Is Your Cat Marking Its Territory
Or Just Going Pee-Happy?

By Teri Champigny

Cats making their mark with urine is a behavior that is practiced by confident cats as well as cats that are a bit insecure. And it is not just a matter of “marking their turf” either. In fact, it is a form of communication between cats. The reasons for urine-marking can vary. It could be a territorial marking, a display of aggressive behavior, a response to threat, an sexual calling, or just simply a sign of being uncertain or scared.

If you are worried that your cat is spraying too much – please don't be. Spraying is a very normal aspect of cat-life, especially where cats roam free.  It is not such bad behavior, as some cat owners may be quick to think. The cat who sprays is not doing so to be spiteful to its owner or for any other deliberate reason. He is just being a cat. Remember, they are animals of nature after all. When your cat makes a spray, he is just having a reaction to a situation in the way that cats do.

When A Cat Urinates All Over The House, Is That The Same As Spraying?

The answer to that question is “no”. They are not the same. Cat spraying is quite different than urinating indiscriminately. As a cat owner, it is vital that you know the difference. Cats that are simply going pee everywhere they are not supposed to (usually on horizontal surfaces) is one that just has a behavioral problem that may be linked to litter-box rejection or may actually have a urinary tract infection. It may be the result of a social problem, especially if you have other cats in the household and your pee-happy cat is afraid to approach the litter-box.

On the other hand, cat spraying is usually commenced onto vertical objects which is a sign of communication, as well as marking territory. And the position for spraying is different than when a cat pees. When he is spraying, he will remain standing, as opposed to using the normal “squat” position when urinating. The cat will back up to the area he wants to mark, the tail will start to quiver, and his front paws will knead the ground in front of him. Then all of a sudden he will spray urine vertically at the target area. His aim is to go as high as possible on the object.

Cat spraying is not just limited to vertical objects and areas. They may also spray vertical areas as well, such as couches, area rugs, beds, etc. To find out of this is a marking problem, your job is to detect if the urine is in a streamlined spray or puddle. If it is a puddle then you know your cat has a urination problem. However, if there appears to be a line of urine then you definitely have a feline trying to make his mark, for whatever reason that may be.