Why does a cat mark its territory?
There are several reasons why a neutered cat will mark its territory.
First, the veterinarian performed the spay operation in bad faith. To ensure that the procedure went well, owners and their pets are advised to return to the veterinary clinic. Diagnostics in the form of an ultrasound will help identify the remaining parts of the ovaries. If this problem occurs, the doctor will prescribe additional surgery. But even surgical intervention carried out without errors does not guarantee the absence of tags in the apartment.
Secondly, animals are often referred for surgery already at puberty. Experts note that the reason for the preservation of marks in this case may be established sexual behavior.
Thirdly, a neutered cat may not like its environment. Rearranging the litter box, moving, the arrival of a new animal in the house, a different type of filler, changing the appearance of the rooms after renovation - all this can contribute to the pet starting to mark its territory.
If you don't have surgery
Sterilization is not a mandatory procedure, and it is done only at the request of the owner. Sometimes a person does not plan to breed their cat with someone, but even the absence of pregnancy will lead to serious problems.
With constant estrus, the animal's strength is depleted, and the risk of purulent inflammation of the uterus increases. This condition often occurs with hidden symptoms. The cat may be a little lethargic, but the owner will not even attach any importance to this. There may be scanty discharge from the vagina.
Note! Surgery for pyometra is the only way to save the animal. But it is more difficult to tolerate, and the cat is more likely to die. In case of breast cancer, the tumor can be removed, but this is a temporary measure that will not provide a complete cure.
Therefore, every owner should think about their pet and make the right choice. Sterilization makes it possible to prolong a cat's life and improve its quality.
What is the essence of cat marks?
After sterilization, your cat can continue to do the following:
- approach a wall or furniture;
- raise your tail high and shake it;
- release a small amount of urine.
Marks in an apartment from a sterilized cat can mean protection of one’s territory, preserved sexual instinct, or discomfort when staying indoors.
If a cat lives in the neighborhood, the female senses this and marks the corners to attract an individual of the opposite sex. The rest of the time, she can simply defend the territory from foreign animals, which she senses by smell. If you are bringing a new pet into your home, be prepared to purchase a separate litter box and designate a different area for feeding. At first, you may even have to place the cats in different rooms to make the animals feel safe.
Representatives of cats may begin to mark their territory due to the appearance of strangers in the house. If you leave a sterilized cat on vacation with a person whom the pet has not seen before, she may experience stress and for this reason leave marks. If the animal is under severe stress, the veterinarian may also prescribe sedatives. Funds are also prescribed when moving to another home, renovating or purchasing new furniture. It happens that over time the pet’s behavior returns to normal without outside help.
Sometimes animals tend to leave marks when they have urolithiasis. To rule out health problems in your cat, you need to bring the animal to the veterinary clinic for examination once a year.
Why is it better to have surgery?
Many people do not understand why cats need to be sterilized. Someone says that they simply won’t let the animal get pregnant and that’s all. The cat's body functions differently than that of humans.
Restless meowing and increased aggression can make it difficult for your pet to stay in the apartment. Under the influence of instincts, a cat may try to escape. In this case, she will jump off the balcony and get injured. On the street, a pet runs the risk of being hit by a car.
Note! Constant childbirth also does not improve the cat's health. Each kitten takes a lot of strength from the mother, and this exhausts her. If the pet is not purebred, then it is very difficult to accommodate it.
The use of special drugs that suppress estrus leads to the development of cancer. As a result, the cat will live about 9-10 years. With normal care and after sterilization, the animal can live 20-25 years.
If you castrate your cat in a timely manner, you can avoid many problems. The male will not mark territory, spoil things, or show aggression.
Breeding males and female cats are only bred a certain number of times. After which they are also sterilized, castrated, and they live out their lives in peace. Veterinarians were also able to discover that surgery in adulthood does not prevent the development of cancer.
Therefore, all non-breeding animals need to be operated on at an early age. Only in this case can the likelihood of the occurrence of certain diseases be reduced.
What should the owner do?
If the owner notices that the cat has begun to mark, first he must find out the reason. If there is a medical error during sterilization or your pet has health problems, you should immediately visit a veterinarian.
If there are objective reasons related to a change of environment, the owner must be patient and do everything possible to get the pet accustomed to the new apartment or objects.
The cat should stop marking if the owner takes educational measures.
Some owners use physical punishment to train cats to use the toilet. If you scream, use a spray bottle, or deprive him of food or toys, the animal will become afraid and the actions will have the opposite effect.
Let's summarize
We talked about why a cat marks. Main conclusions of the article:
- The reasons for this phenomenon are different. These include: bladder problems, estrus, stress, change of environment, the arrival of a new family member.
- How to deal with hooliganism? First of all, find out the reason, and if it is not associated with diseases, then there are several options: sterilizing the cat, cleaning with special products that wean the pet off from marking, cleaning the area using available disinfectants. They kill the smell and repel the cat with their own scent.
How to stop a cat from marking in the apartment?
If you have spayed your cat and she continues to mark her territory for unknown reasons, the following measures may help:
- You need to follow the cat and catch it at the moment when it leaves a mark. You can poke your pet at the “crime scene” without in any way causing pain to the animal. This punishment can only be applied at that very moment. Over time, the animal will not understand this attitude of the owner. Reward your cat for improving behavior.
- Chemical agents will help get rid of old marks and prevent the appearance of new ones. For example, bleach, vinegar, lemon juice or special sprays sold in pet stores.
- It is recommended to reduce the calorie content of your cat's diet. The animal will become calmer if it does not have extra energy for bad behavior.
- Pay attention to whether your cat has his own place in the house where he can hide from people. The animal must have a bed or house.
- Don't forget to pay attention to the animal. Pet stores sell toys, multi-story structures combined with scratching posts, tunnels, and shelves. You can hang a bird feeder on the window so that your cat will be distracted by them and forget about bad behavior.
- You can also consult your veterinarian. He will prescribe either hormonal medications or natural herbal sedatives.
How normal is it for a cat to ask for a male cat after sterilization?
In principle, there is nothing “supernatural” about this.
The reason is the same why unsterilized pets are “thirsty” for cats: hormones. In vain, many owners who have nothing to do with veterinary medicine believe that after sterilization, these substances disappear from the animal’s body instantly. This is impossible for purely physiological reasons:
- Partial hormones always remain in the pet’s blood and plasma, and the “blood” reserves can last for a long time. For some cats, the process of hatching lasts for several months.
- In addition, hormones accumulate intensively in subcutaneous tissue and other fat reserves in the cat’s body. The more well-fed the pet was at the time of sterilization, the longer it will show “echoes” of typical sexual behavior. There are cases when a cat, which was operated on a year ago, begins to scream from time to time, clearly demanding the presence of the cat. This doesn’t happen too often, but this phenomenon is also not unique.
Of course, residual hormones are an important, but still not the only predisposing factor in the “strange” behavior of operated cats.
There are other reasons, although they are not too varied:
- Rarely, a kind of “replacement of functions” occurs in the body of the operated animal. The adrenal glands and other glands of a sterilized cat can also produce sex hormones. Even though the volumes of their synthesis are not so large, this amount is quite enough for the cat to start screaming and demanding “male attention.” True, in practice this phenomenon actually occurs infrequently, and the reserves of such hormones dry up relatively quickly. There simply aren’t enough of them for anything “serious.”
- An “exotic” case – during a carelessly performed operation, an ovary may remain in the animal’s body. Sometimes, during sterilization, the ovaries are deliberately left altogether, only the uterus being removed. Note that in the case of deprivation of old animals, this is completely justified, since the sudden deprivation of their body of sources of hormones is too much stress, the consequences of which are difficult to predict.
Finally, some veterinarians and zoologists believe that animals are guided only by instincts. Recent research shows that these animals are individuals in the full sense of the word, and therefore they are not alien to habits, including those that may seem strange to us.
Simply put, screams that seem to indicate the cat’s desire, in fact, may simply be a “habit”, an echo of the cat’s usual behavior. You should not pay attention to this: over time, the pet will get used to the new role, calm down, and the screaming will stop by itself.
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In quite rare cases, a sterilized female may go on a spree after sterilization. Usually this process frightens the owners and makes them wonder whether the operation was successful.
Similar cases are possible when the pet experiences hormonal imbalances, and then the cat begins to:
- stick out your butt;
- trample;
- shout loudly.
The presence of such symptoms clearly indicates that the cat is asking for a cat. In this case, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian so that he can accurately identify the cause of this behavior.
Veterinarians' opinion
Veterinarians believe that marks are a sign that the animal is uncomfortable in the existing conditions.
If a cat marks something, it means it is anxious, stressed, overly excited or sick. Veterinarians advise immediately contacting a medical facility to make sure your pet has no health problems. Also, a specialist, with the help of the owners, can identify the causes of the marks and give advice on how to eliminate them. If attempts to improve the behavior of a sterilized cat do not bring results for a long time, you can contact a zoopsychologist - a specialist in pet behavior.
Your doctor may recommend using artificial pheromones, which are sold at pet stores. The animal will think that the objects on which you applied pheromones are already marked, and will calm down. Another possible cause of marks is dissatisfaction with the toilet. It is recommended to purchase another type of filler. For example, less rustling and does not stay on the paws.
Veterinarians believe that the owners’ attention, kind attitude and participation in raising the animal are the main factors for success in the fight against tags.
It is prohibited to select medications yourself or administer medications intended for humans. For example, valerian not only does not give the desired effect, but is also addictive in felines.
