FELINE MARKING “In the wild, animals are like Gold Rush miners‐they lay claim to their territory.” Cats have an instinctual urge to mark their territory by leaving their scent. It is their way of communicating with one another. They have many ways of leaving their “calling card.” Unfortunately, some of these ways can be a nuisance for their owners. RUBBING Cats have scent glands on their cheeks and flanks. Does your cat rub up against your leg, a door or chair? This is his way of putting his own personal scent on an object. It sends a message to the next cat that comes along that this is his property! In multi‐cat households all of this rubbing temporarily establishes their territories and creates bonds between the cats. SCRATCHING He’s not trying to tear up your brand new leather couch! Aside from sharpening his claws he is also trying to leave his scent. Cats have scent glands on the pads of their feet. By scratching a tree or a piece of furniture he can mark his territory. For those of you that would like to preserve the look of your indoor furniture consider some of the following. Train them to use a scratching post Trim their nails frequently Apply double sided clear tape to those areas that are being destroyed by their scratching Apply FELIWAY Spray daily to those surfaces or use the FELIWAY room diffuser where the scratching occurs. Consider applying soft paws to their nails URINE MARKING UUGGHHHH! Urine marking is probably the most frustrating issue that a cat owner can face. Not only is it a nuisance to clean up every day but also the odor is next to impossible to remove completely. While many cats will never have any of these issues there are plenty that do. If your cat is eliminating outside his litter box you should always consult your veterinarian first. Not all cases of urine marking are from behavioral issues. A medical condition could exist that requires antibiotics, prescription diets or worse case scenario surgery. Urine marking takes two forms, spraying urine on vertical surfaces or urinating on horizontal surfaces. Spraying is when a cat backs up to a wall, for instance, with his tail erect and squirts urine. You will probably notice his tail quivering while he is spraying. Regular urinating is when he or she squats and pees on floors, furniture or any other horizontal surface. BOTH MALES AND FEMALES CAN SPRAY OR URINATE! “Why is my cat urinating outside his box?” you ask. As long as a medical condition has been ruled out by a veterinarian two reasons should be considered. Is your cat intact? Has he been exposed to stress? UNNEUTERED/UNSPAYED The urge to spray is especially strong in an intact cat. Having your cat spayed or neutered by 6 months old significantly decreases the chance of urine marking. If you adopt or rescue an unaltered cat consider having him fixed immediately. Neutering resolves 90% of marking issues. The longer you wait increases the likelihood of continued marking because the behavior has become so ingrained. STRESS Stress can be a huge cause of spraying or urinating. For a cat even the smallest change in their environment can trigger a reaction. This can include changing litter types, new baby in the house, strange cat in the yard, new furniture. It could be something we don’t know. To deal with stress a cat will mark his territory. He is anxious and by marking out his boundaries it will help relieve his anxiety. Basically, he is saying, “UGH, I am stressed here.” Well, what can we do now? Resolving your cats stress is crucial and will very likely require time, patience and understanding. Always consult your veterinarian first and then consider some of these tips. Clean soiled areas thoroughly. Consult your veterinarian for appropriate cleaning products. Make marked areas inaccessible or unattractive. Change significance of area. Feed and play with your cat in this area. If he is urinating on a horizontal surface place a litter box on top on the marked spot. Restrict your cat’s access to doors and windows so animals outside can’t be seen. Discourage the presence of animals in your yard. Use FELIWAY diffuser or spray, which is synthetic facial pheromone that reproduces the familiarization properties normally produced by a cat when it deposits its own facial pheromones in the environment.