How to teach a cat to tag territory in the house

Common to all these situations (pain, stress, new pets) is that the cat begins to feel insecure in an area that previously seemed perfectly safe. To reinforce her confidence, she begins to tag, as if to say that this territory is still hers. In this case you should (besides the obligatory visit to the veterinarian) show the cat your love and care (but without being pushy) and distract it with games and treats. When she will understand that there is nothing to worry about, that the territory is still safe, the tags will disappear.

Why this happens

Leaving specific tags should not be confused with normal urination. In the second case, the pet has to go to the toilet in a special place (litter box), but territorial tagging is a special ritual by which a fluffy animal wants to tell you that he is the master here. As a rule, purrs choose any furniture, walls, interior or entrance door, flower pots, etc. for this purpose. Outdoor animals leave "tags" on tree trunks, bushes, plants, and fences. Do not scold a cat for bad behavior, it is guided by instincts, genetics and self-preservation mechanism.

Cats have an excellent sense of smell, and their scents can easily identify them. But it's one thing when a cat marks his territory, but what if a cat does it? It also happens, though much less often, the female cat also leaves her "business cards", marking the boundaries of her zone, stating who is the boss in the house. Animals, when under stress, seek to protect themselves from encroachment, imaginary enemies.

When do the first cat tags appear?

For the first time owners are faced with the task of how to wean the cat to tag territory in the house after six months, by this time fluffy become sexually mature. The onset of this period depends on the breed:

Manners, genetic predisposition, the home environment, the presence of other pets and other factors matter. In some cases, you may be lucky and the question of how to wean a cat from the cat's urinal and will not become relevant. If the animal is characterized by a calm temperament, puberty passes without excesses, you may not see any odor trails on the interior, doors or walls.

Why cats need to mark their territory

Tagging is a different matter altogether. As we said, this is how a cat spreads its scent to the territory it considers its own. By tagging, he marks the boundaries, as well as anything important within them. This is a way for a cat to claim its territory, to signal to itself that it is safe here, and to warn its relatives that the place is already occupied. It's like he's telling other animals: "Stop! I'll take it from here!"

Cats are territorial animals. Having and defending their own territory was probably the most important thing for them in the wild. Because if it belongs only to you, you can hunt it without encountering competition from your relatives. On it everything is familiar, you know the hiding places where you can hide in case of danger. It is safe enough (and there is food) that you can leave your offspring and raise them. In general, territory is safety, food, procreation, in other words, all the things a cat needed in the wild.

After domestication, the cat's way of life changed a lot. But the instincts remained – the same ones that make the cat claim territory and leave scent marks on it. And what territory can domestic cats consider their own? The answer is obvious – our apartments. Therefore, they are especially diligent in marking the "boundaries" – corners and the front door.

Thus, to mark the territory for a cat is quite natural, even vital. He can not without it. Does this mean that without cat urine in corners and on various objects can not do? Not at all.

How cats mark their territory.

This may come as a surprise to some, but cats can leave scent marks with more than just their urine. Cats also have scent glands (which help them leave scent marks) on their cheeks, chin, paw pads and sides. If you have a cat or a cat, almost everything in your apartment is marked by cat scent: the walls, furniture, carpets, litter box, cat bowls and toys, clothes and shoes of the owner. And so does the owner himself. Yes, the people with whom a cat lives nearby also perceive it as part of its world. That's why cats so diligently rub against their owners (that is, they actually tag them), and some also show affection to guests, as if expanding their own possessions. A kitten can tag in the following ways:

Cats mark their territory, people, and your other pets in these simple ways if they get along with them.

As you can see, the cat's scent arsenal is not limited to urine. Surrounded by its scents, a cat feels safe and comfortable. At the same time, such markings do not bother the owners in the slightest. The only exception is when a cat scratches the furniture to leave its scent on it.

How do cats mark their territory?

But, as we have already said, the cat does not necessarily need urine for this purpose. He can mark your sofa, for example, by rubbing his muzzle on it or sharpening his claws (to prevent this, you should always have a scratching post nearby). What's more, a pet can even mark its owner. That is why cats so diligently rub their owners (that is, actually tag them), and some also show affection to guests, as if expanding their own domain. A kitten can tag in the following ways:

Cats mark their territory, people and your other pets in these unpretentious ways, if they get along with them. All these ways (except scratching) do not usually annoy people, often quite the contrary. The owners probably wouldn't mind if the cat only tagged that way. Therefore, the question "how to wean the kitten to tag", in fact, turns into a task to wean him to put just urine tags. But why does he need urine at all if he can tag without it?

Why does a cat tag with urine?

Urine allows a cat to tag particularly actively and as quickly as possible. Such tags attract the most attention. If regular tags (for example, when a cat rubs its muzzle on the couch) are a kind of "tags" on things, then urine tags are neon signs. In most cases, a "regular" tag is enough for the cat. But there are two typical situations in which a cat or cat tags with urine. These are fear for their territory (the appearance of a new animal in the house or even a "neighbor" near their borders, insecurity, etc.) and a state of sexual excitement. By the way, against the background of the sexual hunt the territorial instinct is sharply aggravated as well.

Cat urine, especially during the search for a sexual partner, contains a large amount of pheromones. Labels become very persistent and odoriferous. They signal to females that they are ready to mate, attracting them to their territory, and to other males as if to say: "Don't break the boundaries, or there will be a fight".

It is useless to fight the sexual instinct. Because a cat won't go to the litter box, there's no point in putting him on the litter box or using scent repellents. And it is certainly not possible (and damaging to the owners in the first place) to punish him in such cases.

You can't wean a cat from urine urine as long as the sexual instinct is still prevalent. This is a fact. You should not fight the instinct with various hormones (like "contra sexx", "stop-intima", etc.), which suppress the sex drive. First of all, this is not very effective – the cat will soon begin to tag again, have "nocturnal concerts", etc. Secondly, qualified and responsible veterinarians do not recommend their use. Because they lead to liver problems, polycystic disease, pyometra, diabetes, cancer, etc. They inevitably affect all systems of the body and in the literal sense gradually kill the cat.

And certainly you should not fight the tags by letting the cat go for a walk and satisfy his sexual instinct. Do not think that it will be necessary to do this once or twice a year. Cats are capable of being in a state of sexual arousal all year round. Your pet will be constantly demanding to be let outside, and if you prevent it, he will start tagging. And if you constantly let him out, sooner or later he just won't come back. But before it will make kittens, which will join the army of homeless and will soon die agonizingly on the streets.

How to deal with cat tags?

Poke your nose at the tag and scold.

This method rarely works. A cat can't read minds and understand human speech. He may easily decide that you don't like him pooping here enough, which may lead to more tags, or he may be afraid to defecate more in front of you, which will cause him to start tagging in private places.

Mating

Some owners think the solution to the tagging problem is mating. Sure, that's one reason for the problem, but it's not the only one. The cat, once he gets a mate, will decide that the tags attract cats and the behavior will take hold. Not a workable method from the word go.

Scaring the cat away from the tagging area with a scent

There are cat owners who scare cats away from the marking area with special remedies, lemon or orange peels and other devices. The smell can really scare the cat away, but the cat will just change the marking place. The method works, but is pointless

If you decide to use smell to fight the tags, however, by no means use bleach to do so. Cats like the smell very much, and they can lick the place where the smell comes from for a long time. This can lead to poisoning or even death of the animal.

Castration

The most effective way to get rid of tags is castration. After neutering, the cat's hormonal background changes. After this change, the cat no longer wants to mark its territory, except when the cat is stressed. In such cases a neutered cat can also poop somewhere.

Medicines

A more humane method is to use medicines which alter the hormones in the body so that the cat stops shitting. Sometimes they are effective and other times they are not. Such medications can really help you, but they are only effective for some time, which means you have to take them more than once. You can choose neutering and solve the problem once and for all, or you can buy remedies, which can be considered a more humane way. It is up to you to decide.

What should I do if the cat still poops?

Most likely it is already a problem with the kidneys (urolithiasis) or the litter box.

If the cat does not like the litter box, you should change the litter. Most often it is the reason for refusal of the litter box.

If this does not help, then it is most likely urolithiasis. There are the following signs of this disease:

Even in the early stages of the disease, it is better not to try to be a veterinarian (unless, of course, you yourself are a veterinarian by profession) and treat the animal yourself. You can only make things worse by doing so. Go straight to the veterinarian. He will be able to diagnose the disease and prescribe treatment.

Also remember that once the disease is diagnosed, your pet will not live as before. For example, if your pet eats dry food, then you almost certainly have to change it, otherwise your pet will not last long.

How do cats mark their territory?

We are sure that you can easily find on the World Wide Web tips on how to teach a cat to tag territory and what to do if the cat is tagging territory. With the second problem the shelter "Murkosha" is always ready to help. For example, on our website you can read an article about what to do if the cat walks past the litter box. We also answer the questions of our subscribers in social networks. Shelter volunteers have learned much about the behavior of cats and cats, and are ready to share their knowledge.

And how do you teach a cat to tag territory? You can't. However, it should be noted that we are not talking about puddles of urine in your apartment. With them all just enough simple, and further in this article, we will suggest some good solutions. Why then can't a cat stop shitting altogether? The fact is that cats and cats mark their territory in different ways.

What is part of a cat's or cat's understanding of territory?
Of course, first of all, it is the physical space and the various objects in it. That is, your apartment, furniture, walls, bowls, toys and cat tray, clothes and shoes of the owner. In fact, you and other family members are also perceived by the cat as part of his world. This is why cats are so zealous in rubbing up against their owners (i.e. actually tagging them) and why some also show affection to their guests, as if to expand their own domain. Cats can tag in the following ways:

Cats tag their territory, people, and your other pets in these simple ways if they get along with them.

How does a cat mark his territory?
By smell, of course. A cat leaves its own distinctive scent on all its surroundings. It does this by secretions of scent glands on its cheeks, chin and around the eyes, as well as on its paws, sides and anal region under its tail. Indeed, contrary to popular belief, the cat's scent arsenal is not limited to urine.

Humans, due to their poor sense of smell, are unable to recognize most of the aromatic signals a cat leaves behind. But for cats and cats, odors are of the utmost importance, as they are for many other animals. Cats use tags similar to boundary lines, road markings, bulletin boards and social media posts combined.

Why a cat tags territory

There is a popular belief that only cats can tag the corners of walls, doors or furniture, while females are not observed such unforgivable behavior. But it's not true, sometimes even a cat tags like a cat. A female cat usually approaches some vertical surface with her heel, lifts up her tail, shakes it, and releases several urine jets. And she does not just pee (females do it in the sitting position), so the whiskered prankster puts her "trademark" mark on the surface that interests her. In this article we will examine why the cat marks the territory, as well as find out how to combat such behavior.

In fairness, cats mark territory much less often than cats. But the owner of a female cat that marks his home, it does not help. And to begin with we need to understand why in general the pet suddenly begins to leave urine marks here and there. Let's list six main reasons:

1. Attempts to urge the male during heat.. In most cases when the cat is in heat it tags the front door. They do this to alert a potential mating partner that they are ready to mate;
2. Fighting for territory with other cats or cats that also live in the apartment. Many pets have a strong dominant character, they are not willing to give up any piece of personal space to other tails. With tags, the cat leaves a unique smell of its own urine on furniture (bed, chair, couch, etc.), doors or walls, which lets other animals know that this place is already occupied;
3. Moving into a new home. The smell in their own home seems familiar to the cat, but in someone else's home the pets feel uncomfortable, as it is literally all impregnated with foreign scents. There is nothing surprising that a cat can start tagging in the new apartment or in the new house to spread there the smell of its own excrement. Cats can, by the way, also tag in their own home after a renovation, when the new wallpaper, floor, carpets or furniture give off an unfamiliar odor;
4. Stress. It also happens that a cat will tag the corners or doors when its emotional state is unstable. What are the causes of stress in cats? There are many of them: abrupt transfer to a new food, change of owner, moving, repairs, a new family member in the house, illness, constant fear of someone or something. When stressed, the cat sweeps, suffers from spikes in blood pressure, changes in appetite (from complete refusal to irrepressible gluttony), screams loudly or lies idly in a dark corner, begins to excessively care for the coat (literally licks the coat to bald spots, gnaws itself, even if there are no parasites). In some cases, animals have urinary incontinence, diarrhea or constipation;
5. Boredom and loneliness.. Sometimes a cat tags its apartment if it does not want to socialize and play with its owner. In this case, leaving tags is a peculiar way to draw attention to the adored owner;
6. Revenge. Cats are nice animals, but many of them are quite vindictive. They can easily take revenge on the owner for something (for example, for shouting, cursing, or kicking the boot on the bottom). In such situations, not only doors or walls, but also the owner's personal belongings (his pillow, clothes or shoes, bag, etc.) can be tagged.

How to deal with cat tags

So, now there is no doubt whether cats mark territory like cats. But what to do the owner, whose Murka leaves urine stains in the apartment? You can try to act like this:

• A cat for marking should always be scolded, but only on hot footsteps. You can even lift your pet and look sternly into her eyes. One should not beat the cat, because physical punishment can only make the situation worse (the cat will tag when the owner is not home). But it is possible and necessary to bring the cat with your muzzle close to the urine leak. Let it know what the owner is unhappy about;
• Sometimes scaring it off is the best way to teach your cat to pee. Whenever the animal gets into a characteristic pose and shakes its tail, it can be sprinkled with water from a sprayer. The cat is unlikely to like such a "shower. But let's specify that such a punishment may be of some use if you spray the cat directly at the moment of tagging;
• Noise effects can also be used as a deterrent. So, at the moment "x", when the cat will raise its tail to make a mark, you can whistle loudly, ring a bell or squeeze a child's squeak toy several times with force;
• As a rule, cats sprinkle urine on certain places in the apartment Cats usually sprinkle urine on certain places in the apartment (they mark the door, corners of rooms, sofas, etc.). It is advisable to periodically treat all surfaces that suffer from cat urine with substances with pungent odors. Almost all cats cannot stand the smell of vinegar, alcohol, perfume or cologne, citrus (you can use lemon, orange, grapefruit or other citrus essential oil). Near the problem area, you can place small bowls with aromatic red or black ground pepper;
• Special products are sold in pet stores and drugstoresthat help correct feline behavior in the area of territory marking. Such products include, for example, Natures Miracle No More Spray or Apicenna Smart Spray Protecting Places Not Designed for Toilet;
• Sometimes the owner himself can teach a cat to make tags without any improvised means. It is important to treat your pet with patience and affection, to play with it regularly, to monitor its health, cleanliness of bowls, litter box and bed. It is especially important to pay more attention to the cat if you have a new pet or a new member of the family. Pussycat should not feel abandoned and unwanted;
• If a cat is only urinating when she is in heat there are only two ways out.Find a mating partner or have the cat spayed. After surgery most cats stop marking their territory, but there are cases when a neutered cat marks doors and corners of the apartment until its hormones are back to normal (it may take 2-4 months). But you should not use hormones for suppressing sexual activity. These drugs have a bunch of contraindications and side effects (one of them – the development of cancer);
• If the owner does not plan to have the cat sterilizedIf the owner is not going to spay or neuter his cat, you can put on absorbent diapers (such as brand "Neoomutsu", "Cliny", etc.) during the heat. They will not allow the pet to urinate;
• If a cat urinates after neuteringIf a cat urinates after neutering, although the operation was carried out long ago, it is likely that the cat's emotional state is not good. In such situations, sedatives (Cot Baiun, Fitex, Stop-Stress, Feliway) can help. But it is better to give such preparations to the animal after agreeing with the veterinarian.

Why do pets mark the territory

Many owners of purrs, catching their pet at the place of "accident", act according to a primitive scheme: if there is a "crime", there must be a punishment. And this punishment is sometimes takes quite severe forms, forgetting that such behavior of cats is caused by natural instincts. Recall that an instinct is an innate, that is, inherited from ancestors, a tendency to certain behavior in certain circumstances.

The most important for cats are, in particular, the instinct of reproduction and territorial. And when your pet is tagging corners, a sweater or all the textbooks, he is acting according to one of these two instincts or a combination of them, and not out of revenge. It's important to remember that "weaning a cat from tagging in the house" literally means making adjustments to his instincts.

It is also very important to be able to accurately distinguish when your Fluffy or Murky is marking something and when he is just going to the toilet in the wrong place. In the latter case, the animal takes a sitting position and emits relatively large quantities of liquid. By the way, the cause of such "mischief" can be not only forgetfulness or protest, but also problems with the genitourinary system. For example, the disease cystitis, urolithiasis.

A cat flags its territory in a different way: it turns its back to the wall or another vertical surface, lifts its tail and produces a small amount of urine mixed with strong and unpleasant smelling substances. The tail twitches characteristically at this time. However, this is not the only way to tag. Cat urine is also excreted when purr-fectly scratching an armchair or sofa, from his paw pads.

Causes of cat excrement

The most common reason a cat sweeps is because it needs and is looking for a "bride." Depending on the breed, domestic Murzys reach puberty at five to eight months. And if at that time there is a cat ready for their courtship nearby, your pet will begin to communicate its desire to become a suitor with the help of tags. But this is far from the only reason for such undesirable behavior. Let's consider them all in more detail.

How to get rid of the habit?

How to wean a cat from marking the territory in the apartment? There are many methods, but you should use them only if you know for sure the cause of the unpleasant smell. It is better to take measures immediately at the scene of the "crime", when he may have an associative link between the "offense" and your negative reaction to it. Let's name a few such methods.

Show him that you are the "leader.

Take advantage of your pet's love of hierarchy – show that you are the "leader" in the house, not him. But in feline language, not human language. To do this, take him by the scruff of the neck and angrily (this is important!), looking him in the eyes, say "hiss-h-h!", imitating the cat's hiss in a moment of anger. At the same time, do not painfully tap him or her on the muzzle, imitating the blows with your paws. If the tagger averts his eyes to the side and squeals, you have won.

When the cats begin to sweep, you can demonstrate their dominance by using your scents, for example, spraying perfume in all corners or rubbing all the "malicious" places with a slice of lemon or other citrus fruit. Besides lemon, it can be special products bought at a pet store.

Neutering or spaying

Neutering or spaying helps to minimize the breeding instinct or get rid of it completely. Statistically, 80 per cent of pups stop their marking immediately after the operation, and about 10 per cent a little later.

In rare cases, doing castration is not enough, and we have to resort to pharmacological means, which contain the female sex hormone progestin in combination with tranquilizers. But this method we as well as veterinarians do not advise to use.

How I weaned a cat in one day. "tagging" in the apartment (the animal was not harmed)

I will try to be brief. Any questions, I will answer in the comments.
The cat for objective reasons late neutered – almost five years. The vet surgeon said that the habit of leaving urine marks is likely to remain. But it became much worse (I will not describe it, sorry).The cat did not want to give in the village. We became friends.

The kids shared at this time a video from YouTube about "The Lion Man" (there are millions of views if you haven't seen it). And I suddenly realized that the cat is not fundamentally different from the lion, and therefore the same techniques can be applied.
The second postulate I adopted was that the cat does not mark its territory, but declares its desire to seize mine.
You can't punish for urine tags – in the animal world, they're just signals that the boy has grown up. And you can and should only be punished for two things: openly attacking and being in "my" territory.
I made places under the couches where the cat could hide from me and closed one room from the cat (claimed my right to territory).Naturally, the main goal for the cat was to get into this room and as soon as he "skipped" there, I took off my slipper lifted it over the cat and commanded: "L-L-L-L-L!"(The lion-man used "not allowed", I think the "L" is important). The cat, naturally, stood there and wondered. Then I lightly. slapped the cat on the back with my slipper and repeated the command again. The cat started running away and trying to hide, and I followed him with my slipper up and periodically commanded. The cat was enough for a couple of minutes, after which he really lay down on his stomach and looked away. I took my slipper away and put the back of my hand to the cat's face (cat people know this gesture of greeting – like a lady to a gentleman for a kiss "in the old clay days")). The cat licked his palm – swore allegiance. That was it. Immediately it worked like a click. For six months, not once has not swallowed.
Disadvantages :
1. I feed the cat only myself, twice a day. My wife only plays.
2. You have to keep track and understand that this is not once and for all, and the cat will periodically check you for compliance with the position. Grab the back of the leg with his paws, lightly bite his big toe, for example. You can not let that go! I take off my slipper and command: "Get down! The cat lies down, I hold out my hand for the "oath of allegiance. No need to spank. Conflict over.
3. As soon as I get sick and weak, the cat always! will try to attack and there is no need to relax. But when I was very sick and I couldn't get up for two days, he lay down nearby and was obviously sad. He came over, sniffed, and even licked me a couple of times. I can't explain it to myself from an animal point of view.
Advantages:
1. Everything works like clockwork. Feeding is at seven, so at six a weighty unrelenting "alarm clock" will be bouncing on me. After work, the cat should definitely be petted for a few minutes and played with before going to bed.
2. The cat lies at my feet when I watch a movie. He gets under my feet in the kitchen when he asks for supper before it's time and sleeps on a chair nearby. Doesn't look battered, but rather contented with life. Not naughty, fixes the primus…)
That's it. Thank you for your attention.

Reasons for the tags.

Before we begin to correct the behavior and take any action, it is worth to understand the causes that encourage the pet to put tags. There are not many of them, but each of them has its own way of dealing with the phenomenon.

Cats tag territory just as often as cats. Leaving their own scent on things and surfaces is necessary for a number of reasons:

• Sexual instinct and attracting a mate. In this case, the localization of tags is mainly near the front door;
• Fighting for territory, especially if several cats live in one apartment or house. This situation is especially relevant if one or each of the animals has dominant traits. The division of the living area in this case is inevitable;
• stress. Quite a frequent cause, since the unstable state and emotional outbursts are to a variety of factors and situations;
• moving or relocation. In this case, the change of owner is not as hard on the tagging situation as the renewal of the territory. Cats marking the belonging of the living area the animal begins to assign it especially actively. The same situation is repeated after the renovation;
• a feeling of loneliness and boredom. In this way, the cat tries to draw attention to itself and demands variety and companionship;
• revenge for the behavior and actions of the owners. In this case, it is mostly the owners' belongings that suffer.

Determining the cause will be the key to understanding and further correcting the animal's behavior. With the right approach, you can try to minimize the amount of tagging.

How do I wean cats from marking their territory?

By nature, cats are considered territorial animals, they are aware of a particular home as their property and "allow" people and other creatures to settle on it. This is why rearranging rooms, having children or new pets, moving or going to the vet (leaving territory) puts cats in a state of extreme stress and depression.

Some experts recommend reducing the number of tags left by establishing human dominance in the home or apartment. They suggest demonstrating with a certain set of skills and behavior that the home represents human possession. This should not be done categorically, as it can lead to severe changes in the pet's health, mental state and behavior, which can be irreversible.

Weaning from leaving tags should be done gradually. The most commonly used methods are as follows:

1. The radical way – neutering cats and spaying cats. In this case, the main reason why cats tag is to attract a mate. Make a huge contribution to your pet's future and have this procedure done – animals live longer after neutering, have better health and show less aggression. The best period for surgery is 6-9 months of age.
2. More attention, care, play and affection, especially if the problem has worsened in the animal after neutering. The tags will disappear when the cat realizes that the area or situation that caused the excitement is not dangerous.
3. It is imperative that the cat be examined by a veterinarian. Often the cause can be a hormonal malfunction, severe pain or any illness that makes the animal uncomfortable.

To reduce the spread of scent, you can use repellent sprays that are applied to the surfaces most susceptible to the cat's attention.

A lot of love, care, attention and games aimed at awakening the cat's hunting instinct, and spaying as a radical solution can help to deal with this delicate problem.