especially strange male cats 15 . Sexual spraying is a normal feline behavior, often accompanied by other sexual behaviors such as characteristic vocalization 15 . Neutering will reduce urine marking Treatment of urine marking The prognosis for urine marking depends largely upon the underlying trigger. If the trigger can be identified and addressed, such as in the case of outdoor cats approaching the home as a trigger of territorial marking, the prognosis is good. Studies have suggested that, while some cases of urine marking cannot be fully eradicated, the frequency of marking can often be significantly decreased 14 . A reduction in marking may be enough to make the situation tolerable for the owner, thus allowing a cat to keep its home and avoid being relinquished to the shelter. Managing urine marking involves a four-pronged approach. First, owners must clean soiled areas thoroughly. Next, owners should make the litterbox as appealing as possible. Third, owners should use environmental management to remove triggers for marking and decrease conflict and anxiety. Finally, veterinarians and owners should consider drug therapy as an adjunct to these other measures. Clean soiled areas thoroughly The first step in the management of any elimination problem is the thorough cleaning of all affected surfaces, in order to remove odors. The smell of urine and feces will remain present for extended periods of time and will attract elimination in these areas if aggressive cleaning is not performed. A black light can help owners locate soiled areas within the home, especially in the case of marking, where urine deposits are often very small and not easily visible. All washable items, such as bedding and soiled laundry, should be washed using hot water and bleach. Carpets should be cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner (some behaviorists recommend a product called Zero Odor Pet ™ 4 ), and tile/ wood surfaces should be cleaned aggressively with appropriate cleaners. In homes with a long-standing issue, carpets and carpet padding should be removed and the subfloor should be sealed; tile floors may also need to be replaced in these cases. Concrete flooring and walls, such as on patios or in a garage, can be sealed or painted over 1 . The importance of thorough cleaning cannot be overstated, and clients should understand the importance of this step. Additionally, the cat’s access to previously sprayed areas should be limited. Owners can accomplish this through the use of physical barriers, such as closed doors, or through the use of creative means such as moving furniture or placing bowls of potpourri near previously soiled areas 14 . Owners may also wish to change the function of the marking area, by adding food and water bowls, beds for sleeping, catnip, or a scratching post 8 . All of these measures are designed to break the habit of urine marking and discourage further marking in these areas. If these measures are ineffective at preventing repeated spraying at the site, or cannot be implemented thoroughly, owners should use aluminum foil to cover and prevent access to previously marked areas. This aluminum foil should be secured with masking tape, and left in place until the elimination problem has been resolved 4 . Make the litter box appealing While an emphasis on litterbox hygiene may seem less important in urine marking than in cases of inappropriate toileting (because the cat is still using the litterbox), it does have benefits even in marking cases. In order to encourage cats to use the litterbox, the litterbox and litter should be kept clean. Litter should be scooped at least once daily, ideally twice daily (or more often in multi-cat homes). Clay litters should be emptied fully every three to four days, while clumping litters can go as long as one week between full litter changes.
by up to 90 percent in males and 95 percent in females 8, 14 , so veterinarians should always instruct clients to neuter urine- marking cats if they have not already done so.
When the litterbox is emptied, the box should be thoroughly disinfected with an ammonia-free cleaner, with care taken to ensure that no chemical scent remains on the litterbox 16 . Most cats prefer uncovered litterboxes, as a cover can trap odors and decrease the cat’s ability to survey its surrounding 17 . Some cats seem to prefer clay litter to clumping litter, so the client may want to try changing litter to see if that helps to make the litterbox more appealing 14 . Additionally, the level of litter in the box should always be kept at least 3–4 inches deep, to allow room for scratching and burial of waste 14 . In multi-cat homes, owners must provide at least one litterbox per cat and these litterboxes should be distributed throughout the home 14 . Confining the litterboxes to a single room may lead to more assertive cats ‘guarding’ the litterbox while more timid cats are anxious to enter that room; distributing litterboxes around the house promotes ease of access for all cats in the home. Reduce stress and conflict through environmental management When addressing feline marking, it can be beneficial to consider the normal territorial nature of cats. Each cat typically has its own ‘core territory,’ which it regards as its home, as well as a much larger hunting territory. Typically, cats will not perform any territorial marking within their core territory, but instead they mark at the periphery of this area 15 . In order to utilize this concept to the owner’s advantage, the owner should ensure that the cat views the entire home as their core territory. Instead of having one small room where the cat eats, eliminates, and spends much of its time, the cat should be encouraged to eat at varied stations throughout the home, have resting areas in several rooms of the home, and the cat should receive regular play in multiple areas of the home 15 . This may help to decrease marking within the home. In multi-cat homes, the owner should attempt to decrease intercat stress/conflict, in order to further reduce the likelihood of marking. Some level of conflict is often observed between cats that are not littermates 15 . If the home consists of multiple social groups of cats, it may be beneficial to give each group its own territory within the home and confine each group to their designated location, in order to decrease conflict between the cats 15 . This is impractical for many owners, however, and therefore, cases of spraying that are triggered by conflicts with other cats within the home may be difficult to resolve if the owner is not aggressively committed to making necessary management changes 8 . In multi-cat homes where all cats are housed together, owners must ensure that there are adequate resources for each cat. Owners should increase the number of feeding stations, watering bowls, resting areas, and litterboxes within the home in order to create an environment of plenty 14 ; this may help decrease both anxiety-related and territorial urine spraying. Clients should monitor their cats closely for signs of intercat aggression, including passive aggression (staring, posturing, a cat who spends much of the day hiding or goes into hiding when its aggressor is around) and active aggression (hissing, stalking, turning to the side with legs straight and hair erect) 17 . Any intercat aggression must be addressed, if noted 18 . Cats typically prefer a quiet resting place, one that is free from disruption by other cats, dogs, small children, or loud noises 17 . Soft beds or fleece blankets are preferred by many cats, ideally on elevated perches that allow the cat to feel secure and to have a vantage point from which to view the home 17 . These resting perches should be scattered around the home, in order to provide private resting areas for each cat.
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Book Code: VFL1524
EliteLearning.com/Veterinarian
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