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| Home > Cat Chat > Dealing with Common Symptoms of Feline Stress |
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It happens in the nicest of households...an accident on the carpet, and you need to figure out what to do before it happens again. This month Bogey gives us sage advice on redirecting the most common symptom of feline stress. |
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| Dealing with Common Symptoms of Feline Stress |
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You have the most perfect relationship, enjoying long evenings together, lots of love and affection and curling up to sleep
every night, and then she pees on your carpet.
While it may seem like a slap in the face, this is actually one of the more, uh, unique ways in which cats communicate.
When this happens, and for most cat owners it will at some time, don't take it as an insult, an irreversible habit or the
end of a perfect relationship, but as Tabby's way of telling you something that can't be conveyed any other way. One of
the reasons we love living with cats is that they are fastidious about their bodies and living conditions, and for them to i
ntentionally leave urine in their living space must mean that there is a problem. It's up to you now to find out what it is,
and fix it.
JUST WHAT ARE THEY DOING?
To start sorting things out, note that urinating outside the box, or house soiling, and spraying are two different activities.
Spraying is a territorial action with distinct and consistent physical habits: the cat will stand up and hold its tail straight,
twitching a little, while it releases a small stream of urine onto a vertical surface more or less 18 inches from the floor,
meant to mark a spot with its scent. House soiling is characterized by the cat actually squatting to urinate on a horizontal
surface, releasing a normal amount of urine. Both activities are behavioral responses, but spraying is almost always
done in response to a territorial challenge (even in an altered cat), while house soiling can have a variety of causes and
may take some time and effort to diagnose and resolve.
IF SPRAYING IS THE ISSUE ...
Cats spray to communicate primarily with each other, not necessarily with us. Unneutered males will spray just about
any time, but contrary to popular myth unspayed females also spray to attract males. Since they are running on hormones,
no behavioral therapy is going to change their need to communicate their desires, and the only solution is spaying and
neutering. According to H. Ellen Whitely, DVM in Tufts University's Catnip, neutering immediately stops 80% of male cats
from spraying, and lessens the behavior in another 10% over the course of several months. After neutering and spaying,
approximately 10% of males and 5% of females will still spray, but because the hormones that drive the impulse aren't
present, it can now be managed by behavior modification.
VISIT THE DOCTOR
If Tabby begins house soiling, the first and most important step is to get her a complete medical checkup. Urinary tract
problems such as blockages and infections can occur in any cat and, just as in humans, make urination painful and the
need frequent. Often cats won't be able to make it to the box or they will intentionally go in front of you to show you
what a problem it is. When the condition is especially painful, they will often choose a smooth, cool surface, such as a
sink or tub or tile floor to help ease the burning sensation. It may seem odd, but you can thank them for this-since cats
tend to hide health problems and also typically eliminate in a secluded place you may never know there is a problem,
and if a cat blocks completely the condition can be fatal.
If you live with multiple cats and can't figure out which one is the problem, short of her actually urinating in front of you,
try confining each one with a box and food and water and observe the results both in the cat you've got confined and in
the rest of the household.
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
Once you've ruled out medical problems, start looking at the litterbox itself. Cats are fastidious for instinctual reasons,
and you can't convince a cat to use a box or its contents if she feels it's not appropriate for her needs. The first rule is
to have one box for each cat in your household, plus one, and it should be scooped and washed regularly. They should
be in quiet, secluded spots and should be large enough for your largest cat. Some cats, even entire households, may
prefer to "do number one in one box, and number two in another," as one of my friends tells me.
This may be difficult in small living spaces, but try to think like a cat and accommodate the greatest number of
conditions. Consider, for instance, that a cat's sense of smell is five times greater than ours. Simply keeping it
scooped may not be enough if it's in a confined area where the smell tends to linger. A cat's hearing is much more
acute than ours as well, and a litterbox next to a furnace may be fine in the summer when the furnace doesn't run,
but come winter it may terrify Tabby if she's in the box and the furnace whooshes on.
Make sure the box itself suits her, too. Some cats like covered boxes, others feel trapped. A box with low sides may be
better, especially for an older cat, but some cats act like little backhoes, tossing litter around and need one with higher
sides. Try several different boxes and see which one is used the most frequently. We recommend the Cats Rule™
Litterboxes and Pans, which are available as covered boxes and open pans that are extra large with higher sides for
kitties who like to play in the box. The covered boxes have filters that encourage air circulation and either one will allow
even a large cat ample space to turn around and take care of things.
LITTERING
The litter itself is an issue as well, and litters come in so many varieties that you can suit almost any preference, and
can also try several at one time in different boxes. Texture on their paws while digging and ease of movement are
important to consider. Also, being fastidious, tracking pieces of litter on their paws that must be pulled out can be
irritating, and breathing dust while in the box may make the litterbox uncomfortable. We may prefer scented litters
but consider if the artificial flowery scent inspires your cat to come and dig. The Cats Rule™ Litterboxes and Pans also
come with a washable litter mat that traps litter as it falls from your cat's paws, and helps clean their paws as they
walk across it.
CLEANLINESS
The litterbox should also be washed regularly to help keep smells and perhaps even parasites from building up on
the box. Don't use an ammonia cleaner because it resembles the smell of urine and may tell your cat that this box
belongs to someone else. Scented cleaners may confuse them because the box doesn't smell like a place to eliminate,
and alternately, if they grow accustomed to the smell of that cleaner that you also use in other areas of your house, they
may associate the smell with the box and use that area as well. Plain old soap and water works best, with perhaps a
light rinse of very mild bleach water. And because cats scratch the bottom and sides, replace the box regularly so that
it always maintains a smooth, washable surface.
INSIDE THAT LITTLE TABBY HEAD
After you've worked out any possible issues with the box, the litter and its placement, you can begin to consider
behavioral possibilities. Look at the interactions among your cats, and also consider what's happening outside-cats
consider the visible outdoors to be their territory, too, even if they don't go outside. A cat visiting or perhaps spraying
your back door can induce your cat to respond in kind on the inside, and can even create a very stressful situation for
your cat because she can't confront the intruder.
Cats are sensitive to any change in their environment, and this can include a new baby or person in the household,
another new companion animal, renovation within the house, even a stressful situation among the persons in the
household or temporary construction noises out in the street.
Multiple cat households are especially prone to house soiling problems if there is at least one cat that isn't comfortable
living with other cats or with too many cats. In a multiple-cat household, one bully will often lurk near the box, knowing it
will catch another cat off-guard while it's taking care of business. Once too often and going to the box becomes a
frightening experience. I can attest that nine cats was way too many for a few of mine, and a household reduced to
seven completely eliminated the problem.
If house soiling continues despite all your efforts with household conditions, you can turn to medicinal and homeopathic
stress-relieving products.
Feliway™ Feline Behavior Modification Spray
is one of the most popular products to start with for cats who spray and house soil. It calms cats in stressful situations or
new environments, such as transport, boarding, or hospitalization and meeting new pets or people, and is clinically proven
to end urine marking within 30 days with a 95% success rate. It is a pheromone-based product that mimics the friendly
scent cats leave behind by rubbing their faces on things. This product is sprayed in the area and on the object the cat
has marked with urine (after it has been thoroughly cleaned), and if the cat returns it will encounter a non-threatening
scent which may convince it that marking territory is not necessary.
Comfort Zone™ Plug In with Feliway™
relieves stress in cats by simulating naturally occurring pheromones that calm and reassure them in stressful situations.
While the Feliway Spray product can be applied to specific areas, Comfort Zone is a plug-in and automatically emits
pheromones into the general vicinity.
Calm Down™ is a blend of flower essences given in the cat's water
or directly to the cat that works homeopathically to help the cat deal with stresses that might cause it to house soil
or act out in other ways. This is not a drug and can be used with other methods on a continual basis.
Homeopet™also offers an Anxiety remedy that functions
in the same way. Please read about these products on our site for more information on homeopathy and how it works.
Beyond these naturopathic remedies, you can also turn to your veterinarian for stronger medication. Many pharmaceuticals
used to treat depression and anxiety in humans and can be used safely and effectively in cats and dogs. Follow your
veterinarian's advice in any matter concerning pharmaceuticals.
This issue is indeed when we realize that our cats are not little humans, and it just takes a little "thinking outside the box"
to understand just what they are trying to tell us, and a little extra effort to modify the situation so that they don't feel the
need to communicate in this unique way.
Information for this article was taken from various issues of Tufts University's Catnip,
Cornell University's Catwatch, articles published by the Humane Society of the United States and various brochures
and informational handouts from shelters and veterinarians.
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