Video:Why Do Cats Spray or Mark?

Transcript:Why Do Cats Spray or Mark?

Hi, I'm Dr. Maureen Ricksgers for About.com, and today we're going to discuss why do cats spray or mark?

Why Cats Spray or Mark

Cats will sometimes spray in their home environment, whether or not they're indoors or outdoors. Cats that have been neutered will still spray sometimes, whether they're female or male. This is normal cat behavior. They'll spray urine to mark their territory, especially if there are more than a few cats in the area. it's communicative behavior to the cat to spray urine around that the other cats will then know that they've been marking their territory.

There's a product on the market called Feliway that comes as either a spray or as a plug-in diffuser. Feliway is a product that is synthetic cheek pheromone; cats will also mark their territory by rubbing their cheek glands on you, and if a cat is prone to spraying, this product may help the cat think that there's no need to spray because I've already rubbed my cheek glands all over you.

When cats spray, they pick up their tail and back up into an object and release just a little spurt of urine about a foot higher than the floor. Cats will spray doors, furniture, people's belongings and sometimes even people themselves.

How to Prevent Cats from Spraying or Marking

Neutering a male cat before he reaches sexual maturity may be helpful in decreasing the chance that the cat may spray as an adult. Cats can be spayed and neutered as early as two pounds, so an eight-week to ten-week-old kitten can be safely neutered.

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