How do I get my cat to stop spraying or soiling?

There is, in fact, a difference between a cat who sprays and one who soils. We’ll outline the differences here and provide useful tips to try and correct these problems.

Spraying

Spraying involves the act of depositing various amounts of "telling" urine on strategically selected locations. The cat, male or female, backs up to the selected area, tail straight in the air and "sprays" urine on their selected target. There is almost an emotional component to the act: the entire hind end may quiver during the process and most cats are in a world of their own, totally oblivious of even frantic owners.

Spraying tends to originate from a number of potential cause and effect situations, including marking territory, jealousy, attracting other animals, warning other animals, stress or simply "making a statement".

Prevention lies in ascertaining the probable cause and eliminating it. The location of the area picked by the cat can often indicate the precipitating factor. Cats who spray on doors or window sills, for instance, are often bothered by stray visitors to their yard. They often mark the location from which the offending cat is most frequently seen.

Thorough cleaning of indoor locations with a quality enzyme based cleaner, such as SOX by Hagen, is essential. This type of product functionally removes organic material and, with it, any stimulating reminders that may otherwise linger.

Verbal admonishment, while difficult to avoid, may actually worsen the situation if some form of related personal stress is involved. When the cause of the problem is either unavoidable or cannot be determined, make a check list of possible stressful changes that may have occurred since the problem started and consult with a helpful professional.

Soiling

While soiling may start as a result of many similar issues, the act itself is far less overt and involves indiscriminate urination and defecation in locations other than the litter box. Most often, the location of the act is rather hidden, a possible indication that the cat realizes she is doing something wrong.

This common scenario is often associated with an underlying medical concern, one that is ongoing or that simply provided motivation for the first indiscretion. Many felines that experience urinary tract infections or similar problems fall into this category. Certainly these animals should be examined by a veterinarian.
When some form of personal stress is the cause, the chosen location may once again provide the clue as to the nature of the offense. Cats experiencing new humans, introduced by their prized owner will often soil on clothing or directly on the owners bed. I have even had situations where cats used the new partners slippers - no doubt about that message.

Dealing with the first issue is relatively easy. Address any medical concerns, eliminate any and all reminders with an enzyme style cleaner and use a retraining process to reestablish litter box usage. In cases that fall into this category, the cat is generally wanting to oblige and the results can be rewarding.
Scenario two is far more difficult. Determining, and where possible, correcting the initiating factors, is step one. However, when an unavoidable emotional stress is involved, such as a new partner, a new baby or a new pet, professional help may be necessary.

Dr. James Zarowny, D.V.M.