Feline Urine Spraying 

Urine spraying in cats is a common problem for owners, although we should remember that it is a 'normal' behaviour for male and female cats. Although it is more common in male cats that haven't been desexed, it occurs on males and females whether desexed or not.

In the wild, cats mark their territory by spraying urine on trees to mark them as their territory. Therefore, a cat spraying inside the house is its way of saying 'this is my territory'. It is a 'normal' instinct for a cat. Just because your cat sprays in the house doesn't mean it is doing something wrong, just doing something that us humans consider antisocial. As far as the cat is concerned, it is well within its rights to do so, and in fact is asserting its rightful place in the house. When a cat is spraying urine on the walls, your furniture or bed, it suggests that the cat feels a need to mark its territory because another cat, person or thing is threatening it. Finding out why your cat is spraying goes a long way to solving the problem. However, in many cases, knowing why is not enough. Working out how to stop it is far more important to the owner. Although urine spraying is relatively harmless (apart from the odour it causes and the resultant destruction of furniture), a large number of cats are euthanased because of this problem. It is therefore important to seek advice from your vet sooner rather than later, since the longer the cat has been spraying the harder it is to break the habit.

Treatment

There are a number of treatments available for stopping cats from spraying. The first thing to consider is why the cat to spray in the first place. Often there is another cat which is trying to assert itself over your cat. Whether it is another cat in the house, or the cat being moved to a new house or territory it is unfamiliar with, or the arrival of a new house member, baby, etc. Looking at the problem from the cat's perspective may help getting an insight into the cause. Having the cat desexed, especially male cats, will reduced the urge to mark its territory. If the cat sprays in only one place, then placing food in that area will reduce the chance of the cat wanting to spray there.

A number of drugs are available from your veterinarian to assist in reducing spraying in cats. These range from the use of pheromone sprays such as Feliway® and anti-anxiety drugs such as Clomicalm®, Valium ® and Prozac®. Clomicalm is usually the first drug of choice and in cases that do not respond, a cocktail of Clomicalm and another anti-anxiety is often prescribed. Obviously drug cocktails may work, but the quality of life is usually reduced as the cat tends to sleep most of the day! Some vets consider radical surgery as an option for male cat that spray (usually as a last option). Such surgery involves the cutting of muscles around the penis so that the cat is no longer able to urinate in an 'upwards' direction, and has been shown to be effective.