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Name
Urine Marking, Feline
Short Description
Urine marking
Affected Animals: Any cat that is at least six months old, the age
at which most cats reach sexual maturity. Unneutered males are most
likely to spray. Neutered males, unneutered females, and neutered
females also may exhibit this behavior.
Overview: A very common behavioral problem of cats, urine
marking accounts for 40 percent of the feline cases brought to
veterinary behavioral specialists, according to a recent study. Cats
"spray," or conduct in urine marking, when they deposit their urine
on prominent objects in order to communicate with other cats.
Characteristically, while urine marking, the cat assumes a standing
posture and squirts a horizontal stream of urine onto a vertical
surface; thus the term "spraying." This behavior, which is normal,
is considered problematic to owners when the cat marks indoors,
since urine ruins walls, furniture, carpets, and floors; outdoor
urine marking, however, is an expected behavior. Male cats that have
not been neutered are most likely to urine mark -- and
unfortunately, the urine of a male cat is especially pungent and
resistant to odor removers.
Clinical Signs: Owners may observe their cat "spraying," notice a
urine odor, or find evidence of urine on vertical surfaces.
Sometimes the urine may be found on horizontal surfaces, but in
these instances the urine usually has been deposited on such objects
as shoes, clothing or new or unfamiliar items.
Symptoms:
See Clinical Signs.
Description: Urine marking is a normal social behavior of
domestic cats which serves several communication functions depending
on the context in which the spraying occurs and the temperament and
physiology of the individual cat that is spraying. Contrary to
popular belief, spraying does not function to exclude other cats
from the marking cat's territory; other cats approach rather than
avoid sprayed sites. One possible function of urine marking is to
serve as an "advertisement" to a potential sexual partner during the
mating season, as the urine gives information about the cat's
identity, age, and mating status.
Diagnosis:
Before a behavioral diagnosis is made, the
regular veterinarian must rule out possible medical problems that
might be causing the cat's spraying behavior, such as urinary tract
and metabolic diseases. Blood tests, a urinalysis, and other
diagnostic procedures may be ordered.
The next step is for the behavioral veterinary specialist or
veterinarian to distinguish between urine marking and urination by
either observing the cat's posture or by noting the location of the
deposited urine -- whether it is on a horizontal or vertical
surface. A diagnosis of urine marking can be made if, while
urinating, the cat stands with its rear legs very straight so that
its hindquarters are slightly higher than the rest of its body. A
marking cat also holds its tail either straight up or directed
forward at a 45 degree angle, quivers its tail, and makes treading
movements with its feet. Occasionally, a cat may mark in a squatting
posture. In addition, subtle behavioral differences from those
manifested during urination may be observed. For example, the
marking cat usually only sniffs the area before expressing urine
rather than both before and after, as occurs with urination.
Prognosis: Castration stops or greatly reduces urine marking
in 87 percent of intact males that spray. Generally, cats will cease
spraying within two weeks after undergoing this procedure; however,
improvement may not occur for up to six months in some cats. The use
of medication such as Valium or Buspar along with environmental and
behavioral controls results in a 75 percent reduction of spraying in
most cats. Unfortunately, urine marking does tend to recur, despite
the initial success of treatment. Continuous treatment with
medication does not necessarily prevent recurrences and is not
recommended due to the increased likelihood of side effects with
prolonged usage.
Transmission or Cause: Genetic differences in cats are partially
responsible for the individual differences in spraying behavior
among cats. Facilitated by the male hormone testosterone, urine
marking occurs primarily as a response to stimuli from other cats
because the presence of urine odor may initiate and perpetuate
spraying within the household. Thus, cats that live in multiple cat
households are much more likely to spray than cats that live in
single cat homes; the incidence of spraying in single cat households
is 25 percent, while in households or facilities containing 10 or
more cats, the incidence is measured at 100 percent. Once spraying
develops within the home, there is often a learned association
between spraying and specific sites, which then become established
"marking-posts."
Treatment: For unneutered cats, neutering by
itself is often effective in eliminating or greatly reducing urine
marking. In neutered cats that spray, however, environmental,
behavioral and pharmacological management is required.
Urine marking occurs in sexual, territorial and competitive
contexts. Treatment requires first identifying the specific social
or environmental factors that trigger the marking and then both
limiting the cat's exposure to those factors and reducing its
response to them.
Environmental management involves making changes in the household
that reduce the cat's exposure to arousing stimuli. For example,
when the presence of stray or neighbor cats triggers spraying, it is
necessary to either block the cat's view of those cats or to use
repelling devices to keep the other cats away. Sometimes it is
possible to work out a "traffic control" schedule with neighbors to
reduce the cats' exposure to one another.
In multiple cat households, reducing the number of cats can be
helpful, but this option often is undesirable to owners. Hostility
between household cats must be identified and reduced, using
behavior modification, spacing techniques, and medication.
Fortunately, by increasing the availability of vertical space, the
impact of having multiple cats within the same house may be
diminished; providing access to elevated perches and hiding places
often is beneficial. Setting out multiple food and water bowls and
litter boxes also may help reduce competition among the cats and
consequently the motivation to urine mark.
If specific sites are used as marking-posts, the
cat's access to them must be blocked. Another option is to change
the sites' significance to the cat: Feliway, a synthetic facial
pheromone behavior modification product that is now available from
veterinarians, is helpful in converting urine marking posts to
face-rubbing posts. It is also important to eliminate the odor of
urine in order to manage a cat's marking behavior. Odor removal
products obtained through a veterinarian often provide the best
results. In cases in which urine has soaked through to the carpet
padding or has permeated wood flooring, removal and replacement may
be required to eliminate the odor.
A cat's response to arousing stimuli also can be reduced through a
desensitization process developed in conjunction with an individual
behavior modification program developed by a professional with
experience in veterinary behavior. Punishment is not helpful and in
fact may increase the frequency of spraying.
Pharmacological treatment is necessary in the management of spraying
that is unresponsive to neutering and other treatments. There are
several different classes of drugs that can be beneficial:
benzodiazepines such as Valium, tricyclics such as Elavil, selective
serotonin re-uptake inhibitors such as Prozac, and Buspar, a drug in
the class of azaperones. The decision use to drugs should not be
decided casually, as there are potential side effects with all of
these medications.
Prevention: Neutering is a recommended preventive measure
because intact male cats have the highest incidence of urine
marking. Limiting the number of cats in the household also will help
limit the social stimuli associated with marking behavior. In
multiple cat households, it is helpful to reduce the potential for
competition and thus a need to mark territory by providing adequate
vertical space, perches, hiding places, and multiple litter boxes
and feeding bowls.
