Mary Allen
Some cats that urinate outside of the litter box aren’t actually relieving themselves, but rather creating urinary marks. They don’t do this because they “have to” but rather mark the cat because it usually wants to settle territorial matters.
Detection of Urinary Markers
There are some surefire clues that you can use to tell that your cat is marking. Typically, cats stand with their tails stretched out vertically, trembling and their hind legs wagging. Meanwhile, the urine is sprayed more or less horizontally backward. They usually spray something vertical, such as a wall, a cupboard, or the window frame. If you can’t watch your cat doing this and only find the urine, then check if you can find traces of run-off urine on such verticals – because the result is of course a small lake on the bottom, which is not easily distinguished from a “normal pee puddle “ is to be distinguished.
Incidentally, the amount of urine is not a reliable indicator of whether a cat is marking or urinating. While some cats mark with just a few drops, others like to empty half of all of the bladder in the process.
Territory Markings
Marking territory with urine is normal behavior for cats. They leave business cards for other cats with whom they compete for territory: who they are, male or female, when they were here, how healthy/stressed they are – and possibly some more information that we humans do not yet know. With the markings, they show presence in absence and thus assert their claims.
What are those claims? Of course, among the non-neutered, there is a lot to do with reproduction: who is ready to mate and which male is the best candidate? In these cases, the urinary tag also contains information about the sexual status. Much more often, however, it is not about reproduction, but about coveted resources in the area: hunting prey or access to promising hunting grounds, sunny places, feeding places, places of retreat, etc. That is why urine marking is not just a matter of hangovers. Queens is just as good at this art! And of course, the resources mentioned are also important for neutered females and tomcats.
Who is the Message For?
If markings are made in the house, different addressees can still be meant: Often it is neighbor cats outside. Then you will find the markings mainly near windows, patio doors, the front door, etc. In multi-cat households, cats sometimes use markings to resolve conflicts without aggression. Then there is often a subliminal tension in the air. In these cases, you will mainly find markings in important cat places, such as the scratching post, or in central passageways, such as on door frames or in the hallway.
Tag for Excitement
Cats sometimes mark without knowing their territory, out of excitement. Urine tagging then appears to act as a valve that the cat uses to relieve tension. It is unclear how consciously she is doing this at this moment. However, it is probably a skip behavior, i.e. it occurs as a kind of automatic reaction.
This excitement marking is often related to needs that the cat cannot take care of itself: it wants to go outside, but the door won’t be opened for it. She’s hungry, but the human decides it’s not feeding time yet. She asks for our attention. All your attempts come to nothing because we are reading an exciting text about cats on the Internet… Then it can happen that a cat, looking at its human, marks in front of his eyes. Most people then feel particularly provoked and become angry. However, the cat looks at its human primarily because it wants help from it in fulfilling its requirements
Needs hoped for – and out of sheer excitement, she then marks them. In the act of marking itself, there is almost certainly no specific message to the human – but it signals to us how excited and possibly helpless the cat is feeling!
What Can You Do?
Depending on whether your cat is actually marking its territory or showing this behavior out of excitement, different approaches make sense. The following applies to both: if your cat starts to mark, have it thoroughly examined by the vet. Health issues can change relationships with other cats, but they can also make them more aroused.
The territorial cat needs help to get along with the other cats. This can vary greatly from person to person: some need to be allowed out at the right time to confront the neighboring cats. Others may need outside privacy. In multi-cat households, it is important to protect each cat’s personal space and help them develop a more harmonious relationship.
The following applies to stress marking: try to defuse as many stressful situations as possible in everyday life. It is often advisable to adjust the procedures a little so that the cat’s typical needs are satisfied before they become too big and the catcalls for it. For example, if your cat is always starving before feeding time, try spreading the daily amount of food over more meals than now and giving her a small portion more often. Or offer your cat an extensive action game before you sit down at the computer again for a longer period of time.
And Also
Especially if your cat marks with large amounts of urine, please check the litter box conditions (see first aid for uncleanliness). Maybe your cat doesn’t like using the litter boxes that are offered, leading to a full bladder more often. Or maybe she even gets into strong arousal that leads to marking because she has to go but “can’t” in her litter box at the moment. Conflict situations (“I want so much, but I dare/can’t!”) easily trigger skipping actions – and urine marking can be one of them, as can frantically licking the shoulder or scratching around on the carpet.
The causes of urine marking are often not easy or quick to remedy. In this respect, if your cat is marking, you will probably need a little more breath to help her. But she really needs your help in order to be able to feel completely relaxed again in her everyday life. If you cannot achieve any positive changes on your own within a few weeks, the following applies, as is so often the case: cat behavior advice can often show you and your cat shortcuts on this difficult path. This is not unimportant, because the longer a behavior is shown, the more it becomes entrenched and can become a habit. And that would really not be so nice with urine marking.
Have patience and good luck!