How to wean a cat to mark territory?

Pets should not be punished for such behavior. Animals are not able to understand why this innate instinct causes a negative reaction in the owners.

Castration

Castration can be a rational solution to the problem. After a decrease in the level of sex hormones in the blood, the search for a partner becomes irrelevant for the cat. This leads to a decrease in anxiety and anxiety, and territorial behavior is also less common. But if castration is performed on an adult cat, then he may not stop marking his territory.

Therefore, if you decide that you will castrate a cat, then it is better to do this at an early age, but not earlier than at 6 months. Up to six months, such an operation is dangerous, since not all internal organs have formed and taken the correct position. The optimal age for castration is 8-10 months.

Alternative Methods

Although castration is an effective method, it is not suitable for everyone. This procedure may be contraindicated for a cat for health reasons, and besides, it is not suitable for breeding cats. In such a situation, it is worth trying alternative methods of education. This requires an understanding by the owner of the psychology of the animal.

In the natural habitat, not all cats can mark the territory, but only the main ones in the pride. The rest remains to live in the area of ​​the leader. The owners usually demonstrate the behavior of a creature lower in the hierarchy: they pamper the cat, feed it on demand, take care of it.

To prevent the appearance of new marks, you need to show the pet who is in charge in the house.

This can be done in a few steps:

• Create your own placemarks. To do this, spread around the house items of clothing that have been saturated with your smell or cologne;
• If you see that the cat intends to mark the territory, you need to lift it by the collar and make a hissing sound, and then flick it in the face with your fingertips. Do it gently, the main goal in your case is to intimidate the animal;
• If the cat has already marked the territory, you need to thoroughly clean it and kill his mark by marking this place yourself. Spray the cat’s mark with your own perfume, cologne, or put an item with the same strong smell.

When raising a cat in this way from an early age, most likely he will not mark in the house, as he recognizes that the owner is in charge in this house.

Why Not All Methods Work

Folk remedies for combating labels, information about which can be found on the Internet, do not always work. It is often recommended to use lemon juice to interrupt the smell, laying out the foil where the cat often marks. All this does not work, because the cat does not have a goal to mark a specific point in the apartment, he is interested in the whole room. If the usual corner has become inaccessible to the animal, it will simply choose another place for its purpose.

What to do if castration was ineffective?

Sometimes adult cats after castration may continue to mark the territory. If the pet is already accustomed to such behavior, the operation may be pointless. It is quite difficult to deal with this: a habit that has developed over the years is not easy to eradicate.

If the castration was carried out on time, then external factors may serve as the causes of the appearance of marks. For example, fear, boredom, anxiety or jealousy. Pay attention to the emotional state of the cat.

If castration is carried out, external factors are minimized, and the cat continues to mark the territory, you should contact your veterinarian. Additional expert advice in such a situation will not hurt.

11 2017 June

Updated: 19 May 2022