SPRAYING
Your cat marks its territory with urine and faeces. When a cat is marking its territory with urine it does not squat. All cats, male or female, sterilised or unsterilised may spray outdoors but unsterilised cats are more likely to spray. The reasons for a cat spraying indoors are different from those that make it urinate indoors in the wrong place. Sometimes a fully house trained cat decides to use somewhere other than its litter tray to go to the toilet. This is usually because it is not happy using its litter tray, for example the litter tray may be dirty. This problem might be resolved by adding more litter or by changing the brand of litter. Diabetes, kidney disease, and bladder problems may cause your cat to have accidents indoors, but these diseases will not make your cat spray.
Indoor spraying occurs because your cat is anxious, unsettled, frightened, or insecure. Punishment will only make the problem worse. The problem is most easily solved if you can discover why your cat is spraying, for example a new kitten or puppy in the house, a new aggressive neighbourhood cat, a new baby in the house.
In order to address the problem you should:
Clean the area with soap (use only non-ammonia based detergents). Even after cleaning the smell may last for up to four weeks.
Apply an odour eliminator (available from Southern Cross).
Use a cat pheromone spray or diffuser (available from Southern Cross).
Move your cat's food bowl to the cleaned area as cats will not spray near their food.
Our vets may prescribe medications to help relieve your cat's anxiety or stress.
Restrict your cat to a small area within your home so that it can feel safe and relaxed. Once the spraying has stopped gradually reintroduce your cat to the rest of your home.
Your cat marks its territory with urine and faeces. When a cat is marking its territory with urine it does not squat. All cats, male or female, sterilised or unsterilised may spray outdoors but unsterilised cats are more likely to spray. The reasons for a cat spraying indoors are different from those that make it urinate indoors in the wrong place. Sometimes a fully house trained cat decides to use somewhere other than its litter tray to go to the toilet. This is usually because it is not happy using its litter tray, for example the litter tray may be dirty. This problem might be resolved by adding more litter or by changing the brand of litter. Diabetes, kidney disease, and bladder problems may cause your cat to have accidents indoors, but these diseases will not make your cat spray.
Indoor spraying occurs because your cat is anxious, unsettled, frightened, or insecure. Punishment will only make the problem worse. The problem is most easily solved if you can discover why your cat is spraying, for example a new kitten or puppy in the house, a new aggressive neighbourhood cat, a new baby in the house.
In order to address the problem you should:
Clean the area with soap (use only non-ammonia based detergents). Even after cleaning the smell may last for up to four weeks.
Apply an odour eliminator (available from Southern Cross).
Use a cat pheromone spray or diffuser (available from Southern Cross).
Move your cat's food bowl to the cleaned area as cats will not spray near their food.
Our vets may prescribe medications to help relieve your cat's anxiety or stress.
Restrict your cat to a small area within your home so that it can feel safe and relaxed. Once the spraying has stopped gradually reintroduce your cat to the rest of your home.
