How to Prevent a Cat From Spraying Indoors

There's nothing worse than the smell of cat urine on furniture or on your clothes. What's worse, it's almost impossible to get out and it stains. Unfortunately, some cats like to spray, particularly males. There are some things you can do to attempt to prevent it or to stop it once it has started. Here's some ideas and suggestions on how to stop this particular problem.

Things You'll Need

  • Pheromone spray
  • Compounding pharmacy near you
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Instructions

    • 1

      Neuter your cat while he is still young. Male cats as they mature, naturally spray things as a way of marking their territory and to attract a mate. If you neuter your cat before he begins thinking about spraying, he will hopefully never start.

    • 2

      Do not leave papers or clutter around your house. Cats will sometimes look at the clutter as a litter box and will use it as such. For example, some cats loves plastic bags and will urinate on them any time they sees them left on the floor or the counter. Keeping a clean house or picking up after yourself can make a big difference.

    • 3

      Avoid upsetting your cat. Spraying even after being neutered is linked to a neurotic kitty and he is showing you that he is not happy by spraying your things. This is much easier said than done. Things you can try are crating him or putting him outside when you are moving furniture or making changes to your home. If you move, introduce him to his new surroundings slowly and give him a place from his old home that he can consider his until he adjusts.

    • 4

      Purchase one of the pheromone sprays purposely made for cats with psychological issues. They have ones that you can spray around the house yourself and ones that you can plug in the wall that is time released. You will barely smell them, but the pheromones are specially designed to calm your cat. Look at it as feline aroma therapy.

    • 5

      See your veterinarian if the problem persists after you've tried all of the above. She can prescribe a medication called Diazepam which is a feline version of Valium. It is supposedly effective in stopping the spraying 75 percent of the time. The only problem is, you will need to go to a compounding pharmacy to get this drug. It has to be made for you by a pharmacist. The veterinarian may also be able to prescribe other things to try and other techniques to use to effectively stop the spraying.