Spitting urine is a communicative behavior exhibited by male cats for a variety of reasons. This behavior is a problem for many cat owners because the urine that is emitted has a strong odor and can contaminate furniture or carpets. If your cat is exhibiting this behavior, there are a number of things you can do to resolve the behavior problem.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Determining the Cause of Behavior
Step 1. Recognize the difference between spitting out urine and urinating
Spitting urine (marking territory with urine) is a communicative behavior that can be caused by several factors. Meanwhile, defecation is usually done out of physical necessity and, if there is a problem with defecation, it is usually associated with a problem with the litter box.
- Signs of spitting urine are usually found on vertical surfaces because cats spit urine with their backs to objects. In addition, the volume of urine excreted is less than the volume of urine excreted when he urinates.
- Urine that is expelled has a sharper odor because cats secrete certain chemicals to send messages to other cats.
- The behavior of spitting urine is more common in male cats that have not been neutralized, cats who live with other cats in the same house, or cats that are kept in a family or home that has recently undergone certain changes.
Step 2. Understand the cause of your cat's spitting behavior
To stop this behavior, you must understand the cause. This behavior is a way of communicating with other cats, so the key to solving this problem is knowing what your pussy is trying to convey.
- Cats are territorial animals that like to make certain items or areas as objects/territories. Urine marking is his way of showing his presence to other cats and the areas of the house that are his territory. If you have several cats, there is a good chance that your cat will mark its territory.
- Spitting urine is also a "mating" ritual for cats. This behavior is very common during the breeding season. The pheromones in the urine show other cats that your cat is "ready" to mate. If your cat hasn't been neutralized, this could be the cause of the behavior.
Step 3. Find out why your cat is exhibiting this behavior
After you know some of the causes of the appearance of the behavior of spitting urine, think about some questions about the current state of the house. This can help you figure out what's causing this behavior in your pussy.
- Is there a new baby or pet in the house? The arrival of a new baby or pet can put your cat at risk of needing to mark its territory.
- Are there cats around the house that enter the yard and stress your cat?
- Have there been any changes to your cat's routine? Cats don't like change and, at times, show anger when their routine is interrupted.
- Do you have several cats at home? If so, do each cat get enough space?
- Has there been a change in the cat litter box?
Part 2 of 3: Fixing Stress-Related Problems
Step 1. Make sure your cat's routine is maintained
Changes in home conditions can cause stress that triggers insecurity, so your cat may exhibit a behavior of spitting urine to mark his territory. If your cat exhibits this behavior, establish a routine to reduce stress and eliminate the behavior.
- Feed her at the same time each day and place her litter box, bed, and toys in the same area.
- If you have a company (or place of business), keep the cat in a separate room. This is especially important if your visitors have cats in their homes whose smells carry with them the clothes they wear. The smell can trigger stress and encourage the emergence of behavior spitting urine.
- Some pheromone spray products (available at pet supply stores) are designed to calm cats down. If you know that there will be major changes to your home (eg the arrival of a new family member or pet), try purchasing the product to help your cat adjust to the major changes.
Step 2. Make sure the cats you pet have enough space
If you live or have several cats, the behavior of spitting urine is often the result of their instinct to defend territory. Therefore, make sure each cat gets enough space to move so that this behavior can be reduced.
- Provide some perches. Cats like to be in high places to observe the situation. You can free up a window sill or space in a bookshelf to serve as a perch. You can also purchase a cat condo or cat tree kit from a pet supply store.
- Provide several places for food, drinks, claw posts, and toys.
- Provide more than one litter box. Although this behavior is different from regular urination, the limited number of litter boxes can trigger a territorial response (in this case, the behavior of spitting out urine). Buy more than one litter box and remove the litter from the box each day.
Step 3. Clean the urine until clean
The behavior of spitting urine repeatedly is often caused by the smell of cat urine, especially in families who have more than one cat. To stop this behavior, the smell of urine or animals needs to be neutralized.
- Clean anything that can be washed using a washing machine and regular detergent products.
- Put a mixture of 50% water and 50% vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the mixture on the surface of the object that is exposed to urine. The mixture can neutralize odors and prevent the cat from spraying urine on the object.
- Pet stores, large-scale pet store branches (eg Petco), even supermarkets and shopping malls sell cleaning products that contain synthetic pheromones and certain enzymes. These products can eliminate odors that encourage the cat's urine-spitting behavior.
Step 4. Limit the cat's contact with the outside environment
Oftentimes, conflict with other cats roaming the neighborhood prompts the pus to spit out its urine. Even though the pussy is not allowed to roam outside, if she sees or smells another cat through the window, she can still exhibit this behavior.
- Keep furniture that your cat frequently uses to climb out of windows. You can also purchase a kitty tree kit as an alternative resting place for your pussy.
- Close windows, curtains, or doors.
- Try attaching a motion-detecting device to your garden sprinkler so that the sprinkler will move and spray water at your cat if it gets close to a window.
Step 5. Help the pussy to adjust to the presence of a new family member
Having a new baby in the family can encourage the cat to spit urine because he wants to make sure his territory is not "colonized". You need to calm the pussy down to adjust to the new family member so she doesn't start exhibiting this behavior.
- Keep the maintenance schedule that has been set even if it feels difficult. Having a new baby in the house is likely to make your schedule change drastically. However, try as much as possible to stick to your cat's daily schedule (e.g. feeding, sleeping, and cleaning the litter box).
- Don't pay more attention to the pussy before your baby arrives because she will get used to the extra attention. This will make her feel even more left out and “sad” when your baby arrives, so the pussy will throw tantrums to get your attention.
- Introduce your pussy to new baby toys and supplies by allowing him to sniff and observe the products once they are opened. Any object that looks new or has an unfamiliar smell can trigger the behavior of spitting out urine.
Part 3 of 3: Seeking Medical Treatment
Step 1. Take your cat to the vet for a health check
While this behavior is usually a behavioral problem, if adjusting to home conditions doesn't solve the problem, you will need to take your pussy to the vet. A basic examination can help you identify or identify any medical problems that may be triggering the behavior. Bladder control problems, especially in older cats, can signal a serious problem, such as organ damage.
Step 2. Neuter your cat
If the behavior problem is not resolved, it may be because your cat wants to "promote" its readiness to mate with another cat. This behavior is a sign of sexual maturity in the cat so neutralization can help stop the behavior.
- If possible, neuter your cat before it reaches 6 months of age. In more than 90% of cases, cats do not exhibit the behavior of spitting urine when neutralized at this age.
- In about 87% of cases, older cats stop exhibiting these behaviors after being neutralized. While most cats stop exhibiting the behavior immediately, only less than 10% of cases show a cat that takes months to stop exhibiting the behavior.
Step 3. Seek treatment
Even if it is caused by stress or anxiety, the behavior of spitting out urine can be treated with treatment provided by a professional veterinarian.
- Antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs (to be taken by mouth) can be obtained after you consult with your veterinarian. These medications can relieve tension caused by the number of cats in the house or anxiety triggered by a erratic schedule.
- Always consult a veterinarian and know your cat's medical history. Some health problems can't be treated properly using drugs.
- All treatments have the potential to cause side effects. Ask your vet about any possible side effects and how serious they are before giving medicine to your puss.
Tips
- Never scold your cat. Unlike dogs, cats cannot respond to both positive and negative reinforcement. Therefore, your anger will only add to the pressure and encourage unwanted behavior.
- If you have multiple cats, make sure all of them get enough attention. Cats are also territorial towards humans and can get jealous if another cat is more pampered or liked.
- Make sure you're sure that your pussy is actually spitting urine, and not just urinating. Peeing outside the litter box can be a sign of a health problem. Of course, do not let you fail to deal with the problem by considering existing health problems as negative behavior.
