Having a male cat urinating everywhere in the house is embarrassing and annoying. Your home will not stop smelling of pee, and your cat will continue behaving this way. However, to deal with a cat that is urinating everywhere, you must be able to understand why he is doing so. It could be a result of a medical issue and also behavioral issues.
How to stop a male cat from Urinating and spraying Everywhere
Cat spraying is not a desirable characteristic in cats. This is why you must control the habit as soon as you observe it. However, you will need to understand why your cat is spraying to be able to curb the behavior. We have discussed some of the reasons your cat might be spraying earlier in this article.
Let us look at some tips and techniques you may use to eliminate the behavior.
Avoid Punishment
Contrary to the healthy ways you can use to ensure your cat is not peeing everywhere, punishment is the least effective. This is because cats are pretty sensitive and tend to pick your negative energy like anger.
For instance, if you come home to find that your cat has been spraying all over your couch, yelling will encourage the behavior even more. This is because yelling and hitting your cat exposes him to stress, and he may go on spraying to cope with it.
Instead of yelling and projecting your anger toward the cat, it is helpful to understand why and when the behavior started.
Address Underlying stress
As mentioned uncountable times in this article, cats are sensitive pets to keep. You must take care of him and ensure he is mentally and emotionally healthy. If you identify the cause of your cat spraying as stress, you should quickly address the issue.
There are several causes of stress in cats. Whereas you do not mind living in a busy and noisy neighborhood, this exposes your cat to stress. Therefore, you should remember that your cat has a stronger sense of hearing, making it uncomfortable with the noise.
Stress may also be a result of separation anxiety and boredom. This is especially true for owners who leave their cats alone for long hours. To solve this, you may consider getting toys for him to play with when you are gone. Alternatively, music works well in terms of soothing your cat. You may also leave your TV on and capture his attention. This works because cats are good at observing their surroundings.
Most importantly, do not forget to engage with your cat. You may do this by playing a game together or even cuddling and petting. This will assure your cat’s safety and strengthen your bond.
Clean the soiled surfaces
Once you have identified the soiled place in your house, you should thoroughly clean it. You must remove all the urine smell from your fabrics and furniture. This way, you can make your cat forget about the particular surface.
When you do not remove the urine smell from your house, there is a chance that he will keep spraying. Therefore, ensuring that your cat forgets about the incident is essential. In addition, you can engage in play and exercise with your cat to take his mind off the habit.
Enzyme cleaners are effective in removing foul odors.
Keep your cat out of targeted areas.
Our cats need enough room to roam and stretch. However, you should apply restrictions if your cat has started spraying. For instance, if he has a habit of rushing into a particular room, you may close that room to keep him out.
However, this will be effective when reinforced by other measures like placing litter boxes for your cat and training him on how to use them effectively.
Ensure all litter boxes are clean
A dirty litter box is repellent to your cat. This is because cats are naturally clean and have a strong smell. You should always ensure that all the litter boxes are always empty. You are getting the correct type of litter that will not hold so much odor.
Reduce Noise
Things will change if you recently adopted a cat and are all for party life. Hosting noisy parties or even playing loud music will upset your cat. This may lead to inappropriate elimination, which is annoying and embarrassing.
You may also want to block the view of your guests if you have any. This will keep him from developing anxiety about meeting new people.
Block Window view
If your cat seems to react to passersby or other cats, you should block the window view. Instead, you may provide alternatives like occupying him with TV or play. Your cat may spray to engage with the cat outside but cannot reach them. Sometimes, your cat may be spraying to mark his territory and express dominance.
By blocking the window view, your cat will not be interested in checking out the outside. To avoid total boredom in your cat, it is vital to provide options. For instance, you can get him toys or use TV and music to occupy him when you are away from home.
Allocate more time with your cat
Your cat may be spraying as a way to seek your attention. This is especially when he knows that you do not appreciate the behavior. Your cat may seek your attention because he is lonely, leading to separation anxiety. Therefore, it is essential to allocate some time daily to bond. For instance, you may cuddle and pet your cat before heading to bed. This way, he will feel your affection for him and reciprocate.
Scratching post
Your cat may get bored when you leave him all alone at home. He will probably roam around the living room and engage in undesirable behaviors. However, you may provide an alternative that will keep your cat occupied. Scratching posts are a great way to leave your cat at home happy and engaged in activities.
This works because cats spend much time grooming, including clawing. Scratch posts also come in different varieties, making them perfect for alleviating boredom and loneliness. You can choose to get him a few different shapes and sizes to make it even more enjoyable.
Leave soothing music on
This is especially effective in cats that suffer from anxiety. Just like in humans, music is capable of soothing your cat and thus curbing boredom and anxiety. If your cat gets lonely and stressed whenever you leave your house, you may try using music to calm him down.
However, you will have to choose relaxing music at an appropriate volume to soothe him.
Provide enough resources
Competition for resources, especially in a multi-cat home, could lead to a male cat urinating everywhere. This results from the stress and fear that may come with having to fight for food. You should, therefore, be sure to provide adequate food, water, and litter boxes for your cats.
Visit your vet.
Chronic and repetitive urinating out of the litter box is not always behavioral. Sometimes, it may indicate that your cat is ill, especially the feline urinary tract infections. This is why you should seek medical advice upon observing your cat spraying everywhere.
Usually, if your cat is ill, urinating everywhere is going to be accompanied by other symptoms. These symptoms may include difficulty peeing and frequent urination, and your cat may pass bloody urine in severe conditions.
Your vet is going to examine your cat to determine the exact reason why your cat is urinating everywhere. Upon diagnosis, your vet should be able to provide treatment options. You may need more complicated treatment if your cat has developed urethra blockage.
It is essential to address any medical issue in male cats. This is because some illnesses can be life-threatening to your cat.
Behavioral issues leading to male cats urinating everywhere
Once you realize that your cat is urinating out of the litter box, you should monitor his behavior. You must be aware of where he is releasing himself. In most cases, your cat will get somewhere else to pee for various behavioral factors. These include:
Boredom
As all pet owners know, cats are pretty prone to boredom. This is because the domestication of the cat family denies your cat to exhibit its wild instincts. This means that while a cat could be out there with other cats playing and hunting, we leave them alone in the house. Due to the loneliness and shortage of things to engage in, your cat will develop boredom.
When your cat is bored, there is a likelihood that he is going to engage in some undesirable behaviors. These behaviors may include urinating everywhere in the house. Usually, this is to get your attention, even if you have entirely trained him to use the litter box.
It is also essential to understand that confinement also leads to boredom in cats. Even though indoor cats live longer than outdoor cats, leaving your cat locked in the house opens a window for boredom.
How do I tell that my cat is bored?
We cannot spend much time with our cats due to our busy schedules at work and the modern lifestyle. This means that you may not be able to tell when he is bored or not. In return, you will not be able to curb the inappropriate elimination behavior in your cat. However, you can examine your cat for boredom and look for the following signs.
Over-eating is a common sign of boredom in cats. You will notice that your cat cannot get enough of his meal. However, it would help if you did not encourage this behavior as it may bring obesity. Other cats will experience a loss of appetite on the contrary.
A bored cat will also experience difficulty sleeping and engage in other destructive behaviors. Peeing everywhere and anywhere in the house is a common characteristic of boredom in cats.
My cat is bored, what do I do?
Once you discover that your cat is bored, you must address that issue as soon as possible. There are several ways in which you can be able to engage your cat. You can leave your TV playing whenever you are leaving the house. Cats are known to be excellent observers, making it easy to keep them occupied all day. It is preferable to leave your TV on nature or sporting channels.
Alternatively, you may consider getting scratching posts to engage your cat in clawing and stretching. It would help if you placed the seats at the entrance or exit of the living room. Spending more time with your cat is also encouraged to strengthen your bond.
Stress
Stress is also a common reason your male cat may be spraying everywhere. Being sensitive beings, cats are prone to stress, mainly because of domestication. Owning a pet means that you have to take care of your cat’s mental and physical well-being. You should be able to observe your ct and determine whether he is stressed.
Male cats can be exposed to stress when subjected to various conditions. For instance, male cats are particularly territorial and want to protect their territory. If he observes another cat in the neighborhood, he may get stressed because he cannot reach it to chase it away.
In such a case, your cat may spray due to stress or even to mark his territory. In other topics, cats that live in a multi-cat household appear to be stressed more often than others. This results from the competition for food, litter boxes, and other resources. Cats may also get stressed for a lack of enough attention.
You will have to schedule some play and exercise time with him. This will also help alleviate separation anxiety your cat may develop from being left alone at home.
It is also advisable to avoid rearranging your house so as not to stress your cat. This is because cats find it difficult to adapt to changes. Avoiding playing loud music or hosting loud parties in your home is also essential. This is because noise brings about anxiety and stress to your cat.
Introducing a new cat or even a new family member may stress your cat. For instance, if you recently had a baby, your cat may experience difficulties adjusting to sharing your attention. This might be the reason why your cat has started urinating everywhere. You can solve this by spending enough time with your cat.
New Furniture
Cats tend to own territories and familiarize themselves with their surroundings. This is likely to make your cat spray all over your new couch as soon as you bring it home. However, it would help if you did not encourage this behavior as it might become chronic. You also would not want your house smelling of cat pee.
Creating a bond
Cats have a special bond with their owners because it makes them feel secure at home. It is essential to recognize that even as we have domesticated cats over the years, they still have their instincts. Your cat already considers you his family and is thereby in need of a bond.
For this reason, your cat may spray on your belongings or even your favorite sitting spot. This will give him a sense of a bond between you too. Cats with separation anxiety and stress often want to mingle your scent with his to feel connected to you.
Recognizing own smells
Your male cat will be territorial and needs to know his scent. This is to make him remember his territories or items he sprays in. In a multi-cat home, cats may spray to mark boundaries, especially if he is afraid of the other cats.
To settle differences with other cats.
You may observe several cats settling a fight if you have several cats in your home. They might be fighting over resources like food and even bed. Your male cat may spray around to put boundaries to resolve a dispute.
In conclusion
If your cat has suddenly started peeing everywhere, you should be keen to address the issue. The best way to approach this is by observing and understanding why he is doing so. Once you figure out the things that motivate him to pee out of the litter box, then you can proceed to make him stop.
The above methods effectively address a male cat urinating everywhere based on the cause of the behavior. Make sure you provide clean litter boxes at all times. It is also essential to ensure that they are adequate based on your number of cats.
Monitor your cat closely before you start addressing this issue. Remember that the type of litter you use can also make your cat avoid using it. Play and exercise are also a necessity for a healthy and content cat.
