Urine marking

This cat is marking his or her territory. A cat squatting to urinate outside the litter box is more likely to have a medical problem like a bladder infection but could also be stressed. As Dr Helen told us last Thursday night at our indoor cat night, urine marking is normal behaviour in cats, particularly if they are anxious about other cats in their environment. To avoid increasing our own stress levels it is vital to reduce this anxiety as much as possible.

Household cats must have their own separate resources ie their own food and water bowls, and litter trays. These should be in quiet, non-trafficked areas.

Ensure that your cat cannot see or smell other cats in your yard. Even if your cat doesn’t venture out he or she will be stressed by seeing other cats out of the window. One of our clients came up with the idea of these attractive decals – the light can get in but their cat cannot see out.

Every cat is an individual and trying to work out what is stressing him or her can take some detective work. Dr Helen and Dr Georgia at Canberra Cat Vet are available to help you through the maze. In the meantime more information on urine spraying is available at iCatcare.