Cats are usually very clean animals and urinate outside or in a litter tray. Spraying is perfectly normal cat behaviour, it acts as a personal cat calling-card. Spray is usually deposited at nose height for other cats, conveying information about your cat's age, sex, health status and rank as well as telling the cat where the boundaries for his/her territory are. Unlike going to the toilet, spraying is performed standing up and facing away from usually vertical objects. In areas where there are a lot of cats, spraying aids integration and minimises confrontation.

But sometimes it can become a bit of a problem.

Dealing with indoor spraying

Cats that spray doorframes, curtains and window ledges may perceive a threat from outdoors. Spraying chair legs, beds and dressing tables may mean they are increasing their confidence by mixing their scent with yours.

Cleaning

Cats will often try and use the same, inappropriate site again so try and block off with furniture and clean thoroughly. Wash the area with a 10% solution of biological washing powder and rinse with cold water and allow to dry. Then spray with surgical spirit (ask your vet or a pharmacy) and allow to dry again. Always check the colour-fastness of the area first. Veterinary surgeons can also supply odour removal products.

Medical causes

Take your cat to your vet to rule out a medical reason for the problem. Investigations such as checking a urine sample may be needed. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is common and often a stress-related condition. This is a treatable, but potentially life-threatening, condition and should not be confused with territorial spraying or marking. Both can result in urine being deposited outside the litter box, but the causes and treatments are very different so veterinary advice is vital.

Prevention

It is important to try and find out why your cat is soiling rather than simply trying to block the site. Shouting at the cat, or other techniques such as using foil or water sprays, will simply add to your cat’s stress and redirect the behaviour to another location. If you do not have an indoor litter tray you may need to buy one and place it in a quiet and discreet location.

Ensure there is no reason your cat doesn’t want to use the litter tray. Think about the following:

• Do you have enough litter trays? You need one per cat plus one.
• Have you changed the litter? - cats may not like a sudden change of litter so stick to familiar types/textures or mix together and make a slow transition.
• Are the trays clean enough? - clean the tray daily.
• Is there enough litter? - cats need to dig and bury so make sure there is a reasonable layer in the tray.
• Avoid scented or deodorised litter or liners as they may put a cat off.
• Think about tray position - is it too exposed so the cat could feel threatened by other pets, children or other noises (washing machine, dishwasher)? Chose a quiet secluded location.
• Is your cat elderly? They may have osteoarthritis and have trouble getting into the tray, so cut out one side of a plastic tray and provide a deeper layer of soft litter.

If all this is in order consider other sources of stress. Is there a new cat in the neighbourhood, a new dog next door? Is there a change in the house that is causing stress? Consider the following:

• If there are a lot of cats in the area, or a particular bully, and this may be causing stress then make sure you have a secure cat flap (consider a magnetic or microchip cat flap) to prevent intruders, and chase the offender(s) out of the garden whenever you see them.
• If you have a new cat then you need to make sure your existing cat feels secure. Make sure that what your cat considers important resources are available to all cats and cannot be guarded (food, water, litter trays, beds, scratching posts). You may need to put litter trays in more than one location.
• Have you got a new sofa, is it a new house or has building work been done? This means areas/objects are unfamiliar to your cat. Keep them away from the items/rooms initially and spread your cat’s scent onto items by rubbing a cloth on your cat’s face and onto corners at cat level. This helps integrate the new objects into your cat’s environment or makes a new house feel like home to your cat.
• Ask your vet about synthetic feline pheromones that can do a similar job and can be useful in the treatment of stress-related problems.

If problems persist then consultation with a veterinary behaviourist may be required and is well worth it as they may identify sources of stress and help advise you on methods to make your cat feel more secure and therefore stop spraying.

The information contained in this article is not a substitute for individual veterinary or behavioural advice and is for information purposes only. You should always consult a veterinary surgeon if you have any concerns about your pet’s health. He or she will be able to take a complete medical history and physically examine your pet, to then recommend appropriate individual advice or treatment options. For detailed behavioural advice tailored specifically for your pet, we recommend that you contact a qualified pet behaviourist. For further details of local canine and feline behaviourists practising in your area and how they offer help for with problem pets, please contact The Coape Association of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers at www.capbt.org, or the Association of Pet Dog Trainers at www.apdt.co.uk. Do bear in mind that while dog trainers can take you on as a client directly, pet behaviourists will always require a referral from your veterinary surgeon