How do I get my cat to stop "marking his territory" when in the house?

Question

He already has been nuetered

he was neutered when he was still a baby,it seemed to get worse when my roomate moved in with her 2 females;I also have a female,but she is the boys mom,and my neighbors cats are always hanging around ouyside

Answer 1

When cats urinate as a means of elimination, they normally do it on a horizontal or flat surface like the ground or in a litterbox. When cats spray in order to mark their territory, they turn their backsides to the object, twitch their tails and spray urine on the vertical surface, usually at another cat's nose level. They are telling other cats that this territory belongs to them. They might also be telling other cats that they are ready to mate.

Non spayed/neutered cats, especially males are the heaviest sprayers which is in itself a great reason to have kittens spayed/neutered at 6 months. Spraying behaviour rarely occurs if the kitten was neutered/spayed before sexual maturity. However there is no absolute guarantee, marking behaviours can appear in any cat regardless of whether or not it was spayed or neutered. This often occurs when potential stresses i.e. (new cat, new house, new house member etc.) present themselves.

Dealing with the behavioral reasons for territorial spraying require the examination of the individual cat's pattern. Is the cat spraying near the drapes or around a window area? This could indicate that it sees another cat through the window or even that another cat has come onto the porch and given a spray of its own.Your cat may retaliate naturally by spraying near the door or window to tell foreign cats who's turf this really is. In this case, maybe temporarily blocking access to the offending window is the way to go.

Urinating on the rug, floor, in a tub etc. are not usually territory markers, they are signs of inappropriate elimination, that is urinating where the cat is not supposed to. The first thing to rule out is any type of urinary or bladder infection which may have formed due to crystals in the cat's urine. This is a very common reason cats urinate in strange places. Straining and making strange/painful sounds while urinating is common to this problem and a good indicator that it is time to see a veterinarian today.

Once you have ruled out medical problems, urinating in strange places is also often due to litterbox problems. Cats like a really clean box with litter scooped daily and changed completely once a week. They like private quiet areas for their litter boxes. They also like an extra litterbox in a different area. (if 2 cats, 3 or more litter boxes) Some cats have certain preferences when it comes to the type of litter. Have you changed the brand of litter lately, have you moved the location of the litterbox, has another pet recently been introduced?

Once you figure out WHY the cat is spraying or urinating in a strange place only then can you deal with the problem. It should be noted that there are commercial sprays that can help some cats stop from spraying. Before using the spray, you should have figured out why the cat sprayed where it did.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Once a cat has sprayed on something, you have to totally neutralize the odor so they can't smell it anymore or they will mark there again. When a cat urinates on something never use water on it as that will just spread the smell to a wider area. Blot up as much as you can and then use an enzyme cleaner for urine stains following the directions exactly.

If there are other cats in the house, or if your cat sees other cats outside it will be difficult to break it of spraying, but not impossible.

Use a citrus spray on places it might urinate as cats hate the smell of citrus. Make sure you never leave soiled clothes where the cat can get at them expecially if you are a male.

Get yourself a spray bottle and fill it will water. Whenever it looks as if the cat is going to urinate where it isn't supposed to give it a good squirt of water. The trick is NEVER to let the cat see that you are the one that is squirting it. Why? Because then the cat will learn that the water comes only when you are in the room. You want the cat to associate urinating where it isn't supposed to with the unpleasant consequence of getting wet.

If the squirt bottle isn't handy and you see the urinating dance start, clap your hands loudly to startle the cat. This will stop it from urinating. Immediately pick it up and deposit it in the litter box.

Always make sure the litter box is clean.
It should be in a private area.
That cat should be able to get in and out of it easily.
If you change litter brands and the cat starts going around the house, then go back to the original brand of litter.
If you have more than one cat you might need another litter box in a different area as sometimes one cat will claim a litter box as it's own territory.
Don't put a litter box in the same area as the cat's food. You would not want to eat your meals in the bathroom either.

Answer 4

In regards to the answers that you've already received, do NOT rub his nose in it and do not use ammonia. (Ever notice how the cats spray has an ammonia smell? He'll just mark its territory all the more.) It's unusual, but not impossible, for a cat to continue marking his territory after being neutered. Check with your vet. If this is a continually problem and causing bad house odors, I believe the vet can remove the gland that makes this secretion.

Answer 5

Usually once the cat starts marking territory in the house, it is almost impossible to stop. There is an estrogen needle the vet can give your cat once a month, which is supposed to stop this behavior,( if your cat is a male), but this doesn't always work. Never hit your cat OR rub their face in it, and Never use ammonia to spray the cat. Sometimes you will just have to put your cat outside, if this behavior does not stop. Good luck.

Answer 6

You waited to long to get him neutered. He already started to spray before you got the surgery. Your Vet should be able to sell you a spray to use on your furniture and carpets to get rid of the smell. Maybe if your cat can't smell the urine he won't respray. He isn't being a bad cat he is just being a normal cat. People think their sweet little darlings can't be old enough to be marking or in heat and they are. The Vet can tell you at what age a kitten needs to be spayed or neutered it is younger than most people think. At about 4 0r 5 months of age.

Answer 7

Well if you just nuetered your cat he might still try to mark his territory for a while... then after a while the cat will stop. You should also keep plushlike stuff like a balled up blanket away from the cat because mine always tried to mark its territory on it.

Answer 8

If your vet has ruled out other causes, you might want to try Feliway. Our 17 year old neutered male cat started urinating near the front door right after the area had been remodeled. Since we started using the Feliway, he's been much better about using the litter box. Check with your vet about it.

Answer 9

Most stop when they are neutered. Well, I think they have some spray you can spray there to get rid of the scent. Call your vet for advice. No need to pay for a visit. A simple phone call will help.

Answer 10

rubbing their faces it in will not work and is an ignorant answer...

has he been to a vet to rule out medical problems like Urinary Tract Infection or crystals?

some cats will still mark - usually if their are lots of wandering cats around the neighbourhood... wash all areas - you can put food where they spray if its one area.. then rub a towel on the cat so the towel attains the cats smell.. rub the area with the owel to transfer his smell to that place .. he should not feel a need to spray there...

try to eliminate strays from your area by taking them to the local shelter...