Behavior Tip of the Month
QUESTION:
My neutered male cat is spraying all over the house. He started doing this when my roommates left to do some traveling. Could this be the cause? And what can I do to stop this behavior?
ANSWER:
Cats can spray urine due to many causes. However, frustration and stress is a common trigger. It sounds like your cat may be experiencing anxiety due to the changes in the household routine. You can't tell your roommates not to travel even though that may solve the problem. However, you can try the following approaches:
1) Try putting toys, catnip and treats by your room mates door when they travel. See if this will condition your cat to enjoy their absence.
2) Try an enzyme odor neutralizer to clean and neutralize the sprayed areas.
3) Try Feliway, a synthetic cat pheromone. Spray it on the items the cat marks. You can order Feliway through some pet catalogues.
4) Lastly, a medication like Buspirone has been used successfully in many spraying cases.
Good luck!
Carole, the Petteacher
Best Friend Behavior Counseling and Training
San Diego, Ca.
619-460-6888
"Positively teaching pets and their people since 1977"
Do you have a question for Carole? You can reach her at this email address - cbschatz@webtv.net Perhaps she will use it in an upcoming article on this Web site.
The information contained on this site is in no way intended to replace that of proper veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment.
It is meant to provide resource, so that we can better understand canine health related issues.
