If your cat is emptying their bladder, they're peeing. If, however, they're using small amounts of urine to deposit their scent, they're spraying (also referred to as marking).
Pee from a cat who is eliminating improperly will smell like cat pee. A spraying cat, on the other hand, will often release urine that smells very pungent (especially if the cat isn't neutered) because it contains some extra scent chemicals. There are some overlaps between spraying and improper elimination.
Cats urinate by squatting onto a horizontal surface; spraying occurs standing up. The cat makes a treading motion with her back feet and quivers her tail, leaving her scent mark on a vertical surface. If your cat has begun urinating outside of her litter box, be sure that the box is regularly cleaned.
Approximately 10% of all cats eliminate outside their litter box at some point in their lives. However, urinating outside the litter box and spraying are not the same. Urinating typically occurs on the floor, while spraying happens when your cat is standing up and urinating on something vertically.
When spraying, a cat usually backs up to a vertical object like the side of a chair, a wall or a stereo speaker, stands with his body erect and his tail extended straight up in the air, and sprays urine onto the surface. Often his tail and sometimes his entire body twitch while he's spraying.
A cat that's spraying will have their tail straight up in the air and project their rear toward the target. The tail may shake or quiver. A cat that's spraying will usually only mark with urine and will still use the litter box regularly. It's rare for a cat to mark with stool.
Cat spray looks and smells like urine, to a point. A well-hydrated kitty produces light yellow urine with its typical acidic odor. But because of pheromones in cat spray, it's often darker yellow and smells particularly more pungent.
Male dogs and some female dogs often lift a leg when they urine mark. Most urine marks contain only a small volume of urine. In contrast, routine urination is done to empty the bladder—we all need bathroom breaks.
Most pet cats are neutered and do not spray indoors, probably because they do not feel they need to. Spraying indoors is a sign that the cat is feeling stressed and needs to make itself feel more secure, surrounding itself by its own scent. As indoor spraying indicates that the cat feels threatened by something.
Spraying often starts around six months of age as cats reach sexual maturity. Spaying females and castrating males will reduce or stop spraying behaviour in up to 95% of cats! As a Healthy Pet Club member, your cat can benefit from 20% off neutering!
The ultra-violet rays used by black lights use the same wavelength as biological waste such as urine. When using a backlight to find cat urine spots , turn out the lights and shine the black light over all areas of the carpet. Most urine stains will produce a noticeable glow.
The there is a compound in dried cat pee that will glow a green color under a blacklight. Shine it everywhere, including on walls where cat pee may be sprayed or splattered so thin that you wouldn't have otherwise noticed it. Keep in mind that it only works on dried cat pee, though.
Look for Stains
Puddles are obvious signs a cat is peeing in a certain area, and there might be some older stains there, too. You can also use a pet urine detector, a special UV black light flashlight. Turn off the lights and make sure the room is fairly dark for best results.
Certain foods emit a smell similar to cat urine when they decompose, including fish, garlic, lima beans, asparagus, and broccoli.
Once your cat has toileted or sprayed in a certain place, their sensitive nose encourages them to use that place again. The best way to break the habit is to keep them away from the area for as long as possible and clean the area thoroughly so they can't smell any scent. Scrub this off and leave it to dry.
Cleaning the area thoroughly with vinegar first and then applying an enzyme treatment will break down and evaporate the uric acid and your home will be free of cat odors. Vinegar and enzyme cleaners work on all surfaces: hardwood floors, carpets, mattresses.
Some territorial scent marking, (i.e., spraying, urination, defecation, and sometimes scratching) can be a sign that your cat does not feel safe. Scent marking indoors is not a sign that your cat is “dirty,” but is a response to changes in emotional state and often happens when your cat feels threatened.
Cats that are experiencing health issues are more likely to urinate outside of the litter box, rather than spray. Health issues associated with not using the litter box include bladder stones, urinary tract infections, chronic kidney disease, arthritis, diabetes, cystitis, and metabolic disease.
The unmistakable pungent odor and awful urine staining associated with cat spraying is a source of angst for many pet parents. The same behavior we find frustrating is essentially a feline survival technique: cats spray to find mates, claim territory, and respond to perceived threats.
Urine marking is different than having accidents in the house. Typically, when a dog is marking it is a small amount of urine in several places. These places may be random, or they could be in a favorite spot.
For example, a cat may mark a valued object by rubbing it with her face. However some cats may go to the extreme of urinating or defecating to mark a particular area as their own. Urine-marking is not a house soiling problem, but rather a territorial behavior.
Clean soiled areas thoroughly with a cleaner specifically designed to eliminate urine odor. Make previously soiled areas inaccessible or unattractive. If this is not possible, try to change the significance of those areas to your pet. Feed, treat, and play with your pet in the areas where he marks.
Spraying is more often on vertical surfaces. You'll usually see a line of urine down the vertical surface that may puddle a bit on the floor. But cats can also mark horizontally while squatting.
Cat spray smells similar to cat pee but is stronger and more pungent. This makes sense since spraying is a form of communication, and cats want their messages to be heard. Though it smells like urine, cat owners can relax about one thing – cat spray will never smell like poop!
Effectively, cat urine odour can last forever. It's one of the most persistent smells imaginable, with a way of hanging around no matter how much you try to scrub the stain or cover up the offending smell with air fresheners or pot-pourri.