The cat marks the territory - how to deal with cat “marks”

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Many pet owners have encountered a situation where cats begin to mark. There is no need to scream, thinking that aggressive psychological influence will help resolve the situation. First, you need to find out why this started, that is, what factors prompted the animal to leave odorous marks in the wrong places. Only after this will it be possible to choose the right tactics to save your nerves and personal property.

Time to leave traces: when does it start?

Do all cats mark and at what age do they start spraying urine wherever they want? Everyone is individual - it depends on the breed, conditions of detention, nutrition. However, most often the active struggle for every free corner begins at about eight months.

As cats mature, their desire to mark only increases. Not only the pet’s body changes, but also its habits, and the desire to dominate other males in search of a female increases. Aggression towards rivals appears in the character. The animal thinks that the struggle for territory is a matter of time, and begins to mark it. The result of such efforts is the acrid smell of urine that appears wherever the pet lifts its tail.

Such activity and reluctance to re-educate is a cause for grief for many owners. They are used to seeing their cat as a cute animal, a fluffy ball that evokes exceptionally tender feelings. However, constant cleaning can turn love into hate and tire even those who don’t mind walking around the house with a mop and rag.

Alas, such behavior is inevitable and quite natural for our four-legged friends. What time do cats start marking? As soon as puberty begins. It is this period that most owners wait with trepidation: they are already anticipating constant cleaning after their pet. The age of transition to adulthood is different for all breeds:

• For animals of the eastern group (Siamese, Oriental, Thai) - approximately 6 months.
• For Siberian, Maine Coons and other large pets – 7-9 months.

Why do cats mark in the apartment?

photo from website: catspaw.ru

There are several reasons. Next we will look at the main ones in detail.

• Reproductive instinct - marks in the corners indicate that your pet is looking for a cat. What to do in this case? You can try to scare the animal away with strong odors - as a rule, they cannot tolerate them. What can be applied? The must-have list will include bleach, vinegar, lemon, as well as iodine and potassium permanganate. Another win-win option is ammonia. We wipe the areas that the pet has already marked with compounds with characteristic aromas, or saturate cotton swabs with them - after which we lay them out on the path of the four-legged hunter. The disadvantage of this method is that the smells disappear sooner or later, but the desire to leave your mark on history remains. It is also worth putting the cat on a protein diet and taking him to the veterinarian - it is quite possible that he will recommend hormonal therapy.

• Experienced fear or severe discomfort - often stress or pain becomes the reason for the appearance of marks. If the reason for such behavior was fear of something, leaving its own smell everywhere, even if unbearable for people, allows the pet to feel comfortable and calm. In this case, it is worth eliminating the source of anxiety by analyzing the situation and finding the “root” of the problem. It is worth spending more time with your pet, playing with him and petting him, distracting him from what may cause him anxiety. Often the answer to the question of what to do if a cat begins to mark can be a visit to the veterinarian. It is important to understand that often odorous traces are nothing more than an alarming signal that indicates an aggravated or just begun disease.

• Jealousy is another significant reason to leave your urine everywhere - even in your master's shoes. The reason is guests who attract the attention of the owner, a dog, another cat in the family, a small child. Cats very subtly feel the slightest changes in attitude towards themselves and are looking for exactly the atmosphere that will be as comfortable as possible. If they are not picked up, stroked, or spoken to, when they meow demandingly, one can only wait for unpleasant consequences. Or correct the situation by calling the animal, pampering it with a tasty treat and proving your complacency with deeds.

photo from website: usatiki.ru

• Boredom - this reason smoothly follows from the previous one. If the owner does not want to play, walks around gloomily and does not call him to be held, the pet becomes bored. The entertainment he chooses may not be to your liking. How can you understand that a cat leaves marks solely because he has nothing to do with himself? He gives preference to the owner’s personal belongings - for example, he shamelessly sits on your laptop or favorite sweater. How to eliminate boredom? It’s very simple - start paying attention, resume playing in your free time, and don’t forget that your pet is a family member whose interests must be respected.

• Protecting the territory - imagine that you are a cat. The entire apartment is your undivided possession. But then a small child appears in it, and he is perceived as someone who dreams of taking your place. Or neighbors come to visit, whose clothes smell of other animals - and this is a direct encroachment on the cat’s property. There is only one way out - to show where its borders lie, express your “fi” and prove who is boss in the house. How to rid your pet of a bad habit in this case? It is necessary to show that you are a leader. It is you who establish the rules and indicate how you can behave and how you shouldn’t. Replace the lisp with sternness and put the insolent person in his place.

The methods that we described above will help you understand how to wean your cat from marking territory in the apartment. In many cases, you will have to deal with aggression from a pet. However, this is not a reason to abandon your own intentions to re-educate your pet - read our article on how to extinguish anger that has flared up, and achieve your goal without using radical measures. Remember that punishment will not work - you need to build a certain strategy (without using violence or shouting) that will work specifically in your case.

How to wean a pet?

There are different ways to stop a cat from marking its territory.

Folk remedies

In the wild, it is a strict rule that only privileged individuals can mark territories. If younger members of the family begin to encroach on this right, the head will definitely show who is boss in the house. In order to wean a cat from marking territory, you need to be able to communicate with him using sounds and gestures with which he communicates with other cats.

If you notice that the cat has raised its tail and is about to make a mark, you need to take it by the scruff of the neck with one hand and wait until it takes the pose of a small kitten, which the mother cat holds in her teeth: she tucks her tail to her stomach.

Next, you need to show the cat who is in charge. To do this you need to show some acting skills. The actions of the cat owner consist of the following steps:

1. You need to start imitating a cat's hissing with a menacing look. The sound should resemble the word "fshih". Thus, you need to “hiss” at your pet for as long as possible, without interruption, making frightening sounds.
2. Next, you should simulate a cat fight. Remember how they alternately hit their opponent's face with their paws. It is necessary to repeat these movements with your fingers, without making much effort, so that the animal does not hurt.
3. You should make movements feigning anger. You need to be really angry, otherwise your pet may feel that he is being deceived. Even the smell can give it away, by which they are good at determining the emotions of their opponent. If you are angry and call your cat in a gentle voice, it will never come because it will sense deception. Likewise in this case.
4. When striking, you need to look into the cat's eyes. In the animal world, looking into the eyes is a challenge: whoever looks away first admits defeat. That is why cats do not catch up with their opponent and do not enter into a fight with him if he looks away.

You need to strike the face with your fingers, make a menacing hiss and look the cat in the eyes until he starts squeaking and looks away. From now on, in the eyes of the cat, you are the head of the family and he is obliged to obey. If the animal turns out to be wayward and continues to make marks after the first procedure, you need to repeat the session after a while until the desired result is achieved.

Valuable advice from owners and breeders

One of the methods for weaning a cat from marking territory in an apartment is castration and sterilization. After the operation, the marking instinct disappears in 80% of animals, and in 10% it decreases after a certain time. If castration, sterilization and the methods described above do not help, you can resort to drug therapy.

Most medications contain progestin, a female hormone, and tranquilizers, such as Valium. The drugs are taken orally or given by injection. The result of treatment is suppression of the marking instinct. True, side effects may occur: weight gain, diabetes, passive behavior.

If you breed cats, the likelihood that the male will mark increases during the female's heat. Therefore, breeders advise keeping the male separately. In a house where there are many animals, it is advisable to give each one its own box, where the animal can be alone. To prevent the cat from marking, you can place a bowl of food next to the marked territory; cats are neat, so they don’t mark where they eat.

What to do if a cat marks in the apartment?

photo from the site: VashiPitomcy.ru

How to get rid of the problem once and for all? There is only one truly effective solution - castration, carried out before the onset of puberty. Yes, most owners are frightened by this option - how can you send an animal to such a barbaric and humiliating operation for it? However, the facts speak exclusively in favor of timely removal of the testes - and here are the advantages worth considering:

• The first and most important thing is that the cat will stop marking its territory, ruining clothes and shoes, and leaving odorous marks on furniture.

• The second plus is that in the spring you will not be disturbed by the heartbreaking cries of a male trying to reason with his rival or call a female.

• The third advantage of this elective operation is the reduction in the level of aggression. A previously angry and irritable cat will become affectionate and obedient.

• Veterinarians also point out that castrated animals live much longer than those whose owners, out of the kindness of their hearts, preserved their gonads. The pet's character changes for the better and remains playful and cheerful until old age.

• Removing the testes is also a great way to protect your purr. Adult uncastrated cats have a high risk of developing tumors and prostate adenoma, and various infections. Agree, preventing their occurrence is much easier than treating your pet over and over again.

So, if you don’t intend to find a spouse for your Barsik or Boris, but the desire to live in a clean and comfortable house without odorous marks does not allow you to put up with the disgusting smell emanating from the carpet, linoleum, slippers and other things that catch the eye of the animal, there is only one way out – castration. This way you will save the cat from suffering when searching for a female and stop cleaning at the slightest provocation.

By the way, a similar operation exists for cats – this is sterilization. It helps get rid of most of the problems that owners of these graceful pets face during heat. You can read more about the need to remove the ovaries of a female and the rules for preparing for surgery here.

Jealousy

This is true for our pets no less than for people. They are great owners, and they do not want to share their owner, as well as their home, with strangers. Therefore, the arrival of a new member of the household is often painfully perceived. If your pet has always been disciplined (especially if he has already been neutered), and now he has started marking the house, then perhaps this is his way of letting the new family member know who is boss. This may also apply to the situation of protracted repairs, when builders appear at home every day to perform various works.

Sometimes even an ordinary guest visit can cause an animal to be jealous. Especially if he sees that the owner has turned all his attention to the guest, and he was asked to leave. Today, veterinarians say that cats can even be jealous of gadgets when they see that their beloved owner spends all his time only on a computer or tablet. Again, the best way to solve this problem is to allocate your free time and attention wisely. If you have a pet, then you need to pay enough attention to it.

Why does a castrated cat mark its territory: what to do if the operation does not help?

This also happens: there are no testes, and the animal still only brings trouble to the owners, settling down to go to the toilet in places that are not intended for that. Sometimes there is more than one reason for this behavior. Let's look at the main ones to find a way out:

• Will a cat mark after castration? Yes, if its physiology differs from the anatomical structure of other pets. We are talking about such a feature as cryptorchidism - in this case, the testicles (one or both) are not located in the scrotum, but are hidden under the skin - hidden in the groin area or in the abdominal cavity. Such an animal should be taken to an experienced veterinarian - a young specialist may not be able to find the gonads. Hence the consequences - the hormone testosterone is still released, which means the cat will continue to do its job - even after the removal of one testicle.

photo from the site: Petomets.ru

• Do neutered cats mark territory? Yes, if the operation was performed at an advanced age. In other words, the appointment was made by an old man who was accustomed to leaving his marks all over the apartment, and even surgery would not be able to wean him off. In the animal’s brain there is a memory center that is responsible for preserving those very dominant signs that prompt them to once again go around their possessions and leave odorous marks. The way out of such a situation is a timely visit to the veterinarian.

• Having other pets is another reason that should not be forgotten. Especially if all four-legged residents of the house are males. In this case, multiple tracks are a natural struggle for a dominant position. Animals sense the smell of their rival neighbors and try not to yield to them in anything.

So, we answered the question of whether cats mark in an apartment after castration, but we still haven’t said what to do in such a situation. There are several options:

• The first is to remove the remaining testicle if cryptorchidism is confirmed in the pet. To do this, take your pet to a trusted specialist - experience with such congenital anomalies plays a big role. The successful outcome of the operation depends on him.

• The second is the use of special drugs that repel cats and discourage them from marking in the apartment. Antigadin spray is one of these products. For most owners, this is a real lifesaver, but each case is individual - a positive effect may not follow.

• The third is contacting a zoopsychologist. It will help change behavioral reactions, suppress the desire to leave marks on furniture, floors and clothes, and free your pet from the habit of going to the toilet anywhere but in the litter box.

• Fourth, sometimes changing apartments helps. These are extreme measures - it is unlikely that anyone will want to move because of the smell, which will disappear after cleaning. However, in some cases, a change in area actually leads to a complete abandonment of the desire to confirm its dominant position.

In this article, we talked about when (at what age) cats begin to mark their territory, what are the reasons for this unpleasant phenomenon for their owners, and what to do for those who do not want to put up with the persistent smell of urine in the apartment. There is no universal advice - an individual approach is required. However, a better method of solving the problem than castration during puberty has not yet been invented.

Tray

The cat may become capricious due to an inconvenient toilet or problems arising from the litter box. The main reasons are considered:

• unpleasant smell. Cats love cleanliness, and therefore do not go to the toilet if it is not cleaned;
• bad location. If the place is in plain sight or simply not secluded enough, the pet begins to refuse to relieve itself there;
• wrong size. The size of the tray must correspond to the dimensions of the animal;
• forcible detention. You should not keep your cat in the toilet, he will go somewhere else out of spite.

Important! The pet must have access to the litter box at all times. However, it should not be in everyone's sight, as this will scare the cat away. It is recommended to place it in the corner of the toilet or bathroom. It is worth laying a corrugated mat under the tray, which will collect the filler from the animal’s paws.