The reproductive instinct is inherent in every animal from birth. If you take a cute fluffy kitten into your home, do not forget that in less than a year hormonal changes will begin to occur in its body, which will also affect the pet’s behavior. Markings on walls and furniture are only part of the possible manifestations of sexual hunting.
Why do cats mark?
Animals begin to leave their marks on walls and furniture as they grow up, to mark their territory. By the way, I would like to immediately note that not all cats do this. For example, if a cat can go outside from the very beginning and leave his marks there, then there will be no such problem as cat smell in the apartment. Pay attention to how cats behave outside.
They walk around the yard, sniffing all the objects, wherever they find the enemy’s marks, they always leave their own - they mark the territory. It's a kind of competition to see who can outsmart who. If you have one cat, and if you let him out into the street, then he may not leave his marks in the apartment, there is no need for this, he does not need to prove to anyone who is in charge here, the owners are usually not taken into account.
Why do animals mark territory in the house?
For an animal, marking boundaries is a natural necessity. Thanks to this, he feels like the owner of the marked territory. In addition, during mating periods, males make marks in this way to attract cats. Excited females also leave their “calling card” to attract males.
By marking the territory, trees, bushes, objects, cats walking on the street become more self-confident. For an indoor animal, spraying furniture often serves as a calming effect. Whether a cat will mark after castration depends on a number of reasons.
How to prevent the inevitable
If you decide to get a cat, then know that it is almost impossible to calculate in advance whether your cat will mark the house or not. There are indeed cats that, even when they grow up and are at home all the time, do not leave marks, but you cannot count on such luck. These are isolated cases, the exception rather than the rule.
Whether the cat marks or not, the owner will know when the animal reaches sexual maturity - this is somewhere around 8 months.
It is at this age that the problem needs to be solved, and most often the owners choose castration. Neutered cats do not scream at night, demanding a cat, and do not mark their territory.
The best option would be to perform the operation before the cat begins to mark . A young cat needs to be monitored, and when he begins to show anxiety at the age of 7 or 8 months, mark his territory - that means it’s time to see a veterinarian. In most cases, everything goes fine; after castration, the cat calms down and does not ask to go outside.
But there are times when the owners miss the right time, and the cat begins its activity. You still need to take him to the vet, because trying to fight him with a rag is useless. No matter how much you chase him around the apartment, no matter how much you punish him, instincts will still take over, and all vertical surfaces in your house will be marked.
But even after the operation, when all the male dignity of the cat has already been removed, to the horror of his owners, he continues to mark as if nothing had happened. What is the reason for this inappropriate behavior of the animal? Why does a neutered cat mark corners and what to do? Next, you can read why, despite all the efforts of the owners, the cat continues to splash on the walls and cabinets.
How to stop a male from expressing himself through marks
The methods for eliminating an unpleasant habit for a neutered cat are basically the same as for unneutered males.
If in cats with active sexual function the problem is solved by castration or education, in castrated cats it is solved only with the help of psychological influence on the pet and the creation of good living conditions.
You can stop marking a neutered cat in the following ways:
- Psychological techniques. It is necessary to make the cat believe that the owner of the house is a person. This can be achieved using the above psychological techniques: hissing, growling, tapping the face. This acting sketch must be done with each new episode of the mark.
- A repellent smell. If the cat begins to mark a certain corner, then a repellent smell will solve this problem. Cats hate citrus smells. After disinfecting the marked wall, if you apply orange oil and lemon peels to it, your pet will not want to go near this place. Subsequently, the craving for this wall will disappear.
- Scaring sound. Foil around a favorite spot will make the cat afraid. Subsequently, he will think ten times whether to mark or not.
- Unpleasant sensations . To call them, you can use double-sided tape. If you paste it around the usual marked place, the pet will stick every time it wants to leave a mark.
- Creating favorable conditions for the animal to live. The cat must be fed and happy. The toilet must be kept in good condition. Every few months, your pet needs to undergo a preventive examination by a veterinarian to prevent various painful conditions. Ideally, keep the male without competitors, then there will be no need to mark the bed of his owner out of jealousy.
Why castration didn't help
The owners are perplexed, everything was done on time, everything was done as it should be, but the cat marks as usual. As already noted at the beginning of the article, if the operation is performed in a timely manner, then in most cases the problem is solved, but there are exceptions. And if your cat is like this, then it will be useful for you to find out why this is possible, and how to further deal with it. So, the reasons:
- Remaining hormones in the animal's body;
- The cat lacks the attention of its owners;
- Excessive stress;
- Malfunctions in the cat’s body;
- Another animal in the house;
- The birth of a child, or the arrival of guests.
Why do pets mark?
In a similar way, an uncastrated cat or neuter leaves marks to attract the attention of representatives of the opposite sex. In this way, the sexual nature of the pet is manifested, as a result of which it leaves small drops of urine on vertical surfaces, objects and things. When an unspayed or neutered cat leaves puddles on the floor everywhere, despite the fact that he has a specially designated place to relieve minor needs, this is more of a pathology than a manifestation of sexual behavior. Any cat marks its territory, which is quite natural. Through such actions, she informs other representatives about territory ownership and leadership qualities.
It is a mistake to believe that after neutering a cat the problem will go away and he will stop marking everything in the house. This phenomenon in most cases is explained by the instinctive behavior of the animal, and not by its intention to take revenge on the owner. The operation does not always help remove the stench in the room, especially if the manipulation was performed at the wrong time or of poor quality.
The cat marks for no apparent reason, what should I do?
There are also such harmful cats, there seem to be no serious reasons, but he continues to leave his marks around and even after castration he marks his territory. So it's time for you to go on the warpath. But there is no need to hit the cat. Try to understand why he does this, as they say - look at life through his eyes. He is small (compared to people), but proud and therefore wants to prove to everyone that he is the boss here.
What do you need to do?
You need to catch the cat at the scene of the crime, take it by the scruff of the neck, raise it to your eye level, growl menacingly at it and even hiss. The cat can’t even imagine anything more humiliating. After that, you can let him go, but not just like that, to consolidate the effect of education, growl after him, and even throw him with a slipper.
The next step is to remove the applied marks; there should be no trace left of them, not only visible, but felt. Tags must be removed using special means; just a soap solution will not remove the smell.
Nerves
Cats also have nerves, and under some circumstances they can’t stand it. If people try to treat their nervous breakdowns with pills or alcohol, then cats do it differently - they mark. What can cause stress in a cat is sometimes the owners moving from one apartment to another.
Sometimes this is a nervous situation in the family; many animals sense when the mistress or owner is in a bad mood.
In this case, treat the cat as a sick family member, try to prevent him from receiving additional mental trauma. If you do this, the animal will quickly calm down and stop marking.
What to do and how to deal with the problem?
If an animal behaves this way due to its emotional state, then it is worth petting it more often.
Just because a method works for one pet does not mean it will work for another cat. For this reason, you need to pay attention to your pet’s health and, if there are additional symptoms, take him to the veterinarian. If a short period of time has passed after castration, then you need to wait a little longer. If the violation does not go away for a long time, then an examination by a specialist is required. In such cases, it is strictly forbidden to scold or apply physical punishment to the cat. When an animal marks, when it is afraid or because of stress, it is recommended to calm it down, pet it and communicate affectionately. Joint games are important to ensure psychological comfort.
If castration was carried out on a cat already at puberty, then owners should know that such an animal can mark longer than younger individuals. When the problem is associated with impaired function of the urinary system, then drug treatment cannot be avoided. To do this, you need to contact a veterinary clinic, where your pet will undergo a full examination and be prescribed therapy. If there are several other representatives of the cat family in the house that have not been neutered, then they can encourage him to behave inappropriately. In this case, there is no need to worry; the problem will soon resolve itself when the cat understands that it does not need to share the territory with anyone.
New people
In the eyes of a cat, everyone who moves can become his rivals, not only animals, but also people. Therefore, if a new person appears in your family, no matter where he came from or how old he is, the cat will see him as someone who is encroaching on his freedom. You can't change the cat, it's all at the genetic level, so just be patient. The cat himself will eventually understand that no one is challenging his supreme power and will calm down.
Animal disease
It is quite possible that the cat has problems with the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and there may also be problems with the urinary system. The cat associates his pain with going to the litter box. It is because of this that the cat can walk past the tray. In such cases, consultation with a knowledgeable veterinarian is necessary. It is difficult to find a good veterinarian; usually it is only word of mouth, advice from friends. But if you managed to find a professional, you are lucky.
If you act correctly and on time, you will definitely cope with this problem. Always remember that this is one of your family members, so be patient and loving.
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