how can i get a cat to stop spraying in the house?

Answer 1

Neutering is the only solution! Male cats do it to mark their territory. Will stop when fixed.

Answer 2

I have a Male neutered cat. But no one ever told him he's fixed so he jumps on the other female cat , he picks fights with the neighbors male cat . He marks his territory in the house and out of the house.We could not stop him from spraying in the house he is now 17 years old and the last two years he hasn't done it . He's to old now. The vet said nothing can be done.But we still love him.Just don't get a male cat .

Answer 3

Hi Lesley...if your cat hasn't been spayed/neutered this is the only way to stop the urine spraying because it is hormonally driven. The longer a cat continues to spray urine it becomes habitual and difficult to stop long after spay/neuter.

Most shelters worldwide offer low fee (even free to qualifying recipients) spay/neuter services. USA residents can ring 1-800 SPAY USA http://spayusa.org or http://www.petsandanimals.org/spayneuter_services.html to locate free or low fee participating clinics.

Answer 4

Spraying is the most common form of urine-marking behavior. In spraying, cats back up to a vertical surface, tread with their hind legs, quiver the tip of their tail, and deliver a fine stream of urine onto the surface. The purpose of this behavior is to inscribe a urine-born pheromonal message for subsequent passers-by to detect. The message probably reads something like: "Kilroy was here,” or “This is Kilroy's place: Keep out." Intact males have the greatest motivation to mark because of the behavior is testosterone-enhanced, but neutered males will also spray if suitably aroused. Though females can spray, especially intact females in heat, they urine-mark more commonly from the squatting position.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Urine-marking used to be the most difficult behavior problem to treat. However, we now know much more about the reasons why cats mark with urine and have numerous treatment options at our fingertips. Here are some things you can do.


Patterns. Recognize the typical pattern of urine-marking and consider possible initiating factors. It is important to consider events that occurred at the same time as the onset of urine-marking, such as the arrival of a new person in the household, the departure of a key household figure, the arrival of a new cat, or the opening of porches in the springtime.

Neutering or spaying. Intact males almost always mark. Neutering eliminates urine-marking in 90 percent of male cats. Intact females may spray when they are in heat, but spaying intact females is 95 percent effective in eliminating female estrus-linked marking behavior.


Medical examination. Rule out all possible medical causes of inappropriate urination by means of a urine analysis plus any other relevant veterinary tests. Sometimes, feline urological problems can trigger spraying and, if present, must be addressed first.


Litter boxes. Make sure there are enough litter boxes, at least one more than the number of cats in your household. Make sure the litter boxes are cleaned regularly and litter boxes are strategically placed at all levels of the house.


Odors. Clean up all urine marks as soon as possible with an enzymatic odor neutralizer. A black light can help detect urine marks.


Stress. Address any stresses in the cat's life, such as conflict with other cats or separation anxiety.

Outside visitors. Shield the cat from unwelcome outside visitors by adding translucent plastic shields positioned in the lower half of windows to make window sills inaccessible, using blinds or curtains to cover windows, moving chairs to deny access to certain windows, shutting doors to certain “high risk” rooms, and closing off screened-in porches.


Pheromone spray. The use of a pheromonal spray containing facial pheromones in an alcohol base (Feliway®) can help deter some cats from urinating in particular locations. The active ingredient in Feliway is oleic acid. It is thought that this delivers a message of "peace and love" rather than the angry “keep away” message of territorial urine-marking.


Medication. In some cases, urine-marking can be reduced through medication that decreases feline arousal and thus the drive for territorial or anxious urine-marking. The most effective medication is fluoxetine (Prozac®), which resolves the problem in some 90 percent of cases. The next most effective medication is a trycyclic antidepressant, clomipramine (Clomicalm®) (80 percent effective), then buspirone (BuSpar®), with a 50 or 60 percent efficacy rate, and finally, the trycyclic antidepressant, amitriptyline (Elavil®), which is also sometimes effective.

The purpose behind giving these medications is to stabilize the cat's mood and reduce anxiety. Sometimes medications need to be given long-term, but other times a short course of medication for just a few weeks, can be enough to resolve an otherwise chronic problem.

Answer 5

Neuter or spay them. Also, make sure the vet checks their anal glands. If those are plugged it could just be making it smell like they are spraying. There may be a way to remove the glands they spray with, but I am not sure

Answer 6

Once a cat starts spraying, there's no guarantees but neutering often fixes the problem.

Answer 7

Getting them neutered although it might help isn't guaranteed. The vet gave me a product called Feliway (not sure of the spelling) basically its a hormone that relaxes the cat, and makes them feel more secure, so reducing the need for spraying.
Hope it works

Answer 8

before getting him "done" you could try putting orange peel down where he sprays. aparently cats don't like the smell of citrus. There are also sprays you can buy that are supposed to stop them wanting to spray. might be worth a try first.

Answer 9

Get him neutered. But dont have his scent gland removed. Why? He doesnt have one! Hes spraying urine which contains pheromones. Hes marking his territory. Good luck getting the cat piss smell out of your house!

Answer 10

Easy, don't let it in the house! on a serious note take the cat to vet and have it "done" as so speak.