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. Cats have evolved as solitary hunters, and therefore, cats frequently prefer to eat out of sight of the other cats in the home. In a multi-cat home, placing small bowls in different areas of the house can decrease stress associated with eating, decrease competition for resources, and thus, limit urine marking 17 . Additionally, these bowls should be located in quiet areas, away from loud appliances that may disturb the cat while eating. Some timid or anxious cats may benefit from staying in a small, quiet area where they can take a break from the other pets in the home. Giving the cat four to six hours Consider drug therapy Although it is important for clients to realize that medications are not a cure-all and they are only intended as an adjunct to the other therapies described, psychotropic drugs can prove beneficial in the management of feline
per day in this quiet isolated area (complete with food and water bowls, a litterbox, resting places, and one- on-one interaction with the owner) can alleviate anxiety in many timid or anxious cats 14 . Some cats may even respond well to a free-access crate, which they can retreat to for privacy 17 . Other pets can be kept out of these ‘safe havens’ using a variety of methods. For example, owners can use a baby gate at the entrance to a room to keep dogs out while allowing cats to jump over the gate, or an electronic cat door can be used to limit access to one specific cat 17 . Urine marking can be triggered by the presence of outdoor cats that are visible from within the home, or that are otherwise interacting with the indoor cats (due to the indoor cats being allowed occasional outdoor access, the presence of cat door, etc.). In these cases, the owner’s primary goal is to decrease awareness of these outdoor cats as much as possible. First, owners should make efforts to keep these cats from coming onto the property. This may require the use of motion detectors or cat repellant sprays, but sometimes can be as simple as a client ceasing to feed stray cats in the yard. Clients should also ensure that garbage cans are kept secure; this can be another item that attracts cats into the area 8 . Finally, the owner must limit their cat’s ability to visualize outdoor cats that may still wander onto the property. Windows can be blocked using blinds or drapes. Resources such as food, water, and litterboxes should not be placed within sight of windows; resting areas should be placed away from windows, or at windows overlooking a location free of outdoor cats 15 . Environmental enrichment can provide significant benefits in the management of urine marking, by providing outlets for play and energy release, which help to decrease anxiety. Veterinary professionals should encourage owners to play with their cats regularly, using fishing-rod style toys and other play options as preferred by their cat 15 . Owners may also be able to provide a window perch, if the presence of outdoor cats is not a factor contributing to urine marking, or play cat-friendly DVDs on the television 17 . Three-dimensional surfaces, such as climbing toys and ladders, can increase the complexity of the environment and provide significant enrichment for cats. Free-range cats will typically roam large distances in the course of their normal social interactions, so owners must make efforts to recreate this stimulating environment within the home. One easy and effective means of providing environmental enrichment for cats is changing the method of feeding. Clients can use puzzle feeders to deliver small amounts of food or hide small amounts of food around the home (ideally on elevated surfaces, such as a bookcase) in order to promote normal foraging behavior and provide an outlet for play and activity 18 . When managing cases of urine marking, it is important that owners refrain from using any sort of punishment 8 . Some individuals advocate the use of cat repellants or “booby traps” to keep cats away from areas where they have marked, but these methods often encourage the cat to seek out another area of the home for marking. Additionally, the increased stress and anxiety that is triggered by these aversive methods can sometimes lead to worsening of the urine marking, or to new behavioral problems in the cat (such as over grooming, FLUTD, intercat aggression, etc.) 15 . For these reasons, owners should avoid aversive methods of managing urine marking.
marking. A number of drugs are available for use in these cases. A recent meta-analysis 12 collected data from ten previous studies that examined the use of Feliway™, clomipramine,
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Book Code: VFL1526
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