Cat Urine Problems | How To Prevent Cat Urine Marking
You want to know how to remove cat urine fast. Stop! Take a deep breath. Or, maybe not depends on how bad the cat urine smell is!
Unless you are trying to get rid of cat urine smell for someone else, may be you can take the time and get to the bottom of this once and for all so that you will never have to look for another cat urine cleaner.
What is cat urine marking?
Urine marking – also known as spraying – is when your cat sprays small amounts of urine on a surface, usually vertical. This is how they let others know of their presence.
Inside a house this is inappropriate but it is not actually a housetraining problem: it’s a deliberate expression of territoriality, which is a completely different thing.
Why do cats mark?
There are a number of reasons why cats mark:
- Territoriality: In short they say, “This is mine stay away!”
- To communicate sexual availability, “I am a ready, willing sex kitty!”
- Out of stress or anxiety, “ I am not a happy cat, something is bothering me!”
- - A change of location, “Where am I?”
- If a new animal or human is introduced to the house, “Who is this new dude?”
- Because of overcrowding, “This neighborhood is going to the cats!”
- The cat is receiving less attention than normal, “I thought you said I am the only one in your life!”
- A significant change in lifestyle or routine (for example, the owner gets a full-time job; someone moves out of home; the house is renovated), “ Change is bad, why can’t we go back to the way things were?”
Which cats are more likely to mark?
All cats mark – and unfortunately, we cannot predict which ones are going to become sprayers. Sorry!
However, some cats are more likely to mark than others. From most likely to least likely, these are:
- Unneutered (intact) male cats
- Neutered male cats
- Intact females
- Spayed females
If you have an intact male cat, urine marking is practically to be expected. The urine of a tomcat has that characteristically strong, very recognizable, run for the door smell. Neutering your male cat will remove this odor and will also reduce the likelihood of recurrent marking.
Although neutering is strongly recommended in the treatment of feline marking, it does not guarantee to work since about 10% of neutered males and 5% of neutered females continue spraying.
How can I get my cat to stop marking?
Again, there isn’t a hard-and-fast, guaranteed ‘cure’ for cat spraying, but there are a number of steps that you can take to significantly reduce, or stop your cat’s marking entirely.
Listed below are some of the most effective options:
Take him for a checkup
Besides the reasons I mentioned before, there may be a medical cause for your cat’s marking. Before you can choose on appropriate treatment, find out if there is a health-related cause for the inappropriate elimination. Take him to the vet for overall check up and a urinalysis.
Neuter your cat
Neutering your cat is the single most effective thing you can do to stop your cat’s spraying, and if you hope to get any control at all over the issue, it’s pretty much mandatory. Statistics show that an incredible 87% of all cats stop spraying when they’re altered and 78% of them cease marking immediately.
Behavioral modification
Cat behavior modification is a reliable method of controlling your cat’s spraying, although you will need to put in a lot of time and effort. You’ll need to watch your cat closely, paying attention to where and when he marks. The use of behavioral-modification tools like water pistols and shake cans (a tin can with ten pennies or a handful of pebbles inside – when shaken, it makes a loud, scary noise) speeds the process up. When you catch him marking, startle him out of continuing by either spraying him with the water pistol or shaking the can vigorously.
‘Re-designating’ the areas your cat marks can also help: cats don’t like to spray in areas where they eat, sleep, and play. If he marks in particular places around the home (as opposed to indiscriminately), put his food bowls next to the spot, play with him there, and put his bed there.
Make things easy for your cat
Remove your cat’s motivation to mark in the first place. The most common reasons for marking is territoriality: he could be feeling threatened by the presence of strange cats around the house or conflict with other cats inside the house. Minimize his need to act in a defensive, territorial way by minimizing his exposure to the strange cats and/or by helping him get along with the other cat in the house.
For strange cats:
Keep him inside the house, and restrict his access to windows: shut the doors to high-risk rooms, block out his view by installing shields across the sills (these are made of translucent plastic which you can buy from home-improvement and DIY stores), and if you have a cat-flap, close it to prevent your cat from going outside, and to prevent other cats from coming in.
For problems inside the home:
If the problem’s based around a conflict in the home (perhaps he’s feeling overcrowded, perhaps there are conflict issues with one or more other cats), you’ll have to pay attention to how your cats are interacting, and then separate the cats that have issues from each other. Keep them in separate rooms, with separate litter boxes and food bowls. Don’t worry this doesn’t have to be a permanent thing – once the spraying is stopped, give them at least another week of separation (just to be on the safe side) and then you can gradually reintroduce them by way of mutually-enjoyable events like mealtimes and playtimes.)
Use your common sense
Make it easy for your cat to urinate appropriately by providing enough litter boxes in the house. There should be at least one more than the total number of cats. For multi-storey house you need at least one box per storey and of course keep them cleaned regularly.
For a really detailed look at how to deal with your cat’s behavior problems, take a look at Complete Cat Training. It’s a cutting-edge cat training manual that’s focused on training your cat and changing her behavior for the better.