Urinating & Spraying: Identifying
I've spent a lot of time reading about problem cats and helping others' on forums with their urinating or spraying cat. A lot of the time there seems to be some confusion differentiating a cat urinating and a cat spraying. Knowing what your cat is doing will help you determine what you need to do next.
The Spraying cat will walk over to the area, usually he'll smell where he's going to do his business. Sometimes you'll notice him open his mouth slightly after smelling the area. He'll then turn his body around, backing up into the desired area, usually quivering his tail. Then he will spray that area with urine. Spraying is distinctive because you will see a light mist coming from his derrière, hence "spraying". Spraying is mostly done on vertical surfaces. Why? Spraying is a cat's way of communicating. The most effective place to put his message is somewhere that will align with another cat's face. Think of it as ads on a blog. They're usually placed where people will see them. If you had to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the blog, they wouldn't be as effective (though most of us want them there). Spraying can usually be found on furniture, walls, doors, anything with a vertical surface.
The Urinating cat will usually find an area where he feels safe. You wont find urine along your wall or along your drapes. Urinating cats will unload their bladder directly on the ground. They will use the same method of urinating as if they were doing it in their litter. This usually means back paws relatively flat on the ground, with their back hunched and rear very close to the ground. Cats who are urinating outside of the litter box will usually find other areas that resemble a litter box. This includes your bed, laundry baskets, towels, drawers etc.
Its not always so black and white. Sometimes you get a spraying cat who hunches his back or a urinating cat that raises his hind while he's in his ltter. It's not as common but it happens.
If you're not able to catch him doing it, but the evidence is all around. Its still possible to tell even with those tricky situations. Note where the spray or urine is, relative to where your cat spends most of his time. Is it located in a highly trafficked area of your home? One of the biggest giveaways, is the smell. Spray tends to be a stronger smell. If its spray the smell will be alot more concentrated. You'll probably be able to smell it if you're in the same room. Also look for droplets of urine. Spraying cats sometimes want to aim on something specific which may require him to crouch a little. If you see a spray like pattern or a triangular imprint of urine then you know its spray.
You can also purchase a black light. Ultraviolet lights are able to pick up urine stains. You'll want to get a decent sized one, they can be purchased at most large retailers like Walmart or a larger pet store. In my personal experience, I'd steer from the small UV lights you can purchase from pets store. I've had no luck getting them to show any stains. The larger florescent UV lighting tubes work perfectly. With any black light, you'll want the area to be as dark as possible, so you're able to yield the best results.
If you do purchase a black light, make sure to scan around all your furniture, walls and doors. Take your time to go over everything in the room. Older stains will not be as strong as newer ones. Also remember other stains will also show up under a UV light.
The most common cause of spraying is from unaltered male and female cats. When a male or female cat reaches adulthood, they attract each other through scents. Spraying is their strongest form of communication. Think of it as a billboard broadcasting your cat in all his or her glory!
Spraying is also done to mark territory. We use fences, doors and locks to keep other people from entering our home. Cats don't need barricades, spraying gets their message across. It's their way of saying "Back off!".
Catching him in the Act
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| Diagram from @ http://www.sprayalert.com |
The Urinating cat will usually find an area where he feels safe. You wont find urine along your wall or along your drapes. Urinating cats will unload their bladder directly on the ground. They will use the same method of urinating as if they were doing it in their litter. This usually means back paws relatively flat on the ground, with their back hunched and rear very close to the ground. Cats who are urinating outside of the litter box will usually find other areas that resemble a litter box. This includes your bed, laundry baskets, towels, drawers etc.
Its not always so black and white. Sometimes you get a spraying cat who hunches his back or a urinating cat that raises his hind while he's in his ltter. It's not as common but it happens.
If you're not able to catch him doing it, but the evidence is all around. Its still possible to tell even with those tricky situations. Note where the spray or urine is, relative to where your cat spends most of his time. Is it located in a highly trafficked area of your home? One of the biggest giveaways, is the smell. Spray tends to be a stronger smell. If its spray the smell will be alot more concentrated. You'll probably be able to smell it if you're in the same room. Also look for droplets of urine. Spraying cats sometimes want to aim on something specific which may require him to crouch a little. If you see a spray like pattern or a triangular imprint of urine then you know its spray.
You can also purchase a black light. Ultraviolet lights are able to pick up urine stains. You'll want to get a decent sized one, they can be purchased at most large retailers like Walmart or a larger pet store. In my personal experience, I'd steer from the small UV lights you can purchase from pets store. I've had no luck getting them to show any stains. The larger florescent UV lighting tubes work perfectly. With any black light, you'll want the area to be as dark as possible, so you're able to yield the best results.
If you do purchase a black light, make sure to scan around all your furniture, walls and doors. Take your time to go over everything in the room. Older stains will not be as strong as newer ones. Also remember other stains will also show up under a UV light.
Who cares what the difference is, its still Urine
Yes both cases are urine but knowing the difference is key to helping you cat. Your cat is doing either of the two for several reasons.Reasons for Spraying
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The most common cause of spraying is from unaltered male and female cats. When a male or female cat reaches adulthood, they attract each other through scents. Spraying is their strongest form of communication. Think of it as a billboard broadcasting your cat in all his or her glory!
Spraying is also done to mark territory. We use fences, doors and locks to keep other people from entering our home. Cats don't need barricades, spraying gets their message across. It's their way of saying "Back off!".
Reasons for Urinating
Most cats will stop using their litter box because they're ill. Urinating outside the litter box is their way of communicating with us. If your cat has just started urinating outside of the litter box, and it's just randomly started, I would strongly advise you to contact your veterinarian immediately.Stress
Stress can both produce a spraying and urinating cat. For me, this is the most widely misunderstood subject when it comes to cats spraying and urinating. Unfortunately we can't communicate with our cats to find out what exactly is stressing them. So we have no choice but to play the Guessing game. We look for clues and we try different solutions. This is probably the most used reason why cats end up in shelters or put down.Eww, Cats Like the Smell of their Urine?
A cat's smell is different than our own. We smell horrible urine smell, they smell a unique I.d associated with whatever cat left the urine and a message. Urine contains this wonderful thing called pheromones. It allows them to communicate different messages within their urine. This is how a cat who comes across another cat's spray, will know he's looking for a mate, or he's not accepting visitors.
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