How to stop a cat from marking. This Works.

How to stop a cat from marking in your house

 

Having a cat that is marking is troublesome. It can get embarrassing and let alone gross since a pee-smelling house is not exactly pleasant. However, like all pet behavior, you can be able to control a cat that is marking.

In this article, we are going to look at how to stop a cat from marking extensively. But before we proceed, it is important to mention that you should observe your cat and identify the reason behind the marking. What is motivating your cat to get involved in this behavior?

Upon identifying why she is doing so, you can then be able to imply the remedies required to curb the behavior.

 

 

Remedies to stop a cat from marking

 

Treat stress

 

Once your cat starts marking, you will definitely know since the pungent smell of urine is quite strong. The most likely scenario might be that your cat is facing some stressful situation. However, do not just assume. Instead, monitor her closely and catch her when she is in the act. This way, you will be able to tell the motivation behind the behavior.

Watch out for the symptoms of stress that will include cat marking and litter box avoidance. Your cat will also appear to be restless and unable to settle down. In some cases, cats can get cling to their owners because they are stressed out.

If she has stress, then it is up to you to figure out why. Only then will you be able to eliminate stress. For instance, if you have recently moved to a new home, it is possible that she is stressed. In such a case, you will have to be there for your kitty. Give the affection and attention that she is seeking.

You can be able to reduce stress levels in cats by eliminating the stress stimuli and engaging with your cat. This could be through playing or petting your cat.

Note that different situations can be the cause of your cat’s stress.

 

Address Anxiety issues

 

Cats, as we all know, are quite sensitive to their surroundings which means that they are triggered easily. In fact, anxiety is a common disorder in cats. For instance, leaving your cat all alone at home is a possible cause of anxiety. This is especially when you have to be away from home for longer than usual.

Let us discuss the feline behavior for a minute now. Initially, your cat would have grown up with her family; parents, and siblings. However, due to domestication, they are separated. The adopting family, you in this case, automatically takes up the role of her new family. This means that she will depend highly on your attention and affection.

Now, as in the wild, your cat will be protective of you and all the family members and even your home. If a stranger, or a neighborhood dog or cat, approaches your home, your cat may feel anxious about the whole scenario. Meeting new faces is not exactly encouraging you’re your cat. In order to feel less vulnerable, your cat will mark, especially in the house.

Having visitors in the house can also lead to anxiety. For instance, if you are leaving your cat with a friend as you travel, it would be best if you introduce the two beforehand. In order to eliminate anxiety in cats, you must be able to determine the source of it. understand that different situations can bring out different reactions from your cat. However, there are several situations that may lessen the chances of your cat developing anxiety.

 

Keep the curtains closed

 

As mentioned before, your cat may start marking as a result of the view of the outside. This is because it will definitely allow her to watch the outside happening. If there are any cats, dogs, or even people passing by your house, she will react to that.

At this point, it is important to remember how territorial cats can be. They want to protect their own space. And in order to warn other cats to stay away from your house, your cat will mark using his urine. In fact, this may get worse if somehow a stray cat finds a way into the house. Your cat is going to definitely defend her space by marking the territory.

This is a form of communication between the two cats. The stray cat will definitely understand the message and leave. Any acts of invading your cat’s space will trigger her to mark her territories. It is therefore important to leave the drapes down. This way, your cat will not have a view of the outside happenings.

In the case where you still warm the natural lighting in the house, you can cover the window with translucent paper. This way, your cat will not have the need to mark since there is no trigger.

 

Remove the smell of cat pee

 

 

 

Having a cute cat is all fun and games until she starts marking, leaving stains and bad odor all over your house. However, you cannot be able to prevent this from happening, but you can definitely help reduce the chance of the cat marking. This is because it is the way that cats live, even in the wild. They mark their safety and communication reasons.

Over the years, we have been able to live under the same roof as our cats. Studying human behavior is the reason why we are able to do so. However, even as natural as marking is for cats, it leaves us in a difficult place. This is because we do not want to give up our kitties and yet we cannot live in a house smelling of cat pee. Marking and spraying have actually led to so many people giving up on their kitties to shelters.

You, however, will not need to do so. The very first preventive measure for cat marking is to get rid of the smell. This will at least prevent your cat from coming back to the previous place. I mean, cats will mark one spot over and over again.

Wash the sprayed spots and surfaces thoroughly to get rid of the pee smell. Unfortunately, water and soap are not going to do it for you. Use enzymatic cleaners or a vinegar/water solution to remove the smell. This will discourage your cat from marking in that he will not be able to recognize the previously marked places.

 

Take your cat to the vet

 

If you are looking up ‘how to stop a cat from marking,’ this is probably the first time you are dealing with this behavior. Therefore, you may need to check on your cat’s health to rule out any medical causes for marking.

Even though marking is considered a natural behavior amongst the felines, it is not something you should ignore. This is because cats are prone to urinary tract problems. These cause your cat to spray, which can be almost the same as the marking behavior.

In addition to this, urinary tract infection can turn out to be serious and life-threatening to your cat. Some of the common urinary tract health issues in cats may include UTIs, Idiopathic Cystitis, bladder stone or crystalluria.

Look for the signs and symptoms of any illnesses that include pain and regular urination. Your cat may also pass urine with blood in it while others will drink more water than usual. If you observe any of these signs accompanied by marking, it is possible that your cat is ill. You should, therefore, make a point and take her to the vet for an examination.

Upon complete examination and diagnosis, your vet is going to recommend the best form of treatment. Often, UTIs can be treated with antibiotic drug therapy. However, in severe situations, your cat may need further treatment or surgery, especially if there is blockage of the urethra.

Female and older cats are at a higher risk of contracting urinary tract infections than any other group.

 

Neuter/spay your intact cat

 

This actually goes without saying. You should neuter/spay your kitty before she gets to reproductive maturity. This will actually help you eliminate marking issues in a number of ways. Cats are usually ready for mating and reproduction at the age of 4-6 months. At this age, your cat may start marking in the house or even outside for mating reasons.

We have mentioned that cats use their urine to communicate. The urine, especially when your cat is looking to mate, will contain the details of your cat. The details include sex, age and also the intention of marking. For this reason, male cats will be welcome to your home while female cats will stay away. That is how effective this form of communication is.

During this period when your cat is in heat, she is going to mark the most. The only thing you can do at that moment is to make sure that she is comfortable and calm. Spaying her may lead to other complications when she is in heat.

For the above-stated reasons, you should consider having your cat spayed.  Neutering/spaying will help you in the process to stop a cat from marking. This will also help reduce the protective and hostile nature your intact cat may have.

 

 

Deter your cat from accessing the marked areas

 

Once again, if a cat has already marked a place, she is going to come back and do it all over again. Even if you have already gotten rid of the foul smell of cat pee, do not be surprised if she remembers the place. The most effective method to stop her from marking the place all over again is by making sure that your cat does not come back to the same place.

There are several ways in which you can be able to deter a cat from accessing the place. Consider making the whole scene unattractive for her. For instance, you can cover the soiled place with aluminum foil. This works because the foil is quite uncomfortable for your cat’s paws. This is especially if your cat has been marking in the house.

For the cats that are peeing outdoors, you can place a twig on the spot. This will make it hard for your cat to get to. Alternatively, you can use a couple of essential oils to repel a cat from accessing a specific spot. Some of these oils include peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender as well as citronella oils. To apply this method, you should add a few drops of the oil to the water before spraying the marked areas. Cats are repelled to the smell of the above-mentioned oils.

Alternatively, you can use orange/lemon peels to stop a cat from marking. Felines also detest the smell of citrus and hence this is an effective method to deter a cat.

 

Play with your cat

 

This is an important part of your cat’s routine that you should never forget. Playing with your cat means that you are able to engage with her and also create a bond. This bond is usually important for your cat’s emotional health. In fact, playtime is the best time to observe your cat’s behavior. From this point of view, you will be able to identify all the other issues leading to marking.

When you allocate time to play with your kitty, this definitely gives you a chance to observe her behavior. For instance, if she is sick, you will be able to notice because she won’t hold her bladder. Additionally, playing will help alleviate stress in cats as well as anxiety.

Furthermore, if you are looking to have a roommate or have your partner move in with you, then playtime provides the best place to bond with your cat. You will be able to introduce the two to each other and thus help eliminate the anxiety that may come with meeting new people. During playtime, have your friend join in in order to interact with your cat. This should make it easier for your cat to adjust to the change about to happen.

By making playing with your cat, you are also helping your cat get rid of the extra energy she has. I mean, all she does is probably feed and chill at home. Therefore, encourage play with physical and emotional stimulation.

 

I want to stop a stray/local cat from marking my front door. Please help!

 

This is a cry for people who have stray and local cats marking their doors. Now, imagine how frustrating this can be, I mean you are coming home from work only to find your front door stained. To make it worse, these cats tend to spray at night, which means you will wake up to this instead. And maybe you do not even own a cat. However, do not despair as the following tips are going to take care of that for you.

 

Buy a beeping mat

 

This is an effective method that will deter cats from accessing your front door. Cats usually mark places by spraying urine all over. She will do so in a vertical manner. Therefore, when you are considering a being mat, place it on the surface from where your cat stands to spray.

The mat will produce a high-pitched sound that will scare the cat away. The alarm on the mat will go off every time there are vibrations on it. This, hence, means that once your cat steps on the latter alarm go off.

 

 

Motion sensor devices (See  prices on Amazon)

 

This is the best way to keep cats off your property. For instance, you can get a motion-activated sprinkler. Usually, you should activate the sprinkler at night, which will go off at any motion. By spraying your cat with water, you will be chasing the cats away.

In addition to this, you can also get an ultrasonic device that will also repel the cat from your property. Place the device near the front door. It is also motion-activated in that it will go off when the cats come near your house. You can always activate the device since the sound produced is not audible to human beings. However, it is disgusting enough to keep cats away from your house.

 

You may also use essential oils to keep the cats away from your property. Remember that the goal here is to keep them away and not to hurt them. Therefore, only use harmless methods to deter cats from your home.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, every cat owner has had to deal with their cat marking all over. The first thing you should do is figure out why your kitty is doing so. Make sure that she is free of any illnesses causing the behavior. Make sure that you have all the litter boxes clean in the house. This will assist you to encourage the cat to use it instead of eliminating it just anywhere. Additionally, deterring your cat from accessing the sprayed place will help minimize spraying in cats.

In efforts to stop your cat from marking, it is important to ensure you spend enough time with your kitty. This will not only help you alleviate stress and anxiety but also create a strong connection between the two of you. You will also be able to observe and tell when your cat is undergoing some issues.

Cleaning the marked surfaces will also help reduce the chances of redundancy of the habit. This should help you ease all the spraying and also remove the bad smell from your house. Discourage the cat from marking by restricting access to the targeted areas of the house. Do not, at any cost think of punishing your cat. As mentioned countless times, this is just but a normal behavior in felines.

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is “How to stop a cat from marking” This behavior can be extremely devastating for you especially if it is taking place within your home. It’s that distinctive and horrific cat urine smell. It gets into everything, doesn’t it?

However, let’s take a step back for a minute and stop stressing about this. Unlike other sites, I am going to show you a way to stop your cat spraying using a method that actually works. All I ask is that you take a minute of your time to follow this link and have a totally free look at this method that has been used by tens of thousands of cat owners just like you.

 

It was put together by a cat professional over a period of time and is available to you right now, right here. So go over and download it now and stop wasting your time by looking elsewhere for the answer.