House soiling or marking behaviour in cats - the differences
Let’s discuss house soiling in cats. Quite often, a common behavioural challenge is cats not using their litter tray. Here is a guide to indoor toileting compared to marking which are different challenges.
Indoor toileting
A medical component always needs to be ruled out as cats can suffer diabetes and Feline lower urinary tract disease which can result in house soiling . Also the location of the litter tray needs to be considered (is it noisy, or is it too high to access – perhaps the cat has painful joints).
Behaviour of the cat
· Will sniff the area and investigate it beforehand.
· Will tend to go in one place unless it is very dirty.
Concerns about body posture and body language
· Cat cries out when they are eliminating.
· An intensely arched or flattened back when urinating can be a sign of pain or dysuria (burning sensation).
Marking behaviour
A cat can do this as a communicative tool to other cats. This can be the case of urine and faeces.
Behaviour of the cat
· While spraying the cat will paddle their feet up and down.
· Will back up to the location and spray on it.
· Their tail will be pulsating.
The urine
· May be a musty odour
· Can be a yellow and brown colour.
Location where the marking takes place
May be on items that have been bought into the home that smell unfamiliar.
Sometimes objects that get hot and then cool down can be marked on (sometimes feliway plug in’s).
How to clean
Urine can be hard to clean on wooden surfaces so these areas can be covered.
The smell of urine can encourage a cat to go in the same place again so a deep clean of these areas is recommended.
A biological cleaner that does NOT smell of citrus, smell strongly or of bleach should be used.
It can be really distressing when a cat starts going to the bathroom in places. A full medical exam is required to rule out any overt medical condition. From here, a vet will recommend a behaviourist.
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Reference: Jon Bowen, Sarah Heath, Behaviour Problems in Small Animals, W.B. Saunders, 2005.