This month Dr. Jacqui writes about Urine Spraying

What is urine spraying?

Urine spraying is the classical form of urine marking in the cat, where a cat backs up to a vertical surface (such as a wall), holds its rapidly twitching tail high and forcefully emits a spray of urine on the vertical target . The cat's back feet are often treading during spraying and the cat's eyes may be partially closed.

What is urine marking?

Urine marking is a more general term which includes both the standing posture urine spraying and squat position urine marking.

Why do cats spray urine?

Urine spraying is done with the intent of conveying information. It is a normal cat communication tool, most commonly seen in intact male cats. The urine that is deposited contains messages that other cats can gather and interpret at a later date/time. In fact, urine spraying may be a cat's version of human e-mail...cat pee-mail. When we write an email message, we send it, and, at a later, variable time, that message is received by another human. A cat deposits the urine and, at a later, variable time another cat may happen upon the mark, sniff it and receive the message contained in that urine.

The content of human e-mails varies – some contain jokes, others important business information, etc. A cat pee-mail probably also contains variable information including reproductive status, individual identity, time that cat was present and perhaps even their emotional state at the time of urine deposition. We tend to assume that urine spraying cats are upset, angry or spiteful because we find the behavior so objectionable, but that is not necessarily the case. In fact, finding urine sprayed on your personal items could be your cat's way of saying it likes you!

Occasionally urine spraying may be a sign of lower urinary tract disease; any time your cat urinates in an inappropriate location you should consult your veterinarian.

Can female cats spray?

Yes, female cats can spray urine. It is more common for male cats to engage in urine spraying but female cats can urine spray.

Does spaying/neutering affect urine spraying?

Yes, removing the reproductive organs from a cat reduces the likelihood of urine spraying. In fact, this is a very effective way to stop urine spraying – approximately 90% of male cats will cease urine spraying when neutered (castrated). However, this does mean that 10% of male neutered (castrated) cats will still exhibit urine spraying and it is estimated that 5% of female cats will still engage in urine spraying behavior after spaying (ovariohysterectomy).

Is there a treatment for urine spraying?

Any time your cat deposits urine in an inappropriate location you should consult with your veterinarian. If your cat is deemed healthy, is spayed/neutered and continues to urine spray, there are interventions to curb this normal but objectionable behavior. These include environmental management techniques, behavioral modification, pheromone therapy and drug therapy options.

Environmental management:

• Increase the number of litter boxes in the home to the number of cats in the home plus one additional box.
• Scoop the litter boxes daily and change/wash the litter boxes weekly.
• Clean up urine sprays with an enzymatic cleanser.
• Create an environment of "plenty" in the house with multiple feeding spots, litter box locations and resting perches spread throughout the environment.

Behavioral modification:

• Identify and resolve any social conflicts in the environment.
• Identify and limit exposure to any identifiable triggers for urine spraying.
• Provide indoor social enrichment in the form of attention, play, treasure hunts for food, etc.
• Discontinue any punishment for the spraying behavior.

Pheromone therapy:

• Consult your veterinarian regarding the use of Feliway® in your cat's environment.

Drug therapy:

• Consult your veterinarian regarding the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (e.g. fluoxetine) to treat urine spraying.