How To Clean And Get Rid Of Cat Spray Smell
Cat spray looks and smells like urine, to a point. A well-hydrated kitty produces light yellow urine with its typical acidic odor. But because of pheromones in cat spray, it’s often darker yellow and smells particularly more pungent. If you haven’t actually seen your cat spray and are just following your nose, it’s likely some areas are highly concentrated. This makes cleaning more challenging.
“It’s imperative to clean immediately and completely to destroy any scent cues,” Anthony says. Using an enzymatic cleaner , she advises you to apply a volume of cleaner equal to the amount of urine, according to package directions.
If the stains are severe, you might need to call in professional services or, in extreme situations, replace soiled items entirely.
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Why Is My Male Cat Spraying
When it comes to cats spraying, male cats are often the culprit. Although it is possible for female cats to start spraying at any time, its usually very rare. Male cat spraying happens a lot more regularly, especially with unneutered male cats. This is mainly due to their territorial nature and male behavior which weâll discover later.
If you have a male cat that has just started spraying, then determining why theyâve started should be your first priority. If you donât do anything and try to ignore it, then the smell will only get worse. Punishing them also isnât a good idea, it wonât make them stop and it will only ruin your relationship.
Hereâs how to determine why your cat has started spraying, and how to stop them.
Consider Her Relationship With Other Cats
One of the primary reasons that cats, both male, and female, mark their territory is in relation to other cats. There are some animals that are so territorial that simply spying another puss out of the window can cause her to start spraying in the home.
This can be massively disruptive but limiting her access to other cats even visually may help to reduce spraying behaviors.
Furthermore, if you have other cats in the home, the spraying could be related to them so it is worth monitoring their interactions which will give you a good idea if the cat who is spraying feels threatened in any way.
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Spraying Reason #: New Pets
In Maxs case, it wasnt just that we had moved into a new apartment, it was also that he was sharing this new space with two other male cats. And while they werent new to him, he felt it important to stake out his turf in our new digs.
If youve recently adopted a cat, dog, or another animal, your cat may simply be wanting to establish that this is his territory.
And, if youve thought sharing a litter box was fine, think again! Cats actually need a lot more bathroom space than theyre often given. Just how much? Dr. Liz Bales, recommends one litter box per cat, plus one. So if you have two cats, you need a total of three litter boxes.
Check out the rest of her litter box secrets here.
Cat Spraying Causes And Cures: Our 2022 Guide
Cats are one of the countrys most popular pets. Lovable, independent and full of character it is easy to see why they are so well loved. Yet occasionally our pets can become problematic if they start showing behavioral problems. One such problem is spraying, which can occur inside the home and cause quite a mess.
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But what is spraying? What is the cause and how can it be stopped?
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Using Rescue Remedy Or Feliway
If you have cats that have reached the age of social maturity, they tend to jostle for position within the household. Hence, you can use the rescue remedy or introduce the Feliway synthetic pheromone to give signals to your cat that their environment is safe.
You can isolate one cat at a time to see if they stop the habit of urine-marking while in isolation. Although this method is not well-established, the concept is to tackle stress because if the urine-marking behavior is induced by stress, isolating them from the source of the stress may stop the behavior.
What Is Cat Spray
Cat spray is inappropriate urination on objects or areas to mark territory. It can occur in any age, breed, or gender, and urine spraying is more common with males than in females. Spraying around doors or windows might be a marking response to the presence of a cat outside. Marking in the home may be a response to another cat, either in the home or outdoors. Also, due to competitive behaviors, the probability of urine spraying indoors is directly proportional to the number of cats in the household.
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Q My Cat Has Been Urine Marking The Side Of My Couch Near The Window What Can I Do To Stop This Behavior
A. First, its important to determine if your cat is truly spraying, or whether he is urinating. With urine spraying, cats tend to stand upright and eliminate a small amount on vertical surfaces. Cats that are urinating usually squat and eliminate larger amounts on horizontal surfaces. If youre not sure, its best to have your cat examined by a veterinarian to determine the cause of the problem before you try to treat it on your own.
There are a number of medical conditions that can cause cats to urinate outside their litter boxes, including kidney failure, urinary tract stones or crystals, diabetes and arthritis. Cats may also avoid the litter box because they have issues with the type of litter, as well as the cleanliness or placement of the litterbox.
If you are sure that your cat isnt urinating but is in fact spraying, there are some things you can do to curb the behavior.
Do Both Male And Female Cats Spray To Mark Their Territory
Anthony says any cat has the potential to spray, but males are much more likely to do it than females, and unneutered males even moreso. It’s a pheromone calling card. “Marking is basically sending messages to other catsthe most common being, ‘This is my area, get out!’” she says. However, neutering doesn’t automatically take care of the issue, she adds, especially if it’s been going on for a while or there are other cats in the household. So she recommends investigating the cause of cat spraying with the guidance of a professional.
When do female cats spray? VCA Hospitals indicate some cats in heat also use this behavior to convey certain signals. But since their urine during estrous is packed with higher levels of hormones and pheromones, it’s more of a ‘come hither’ beacon. Which might bring more male cats to the yard, as it were, and they’ll definitely begin territorial marking again!
Anthony says if indoor female or male cat spraying is due to outdoor felines in the area, motion-activated sprinklers can help keep them from roaming too close to the house cat’s territory.
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Reduce Your Desire To Communicate
Spraying is a common way for cats to communicate. As a result, limiting your cats contact with other cats will assist in stopping cat spraying. Its possible that your cat was sprayed as a result of seeing or sensing cats outside.
If your cat is sitting closer to the window to observe the outdoors, you should relocate something to put on the window to stop it.
If possible, you should close all of the doors and curtains. Keep the outside of your house clean and prevent leaving food out for other cats to be attracted to.
Ive Cleaned Up The Spot But The Cat Keeps Returning To Spray What Else Can I Do To Reduce The Problem
Because the purpose of spraying is to mark an area with urine odor, it is not surprising that, as the odor is cleaned up, the cat wants to refresh the area with more urine. Cleaning alone does little to reduce spraying.
“Cats that mark in one or two particular areas may cease if the function of the area is changed.”
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Some Final Thoughts On Cat Spraying
Although cat spraying can happen with any cat, it is a behavior that intact cats are more likely to engage in than those who are fixed. Once the reasons for the smelly behavior are identified, you should be able to stop it or at least reduce the occurrences by addressing the causes and modifying the environment.
This piece was originally published in 2015.
What Is Cat Spraying
Spraying is essentially your cats way of marking his territory, much like how some dogs urine mark. But whats the difference between spraying and urine marking?
Essentially, its in the position your cat assumes. When cats spray, theyll back up to a standing object. It might be a wall, a chair leg, or another piece of furniture. They raise their tail erect and squirt urine.
When cats urine mark, theyll squat just as if theyre peeing normally and theyll do this on a flat surface, like your carpet or your bed.
In both scenarios, the behavior is intentional, and not a matter of their inability to hold it. Its purely a behavioral issue. So why do cats spray?
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Urine Marking In A Household With More Than 1 Cat
Cats dont like change. They can give a frosty reception to anyone from a visitor to a new baby, and may be aggravated when a new pet is brought into the home. Thats because they arent equipped to deal with confrontation.
Since cats see each other as equals and dont follow a hierarchy like dogs do, they usually move around the house independently of one another that includes eating, perching, and visiting the litter box. This doesnt mean it will be a conflict-free zone.
Conflict between cats often goes unnoticed by cat owners, because it comes in subtle ways before it escalates. Cat conflict style could be described as passive-aggressive. They may stare at each other silently or block each other from food dishes before escalating to spraying, hissing, and fighting. You might notice your cat losing weight if they dont have access to the food bowl. Since cats spray to mark their territory, keeping the conflict level low is in everyones best interests. Recent studies have shown that cats who spray could also be experiencing long-term stress.
In multi-cat households, its important to first determine that cat spraying or soiling isnt happening because another cat is bullying and denying them access to the litter box. Separating cats may be necessary to find out who the offender is.
You can help your cats avoid conflict by setting up their environment to make sure all pets have easy access to what they need and to avoid other behavioral problems.
Continued
Why Does My Cat Spray Urine
Urine spraying is a normal part of scent marking behaviour. Cats use different scents to create a scent map of their environment.
Cats tend to rub their cheeks in the core part of their territory where they feel safe and relaxed. They use urine spray to mark the areas of their territory where they feel threatened. Cats may do this as a reminder to themselves to be wary in that part of their territory. When the smell fades, the cat will spray again to top-up the scent.
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Stop Your Cat Spraying With 1 Simple Trick
Cat spraying sucks. Especially when it seems no matter what you do your cat wonât stop. Not only does it leave your house smelling horrible, but it costs you money, wastes your time and causes you stress.
Hoping your cat will just stop spraying on their own is a bad idea. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life scrubbing walls and living in a smelly dump? Using our unique Touch Taste Smell method, you can stop your cat from spraying in just 7 days.
Best Cat Spray Solution
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How To Stop Cats From Spraying Outside Your Home
As we have mentioned in the first section of this article, it is not uncommon for stray cats to spray outside your home. It is annoying to come home to spray walls and even doors. Therefore, you will need to stop cats from spraying outside your home. As you take up this task, keep in mind that the goal is to stop them and not harm them. We are therefore going to look at some of the most effective methods to help you address this problem.
How To Discourage Your Cat From Spraying Indoors
Has your cat started spraying indoors? Your first step should be to visit your vet to make sure there are no medical causes for your cat’s behaviour.
The next step is to work out what makes your cat feel threatened and then take action to eliminate the threat. This process can be complicated because there may be many factors involved. It is best to ask your vet to refer you to a qualified animal behaviourist.
Spraying is often connected to a change in the cat’s environment, such as a new cat.
The location of your cat’s spraying may provide clues about their perceived threat. If your cat sprays on internal doorways and in hallways it may be because this is where they come into contact with other cats. To overcome this, you can help reduce conflict and create a sense of security by providing extra litter trays, bowls and places for your cats to sleep, play and scratch – reducing the need for competition.
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Create A Reassuring Environment
Does your cat have a calm, positive environment they can escape to? Our kitties like the reassurance of a controlled, structured environment with a clear routine – without it, they may spray out of stress or anxiety. To create a reassuring space, make sure you feed your cat at a similar time each day, provide regular play sessions, and give them lots of regular attention!
You should also try to limit any stress factors where possible. New people, new pets or even changes in your home such as decorating may all cause kitty stress.
Using a FELIWAY Optimum Diffuser in the areas where your cat spends the most time, can also reinforce a calming home environment for your kitty and help to correct behaviors such as urinary marking by creating a calm comfortable atmosphere. Applying FELIWAY CLASSIC Spray to places where your cat has sprayed will also help to reduce stress, and stop your cat from returning to sprayed areas.
Together, you and your cat can create a calm, happy environment!
What Should You Do To Clean Up After Cat Spraying
Apart from wanting to keep your house smelling and feeling fresh without any hints of cat urine in the air, thoroughly cleaning after cat spraying will help deter and reduce the likelihood of your cat returning to the same spots. Making sure you clean up sufficiently will help your cat and the condition of your house in the long run.
As you can imagine, just like human cleaning products, there are quite a few options out there when it comes to removing urine stains and eliminating pet odours using sprays, solutions and powders. Make sure you read the product descriptions carefully to ensure you are combating the urine with these elements. And to deter further, you can purchase repellent sprays to apply after the cleaning process.
Keen to know more about cat behaviour and health conditions? Keep reading the Pet Smarts blog for everything cats and kittens.
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