It's a stressful time for owners when their cats are inappropriately toileting in the home. It's upsetting to find your cat has eliminated on your stuff. It's disappointing, it stinks and if not cleaned appropriately, the cat will continue to use that area. had found their cats spraying on their clothes furniture, electric appliances e.g. Play-stations, computers or laptops, or even worse the toaster! Very dangerous as electric don't mix well with liquid, computers will cost a lot to fix or replace. This isn't good for the owners health, they can become very ill with Zoonotic diseases [BSAVA, CH11, P119,2012} which can be fatal to infants or elderly with low immune systems. The ammonia can cause damage to furniture, carpets, door ways, floor boards and skirting. Owners could end up spending a fortune on replacing furniture and flooring.(BSAVA, CH11, P119, 2012) Owners can get overwhelmed with stress and shout at the cat or punish it. But this just makes things worse. The cat could start to use other areas that are hidden away such as, under the bed, behind furniture, in plants and behind doors or in cupboards. Sometimes in the bath or sink. So its best to never punish your cat or the problem will get worse. The cat won't be able to trust the owner and will become afraid of them. The cat will suffer with anxiety causing them to spray more, stress will decrease cats immune system, which can lead to illness such as urine tract infection.(BSAVA, ch11, p119, 2012) There could be a good reasons why the cats are marking in the house such as; a conflict between household cats, a disruption of routine or the sight of neighborhood cats. Or what could be contributing factor to aversion of the litter tray? Is the cat avoiding the litter tray due to; poor litter tray hygiene, the size of litter tray, the substrate used and how many litter trays are there? Also how old is your cat? If they are over 8 years considered a senior, it may be possible they are experiencing cognitive dysfunction syndrome, a neurodegenerative disorder (Bsava,ch12,p131)(BSAVA,ch11,p120) Marking is considered a normal way for cats to communicate males to females. Its not just male cats that spray, female cats have been known to do this as well.(BSAVA, ch11, p120-121) Another method cats use to communicate using scent is scratching furniture, skirting, flooring carpet and stairs. If you think stress is a contributor to the inappropriate toileting pheromone therapy can be useful. Feliway is a synthetic analogue of the feline facial hormone, that aids finding there way in different places, enhancing inter-cat relations and stabilizing emotions. It has been known to reduce spraying but if you find it don't work, then you may need a behaviorist.(Bsava, ch11, p122) I am happy to help with any advice or book your cat in for a consultation and we can work to improve your cats welfare to put a end to cats house soiling. You can contact me on 07585047131 or email me on [email protected]. I can cover South west of the UK, or you may be able to find a local behaviorist in your area.
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