What is Cat Spraying?

Cat Spraying

During cat spraying the cat backs up to an object, this object is about head level to cats, he will hold his tail erect while quivering it, and will release urine out backwards on an object. The spray differs from the chemical composition of urine because it also contains oily secretions from the anal glands. It also contains pheromones that will attract or repel other cats depending on the situation. This type of urine spraying is very pungent and has a very strong ammonia-musky odor.

Spraying is a normal innate territorial marking behavior that has nothing to do with litter box problems. It is important that you accept this as a natural response of cat behavior. Cats will spray during territorial disputes, aggressive conflicts and sexual encounters. Both male and female cats will spray, but it is more common in males.

A majority of cats who spray will spray outdoors. They do this to mark their territories. Marking territories enables the cats to space themselves so they would not make frequent encounters with each other. Some cats may spray to mark territories inside their homes. This is usually caused by conflicts between cats in the home or from an indoor cat seeing and feeling threatened by a cat he sees through a window.

Most cats who spray are reproductively intact males, known as tom cats. Spraying may also occur in multi-cat homes. In multi-cat homes the spraying may occur on vertical surfaces like drapes and furniture.

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