What to do if the cat marks the territory? Advice from veterinarians and recommendations from owners

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Once upon a time there was a cat. Calm, affectionate, not bringing problems to the owner - a real miracle. The guests admired the beautiful and intelligent animal, and the owners burst with pride for their pet.

But one day a nasty smell of cat urine appeared in the apartment. And every day it got stronger and stronger. The owners came to the conclusion: their cat marks the territory.

What to do next? Punish? Persuade? Rush to the vet? No panic. Now let's put everything in the most accessible form.

Finding out the reasons

Why does a cat aim? There may be several reasons:

• Diseases of the bladder.
• Stress.
• Hunting.
• Change of scenery.
• New family member.

Let's take a closer look at each situation.

Disease

The cat marks as if to spite the owner. They just didn’t do anything to her: they scolded, and spanked, and poked her nose. No, he doesn't understand. Runs away from the crime scene on half-bent legs, with stuffed up ears. But he continues to do his job.

Nothurry up to scold your favorite. Perhaps the whole point is that the animal simply does not always have time to run to the tray. If a cat has cystitis or urolithiasis, punishment will not help here. The animal must be treated, it is unrealistic to do this at home. Therefore, you will have to take a pet, put it in a carrier and rush to the veterinarian. The sooner the better for everyone. For only a specialist can determine the presence of diseases associated with the bladder.

Stress factor

Your cat is neutered and marks corners in the apartment. How is that? The indignation of the owners can be understood, it is simply impossible to endure the disgusting smell. Is it really necessary to get rid of the animal, since nothing helps?

Wait. Let's try to figure out the problem. Remember if there was a situation at home that could affect the cat? Maybe friends with a dog came to visit? Or did little guests come to the children who wanted to get acquainted with the beautiful purr? Or was the pet's food changed abruptly?

Seemingly very insignificant factors. This is for you and me, and for a cat - a real stress. Imagine, she lies, does not touch anyone. And then the dog's muzzle out of nowhere. And he smiles with all his dog's mouth. Naturally, the cat's eyes will pop out on its forehead, as they say, and it will start looking for the fifth corner in the apartment, if only to escape from the monster. And then the body will "discharge" in such a non-standard way as marking the territory. Because he was stressed.

Heating

Another factor that causes a cat to mark its territory. When an animal starts estrus, it does not behave quite adequately. More precisely, it is not adequate at all. Formerly “on her own mind”, not loving to be stroked just like that, without the desire of the cat herself, she suddenly begins to behave in a completely different way. An affectionate and gentle purr, lying near the owner's feet and marking corners in the apartment. And what to do with such a special? You can't do anything if you only sterilize after estrus. And at this stage, give drops that suppress sexual desire in a pet.

Change of scenery

Do cats mark territory? As we found out, yes. And they do it for reasons that the owner does not always pay attention to. Let's say the house is being renovated. Everything changes: the usual wallpaper, furniture. For people it is a joy, but for a cat it is a wild stress. So she starts to protest, expressing her protest with marks all over the house.

Or the owners had to move to a new place of residence with their pet. It is possible that the cat will start marking corners in a new house or apartment. What is not important for the owners, the cat looks at it from a completely different angle.

New family member

The young owners of a luxurious Persian cat had a baby. The pet has always been distinguished by a calm and kind disposition, was not problematic and visited her tray regularly. And then they changed her: she hides in all corners, she began to act up in food, and the worst thing is that the cat marks all corners, including the children's room.

Whatdo the owners in this situation? First of all, you need to know that this behavior is the reaction of the pet to the baby, oddly enough. Cats can hardly tolerate any change of scenery and the appearance of new faces in their territory. Over time, this behavior will pass. In this situation, it remains only to punish the naughty girl by catching her at the scene of the crime. But do not beat, of course, but a loud clap and shaking by the scruff of the neck will have a certain effect. Places where the pet prefers to recover can be wiped with special products that help wean the cat from marking territory.

Vet Tips

How to wean a cat to mark? Before you start solving this problem, you need to find out the cause. It is one thing for an animal to react in this way to a change of scenery, and quite another for a cat with bladder problems. Therefore, it is recommended to examine the pet first.

If there are no diseases, then the cat is weaned from marking the territory with the help of special means. They are sold in pet stores and serve to wean the animal from marking. The solution is treated with favorite areas in which the pet leaves its "calling cards". These funds are quite expensive.

You can handle the corners and home remedies. Chlorine, nail polish remover, whiteness perfectly fights odor. Cats do not like the aromas emitted by such products, and it is unlikely that a bully will want to recover where the same bleach has left its mark and smell.

What cat owners say

The cat marks the corners, the smell is on the whole apartment. Many owners of fluffy pranksters have experienced this behavior. What do they advise to do?

• Sterilization is the best solution, according to cat lovers.
• One time is worth a good punishment, other owners say.
• Regularly wash corners with disinfectants, third recommend.
• Show the veterinarian, insist the fourth, suddenly this is connected with the disease.

The best option is the first one. Sterilization in most cases relieves owners of cat pranks in the form of marks.

Summarizing

We talked about why a cat marks. The main conclusions of the article:

• The reasons for this phenomenon are different. These include: bladder problems, heat, stress, change of scenery, new family member.
• How to deal with bullying? First of all, find out the cause, and if it is not associated with diseases, then there are several options: sterilization of the cat, cleaning with special tools that wean the pet from marking, cleaning the area with the help of improvised disinfectants. They kill the smell and repel the cat with their own scent.

Conclusion

Now you know why a cat marks its territory and how to deal with this unwanted behavior.

First you have to look for the cause. Whether this is a disease or a reaction to any changes in the environment, you should find out. If the marks are associated with a bladder disease, then the cat will have a course of treatment. If the matter is different, then ways to deal with the fact that the cat marks corners inapartment as described above.