How to Stop Your Cat from Spraying

Cats can have meticulous mannerisms when they move around both inside and outside the house. Proper training will restrict their toilet use to the litter box or the garden. Cats are also susceptible and intuitive to any changes in these areas. They will communicate their response to the household and other animals with body language, sound, and behavioral change.

Cats will change behaviors such as their peeing when there is a change within or without their bodies. The exciting bit is that there is a slight difference between what we perceive to be spraying and the regular peeing modality. Let us dive into the known variances between these two activities.

What is the difference between spraying and urinating?

The general definition of spraying is when cats are having inappropriate urination. You will notice an apparent alteration of the cat’s behavior while spraying. It is paramount to understand the variation between these behaviors so that we can offer our cats the best possible relief. Spraying is a deliberate move of improper urine release while urinating is a natural discharge of bodily waste.

Signs that a cat is spraying

• Cats will often stand while urinating but will squat when they spray.
• The spray has a more pungent smell than regular urine because it contains pheromones. An unpleasant smell in the compound or within the house is a clear indication that the cat is not merely urinating.
• The spray is lesser in volume than normal urine.
• The cat will back up against the adjacent object, such as a wall, erect the tail upwards and lean the lower half forward to spray.
• The pet will pee inside the litter box several times in a day while also spraying on other areas outside the box, such as the door or window.
• You will realize that the cat does not cover the release upon finishing.
• The cat will also sniff the targeted area of deposition before spraying.

Signs that a cat has a natural urination

• The cat will have a regular misappropriation of the litter box.
• Pee has a lot more volume than spray.
• The cat will sniff the area after finishing the act.
• Pets will often have to squat when they want to pee naturally.
• They will also choose to release in discreet places when they are outside the house.
• They will pee on flat and ignorable surfaces such as the middle of the backyard, instead of the nearby small landmark.

While spraying is mostly a deliberate form or improper urination, the pee of a sick cat will have a few similarities with that of a cat with on a spraying mission.

Signs of a cat with a medical cat pee problem

• A highly pungent smell that has traces of blood.
• A high frequency of peeing.
• Large amounts of urine accompanied by excessive thirst, ulcers of the mouth, rapid weight loss, vomiting, anemia, and bad breath.
• Visible pain while urinating that may prompt the cat to lick their parts. You may also hear howls during the release.
• Pale color of the pee.

Why do cats spray?

Territorial marking

Wild animals do not have wordy communications or tech signals to let others know their thoughts. They, therefore, evolved to use the available communications means — using nature. All animals use their body parts to leave messages of territorial claim, mating flirtation or communication of a threat to counterparts within and without their species.

Cats will rub, scratch, and spray on locations and objects to communicate with other cats. Neutered cats who have grown accustomed to the indoor lifestyle may not show normal behaviors of this natural communication. You will, however, note the commonalities among all cats in the wild, as well as cats who love roaming outside. Some indoor cats may also revert to this instinct when they have to mark their territory from a perceived threat inside the house.

Medical reasons

UTI

The most common medical reason for spraying is a urinary tract infection. UTI affects cats of any gender that have reached the reproductive stage. One should note that a cat that develops UTI is more likely to have a recurrent infection in the future. The following signs are common among cats with UTI.

• Early results of this infection is a cat that pees irresponsibly after years of having perfect stances. The cat will often abandon the litter box and pee on cool surfaces like the bathtub, sink, or the kitchen counter.
• Wet spots on the bed
• Inflammation around the genitals
• Damp fur around the abdomen

Hypothyroidism

This condition of the thyroid happens when certain thyroid hormones are deficient. Cats with hypothyroidism will be lethargic, gain a lot of weight and consequentially, have little energy or regard for proper bathroom releases.

Sexual maturity

Unneutered cats will spray when they pass a certain age. This is not a deliberate act of misbehavior because cats have been doing this since the establishment of the cat kingdom. Male cats will spray to leave a mark of their presence that will attract a female in the environment. This will happen even when the cat does not have another cat companion in the house. It is an automatic attempt at being hopeful in mating.

Poor awareness

Unbelievably, not all cats have a deep and fascinating intelligence. The ones that do not get enough taste of the outside world will have numbed impulse reactions. They will drag themselves across the litter box and miss a spot while urinating. You can identify an unintelligent cat from their everlasting blank stares and slow bodily movements. They will have minimal interest in play and almost always fall prey to more aggressive counterparts.

Pickiness

Cats do a decent job of keeping themselves neat by walking with measured grace and staying away from the dirty and violent neighborhood stray cat. They will despise a dusty litter box and replace it with your living room space. They will also mark certain spots on the carpet or the sofa set to deter other pets from using their section of the bathroom.

Environmental changes

We understand that cats are possessive of their living spaces. They are not a big fan of a house move or rearrangements. Other changes include the following:

• Addition of a pet.
• A newborn in the house.
• Loud noises in the neighborhood, such as fireworks in festivities.
• Guests at home.
• A changed and unpredictable work schedule.
• New furniture or drapes

Far too many nuances could make cats shift to depositing urine smells in the home. They will soon start marking around the house as a way of comforting themselves against possible threats.

Age

Senility is a sad progression for both cats and their owners. Aging cats will lose their excitement and vigor at handling the most mundane routines. This descent will also affect their bathroom behaviors. Signs of aging will have the accompaniment of purposeless wandering around the house and frequent howls.

How to correct spraying in cats

Fix the litter box

As stated earlier, cats will snob the litter box for a myriad of reasons such as unpleasant positioning and dirtiness.

• Ensure that you clean the box at least twice a day.
• Place the litter box away from high traffic areas in the home.
• Increase the number of litter boxes if you have more than one cat. Consider purchasing as many boxes as the number of cats.
• Purchase the right size of litter boxes to accommodate bigger cats or long and thick-tailed cats.

Reduce environmental stress

As much as we love our cats, we only have limited control of the environment. These sensitive pets could, however, benefit from a little extra vigor within the home. Incorporate the following practices to ease your cat’s nerves.

• Install or repair the preexisting AC unit to ensure proper circulation of air in the home and convenient temperatures.
• Try to introduce new sounds in the home with progressive measures instead of deciding to blast the music suddenly.
• Train the cat to play and corporate with new household members such as another cat or human.
• Pet the cat when there is in invasive interference from outside the home, such as a noisy construction job or music.
• Create playful distractions for the extra number of cats. You can add vertical posts in various spots of the house so that they have different territories. Also add extra cat beds, shelves, and resting hideouts.

Eliminate previous sprays

Pay attention to areas where the cat frequents while trying to spray. You can map out the specific areas affected using a black light, which will make the urine glow. Clean out the area with a strong disinfectant and follow up with an odor neutralizer to remove remnant odor smells. Ammonia and bleach are good agents when eliminating odor.

Repurpose the spraying spot

You could cause further distraction at the spot by placing the areas with toys and other decorations. Add a cat bed or food bowl, so the cat associates the space with a different habit. Cats have zero tolerance for eating next to their elimination or resting areas.

Spray a synthetic feline pheromone on the location to deter the cat from attempting to remark the area. Common areas where cats deposit pheromones are the seats, hidden corners, and vertical posts.

Regulate communication

Decreasing amount of interaction between cats within the house and stray cats will lessen the frequency and urge of spraying, as a mark of the territory. Indoor cats may perch on furniture against the window to observe the intrusion of foreign counterparts. Move these items away from the window.

Additionally, purchase denser color blinds to reduce visibility. You could also keep the drapes closed while away for work.

Another convenient way of reducing communication with stray cats is by inhibiting their entrance into your backyard. Motion-activated devices will scare them away when strategically placed at the most common entrance points.

Neuter the cat

Another primary reason for cat spraying is trying to find a sexual partner. Neutering will reduce these sexual urges. You should, however, remember that cats do not stop spraying immediately after the surgery. The behavior will slowly wear off from their mental and emotional psychic. Follow up the procedure by enforcing other preventive and control measures. Eventually, the cat will adapt to the new regulation of hormones.

Visit the veterinary

Do not hesitate to check in with a pet doctor if you notice any abnormality with the cat’s health. It is not necessary to have a quick trip to the vet after every spraying incident. One should, however, be on the lookout for the medical conditions mentioned above.

Alternatively, limit the frequency to a veterinary by shrinking the number of checkups and other procedures to fewer sessions. Excessive bodily exams may stress the cat enough for them to begin spraying your house. Talk to the vet about administering anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants to calm the cat’s defensive impulses.

Engage the cat

You will have excellent luck if you can notice when the cat is about to spray. Apart from the aforementioned behavioral change, note other factors such as the timing of the spray and a pattern of responses to environmental changes. This will help you to create relevant solutions that will daunt them from spraying. Here are a few ways of redirecting your cat’s behavior:

Use a clicker trainer to dispatch treats. The sound will train their mind to associate good behavior with gifts, making it easier for you to cause a distraction. Alternatively, rustle or open a packet of their treats until you get a positive response.

How to get faster results

Have you tried every little trick from the cat documentary or the secret advice from your cat-lady next door with futile results? Cats are nod dumb. They are far from it. These pets understand the graveness of their actions but continue to litter your house because they lack a few gifts to spoil them.

Why should you seek extra help?

Cats are the animal version of babies. They require adult intervention to help straighten some of their little notorious habits. Just like raising an active baby who seems to run on adrenaline and endless creativity, a cat owner will one time seek external eyes for a fresh perspective.

You will continue to suffer in denial and shameful pride by not taking an even bigger step to resolve your cat’s ill use of the box. The innocent and playful cat will leave your house with a constant lingering funk and growing frustration without the help of a professional cat handler.

Where can you get help?

There are hundreds of flaky solutions promising to reverse your cat’s bad bathroom behavior. Some of them will include an attractive price and shallow corrective cognitive solutions that will last a few litter box. As stated earlier, a cat’s spraying habit is the combinative result of behavior, genetics and environmental factors.

It is for these reasons that trustworthy cat handlers study and test hundreds of cats to establish the best corrective measures. Cat Spraying No More began in a natural effort to help a hopelessly sick kitten regain their health and undo years of bad rearing. Unlike most corrective programs, this solution was not commercially motivated.

Why should you work with Cat Spraying No More?

Sarah Richards was a long-time veterinarian who absorbed the behavioral and medical responses of cats for many years. She adapted the advice of retraining her cat’s bathroom skills and forwarded the solution to friends and family at no cost. Currently, she has enough guarantee on the program’s success due to the constant positive feedback.

The programs help cats to stop spraying by addressing the root causes of the behavior. You will learn how to cooperate with your cat on a daily basis until you can permanently stop the habit. The best part is that Cat Spraying No More is only one of the many cat books by Sarah Richards.

Sarah has minimal intent of siphoning money from clients with a one-time hit wonder. She has been in the veterinary business for decades and continues to release helpful materials to address other faults of cats. Additionally, Cat Spraying No More has $37 refundable fee.

What are the main benefits of Cat Spraying No More?

You can buy the product and get your money back should it prove ineffective within 60 days. You do not have a reason to continue brainstorming and suffering for months on end, whereas you can utilize this information for a proven and permanent short cut.

Conclusion

Cat spraying is both intentional and involuntary. The good news is that we have the upper hand in directing the behavioral change of cats. It is apt to note that this behavior change may take time but proves fruitful with consistently good training and the proper external assistance.

Originally published at https://purrpetrators.com on July 31, 2019.