Some cats can be very territorial when it comes to their litter box, and it is a completely different issue than regular litter box problems and will have to be handled differently. In order to find out whether or not your cat is being overly territorial, you will have to pay attention to the signs and your cat’s mannerisms in order to take action.
Territorial Marking
Territorial marking is classified as a separate issue altogether from other litter box problems, but it can still be a problem for you since your cat will tend to mark on different surfaces other than in their own litter box.
Territorial marking is a cat’s way of communicating that they have claimed a space for themselves and that other cats should stay away, which is the reason behind the difference in smell from their regular urine. They may do that because of issues they may have with other cats around them and they will act differently than they would if this was a result of regular litter box problems.
Identifying Territorial Marking
There are plenty of ways to distinguish between territorial marking or regular litter box problems. Cats that are marking territory will usually spray upright on an object or surface area with their tails upright and twitching.
The smell of the urine used in territorial marking tends to smell a bit worse than regular urine, but your cat will also still be using their large litter box regularly, says Petsho.com journalist. Once you are able to identify whether or not your cat is marking for territorial purposes, there are many solutions you can take to prevent them from continuing these actions.
Solutions
One of the biggest solutions to prevent your cat from marking is to spay or neuter them. The chances of them marking territorially or for the purpose of attracting mates will greatly decrease.
Furthermore, you can take extra precautions to keep other neighborhood cats away from your house so your cat will not feel like it is being threatened. Setting up fences or sprinklers, or shutting the windows, blinds, and doors will keep other cats far away and will also prevent your cat from seeing other cats that they may have issues with.
If you have multiple cats, you may want to keep their litter boxes in separate areas of the house depending on where each cat feels the most comfortable in order to prevent conflicts from occurring between your own cats. Make sure that you have one litter box for each cat in your house, also have an extra litter box just in case as a general rule of thumb.
If your cat marks for territorial reasons that are stress related, find different ways to help relieve their stress. You can play with them or you can set up a diffuser to help make your cat feel more comfortable in its own environment. If your cat feels threatened by other cats or in your neighborhood, the diffuser will work wonders to help your cat become less stressed.
Conclusion
Noticing the difference between territorial marking and regular litter box issues early on can be beneficial. Help your cat feel more comfortable in their environment so they will feel less of a need to spray.
