Well, here's the issue:
We moved a couple of months ago. Got settled in pretty easily, and the cats are much happier....we were living with a couple and TWO small dogs! The yappy little kind, so they would yap and my cats would all JUMP!!! Finally got rid of them, by selling our house and moving to a smaller place where they wouldn't fit! Haha.
Anyway, my issue is that one cat - who used to LOOOVE to cuddle with me (especially in the bathroom....). He would jump up in my lap and get his belly rubbed, etc. Well, he stopped that at the other house, but now has resumed. But he's also now got a new "habit." He turns around and shakes his tail and stomps his feet, like he's "spraying" on my shower door. I try to stop him, but I can see he's not really "spraying." That is to say there's NO wet....just simulating spraying. I've used the black light, and I can not see any urine.
I don't understand it. I've never seen a cat "simulate" spraying without actually spraying. I don't want him to spray in my house, but I don't understand what this behavior is. Is he spraying or not? Or WILL he start spraying, or is this something else?
Any advice/wisdom?
Is my cat Spraying? Or not?
-
Mollycat
- VIP Cat Chatter!
- Posts: 2705
- Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2019 10:58 am
- No. of cats in household: 1
- Location: UK
Re: Is my cat Spraying? Or not?
Phantom spraying, and in the circumstances reasonable behaviour and more likely to resolve than become a problem.
Spraying is territory marking and if it starts it's usually because there is stress (ie a new house) but if it's dry it can be because the cat isn't stressed enough to real-spray just enough to go through the motions. Apparently. I don't have any direct experience of this.
And so as the house becomes home and smells are all familiar and the shower door gets accepted, the behaviour should resolve all by itself.
Only, do watch, because if it's only that one place it could mean something, either that there is some residual smell there, or that he is making an extra big statement claiming you and the bathroom as being HIS again.
Change is always a challenge for a cat, even if it's a positive one, and has to be got used to. But this doesn't sound like a worry to me, just something to watch and hopefully it will resolve by itself.
Spraying is territory marking and if it starts it's usually because there is stress (ie a new house) but if it's dry it can be because the cat isn't stressed enough to real-spray just enough to go through the motions. Apparently. I don't have any direct experience of this.
And so as the house becomes home and smells are all familiar and the shower door gets accepted, the behaviour should resolve all by itself.
Only, do watch, because if it's only that one place it could mean something, either that there is some residual smell there, or that he is making an extra big statement claiming you and the bathroom as being HIS again.
Change is always a challenge for a cat, even if it's a positive one, and has to be got used to. But this doesn't sound like a worry to me, just something to watch and hopefully it will resolve by itself.
Re: Is my cat Spraying? Or not?
Well, he did it!
My Bart really DID "spray" in my bathroom last night!
Remember, he was "acting out as if spraying," but last night, he just stood there in front of me and totally sprayed! All over my shower door and down the side of the shower! I wasn't too happy, since it happened just before i was ready for bed, and then had to take the time (at 11:30 PM) to clean everything up.
I have now taken to keeping the bathroom door shut, which I don't really want to do because it just means the cats have that much LESS space to run around and play.
I know he's just telling me that ME and everything around me is HIS PROPERTY. But spraying is nasty and messy and smelly! And I don't want him doing it. Any ideas how to prevent future incidences of this behavior?
P.S. He hasn't sprayed since I closed the door. He still comes into the bathroom with me whenever I go in. If I take a shower, he sits on the toilet seat cover and then "helps" dry me off by licking my legs and feet when I'm done. Oh, yeah, he's my baby.
But the spraying has GOT to stop!
What can I do, other than hoping that by keepng the door closed for a time, he'll "forget" about it?
My Bart really DID "spray" in my bathroom last night!
Remember, he was "acting out as if spraying," but last night, he just stood there in front of me and totally sprayed! All over my shower door and down the side of the shower! I wasn't too happy, since it happened just before i was ready for bed, and then had to take the time (at 11:30 PM) to clean everything up.
I have now taken to keeping the bathroom door shut, which I don't really want to do because it just means the cats have that much LESS space to run around and play.
I know he's just telling me that ME and everything around me is HIS PROPERTY. But spraying is nasty and messy and smelly! And I don't want him doing it. Any ideas how to prevent future incidences of this behavior?
P.S. He hasn't sprayed since I closed the door. He still comes into the bathroom with me whenever I go in. If I take a shower, he sits on the toilet seat cover and then "helps" dry me off by licking my legs and feet when I'm done. Oh, yeah, he's my baby.
But the spraying has GOT to stop!
What can I do, other than hoping that by keepng the door closed for a time, he'll "forget" about it?