My cat has recently started to do these enormous sprays of urine IN THE KITCHEN why would she do this???

Question

this is a young cat who was abandoned by the roadside , we have had her for about a year, she is settled and happy as far as we can see, lives in a large house with a walled garden, eats regularly and sleeps on our bed...I just don't know what to do about this!

Thanks for so many really helpful answers, ! The cat is definitely female,{ but is very masculine!} She uses a window to go out and come back, maybe another cat did come in at night, what i am intrigued by is why she sprayed right in front of me ON THE COOKER it has been round the sink and fridge before!She also sprays copiuosly around the garden

Answer 1

Spraying is a normal marking behaviour of entire (non-desexed) male cats and also of female cats when they are in season. It is a form of communication. Desexing a male or female cat is likely to improve the behaviour but spraying is often seen in desexed cats, males and females, too. This often occurs when the cat is anxious, upset or ‘territorially stressed’.

Spikey was spraying because he was offended and affronted by the neighbourhood cats that were roaming through his backyard. A big non-desexed Tom Cat was a regular visitor. This brazen Tom considered Spikey’s backyard was part of his territory too. The Tom was spraying as he prowled through the backyard. So were the other visiting cats, and some had even come in through Spikey’s cat door and had sprayed inside Spikey’s home.

Spikey was not happy at this insult and, of course, Spikey’s owner was not that content either.

But there was another matter. Spikey also had a lower urinary tract disease. He was forming crystals in his bladder and had a few nasty bacteria that were causing a bladder infection too. This condition is called Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease or FLUTD and is another common reason that cats will spray.


What are the remedies? Top
Remedies for spraying are quite complex.

Firstly, look for a medical cause. If your cat is spraying, ask your Vet to do a urine test to look for the disease known as FLUTD. If your feline felon has this disease, it can be treated.

Next ensure you are cleaning up the spray in the correct manner. Don’t use any agent that contains a scent and in particular any cleaning agent containing ammonia. Vinegar is another product to avoid. The scent of the cleaning agent may be perceived by your cat as the scent of another cat and it may over-mark this area.

Clean the area with an enzymatic cleaning agent. The laundry detergents Bio Zet and Drive contain enzymes that may do the job. Odour neutralisers, such as Mensa X-Tract Odor Remover are also very good for this purpose.

Having thus deodorized the area, the product Feliway can be used. Feliway is a synthetic analogue of the substances called Feline Facial Pheromones. The Feliway plug-in diffuser delivers the calming pheromones directly into the animal's environment, and is available form your veterinarian.

If your cat is being pushed by marauding moggies, gently persuading them to go elsewhere will certainly help your cat to improve. There are a variety of strategies, including water bomb balloons that can be used. Some people find spraying Citronella around the garden keeps cats away but this may also affect your own cat if it is allowed outside.


Punishing your puss-cat Top
You may want to attempt to punish your cat if you catch it in the act of spraying. This may help, but one word of caution - if your cat is spraying because it is stressed, the punishment may increase the stress.

Don’t be tempted to hit your cat. This means nothing to it and is ineffective. Your cat will only learn to avoid you when it sees you coming.

Remote punishment is the way to go. Water pistols or mousetraps surrounding the area placed upside down and covered with paper, may be effective. Another easy method is to use several loops of wide masking tape. Attach the loops of tape, sticky side out, around the areas that your cat is spraying. Your cat will not enjoy walking on them and, unlike the tape, it is unlikely to stick around.


Medication helps to control spraying Top
There are a variety of medications that can be used to control spraying in cats. Although hormones are often used, these are being replaced by other medications that are safer and much more effective. For more details contact your veterinarian.

Answer 2

do u have a cat flap in the kitchen? Perhaps another cat came in through it and she is spraying to mark her territory and warn other cats away

make sure u dont give her ANY attention for this behaviour u may scare her if u tell her off and make the problem worse. good luck

Answer 3

You might want to take her to the vet, if she has a UNI she will spray. If she is upset with you she will spray. If you put foil down where she sprays she will stop there. But that will only help if she sprays in the same spot. If its another factor like medical then she will just find another place to go.

Answer 4

Has anything changed that might unsettle her? The problem is that once she has marked her scent she will keep going back to the same place... buy some pet sprays from pet store that deodorise and clean, then if possible every time she goes to spray pick her up and put her outside. Mine used to go behind TV!

Answer 5

This would probably mean that she is in heat. My cat did this to. The best way to take the smell out is first to clean the area she sprayed with a wet cloth, then use vinegar.

Answer 6

Your cat has probably not been neutured or spayed...... i.e sterilised... after which a cat will stop spraying and also stop roaming fighting and being aggressive, if he/she has had the chop already then i sugest its protsting over something that it doesnt like i.e another cat/dog in the family or maybe a new baby...something it dislikes about the home maybe...go to a vet is the answer. :-)

Answer 7

She may have a bladder infection . . . you should probably consult with your veterinarian. If she checks out all healthy, there is a product called "Feliway" that contains cat appeasing pheromone and comes in a spray or plug in (reccommended), that you can put in the room you do not want her to urinate in. Sometimes cats get their noses out of joint if there is a change in the house (especially new babies).

Answer 8

My cat did the same thing.I was afraid we would have to get rid of her.We got her fixed and ta da !! no more spray. However, watch what you clean up the urine with. Before we got her fixed I used bleach to clean the wall and the smell made her do it more.

Answer 9

Are you sure it's a female? When male cats reach maturity they begin to claim territory and spray to mark their territory. If he is not neutered there is a higher chance he'll do this.

Answer 10

she just marking her territory. have you had another animal in the house? If you have got a cat flap make sure other cats aren't coming in.