Is it normal for female cats to spray

Try and understand if this might be the case. For example:. How many litter boxes do you have in your house? If you have multiple cats, you might not have enough! If one of your fur babies is a little on the shy side, make sure they have easy access to their own litter box. Like a lot of humans, cats also like to feel in charge! If they don't feel completely happy or are facing any stress or anxiety, this can cause them to spray.

The act of spraying along with the smell, makes them feel more confident. For example, there might be a scary neighbor cat outside the window, so shutting blinds or windows would stop your cat feeling intimidated. Your cat might also be lonely so would benefit from play at a regular time, when you can give them lots of love and affection.

If your cat has a favorite spraying spot , the scent could be attracting them back for a second spray. To discourage this habit, you should clean the area where your cat has urinated with a simple soap and water or use a recommended urine stain and odor remover. It is the ideal solution to help your cat feel secure in their environment, making both you and your cat happier!

Environmental Enrichment: Keeping your cat active — physically and mentally — will help increase their well-being and reduce their stress level. Training, interactive toys, food puzzles , and plenty of vertical perches and quiet places to hide will help keep them busy and content.

Giving each cat their own food bowl and separate feeding areas can also help reduce conflicts. Supplements : The VetriScience Composure chews can help calm and reduce stress in cats in certain situations and are worth trying. Your vet can also discuss and recommend other supplements that may help. See also the note at the end of this article about medications your vet can prescribe that can help, too.

If Your Cat Is a "High Pee-er" : If your cat simply pees high, but in the litter box, you might want to use boxes with higher sides to avoid the mess. The important part is that there's still one side that's low enough for your cat to get in. Especially as a cat ages, getting in and out of their litter box can cause another set of problems and a whole lot of discomfort as many cats over 7 years old have arthritis.

The Modkat boxes are a little pricey, but function great for many cats and homes. Deterrent sprays including spraying water can also make your cat nervous and increase their stress.

And even if the spray deters them from marking that particular spot, they will probably just go off and find a new place to mark. And doing so sooner, rather than later, is a good idea. Not only can they help guide you with some other, more specific suggestions for your cat and home, they can also prescribe medications that have been shown to help spraying cats. Sometimes the stressor is literally outside your window in the form of stray or neighboring outdoor cats.

This can trigger them to spray near doors and windows. Lund puts it this way: For cats, spraying gives them the security that locking a deadbolt gives us. To remove this stressor, close blinds on windows to keep your animal from seeing those outdoor cats, Dr. Cox suggests. For example, Dr. Lund says cat parents will go on vacation and have a friend feed their cat and change the litter box. They come home to discover that their cat has peed on their favorite chair and think their cat is mad because they went away.

This is not the case. It is more likely that the cat is anxious because you are not there, and perhaps the litter box is not as clean as she likes. Placement, cleanliness, type of litter, etc. Spraying is a complicated problem, she notes, and requires a multi-pronged solution.

This means ruling out medical causes, addressing possible harassment from other cats, keeping the litter box pristine, and trying an anti-anxiety medication like Prozac.

Of course, not all cats require behavior modification medications such as Prozac to eliminate their spraying behavior.

There are also natural remedies to help with spraying behavior, which should be discussed with a veterinarian prior to using. It also is important to thoroughly scrub the area where the cat has urinated, cleaning it with enzymatic deodorizers to get rid of the smell , which your cat can find appealing. Working with your vet, you should be able to solve the problem in a way that makes everyone happy.