All cats mark territory, it is a natural and innate behavior. To do this, they have different forms, as well as different types of marking with totally different purposes. To prevent a cat from ever marking territory, the best option is early sterilization. However, it is important to highlight that this surgery does not always have the capacity to avoid all markings.
So how do you prevent a cat from marking territory? There are other very effective tips and tricks to redirect this behavior towards permitted areas or objects. For this reason, in this article on our site we will explain, first, why cats mark, since it is essential to know the reasons to know how to avoid the behavior. Then, we will show the most effective tricks to prevent your cat from marking territory, don't miss them!
Why do cats mark territory?
In order to establish the guidelines to follow in order to prevent a cat from marking territory, it is essential, first, to understand why he does it. Once puberty is reached, cats begin to develop the behavior of marking. Through this behavior, cats leave certain olfactory marks so that other animals, mostly of the same species, can perceive them. These marks are loaded with information and therefore serve to communicate specific messages. In this way, there is not a single type of marking or, in other words, there is not a single type of olfactory mark.
Marking is part of the natural behavior of the species and, as we say, it is carried out for various reasons. In general, the main reasons why cats mark territory are the following:
- To Delimit your space and warn other cats that this territory belongs to you.
- Females may leave certain markings to attract the attention of males, especially when they are in heat. In this specific case it is important to clarify that the objective is not so much to mark a territory itself, but to release certain pheromones with reproductive functions That is, the females leave a mark olfactory through urine, mainly in a specific area so that a male perceives it and can reproduce.
- To Mark an area as safe.
- In cat colonies or in homes with more than one feline, community marking allows the creation of a common scent, which aims to convey security and trust to the entire community.
Of course, the same marking can be done with several intentions. For example, it is common for a cat that arrives at its new home for the first time to mark every corner, including the furniture, to delimit its territory and, in turn, mark it as a safe space in which to feel calm. Once tagged, if the cat is comfortable and not under stress, he doesn't have to tag again. Therefore, when we are faced with unusual marking cases, such as when an adult cat suddenly urinates everywhere, we must think that there is something that is disturbing its emotional stability. Thus, a stressed or frightened cat can carry out a marking behavior with the intention of combating this instability. In this sense, we should not rule out he alth problems either, so it is equally important to visit the vet.
On the other hand, when a new animal arrives at home, especially when it is another cat, it is completely normal for the oldest cat to mark again the areas marked by a new feline. He may even mark areas or objects even though the new kitten hasn't done so yet because he feels he must now compete for his resources. To avoid possible confrontations and achieve a harmonious coexistence, we recommend consulting this article: "How to introduce two cats?"
Now, after reviewing the main reasons that lead cats to mark territory, the following question remains: how do they mark?
How do cats mark territory?
Cats have three ways to mark a territory: by urinating, rubbing parts of their body against objects, or scratching. In all of them, the objective is to release pheromones to leave the olfactory mark that we mentioned in the previous section.
Marking cats with urine
It differs from normal urination because the marking expels urine in a spray pattern, scattered and in small amounts In general, we usually find traces of urine in different areas of the house, especially on vertical surfaces. In addition, we will perceive a strong and unpleasant odor and we will see that the stain is difficult to remove. This type of marking has two of the previously mentioned functions: to delimit the territory to indicate to other cats that it belongs to it and to attract the attention of males to reproduce. For all these reasons, if a cat does not urinate in the litter box but does not urinate in spray, we can think that it is not marking, but a he alth problem.
On the other hand, a very stressed cat can also resort to urine marking, since this olfactory mark is also associated with safety and comfort.
Facial marking in cats
Cats emit a series of natural pheromones through fluids, such as sweat or urine, but also through glands that are found on the cheeks, lips, and chin. To carry out this type of marking, the cat rubs these areas against objects, furniture, animals or people. This behavior also has different purposes, among which are attracting the opposite sex, indicating comfort and trust, and marking an area as safe. So, if your cat rubs his face against you, he is telling you that he feels very comfortable with you.
Marking cats with nails
First of all, it is important to note that cats do not always scratch furniture for marking. On many occasions they do it simply to file their nails or because they do not have enough environmental enrichment. That said, and returning to the marking behavior, through the pads they emit pheromones that leave an olfactory mark, while with the nails they fix avisual mark So they mark an area in this way to demarcate their territory and keep potential intruders away.
Now that we know the different types of marking in cats, we see that the ones used to mark territory are, mainly, urine marking and nail marking. Let's see below how to prevent the cat from marking territory.
How to prevent the cat from marking territory with urine
Urine marking is usually more common in intact cats, that is, not spayed or neutered, both males and females. Likewise, cats that have been sterilized late can also continue to display marking behavior if they live with other felines. For this reason, the first piece of advice to prevent a cat from marking territory is to spay or neuter it before it begins to develop this behaviour. The vet will decide the best time.
Next, we must analyze what changes have occurred in our life and that of our cat that may have affected it if we suspect that the marking is the response to stress. Likewise, if we have recently added a new animal to the family, this may also have been the trigger. So, if we can correct the problem and return to the previous state in which our cat was already comfortable, we can do it and thus make things easier. But, as in most cases in which changes occur, this is not usually a reversible situation, we must help our furry friend to get used to it again.
Here are some tips to remove urine stains and some tricks to prevent your cat from marking territory:
- Clean the areas marked with enzymatic productsCommon cleaning products, such as bleach, leave a new olfactory mark that the cat confuses with that of another animal. This is so because there is ammonia in cat urine. For this reason, it is essential to disinfect the areas with products free of bleach and ammonia. The mixture of water and alcohol is also a good solution.
- Offer your attention and affection Sometimes when adopting a new pet we tend to slightly neglect the older one. Some animals do not perceive it as negative, but others develop anxiety and stress for this reason. Therefore, if this is your case, it is very important that you continue to maintain the dose of pampering, affection and attention that it received before the arrival of the new animal.
- Use natural repellents. There are certain odors that cats hate and can help prevent urine marking. Citrus or pepper odors are some of them, so you can spray the marked areas with these products.
- Keep the litter box clean Although it seems obvious, cats are very neat animals that do not tolerate dirt, even less on their belongings. Therefore, a litter box in poor condition may be reason enough to stop using it. In this case, the cat will not urinate outside by marking, or not most of the time, but it will stain areas of the home with urine.
- Avoid substrates with odors Scented litters can be pleasant for us, but obnoxious for our felines, leading them to mark the territory with urinate to cover that smell. In addition to the smell, the texture also matters. In general, cats prefer powder-type litters.
- Opt for open litter boxes In general, cats prefer open trays to relieve themselves, although this does not mean that they do not There are cats that do not have a preference for closed trays. The important thing is to observe your cat to acquire the tray that he really likes.
- Don't move the litter box to another place This simple change can cause stress in the cat, which will lead to urine marking. If you have defined a space and your cat is happy with it, keep it. Also, keep in mind that cats don't like having food near the litter box, so place it away from food and water bowls.
- Sterilizeit. This intervention may not prevent the cat from urine marking if he is stressed or senses an intruder in the house, but it will prevent reproductive marking altogether
- Make a space just for your cat It's a good idea to put your cat's things in a part of the house where only he can be there and the other animals or people are not going to enter. Without a doubt, this will become your refuge and comfort zone to go to when you need to be calm. Thus, you will not feel the need to dial, you will go directly to this space to relax.
- Use the FELIWAY CLASSIC Diffuser This product transmits messages of happiness and security to cats in the home, as it releases a synthetic copy of the pheromones that these animals naturally emit. Thus, it is especially indicated for cats that mark with urine due to stress or anxiety, but also for those recently adopted felines. Its effectiveness is truly amazing and results can be seen in just one week.
- Separate the resources As we have already mentioned, if the problem is, for example, the arrival of a new cat and we have not done proper presentation, we still have time to redirect coexistence towards a positive and relaxed state for all. To do this, it will be necessary to separate the cats into different spaces and let them smell each other little by little. In addition, it is necessary to acquire resources for each of them, so it is not recommended that they share bowls or sandboxes, for example. In fact, when it comes to litter boxes, the ideal is to have one per cat and another extra. For these cases, the FELIWAY CLASSIC Diffuser is also a good support.
Tricks to prevent my cat from marking territory with scratches
If we want to know why our cat scratches the furniture, we must keep in mind that there are several reasons and that they are all natural behaviors. It is known that cats need to wear down their nails and keep them sharp, as it is part of them and their behavior. It is possible that if we do not provide them with suitable places to do it, they will choose to sharpen their nails on our furniture, which we usually do not like. Therefore, we must strive to find a suitable scratcher for our furry.
However, as we have already seen, cats not only scratch surfaces to groom their nails, they also mark their territory in this way. Therefore, to differentiate if our cat is simply following his catlike behavior with the hygiene of his nails or if, in addition, he is marking territory, we must check his environment. Of course, first we must be sure that our companion is in good he alth with regular visits to our trusted veterinarian. Later, we will analyze the changes that have occurred in our cat's life that may have caused him stress, jealousy or discomfort that led him to mark his territory by scratching our furniture.
Below, we present some tricks and tips to prevent the cat from marking territory with its nails:
- Neuter him As we have already mentioned, when it comes to marking the territory, unsterilized male cats are usually the ones that have these behaviors more entrenched, although unspayed females do too. Therefore, we must take sterilization into account for the reasons stated above. In addition, you can check all the advantages of sterilizing a cat in this article.
- Buy several scratchers Environmental enrichment is essential to ensure that a cat remains stable and happy. If you do not have scrapers, or not the right ones, it will mark our furniture. In this way, we can redirect this marking behavior towards correct objects such as scratchers with different heights.
- Placing the scrapers strategically. You have to strategically place the scratchers in places that we know they like to scratch. For example, in the corners of the sofas, this will make it easier for them to go from scratching the sofa to using the scratcher.
- Protect the parts of the furniture that tend to get damaged with fabrics that can scratch.
- Keep your nails in good condition. This advice will not prevent the cat from marking territory with its nails, but it will scratch to sharpen them.
- Remember to use the FELIWAY CLASSIC Diffuser, it is also effective in preventing scratch marks.
For more details, don't miss this other article: "Tricks so that my cat does not scratch the furniture".
