Vets share 5 reasons why cats spray — and tips to keep them from marking your walls and stinking up your home
- Cat spray can help mark territory and attract mates, so it's an important part of feline behavior.
- Cats may start spraying indoors if they feel stressed due to other pets or limited resources.
Do your cats like to claim patches of your home for themselves by backing up to your walls and spraying them with their signature scent?
Spraying can be useful for cats, even if it's a smelly nuisance for you – spray is a form of urine marking that helps your cat communicate with other felines.
It isn't the same as regular urine, since the urine your cat releases while spraying has extra communication chemicals. These chemicals contain key information about your kitty — like what territory belongs to them and how long they've lived there.
If you have a sprayer (or two) on your hands, don't despair. Read on for five reasons why spraying happens, along with tips to stop this behavior — and keep your walls and possessions clean and dry.
How to tell if your cat is spraying or urinating
"You can tell the difference between spraying and regular urination by observing the behavior itself or by looking at the pattern of urine left behind," says Joey Lusvardi, certified cat behavior consultant and founder of Class Act Cats.
Signs that might help you identify spraying include:
- The amount of urine left: When your cat sprays, they usually don't fully empty their bladder. So, the amount of urine they leave behind will typically be smaller.
- The way your cat pees: Cats generally squat down to urinate. But a spraying cat will back up toward a surface and pee with their tail standing up. Their tail may also quiver.
- The location where your cat pees: If you don't catch your cat in the act, you'll generally find the spray on vertical surfaces instead of in a puddle on the floor. If you can smell urine but can't see it, a black light could help illuminate any problem spots.
- The smell of your cat's urine: Speaking of odor, spray has a pungent odor that helps distinguish it from regular urine — lucky for you.
The driving force behind spraying is a bit more complicated. But cats often spray for sexual, behavioral, or medical reasons. Your cat might be spraying because:
1. They're trying to attract a mate
The chemicals in spray urine contain information about your cat's reproductive availability.
To put it simply, intact cats — aka cats who haven't been spayed or neutered — often spray to let other cats know they're ready to mingle.
Both intact males and females can spray to attract mates, though males are the most common culprits.
According to Lusvardi, cats that spray for reproductive reasons might do it more often during the "breeding season" — when female cats go into heat.
Breeding season can vary based on where you live, but it typically occurs in the warmer months. Keep in mind, too, that cats can go into heat multiple times per year, especially if they live in a warm indoor environment.
What to do next: Spaying or neutering can stop spraying in 90% of male cats and 95% of female cats. So, if you've recently adopted an intact cat, getting them fixed could help prevent spraying altogether.
2. They don't want to share with another cat
Spraying doesn't always mean your cat wants to attract a companion. In fact, it often means the opposite.
If you recently introduced another cat to the house, your cat might not like sharing their resources with someone new — and they might start spraying to mark their territory.
"Think of cats like children: While they are certainly capable of sharing, they often just don't want to — even with close friends," says Beth Brown, certified cat behavior consultant and owner of Ear to Tail.
Other signs your cat feels stressed around your new addition include:
- Hissing and growling
- Chasing
- Blocking the other cat from entering spaces
What to do next: Try giving each of your cats their own set of resources in different locations around the house, so they don't have to share. That includes separate:
3. A neighbor or stray cat stresses them out
Even if your cat is an "only child," they might still spray to mark their territory.
Strange cats hanging out in your yard might trigger your cat to spray — particularly if the other cat is an intact male or a female in heat, Lusvardi says.
Your cat might spray at entry points to their territory, like doors and windows, to send a message to other cats passing by.
What to do next: You could try restricting your cat's access to areas where they usually spray.
For example, if your cat mainly sprays near your bedroom window where they can see your neighbor's cat hanging out, try keeping the bedroom door closed, so they can't smell or see the other cat in the first place.
If that doesn't work, you can try safe cat deterrents to keep trespassers out of your yard. Since cats have sensitive noses, scattering or spraying substances with strong scents could help keep them away. Examples include:
- Cat repellent sprays made with coyote or fox urine
- Orange or lemon peels
- Coffee grounds
- Vinegar
- Certain herbs, like lemongrass or rue
4. Their litter box is too small
If your cat mainly pees near walls or surfaces close to their litter box, the problem might not be a behavioral issue, but one with their box.
According to Brown, some cats may accidentally urinate on walls or surfaces close to their litter box if it's too small for them. But if you discover the urine on a vertical surface instead of a puddle on the floor, you might mistake it for spray.
What to do next: To avoid potential bathroom accidents, Brown recommends choosing a litter box that's at least one and a half times the length of your cat.
That said, urinating outside the box can also point to a medical issue — so if a new box doesn't solve the problem, you might want to make a vet appointment.
5. They have a medical condition
No specific medical issues directly cause spraying, but a health problem could make your cat feel anxious — and cats sometimes spray when they're stressed.
Conditions that researchers commonly associate with spraying include:
- Urinary tract infections
- Kidney issues
- Endocrine disorders
What to do next: If your cat suddenly starts spraying, a trip to the vet could uncover any underlying issues stressing your cat out.
Beyond spraying, other behavioral changes to pay attention to include:
- Acting withdrawn or hiding more than usual
- Increased aggression
- Weight gain or loss
- Loose stools
- Change in grooming habits
If your cat has a medical problem, you'll need to address that first, or you probably won't notice any improvement in the spraying behavior, according to Lusvardi.
Insider's takeaway
A cat spraying inside the house doesn't just pose an odor problem — it could also mean your cat feels stressed or has an underlying medical issue.
"Cats aren't stubborn: They don't just choose to spray around your house because it amuses them. They do it because that's a form of communication they have at their disposal," Brown says.
Any time your cat suddenly changes their behavior or stops using their litter box, a good first step is a call to your vet.
Remember, too, that spaying and neutering will stop spraying 90%-95% of the time. So, getting your cat fixed promptly could help save your belongings from a pungent "shower."