Posted by Jane
One of the biggest problems cat owners face is the rather unpleasant one of their beloved cat spraying in their own home. And one of the biggest lies owners will fall for is from the sellers of all those commercial products that promise to remove the odor and stop your cat spraying forever. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on odor and stain removal products each year and the sad fact is, most of it is a complete waste of time and money. Even worse than that - many of the commercial products available actually make the problem worse! But all those ‘experts’ don’t mind at all - after all, it’s not in their interest to solve your problem is it? They would rather be selling you more and more of their product each time your cat re-offends! You may think that the unpleasant smell of your cat’s spray has been eliminated but in reality, many products compel - yes, actually compel, your cat to continue to spray his scent around your home and often with increased frequency. So, if the commercial stuff doesn’t solve the problem, what can you do to reclaim your home? Unfortunately, many owners become so frustrated with their inability to stop this anti social behavior, that they take the drastic step of abandoning their pets to fend for themselves or worse, euthanize them.
And, as a cat lover, this is what makes me so MAD.
The real and only way,as far as I am concerned, to stop your cat spraying in your home is to fully understand what made them start in the first place and address that trigger. Cats spray to mark their territory - period. They don’t spray to empty their bladder (they are far too fastidious to do that!), they use spraying as a means of communication their ownership of a certain area and if they are spraying indoors, that is the area they are claiming ownership to. The scent that we owners object to so strongly, carries complex messages to other cat noses - primarily ‘Keep Out! This is Mine!’ If other cats enter a territory, they can deposit smelly messages in reply to the territory owner’s message. This might just be saying, ’Hi, I’m just passing through - hey, nice place you’ve got here…’ or it might be, ‘Watch your back, punk, I’m going to beat you to a pulp when I see you and claim your kingdom for my own!’ If your cat receives a challenge along the lines of the one above, he’s going to be pretty unhappy about the situation and it is this upset emotional state that is the root trigger for his spraying indoors. What your cat is doing is retreating to his ‘core’ territory - the absolute center of his world and the part that he feels compelled to protect at all costs. So, he marks his core territory with the strongest message he can manage, in the hope that this alone will be enough to repel any challenge for ownership. Also, a secondary effect of surrounding himself with his own scent is that he will feel reassured and comforted by that familiar smell - just like you or me having a favorite blanket to wrap ourselves in when we feel ill or upset. So, to remove the reason for your cat spraying in your home, you have to turn detective and find out whay had upset his emotional balance. Once you’ve done that and taken steps to remove the cause of the upset, you then need to remove all traces of your cat’s own scent from his core territory.Why? Well, even though it’s your cat’s own scent, if he detects that his message is fading, his instinct motivates him to replenish the weakening odor by laying down fresh scent. And this is why commercial products don’t work - in fact they make the situation worse. Most products simply cover up your cat’s odor by masking it with a more pleasant, stronger scent - to us, that is. Your cat’s sense of smell is far better than ours, so he just thinks that a new, bigger animal has come along to leave a new scent marker. So what is your cat’s response to all this? More spraying and a more fragile emotional state as he is now firm in his belief that he has yet another, strangly scented challenger to deal with!
For much more detailed information, including an effective cleaning solution that you can make yourself for pennies, take a look at the Special Report in the Cat Owners Confidential Products Category.
And when you discover the depths of ‘Stop Your Cat Spraying’ lie, you’ll be mad too.
I am lucky. I have 2 cats who are 13 this year and I have never had a problem with them doing this. I wonder if it is more likely that male cats would do this?
Anyone try a scat mat? It is a plastic sheet and has a battery pack attached. It requires a 9 volt battery. When a cat steps on this mat it gives off a spark. It is not harmful but spends the cat flying! It’s the greatest thing I have found to keep a cat off your furniture or away from areas that you don’t want them to go. If your cat has found a place he likes to spray or pee this could be a great help to you. I know, I have several cats!!
I have a cat that used to pee on my couch. I kept the scat mat on the couch for about 1 month except when I had company. The cat has not since peed there. It’s been @ 8 months since I removed the mat. Scat Mats are expensive but worth every penny.
I recently took in two kittens who were abandoned. They were ignored for 2 months in our small town. We finally borrowed a trap (they were to frightened to let anyone near them) and caught them. After isolatating them for 30 days (feline leukemia) treating them for worms and fleas, of course we had them neutered and given all shots, we finally isolated them in our bedroom. They were in our bedroom for about a month before we introduced them to our other 3 cats.
Its been about a year. They basically get along. But one big problem. One of them peed on all our couches. I think there is a reason for this. He seems more afraid to go to the basement to use the litter. This cat didn’t spray, he peed. A couple of times he even had a bowel movement. I have to get rid of these couches (I think). Any suggestions. We have gotten scat mats but I don’t want him to do this again on the new couches. I will be using the mats but any other suggestions on how to prevent this from happening again? We also put a litter box on the main floor of the house. I like it better when all boxes were in the basement.
We will not put this cat down or abandon him anywhere. Help!
The basic problem sems to be that you have 5 cats living in a relatively small, shared space and all will be competing for a territory to call their own - a core space that they can feel totally secure and unthreatened in. Territory is marked by scent mixed with urine and conveys strong messages to other cats. You don’t say whether all your cats share one litter box and this is probably the root cause of your little one’s behaviour. The scent of all your other cats’ urine in the litter box is totally overwhelming to its emotional stability and so he goes to pee and poo where he feels safe. The solution is two-fold. Firstly, you must provide more individual litter boxes for your cats - 3 or 4 for the number of cats in your family. Secondly, you must reassure your little one that he is safe and secure by not scolding him if he messes. You need to put a litter box where he is messing, however unwelcome that may be for you. Then, as he gets used to using it successfully, you need to move it a little each day to where you want it to be permanently placed. It may take a few weeks to achive this but once done, your problems should be over.
Let us know how you get on!
Hello,
When my husband and I bought our new home, there had been 2 dogs here previously. 2 of my 3 cats decided to pee and poop all over the house, but only on the carpets and only once, on the floor. We have since redone all of the floors ( carpet upstairs and hardwood downstairs) cleaned and dry-locked the floor boards. They are no longer allowed upstairs, and so far so good on the hardwood. We have one new area rug in the living room and are worried that the cycle might repeat- on it!
My question is: If we have gotten rid of ALL traces of the previous pets do you all thin we will still have a problem?
Thank you:)
Diana
Hi Diana
The issue that you need to address is whether your cats feel that their ‘core territory’ is secure and free from threat from other cats. In multi cat households, this is often the trigger for marking behaviour because the internal space they live in must be shared and unless your three cats have worked out their heirarchy satisfactorily, you may find that one cat challenenges for the top spot by marking in your home. If all your cats are emotionally happy, then things should be fine - if just one of them feels that their core territory is threatened then you may find that you still have a problem.
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