Tricks so that my cat does not mark territory

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Most cats are very special in their hygienic habits and will constantly use the hygienic tray or soil in the garden. Therefore, if the cat marks territory with urine and urine in a corner of the room, it can be worrisome. Are you marking territory or are you urinating? Cats use urine as a sign of smell or "mark" for themselves and other cats. The motivation of depositing urine to mark territory with its smell is very different from urinating to relieve full bladder. Therefore, it is important to determine if the cat marks territory with urine or urine since the possible solutions will be different in each case.

To urinate, the cat sits and deposits a volume of urine on a horizontal surface. The cat can scratch the area around the urine, although this does not always happen. The most common places of improper urination can be carpets, sofas, quilts, bathtubs or sinks. To mark territory with urine, the cat gets up, usually making a movement like walking with its hind legs, shaking its tail and spreading a small amount of urine on a vertical surface, for example a wall, leaving an obvious odor mark. The most common sites that cats mark territory with urine include doors, windows, around the catheters, curtains, electronic equipment and shopping bags or garbage. Once it has been confirmed which of these two things your cat does, it is necessary to take measures to solve this behavior. Cleaning Regardless of whether it was an accident or not, once the cat has urinated or defecated in a specific place, your sensitive nose will encourage you to use this place as a sink regularly. The best way to break this habit is to keep the cat away from this area as long as possible, eliminate any smell that the cat can detect and change the geography of the place using furniture to block access. Wash the area with a solution with 10% detergent, then rinse with cold water and let dry. Spray the area (using a plant spray) with surgical alcohol, rub and let dry. You may want to try it first in a small area if the tissue is delicate. There are particularly effective products to remove residual odors, which can be purchased at your veterinary clinic or specialized store. The carpets are extremely absorbent and the urine often penetrates through the entire thickness of the carpet to the floor. If the area has become very dirty for a long period of time, it may be necessary to treat the concrete or floorboards under the carpet before changing it. Medical problems If your cat has started to urinate improperly at home, you should take it to the veterinarian for a review. Cystitis can be the cause of the cat squeezing and emitting small amounts of urine frequently. One form of stress-related urinary tract disease is less obvious in its manifestation, but a common symptom is urinating outside the sanitary tray. An infection or irritation of the urinary tract can cause the cat to urinate standing instead of going outside or going to the sanitary tray. Urinating in this way can often be confused with marking the territory with urine. Cats suffering from recurrent cystitis may often need an increase in fluid intake. This may require changing your cat from a dry diet to a wet one, but it is necessary to consult your veterinarian regarding the diet. Why does my cat mark territory with urine at home? All cats, male or female, sterilized or not, can mark territory with urine. Normally this occurs outside, as part of the smell communication system. They also leave scent marks rubbing, scratching and scrubbing (rubbing the glands around their mouths against branches or other objects). The cat leaves a smell not only to let other cats know that it is there, but to "provide" to the area where its own familiar smell is rubbed, for its tranquility. In a non-sterilized cat, urine not only indicates the presence of the cat, but also its status. Female females in heat have high levels of estrogen in their urine to attract males. Most of the cats we have as pets are sterilized and do not mark territory with urine inside the house, probably because they feel no need to do so. Marking territory with urine at home is a sign that the cat is stressed and needs to do something to feel more confident, surrounding himself with his own smell. If the cat marks territory with urine at home, it indicates that it feels threatened by something. The most common cause is the presence of other cats, either at home or in the neighborhood. However, a baby or a new person at home, some works, redecoration or a change in routine can be precursors for the cat to start marking territory with urine at home if it is somewhat nervous. Cat threats in the neighborhood Cats often mark territory with urine around the cat or doors to indicate their presence to invading cats. If your cat has been bothered by another cat that has entered the house, lock the cat and let your cat in and out. Repel other cats from the garden to provide your cat with outdoor support. As soon as the cat feels that the outside is safe, he will have less need to mark it. Construction and decoration works A nervous cat or a cat that is permanently at home can be threatened by changes in its surroundings. The change of decoration or furniture removes all the subtle marks that the cat has placed carefully rubbing and scratching. To reduce the impact of the works, keep the cat away from the rooms until the smell stops being so strong and mixes with the familiar smells of the house. You can speed up this process by spreading the smell of the cat yourself. Take a soft cotton cloth and carefully rub it around the cat's face (where the glands that produce the cat's individual smell are found). The secretion collected contains pheromones that send a familiarity and safety message directly to the cat's brain. Rub the cloth against the furniture or walls at the cat's height and repeat it several times a day. There is less chance of the cat marking territory with urine if he realizes that his smell is already there. Your veterinarian can also provide you with a product that contains synthetic pheromones that acts in the same way. For example, if you change the sofa, it is often useful to make plans in advance and use a cloth quilt for a few weeks and then cover the new furniture with it so that the smell is more familiar to your cat. Help your cat feel safe Even if the cause of spreading urine is not obvious, there are other ways to make your cat feel safer. For example, limiting the area in which the cat has to go to one or two rooms can help increase confidence and reduce the desire to mark territory. Help from a specialist In many cats, marking territory with urine and urinating can be cured with the help of the techniques described here. In some cases the problem may be more persistent and it is more advisable to discuss it with your veterinarian than to let it solve itself.

Why do cats mark territory?

We must keep in mind that cats, generally, if they feel comfortable and safe in their house they do not need to mark territory, because they know that they are the kings or queens of their territory and that all the attention of their human companions will be directed to them.

Therefore, if our cat marks the house, its territory, we have to wonder why it does. Possibly it is because he feels he has competition, either with other cats or other pets in the house or with children or other people, in short, others who can steal their attention and free will of those who like to enjoy so much.

But, although these are the most common, there are other reasons why our cat can reach this behavior or behaviors that may seem like marking.

Differentiate the type of behavior of our cat

It is very important that we know how to differentiate the possible reason that causes the behavior of our cat For example, the fact that you urinate outside but near the sandbox can mean different things. In this case, it may be that it is a marking, but it may be a health problem or a problem with the sandbox itself.

Therefore, one of the first things we should do is have the veterinarian do a complete check-up for rule out diseases or health problems that may cause the unwanted, or unusual behavior of our cat. Above all, because if it really is a health problem, the sooner it is better detected.

marking with urine

Tricks to prevent my cat from marking territory with urine

Marking with urine is usually more common in unsterilized male cats that coexist with more cats or, when there have been changes in their environment and, therefore, they need to restore the perimeter of their territory. First we must ensure that the health of our feline partner is fine and thus rule out medical problems. Then we must analyze what changes have occurred in our life and that of our cat that may have affected it, whether they are more pets, more new people at home, a change of address, many more hours away from home where our partner is alone, etc., that is, reasons for competition, jealousy or stress. So, if we can correct the problem and return to the previous state in which our cat was already comfortable, we can do it and thus make things easier. But, as in most cases in which changes occur, this is not usually a reversible situation, we must help our furry friend get used to it again.

Here are some tips to remove urine stains and some tricks to correct the problem of marking with urine:

Castrate it before the first heat

Whether it is a male or a female, it is very important to take it to castrate, that is, to remove the reproductive glands. After this intervention they will not have the zeal nor, therefore, will have the need to mark territory. In addition, it eliminates any possibility that they have offspring, and if that were not enough, in case they go abroad they will not move far from home.

Tricks to prevent my cat from marking territory with scratches

If we want to know why our cat scratches furniture, we must keep in mind that there are several reasons and that all are natural behaviors. It's known that cats need to wear their nails and have them sharp, because it is part of them and their behavior. It is possible that if we do not provide them with places to do so that they find appropriate, they choose to sharpen their nails in our furniture, which we do not usually like. Therefore, we must strive to find a suitable scraper for our furry.

But felines not only scratch surfaces by fixing their nails, they also mark their territory in this way. Therefore, to differentiate if our cat is simply following her cat behavior with the hygiene of her nails or if, in addition, she is marking territory, we must check her surroundings. Of course, we must first be sure that our partner is in good health with regular visits to our trusted veterinarian. Then, we will analyze the changes that have occurred in the life of our cat that have caused stress, jealousy or discomfort that leads him to mark his territory scratching our furniture. As we have already mentioned, these factors are changes of house, people or new pets, among other stressful factors that cause competition.

Here are some tricks to get our cat to stop scratching the furniture:

If you want to read more articles similar to Tricks so that my cat does not mark territory, we recommend that you enter our Behavior Problems section.

Make sure he lives happy and calm

A stressed cat tends to mark the territory more than one that is relaxed, especially when the family grows. To avoid this, the furry has to know that he can continue to trust us, and that is why he is It is advisable to continue doing the same case and continue giving the same love as before, otherwise it will feel pretty bad.

Provide a scraper (or several)

So you don't scratch the furniture and can climb, It is necessary to provide a scraper (or several) to be put in the rooms where the cat spends more time, like the living room for example. Usually, he will learn to use it by himself, but if you see that it costs him, you can teach him by following the advice we give you in this article.

In the meantime you learn it, you can pulverize the furniture with Feliway, which will change your mind every time you want to scratch them.

Did you find these tips helpful? If you have others, don't hesitate to say them 🙂.

Why do cats mark with urine?

All cats, male or female, sterilized or not, would mark their territory with urine. Normally this is rare and discreet, but sometimes the marking with urine outside the sandbox can be visible and very annoying: there are even cats that urinate in their own bed or basket!

This means that the cat is not completely happy.

It may be due to:

Recent changes at home:
- New home, new furniture
- New cat, new dog
- New member in the family, a baby ...

Conflicts with other cats:
- Competition for food or water
- Competition for access to the sandbox

It can also be caused by a medical problem. If your cat marks urine inside the house, consider visiting the veterinarian.

Older cats need regular checks with the veterinarian.

FELIWAY CLASSIC It has been scientifically proven to avoid marking with urine outside the sandbox.
It will help your cat feel more relaxed and reduce urine marking on walls and furniture.
Use FELIWAY CLASSIC Diffuser continuously will help prevent new episodes of labeling. Especially if your cat seems sensitive to any change in the home.

Why does the cat mark?

The cat is a very territorial animal. In nature, and even in the streets, He dedicates a good part of his time to scratching tree trunks and marking with urine the points he considers strategic to have "his domains" under control.. And, in a world where there is more and more feline population, you need to control the entire area where you hunt, rest, and ultimately, spend your days.

When at home, when moving to live with humans, the instinct to dial does not lose it, rather the opposite can happen, that is, to make it more intense. This usually happens when we bring a new pet, or when a baby is born. In these situations, if the cat has not been properly socialized since puppy, You may feel so uncomfortable that it is likely that you mark the furniture, the corners, in short, everything you consider yours ... even ourselves.

Yes Yes. Also to us. I can tell you that one of my cats, Keisha, who was born in 2009, when Sasha arrived, who was born in August 2016, every time I felt the smell of the little girl in my hands, what I was doing was rub your face against them with the sole purpose of covering up that smell and "leaving" yours. That little he liked the idea of having a new friend who didn't want anything to smell like Sasha. Fortunately, over time he calmed down and it didn't take long to play with her, only 2 months.

Ok, it's true. Two months is a long time, but the little girl arrived with days of life, so it took a month until she could finally walk well and play, so eight weeks really was not so much. 🙂

How does the cat mark?

But how does the cat mark? The animal has several ways of marking, which are:

With your nails, leaving their marks on sofas, armchairs, etc.
Rubbing his face, opening his mouth a little, for everything he considers his.
Expelling some drops of urine on the walls, posts, tree trunks, etc. Always on high surfaces or walls.

He only does it in these three ways. If you see that the cat has urinated on the ground, it is most likely that the litter tray is not clean enough or that it has an infection that should be treated by a veterinarian.

How to avoid dialing?

Let us now turn to the important: What can we do to prevent him from marking what he should not? Well, several things. Although the first thing is to have a lot of patience. We must always keep in mind that the cat does not do the things he does to blame us for anything, but simply because his instinct "forces" him to act like this. It is in their genes, and against that we cannot do anything. So what we can do will be the following:

Castrate the cat

A neutered cat - not sterilized - marks much less than one that is whole, since by not having the zeal, it will not have any need to mark its territory, nor to tell the rest that it is looking for a partner. Also, I can confirm that, If that feline has never been awakened by the reproductive instinct, he will not dial.

Clean the affected areas with products that eliminate urine

The cat loves the clean smell left by the products we normally use to clean the house, so if it has started to mark with urine, it will search precisely for these sites. To prevent it from happening again, specific products should be used to remove the remains of feline urine, which you will find for sale in animal stores.

Keep the sand tray clean

It is important to collect feces and urine at least once a day, and clean the hygienic tray thoroughly once a week. Also, if we have more than one cat, each one must have their own, since they usually don't like to share.

We will place it in a room as quiet as possible, where the family barely goes, and away from the feeder and its bed.

Buy a scraper (or several)

Since we cannot prevent their nails from being sharpened several times a day, we can buy one or more scrapers that we will place in areas where the family makes more life, such as the living room. It is also highly recommended that you have one where you have your bed, since after sleeping one of the first things cats do is take care of their claws.

In the event that scrapers do not like or prefer to buy something cheaper, You can choose to buy carpet-scrapers, or put several shelves at different heights wrapped with raffia rope.

Use Feliway to prevent scratching the furniture

Feliway is a product that serves, not only to be calm when it is inside the carrier or when there is a new family member, but it is also very useful when you want to prevent the cat from scratching what it does not have to scratch. Spray a little, and voila.

Anyway, and so that he learns better that he can't scratch according to what, every time you see him trying to sharpen his nails, say a NO sign (but without shouting), or make a loud noise while you are hiding (It is important that he does not see you, since otherwise it will not be difficult to associate the noise with you, and he could end up losing your confidence).