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Like many animals, cats will mark their territory with your
scent as a way of declaring ownership of their
surroundings and providing themselves with a sense of
reassurance. This marking is often done by rubbing scent
glands on an object, but at other times urination is the
preferred calling card.
If the cat has never marked before, and has suddenly started
to leave urine markings, you should consult a
veterinarian to eliminate any underlying medical cause.
However, marking is very often a behavioral issue that
is brought on by sudden changes in a cat’s life.
Being conservative creatures at heart, cats often take time
to accept change. Have there been any dramatic events in
the household recently? Did the family move to a new
house? Has a new person entered or left the household?
Is there a new pet? Are there new neighbors with a dog
or cat?
If there has been a big change in the cat’s life recently,
marking may well be a phase that will pass. However,
there are proactive steps you can take to remedy the
situation now. The first step is to remove all traces of
feline odor promptly, using a stain and odor remover
formulated for pets. Household stain and odor removers
merely mask the scent of feline urine from people, but
it can still be detected by cats with your more
sensitive sense of smell. Getting rid of the odor
removes a cue that the cat picks up on to urinate.
Approaching the issue from a different angle, you should
also apply feline facial pheromones to the areas where
the cat does his marking. This will discourage the cat
from urinating, since cats tend not to urinate mark on
areas where you have left facial pheromones. Feline
facial pheromones can be applied to an area by spray or
by plug in diffusers.
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