By : Annie Clark
Is your cat spraying in your home? If the answer is yes, then you are familiar with the terrible odor and the frustrations of trying to get the cat to stop spraying. Before you can solve the problem, you need to find out why your cat is spraying.
Territorial marking is the number one reason why cats spray. Felines are compelled to let others of their kind know that they are around. They may also spray when they are looking for a mate. If you have another cat in your home that fights with the culprit kitty, the spraying may be done to show aggression. Cats hanging around outside of your house can also cause your cat to spray. A move to a new home, the arrival of a new child, or other upsets to the cat's daily routines can cause the behavior. A cat that is under any kind of stress such as living in a noisy household can also resort to spraying.
Generally, male cats are sprayers. Females may also spray when they are stressed or in heat. The spray smell is different from regular urine because spray contains chemicals from the anal glands along with urine.
The quickest way to stop spraying is often to spay or neuter your cat if this has not already been done. The majority will not spray after being altered, but some still will. This option is most successful if performed before the kitty reaches maturity.
You may consider punishing your cat for spraying. Felines do not realize the connection between a punishment and the precipitating behavior. Actually, punishment may lead to even more spraying since the cat could become more stressed. Do not punish your cat!
Regular cleaning and scooping of the litter box is important as some cats will spray as a form of protest against poor litter box maintenance. Keep routines consistent including bed time, play time, and feeding. When your cat sprays, be sure to clean the area with enzyme cleaner so that no odor remains. Otherwise, the cat may return to the same spot to spray again.
After trying measures to curb spraying, take your cat to a veterinarian. Bladder infections and other health issues can lead to the behavior. Drugs for anxiety such as Prozac can also be prescribed, since your cat could be anxious even if you are not aware of it.
Try confining warring cats to different areas of your home. The best solution to this problem may turn out to be separating the cats permanently to different homes since a stressful home life is not good for either cat or your family. The cat may even stop spraying if removed from other cat and placed in a new home.
As cats can be territorial, another tactic could be to confine your cat to a small portion of your home. Since the feline won't have as large of a territory to defend, the spraying may stop. And, you will be reducing the number of accidents that you will have to clean.
Cat behaviorists will work you and your cat to solve behavior problems. They may be able to retrain your cat to behave appropriately after analyzing what factors are leading your feline to spray.
Article Source: http://www.articlerampage.com}
Read Part II of this article for more solutions to stop cat spraying. Annie Clark is the owner of two former stray cats. More articles and cat products are available at Feline Info
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