Why do cats spray, and how is it different from peeing?
Spraying is a small squirt of urine on an upright surface, left as a scent message, not to empty the bladder.
A spraying cat stands with its rear to a wall, door or bag, lifts a quivering tail and squirts a small amount of strong-smelling urine. It is a scent message. A cat that pees squats on a flat surface and leaves a bigger puddle; for that, see peeing outside the litter box. Cats spray because of stress, cats outdoors or in the house, changes at home or hormones, and neutered cats can spray too. See the vet first, because pain or a bladder problem can look just the same.
Sometimes a problem. Spraying is normal cat communication, but indoors it is a sign that something bothers your cat. When it starts, have the vet check it first.
How does a cat spray?
- 1
How a cat sprays
The cat sniffs the spot, turns its rear to an upright surface such as a wall, door, curtain or bag, and lifts its tail straight up. The tail often quivers and the back feet may tread. It stands, or crouches very little, and squirts a small jet of urine backwards. Afterwards it rarely scratches or covers the spot.
- 2
Spray or pee: look at five things
Posture: spraying is standing with the tail up and quivering; peeing is squatting with the tail lower. Place: spray goes mostly on upright things, about 15 to 20 cm off the floor; pee goes on flat surfaces such as a rug, bed or sofa. Amount: a small squirt against a puddle. Scratching: rare after a spray, common after a pee. Litter box: a cat that sprays usually still uses its box for urine and stool. No single sign is 100 percent sure, so judge them together; a short video helps. If it is peeing, read on at peeing outside the litter box.
- 3
A scent message
Spray carries scent that other cats read: who the cat is, whether it is ready to mate, and that this place is taken. Cats also have scent glands in their cheeks, feet and at the base of the tail. The spray is often oily and sticky and smells much stronger than normal urine. A cat marks the safe core of its territory by rubbing its cheeks; it sprays where it feels threatened, and tops the scent up when it fades.
- 4
Not always on a wall
Some cats mark flat surfaces with small amounts of urine, and a few mark with stool. So the place alone does not settle it. The posture, the amount and whether the box is still used matter just as much.
- 5
A quivering tail does not always mean urine
Sometimes a cat raises and quivers its tail with no urine at all. This 'dry spraying' is common and not a worry by itself.
Why do cats spray?
Physical causes
Pain or a medical problem
Less common than stress, but always rule it out firstMany spraying cats have a healthy urinary tract. But bladder inflammation, stones, an infection, kidney disease, diabetes, an overactive thyroid, arthritis or constipation can look like spraying or set it off. So a cat that suddenly starts needs a vet check first. In a male, a hormone problem can also keep spraying going after neutering.
How to tell- An adult cat that suddenly starts
- More urine, or more trips to the box
- Straining, crying or blood in the urine
- Licking the genital area a lot
Behaviour and surroundings
Mating hormones in an intact cat
The usual reason in intact catsCats that are not neutered or spayed spray to say they are ready to mate. Males use it to keep rival males away, and a female in heat advertises herself. Intact males spray the most, with a strong tomcat smell. In males spraying is driven by hormones, so it usually falls a lot after neutering. The longer a cat stays intact, the more the habit sets in.
How to tell- An intact cat, mostly male
- A strong tomcat smell
- In a female in heat: roaming or yowling
Neutered and still spraying
About 1 in 10 males and 1 in 20 femalesNeutering or spaying lowers the odds a lot, but not to zero for every cat. Older research says about 10 percent of neutered males and 5 percent of spayed females keep spraying. In them the reason is often stress or tension between cats rather than hormones. Once a cat has sprayed for a long time, neutering is a first step, not the whole answer.
How to tell- A neutered cat that sprays by doors or windows
- More often in homes with several cats
Cats outside, seen or smelled
One of the most reported triggersAn indoor cat that sees, hears or smells a neighbour's cat or a stray may spray the window, door, cat flap or curtain, like a 'no vacancy' sign. A cat flap that a strange cat uses can set off a lot of spraying. An indoor-outdoor cat may also spray when it comes back in, still worked up.
How to tell- Marks near windows, doors or the cat flap
- Started when a new cat appeared outside
Tension between cats at home
A leading trigger in multi-cat homesFights, a new cat, or too few places for everyone to eat, drink, rest and use the box can push a cat to spray. Spraying becomes more common as the number of cats grows. In a 2018 owner survey, living with another cat made marking about six times more likely.
How to tell- Marks along shared routes and resting places
- Began when a cat was added or two cats fell out
Changes at home and new people
Very commonA move, building work, new furniture, a new partner, a baby, guests, a new routine or a stranger looking after the cat on holiday can all set off spraying. New things are often a target too, such as a shopping bag, a visitor's bag or a pushchair, perhaps to add the cat's own scent or mask a strange one. It is not spite: the cat is trying to feel safe.
How to tell- Starts soon after a change
- Aimed at new or strange-smelling things
Stress, worry and frustration
Common, but hard to seeA worried cat may surround itself with its own scent to feel safer. Frustration, such as an empty food bowl or a door that will not open, can trigger a spray close to the cause. A cat that depends strongly on its owner may spray more when left alone. Indoor-only cats can spray more, because indoor life brings more frustration.
How to tell- Sprays near the cause (bowl, closed door)
- Also hides, over-grooms or avoids people
It becomes a habit
The longer it lasts, the more likelyMarking can carry on after the first reason is gone. It turns into a reflex that no longer does the cat any good. Cleaning alone does not end it then, because the cat wants to keep topping up the scent.
How to tell- The same spot again and again
- No clear trigger any more
Where and when does your cat spray?
- Why does my cat spray or pee on me or my bed?
- Your bed and clothes smell of you, the strongest 'home' smell your cat knows. A cat may mix its scent with yours to feel safe, or react to stress. In one study of cats with separation anxiety the bed was often the spot. Spraying on you is scent talk, not revenge. If it squats on the bed, it is probably peeing rather than spraying: see peeing outside the litter box. Close the bedroom door for now, have the vet check your cat and look for the source of stress.
- At doors, windows and the cat flap
- Marks around openings often mean a cat outside, or a door your cat wants open. Block the view with window film, curtains or a closed door, and use a microchip cat flap so only your own cat gets in.
- On a visitor's bag, shopping or new furniture
- A new thing smells strange and breaks the home scent, so cats often mark it. Put bags and new things in a cupboard for a few days.
- Your cat suddenly sprays indoors
- Look at what changed in the last few weeks: a cat outside, a guest, work in the house, a new routine, a new smell. If nothing changed, or the cat also pees more or strains, it can be pain or illness: see the vet.
- In a new home or after a move
- A new home does not smell of your cat yet, and marking helps it feel familiar. Start with one safe room with its box, food and bed, and widen its space step by step.
- Your cat sprays outside, in the garden
- Outdoors this is normal. Male and female cats, neutered or not, swap scent messages with the cats of the area this way. It is spraying indoors by a neutered cat that is not normal.
- When you are away or someone else looks after your cat
- Some cats mark rooms that smell strongly of their owner, such as the bedroom, while the owner is on holiday. Keep that door closed and keep your cat's routine as normal as you can.
- Several cats at home: which one is it?
- Shut the cats in one at a time, or ask the vet about a dye (fluorescein) that glows green under a black light and shows whose urine it is. A black light on its own can show a mark but not which cat made it.
- Scratching the sofa and spraying it
- Scratching and spraying are both scent marking, and cats often do both in the same places. Put a scratching post or mat next to the spot so your cat can leave paw scent there. It helps, but it is not a cure on its own. More on scratching the sofa.
How to stop your cat spraying
- 1
See the vet first, and say the cat sprays
Pain and bladder disease can look the same, and a urine test is usually the first step. Tell the vet what you saw: standing or squatting, upright or flat surface, a little or a lot.
- 2
Keep a simple log for a week or two
Note the time, spot, posture, amount, who or what was nearby and any changes at home. The pattern usually shows the trigger. Also note whether the cat still uses its box.
- 3
Clean every marked spot with an enzyme cleaner for urine
Blot up the liquid first, rinse with plenty of water, use enough cleaner to reach deep into the material and let it dry. Test a hidden spot first. Enzymes break down the urine smell, and a smell you can no longer notice can still call the cat back.
- 4
If the cat is not neutered, ask the vet about it
In most cats it stops spraying or cuts it a lot. In males that have sprayed for a long time the habit can stay, so do it early rather than late.
- 5
Cut the view of cats outside
With window film, closed curtains, a moved perch or a closed door. Let only your own cat through the cat flap. Cats seen from inside are one of the most common triggers.
- 6
Give each cat its own places to eat, drink, rest, scratch and toilet
One litter box per cat plus one, in different places and not side by side, plus high places such as shelves and cat trees. Less competition means less need to mark. Cats that do not get along get their own part of the home for a while, until they are slowly reintroduced.
- 7
Give the sprayed spot another meaning
Put a food bowl or bed there, play there, or make the spot unreachable for a while with a closed door or baby gate. Cats rarely spray where they eat or rest.
- 8
Keep strange things out of reach
Guests' bags, new shopping, laundry. New smells are a common target.
- 9
Play every day and keep a calm routine
Play, climbing and calm, regular time with you make your cat feel safe and lower the stress behind marking. Let a new person in the house feed and play with the cat.
- 10
Distract it gently when it is about to spray
With a sound, a wand toy or a trail of treats. It breaks the moment without fear.
- 11
A pheromone diffuser can help, as an extra
A diffuser with a copy of the cheek pheromone goes in the room where the cat sprays, only after the vet check and the changes above. It is a small help, not a cure. If two refills bring no change, stop.
- 12
If it carries on, ask about a behaviourist
The vet can refer you to a behaviourist or talk with you about medicine for anxiety. Medicine works best together with changes at home and is often only needed for a while; in studies spraying often came back when it stopped.
Better not
- Do not punish: no shouting, chasing, rubbing its nose in it or spraying it with waterIt teaches nothing, makes the cat more afraid and can make the spraying worse.
- Do not clean with ammonia or bleachUrine contains ammonia, so to a cat these smell like urine and invite it to mark the spot again.
- Do not mask the smell with perfume or scented cleanersThe aim is to remove the urine, not cover it. Strong smells can make the cat mark again.
- Do not use disinfectants that turn cloudy in waterThey usually contain phenols, which are toxic to cats.
- Do not use loud motion-sensor deterrents or booby traps indoorsThey frighten the cat and may only move the spraying somewhere else.
- Do not rely on cleaning alone, or a diffuser aloneThe cat keeps topping up the scent, so the cause must change too.
- Do not start antibiotics, painkillers or supplements yourselfOnly the vet knows whether there is a medical cause and which medicine is safe.
- Do not trust tips from forums or social mediaThey mostly do not work and can harm or make it worse. Finding the cause is quicker and kinder.
When to see a vet?
Always have the vet check a cat that starts to spray, because only a urine test can rule out a bladder problem. Many spraying cats are healthy, but pain and stones can look the same. A male cat that cannot pee is an emergency; see also peeing outside the litter box.
- A male cat strains, goes in and out of the box and passes little or no urine, cries or licks himself: go to a vet or emergency clinic now. A blocked bladder can be fatal within a day or two.
- Blood in the urine, crying while peeing, or very many short trips to the box: the same day or the next.
- An adult cat that suddenly starts to spray, stops using the box or sprays inside the box: within a week.
- Peeing or drinking more than normal, weight loss, or a cat that seems unwell: soon.
- A neutered cat that keeps spraying, or a male with a strong tomcat smell: ask the vet to look for a hormone cause, such as a hidden testicle.
- Spraying goes on after two to three weeks of changes at home: ask about a behaviourist.
What research says
Neutering lowers spraying, but not to zero
Of 134 male and 152 female cats neutered before puberty, about 10 percent of the males and 5 percent of the females sprayed often as adults. Neutering at 6 or at 10 months made no difference in that study. Later clinic reports found about the same: 12 percent of neutered males and 4 percent of spayed females.
Hart and Cooper, 1984Living with another cat makes marking more likely
In a survey of 245 cat owners, 46 percent of the cats had never soiled the house. Of those that did, 70 percent marked and 30 percent peed in the wrong place; under 1 percent did both. Another cat in the home made marking about six times more likely. Sex, neuter status and breed made no difference in this study.
Barcelos and colleagues, 2018Cleaning and a tidy litter routine can halve marking
Cleaning marked spots daily, scooping the box every day and changing the litter weekly cut marking by up to half in one study. Changes at home alone halved it or better in some cats, and females responded better.
Pryor and colleagues, 2001Medicine and pheromones: what the trials show
A review of 10 trials found that two kinds of anxiety medicine and the pheromone diffuser each helped more than a dummy treatment, but only one medicine clearly so, and that rested on two small studies. The diffuser reduced spraying but did not clearly make more cats stop altogether.
Mills, Redgate and Landsberg, 2011Most spraying cats do not have bladder disease
In a controlled study, the urine of spraying cats did not differ from that of other cats. Still, in a smaller group of 34 spraying cats, 38 percent had something abnormal in the urine and seven had a disease such as stones or an infection. So the vet check stays the first step.
Horwitz (review), 2019
Story or true?
My cat sprays out of spite, jealousy or revenge.
Cats do not spray to get back at you. Spraying is a scent message, and a new person or a change shows up as stress. Guidelines say house soiling comes from unmet needs, not spite.
Only male cats spray.
Females spray too, and so do neutered cats of both sexes. Males and intact cats do it more.
A neutered cat will never spray.
Neutering helps most cats, but about 1 in 10 neutered males and 1 in 20 spayed females still spray.
Spraying is a litter box problem.
It is communication. A cat that sprays usually still uses its box. The fix differs from that for a cat that pees outside the box.
Cleaning the spot will stop it.
Cleaning is needed, but it does not usually end the marking on its own.
A spraying cat must have a bladder disease.
Many spraying cats have a healthy urinary tract. A new case still needs a vet check, because pain can look the same.
A pheromone diffuser fixes spraying on its own.
Trials show a modest effect, and several were paid for by the makers. It is a support after the vet check and the changes at home.
Spraying a cat with water teaches it to stop.
It is punishment: it raises fear and anxiety, and the problem stays or grows.
Did you know?
- 1 in 10
About 1 in 10 neutered male cats and 1 in 20 spayed females still spray.
- Many times an hour
A free-roaming, unneutered tomcat may mark with urine many times an hour.
- Bunting
Marking with the cheeks has its own name, bunting, and cheek scent seems to calm cats. Spraying is the louder, stronger message.
- Middening
Marking with stool is called middening. It is much rarer than marking with urine.
Kittens and older cats
- Kitten
Spraying usually starts around sexual maturity, from about 5 or 6 months. Neutering at about five months, or from the sixth month in a tomcat, is advised so the habit does not set in. A kitten that pees around the house is a different matter: see [peeing outside the litter box](behaviour:peeing-outside-the-litter-box).
- Older cat
Cats that mark are older on average. In an older cat, arthritis can make squatting hard, so a pee can look like a spray, and kidney disease, diabetes or an overactive thyroid mean more urine. Take any sudden change in an older cat to the vet.
Breeds
Frequently asked questions
How do cats spray?
The cat backs up to an upright surface, lifts its tail and quivers it, may tread with its back feet, and squirts a small jet of urine backwards while standing. The spray smells strong and often feels oily.
Do female cats spray, or only males?
Females spray too, especially in heat, and spayed females can keep spraying. Males spray more often, though. A male living with a female is more likely to spray than a male living with another male.
Is it normal for a neutered cat to spray?
It happens: about 1 in 10 neutered males and 1 in 20 spayed females spray. It does not make it a bad cat. Indoors it points to stress, other cats or a medical cause, so see the vet and look for the trigger. Outdoors, spraying by neutered cats is normal.
At what age do cats start spraying?
Usually around sexual maturity, from about 5 to 6 months, but it can start at any age if something upsets the cat. Neutering at about five months helps prevent it. Age and sex alone do not tell you the cause.
Does cat spray smell go away?
Not by itself. The smell is strong and clings, and a smell you cannot notice can still draw the cat back. Blot up the liquid, rinse with water and treat the spot with an enzyme cleaner; repeat if the smell comes back. No source says how long the smell lasts.
What smell will make a cat stop spraying?
No smell reliably stops it. Strong perfumes, ammonia and bleach can make it worse. What helps is removing the urine smell with an enzyme cleaner and putting a food bowl or bed on the spot. A cheek-pheromone diffuser may bring some calm.
How do you stop your cat spraying in the house?
Start with the vet. Then clean with an enzyme cleaner, find and reduce the trigger (cats outside, tension between cats, changes), give each cat its own places, ask about neutering, and add calm routine and play. Never punish. If it carries on, ask about a behaviourist.
Should you spray your cat with water when it sprays?
No. Spraying it with water is punishment: it makes your cat more afraid and anxious, and the spraying stays or gets worse. Distract it gently instead and tackle the cause.
What do I do if my cat pees in the house?
First work out whether it is spraying (standing, upright surface, a small amount) or peeing (squatting, flat surface, a bigger puddle). Peeing outside the box has its own causes and fixes; see peeing outside the litter box. Either way, start with the vet.
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