The marking of territory by a cat is a normal and innate attitude of felines. There are different ways of marking, it can be by urine, scratches or facially when they rub their face on you or an object.
In this blog we are going to discuss the urine marking that occurs in males. If you want to find out how to prevent your cat from marking territory at home, pay close attention to the following tips on this blog.
What is the difference between marking and urinating?
Cats mark with urine vertically, that is, they usually do so on surfaces such as walls or sofas.
To mark the territory with urine, cats usually do it standing upright. In addition, the amount they put in is usually very small.
On the other hand, when it comes to urinating, cats tend to bend over and the amount is much higher.
Why do cats mark the territory with urine?
Once we know that what our cat does is not due to misuse of the litter box, we must take into account the reasons why they do it.
They are territorial animals so making certain things or people their own is key to their comfort and safety.
It may also be because they are in heat and mark their territory to communicate with other cats and show their availability.
It is important to keep in mind that it may also be due to a specific moment due to introducing another member to the family.
My cat marks with urine, how to avoid it?
If your cat urine marks its territory, pay close attention to the following tips that will help the cat to urine mark much less or avoid it.
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Litter box
It is important that to reinforce the use of the litter box it is always kept clean. We must clean the litter and the litterbox regularly to avoid rejecting it.
On the other hand, it is recommended that you increase the number of litter boxes available for the cat. The more litter boxes there are, the better to strengthen their use and get used to it.
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Enzyme cleaners
If you want to eliminate the smell of urine from any surface and in this way ensure that your cat does not re-mark its territory in that place, it is good to use enzymatic cleaners.
Spray this cleaner where you’ve already scored to prevent it from coming back.
It is very similar to the case of scratch marking, if you do not want your cat to scratch where it should not, it is convenient to clean the marked area with special products or neutral soap.
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Promote activity
As we mentioned in what precautions to take when your cat is in heat, in this case it is important to entertain your cat to prevent it from marking.
Gambling and physical activity are the best allies in the face of any problem that may arise or behaviors that we want to avoid. In addition, we will achieve a balanced and fit cat.
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Routines
Another important point closely linked to the previous one is to maintain a routine with our cat that prevents moments of boredom or searching for areas to mark. Having a cat with an established routine will always make things easier.
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Sterilization
As we said before, marking is largely caused by a period of heat to be able to mark the territory and call other cats. To avoid marking, it is recommended that we sterilize our cat.
Sterilizing a cat is highly recommended to avoid unwanted pregnancies, behaviors such as marking and other health problems that may arise.
We hope you found it interesting and we invite you to continue discovering tips and curiosities about cats on our blog.