Cat - Urine Marking

I am finding urine on vertical surfaces like walls and backs of furniture. What does that mean?

When cats deposit small squirts of urine on vertical surfaces, it is known as urine spraying. This is a scent marking behaviour rather than an act of elimination. Usually the cat backs up to a vertical surface, raises its tail, treads with its back feet, the tail may quiver and a stream of urine is directed backwards. Marking with urine may also occur by depositing small amounts of urine on horizontal surfaces but this is less common. Occasionally faeces may be used to mark an area and these deliberate deposits of faeces are known as middens. A behavioural history will be needed in order to help differentiate marking behaviour from elimination behaviour problems and for this reason in most cases it will be necessary to consult a suitably qualified behaviour practitioner for assistance with the problem. Spraying is a normal method of sexual communication in both males and females who are not neutered. However, it is not exclusively used during sexual behaviour and urine spraying can occur as a form of social communication at any time. In the outdoor feline territory a cat will mark its outdoor territory boundary and will also deposit urine within the territory in order to communicate with other cats and avoid unnecessary social interaction. However, when urine marking occurs indoors it is often a manifestation of stress and it should be investigated.

Why do cats 'mark' with urine?

Cats mark the locations where they live, or which they frequent, in many ways. Cats will mark with scent glands on their feet, cheeks, face and tail as well as with urine and occasionally faeces. The advantage of scent marking is that it leaves a message in a location long after that animal has gone and therefore cats are able to communicate with other cats without necessarily meeting them. Marks within a territory signal the presence of an individual and for the majority of the time they serve to avoid unnecessary social interaction. However, during the breeding season their role alters and they are used to advertise sexual receptivity and availability and encourage this often solitary species to engage in more direct interaction! In neutered cats marking in response to other cats in the vicinity and even in response to housemates is primarily used to maintain distance between individuals and avoid potential confrontation.

Marking within the home increases in response to a number of stressors that may include a change in household routine or composition, alterations in living arrangements and the sharing of resources with cats that are not socially compatible. Marking is a method of delineating territory and therefore urine is often found in prominent locations and near windows and doors, as well as in areas of most activity in the home.

Which cats are more likely to urine mark?

Any cat; male, female, neutered or entire can mark with urine. Sexually motivated urine marking only occurs in entire (non-neutered) males and females and is therefore not very common in the pet population. When an entire male sprays urine, it will have a characteristic ‘tomcat’ odour that is strong and pungent. Neutering will change the odour, and may reduce the cat’s motivation for spraying, but approximately 10% of neutered males and 5% of spayed females will continue to spray for social reasons. While cats in multiple cat households are often involved in spraying behaviours, cats that are housed singly may also spray.

I am finding small amounts of urine in a number of locations around the house, not always on vertical surfaces. What does that mean?

Some cats will mark their territory with small amounts of urine (and on rare occasions, faeces) in various locations. These locations can be similar to those for spraying, i.e. near doors, windows, new possessions in the home or favoured locations, but may occasionally be found on owner’s clothing, items of furniture or other possessions. However, small amounts of urine deposited outside of the litter tray can also be an indication of numerous other problems including inappropriate elimination problems and medical conditions including diseases of the lower urinary tract. Similarly faeces found outside the litter tray can be due to a multitude of medical conditions including colitis, constipation and any other condition leading to difficult, more frequent or uncomfortable elimination. If you find small amounts of urine in a number of locations around the house a complete physical examination and appropriate laboratory tests will be necessary to rule out potential physical causes.

How do I treat a spraying or marking problem?

As with all behaviour problems, the history will help determine treatment options and it is always important that a urine analysis be performed to rule out medical problems before embarking on a behavioural investigation.

In many cases a behaviour consultation will be required as the problem can be complex. The following is an example of some of the important points to bear in mind when trying to decide what may be causing the problem. Details about the location of the urine marking, together with the frequency, duration of the problem and number of locations used are all important. For example, is the urine found on walls, 6-8 inches up from the floor, or are there small urine spots found in multiple locations on both vertical and horizontal surfaces? Does the urine appear every day, several times a day or less than once a week? In addition to this information you also need to determine the number of cats in the neighbourhood and the relationship that your cat has with his feline contacts outside the home. In multi-cat households information about the number of cats and the distribution of their resources is going to be essential. In addition details about any changes in the environment, in social patterns of humans and animals, and details of any additions (people, pets, furniture, renovations) to the home will all need to be gathered.

If your cat is not already neutered, and is not a potential breeder, then neutering is recommended.

Treatment is aimed at breaking the habit and decreasing the motivation for spraying. This is achieved by paying attention to adequate cleaning (see later) and also by working to decrease stress and anxiety.

If the problem relates to cats outside of the home, then the best options are to find a way to deter the cats from coming onto the property or to prevent your indoor cat from seeing, smelling or hearing these cats. Cat flaps may need to be boarded up, at least temporarily and it is helpful to consider installing flaps that are very selective to allow access only to resident cats through the use of microchip reading or collar tag recognition systems. It may be helpful to house your cat in a room away from windows and doors to the outdoors, or it may be possible to block visual access through windows up to the height of your cat, for example by using temporary frosting materials which can be applied to the windows. When you are at home and supervising you can allow your cat limited access to these areas. It may be necessary to keep windows closed to prevent your inside cat from smelling the cats outside. You will need to use an appropriate cleaning regime to deal with any areas close to, or even inside, your house where the outdoor cats have eliminated or sprayed.

If the problem is due to feline social interactions inside the home, it may be necessary to determine which cats are members of the same social group and which are not. This can be achieved by noting the occurrence of rubbing and grooming behaviour between your cats. If there is no evidence of grooming or rubbing behaviour it is likely that the cats are socially distinct and they will need their own core territory which offers the opportunity to eat, sleep, use a latrine and play without running the gauntlet of other cats in the household. It may be helpful to temporarily keep these cats in separate parts of the home with their own facilites for eating, sleeping, playing and toileting. Reintroduction of the cats may be possible when they are properly supervised but contact between the cats must never be forced. They should not be expected to share essential resources such as water, food, resting places or latrines. In households where there is very poor social compatibility between the cats and limited opportunity to distribute resources so that every cat has free and immediate access to them and there are cases of spraying and marking problems that cannot be resolved then it may be necessary to rehome one or more of the cats.

Where the problem is related to disruption in the household through renovation or redecoration it can help to keep your cat isolated from the worst affected areas while work is in progress. Once the work is complete a Feliway diffuser could be installed in the renovated area and your cat allowed supervised periods of access to the area. When your cat’s anxiety is related to new members of the family in the form of a new spouse or a new baby, treatment will need to include desensitising and counter conditioning your cat to the new arrival.

I’ve cleaned up the spot but my cat keeps returning to spray. What else can be done to reduce the problem?

Since the ‘purpose’ of spraying is to mark an area with urine odour, it is not surprising that as the odour is cleaned up, your cat wants to refresh the area with more urine. This topping up is even more likely if the scent signal has been disrupted through the cleaning process but not entirely removed. In cases where the cleaning materials used have contained ammonia or chlorine there is room for a lot of confusion since these are constituents of cat urine and the application of household cleaners that contain them can actually induce your cat to mark more. It is therefore very important to use a suitable cleaning regime which will remove both the protein and the fat components of the urine and will not mask the mark with other smells. One of the most effective regimes is to use a warm 10% solution of biological washing powder, rinse with cold water and then spray over with surgical spirit, making sure that the area is completely dry again before allowing your cat access to the area. The one exception is when synthetic facial pheromones (eg Feliway) are being applied as a spray form in the treatment of an indoor marking problem. In such cases it is best to clean the area with water and then spray over with surgical spirit as the presence of the biological washing powder may interfere with the action of the pheromone spray. This problem is avoided by using the pheromone product in the diffuser form.

Cats that mark in one or two particular areas may cease if the function of the area is changed. Cats do not engage in marking behaviour in their core territory and therefore the activities of feeding, sleeping and playing can be used to transform the function of the location into a safe and secure base where marking is no longer needed.

Recent research has shown that cats appear to naturally produce a group of chemicals which together have a calming effect. These chemicals which are produced by the face glands are known as the feline facial pheromones and they are normally rubbed onto familiar objects in the home. Some cats are less likely to spray if a little of this cheek gland scent can be placed in the sprayed area and it is thought that the scent acts to reduce any anxiety which is underlying the marking behaviour. A commercial product containing feline facial pheromone has been available for many years and is designed to mimic cheek gland secretions from a cat. This product appears to be very safe and does not seem to pose the same considerations as anti-anxiety medication. It needs to be applied to the environment on a daily basis and there are two formats of the product currently available. If the spray form is used it can be sprayed on areas where cats have sprayed urine in the past or on those areas where it can be anticipated that the cat is likely to spray. It can also be used to calm cats in new environments such as carrier baskets, cages in veterinary hospitals, consulting room tables or cattery pens. It is available from your veterinary surgeon and may be useful if it is thought that anxiety plays an important part in the onset of the marking problem. It is possible to achieve a similar effect by rubbing a cotton ball or gauze square on your cat’s cheek or chin glands and then rubbing the scent onto the previously sprayed areas. The second available form of the pheromone product is a diffuser device which can be beneficial when the marking behaviour is widespread throughout the house. The use of the diffuser also removes concerns over suitable cleaning regimes and ensures a more even distribution of the scent signal throughout the house. More recent research has suggested that better results are achieved when the diffuser device is used and then combined with the spray when necessary. Ask your veterinary practice for specific advice about how this product could be beneficial in your case.

Are there any drugs that are available to treat this problem?

Over the years many pharmacological means have been tried to control spraying behaviour. The choices have focused on the theory that one of the underlying causes for spraying and marking behaviours is anxiety. For that reason, anti-anxiety drugs and female hormones have all been tried with varying degrees of success. Few of these are presently approved for use in cats and some carry a list of possible side effects, but the newer generation anti-anxiety medications appear more promising and your veterinary surgeon can discuss with you the potential indications and contraindications of drug therapy for your cat. Of course, if the underlying reason for spraying is not addressed, the problem is quite likely to occur when the drug is withdrawn. In addition, even when behavioural modification has been used there are some drugs which carry a high risk of relapse once the medication is withdrawn due to their blocking of short term memory, inhibition of learning and induction of drug dependence. In general, if anxiety is suspected, pheromone therapy with behaviour modification is advised as the first line of treatment and medication should only be introduced after detailed discussion with your veterinary surgeon.