theyre peeing normally and theyll do this on a flat surface, like your carpet or your bed.
In both scenarios, the behavior is intentional, and not a matter of their inability to hold it. Its purely a behavioral issue. So why do cats spray?
Don’t Miss: How To Get Matts Out Of Cat Hair
Could The Cat Be Stressed
If no medical cause is found for spraying behaviour in a neutered cat, the most likely reason is stress. Cats are very independent animals and dont readily show signs of weakness causes of stress may also not be easily apparent to us. Common causes include:
- Disruption to the cats territory
- A new cat moving into the area.
Spraying is primarily a territorial marking behaviour and cats are not naturally sociable animals. Unfortunately, this means another common cause of stress is households with more than one cat. Often conflict between individual animals is subtle to spot and doesnt always involve direct fighting.
Ultimately, the best solution for stress-related behaviour is consultation with a specialist veterinary behaviourist. This can be expensive but is often covered by pet insurance. In the meantime, the following tips may help:
- Make sure all resources in the house are spaced apart, and provide one per cat plus one extra to avoid competition
- If stress could be caused by a dog or small children, give the cat a safe area away from them such as using a baby gate
- If your cat can see other strange cats outside though glass doors, consider applying an opaque cover over the lower portion
- Clean sprayed areas with a solution of biological washing powder before spraying with surgical spirit
- If feasible, move a positive item to sprayed areas such as a food bowl or favourite bed
Male Cats Like Hunting And Feeding
Feral cats spend around 25 percent of their day hunting for food, with an average daily kill being four mice. Male cats tend to eat more than females, however, they spend less time hunting. In part, this is down to females providing food for their kittens.
Hunting provides important mental stimulation for a cat. A useful tip for pet owners is to use puzzle feeders, which make the cat work for their supper. This can reduce boredom and therefore unwanted behaviors that a male cat might adopt, such as spraying or clawing.
You May Like: How To Get Mats Out Of My Cats Fur
Why Does My Cat Spray
In the wild, cats leave scent signals to communicate with other cats through rubbing, scratching, urinating, and spraying. Scent signals let cats know when another cat has claimed an area as her own, when she was there and might return, and if she is looking for a mate. While most neutered cats who live indoors do not feel the need to spray, those who do are typically under stress and want to surround themselves with their own scent for protection. Even though youve created a safe, nurturing environment for your cat, she may still feel distressed and want to mark her territory.
What To Do If Your Cat Is Spraying
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.
Recommended Reading: How Many Calories Should Cats Eat
Male Cats Spray Urine
Probably the worst offense attributed to male cats is the habit of urine spraying. Males spray their territory as a warning of the boundaries to other cats. Toms also spray as an advertisement of their sexual prowess when seeking females to mate with. An anxious cat may also spray to comfort himself by spreading his own scent.
That said, urine spraying is not always behavioral by nature. A case of kidney stones can drive a cat to spray in an effort to pass the blockage and gain a little relief. Likewise, a urinary tract infection can also lead to disturbing urinary behaviors.
If your cat is spraying, get him checked out by a vet to rule out medical problems and clean up after him with a product like NOse Offense to help remove his scent. Neutering may also help if the spraying is related to mating behaviors. Some owners also find pheromone diffusers and sprays like Feliway can help reduce spraying.
When Do Cats Go Into Heat
Female cats naturally go into their first heat cycle at about six months of age, but it may occur anywhere between four and 12 months of age depending on a cat’s breed, health, and the time of year. This first heat cycle is associated with puberty and a cat can get pregnant during any of its heat cycles, including the first one. Cats are seasonally polyestrous which means they go into heat on a seasonal schedule, typically February through October in the Northern Hemisphere.
Recommended Reading: How Much To Feed A Cat A Day
My Cat Doesnt Look Stressed
The domestic cat is a self-reliant species and it doesnt readily show emotion as this may make it vulnerable to attack. This means that cats are excellent at hiding signs of illness, pain or stress. The signs are there however but are very subtle often stress can only be established by looking for changes in patterns of behaviour. Urine spraying would certainly indicate that all was not right with your cats world.