I’m currently helping a cat who’s urine marking inside their home.
Urine marking by cats isn’t fully understood but it’s purpose for companion cats who’ve been neutered maybe partly related to communicating at a distance with other cats and reassuring the cat that their territory is safe. We also think it helps the cat to calm down when they’re in the presence of things in their environment that they find ‘arousing’ (e.g. other cats outside).
So urine marking is essentially a natural, normal behaviour for a cat. A cat will not typically use urine to mark within their ‘core area’ (i.e. usually the area inside a cat’s home). This area is typically free from urine as the cat marks this part of their territory instead through face rubbing and scratching.
A cat’s ‘core area’ is the area where the cat should feel sufficiently safe to be able to ‘let their hair down’ and sleep, rest, play and eat etc. Similar to us, we want our home to feel like a ‘safe haven’ – where we can relax and recharge to help us deal with the challenges of everyday life.
When a cat feels that their core area, and the important resources within it (e.g. food), may be under threat or at risk (e.g. from other cats outside), a cat can start to mark with urine in the home in what we believe may be an attempt to try and ‘fortify’ their core area.
One of the things that appears to be troubling this cat is the presence of other unfamiliar cats outside. Cats can often struggle with other cats around their home, probably their territorial nature kicking in, unfamiliar cats who aren’t part of the ‘social group’ are probably more likely to be seen as competitors rather than allies.
We’re looking at a few strategies to help this lovely cat – one of them is providing some high up ‘hangouts’ throughout the home so the cat can survey their surroundings from elevated places where they feel safe.
We’re going to provide high up options where the cat can easily see what’s going on around them as well as some more secluded elevated places where they can feel hidden – so we’re thinking of high up places for privacy and alone time as well as for vigilance and monitoring.
As cats seem to love choices, we’re aiming to provide a few options in different locations so the cat can opt for the best spot based on how they’re feeling at the time and what’s going on around them. Options also facilitate the cat to change locations from time to time, something else which we think helps cats to feel safe. Some cats like to hang out and monitor their environment at floor level too so we’ll look at some options to help them do that as well.
These high up hangouts should help this cat feel safer and more secure and also provide them with a greater sense of control and ownership over their environment.
Once the client has got these high up hangouts in place, they’re going to follow ‘cat etiquette’ too and avoid disturbing the cat when they’re using any of their new hangouts – the cat has likely gone there for a reason so probably best to leave them to it.
High up hangouts can be created using; cat trees and towers; blankets or beds on the tops of cupboards, wardrobes, units or appliances; cat shelving etc.
Here are some photos of high up ‘hangouts’, most kindly provided courtesy of clients:
It doesn’t have to cost a lot to provide an elevated hangout your cat will love – sometimes a simple cardboard box with a blanket on top of a wardrobe that your cat can access via furniture close by can be just what the kitty ordered.
Double check your cat can access these places safely, particularly for cats who are older or have issues with their joints and mobility – use pet specific steps, stairs or ramps or strategically placed pieces of furniture to provide safe routes up and down. You can add non-slip rubber matting under beds or blankets on any smooth or slippery surfaces to make sure they’re nice and safe.
If you fancy providing some elevated hangouts for your cat and you have a multi-cat household, provide options and choices that reflect what each individual cat likes and prefers and spread them throughout the home so there’s lots to go round. This can help to reduce tension and avoid conflict.
If you notice your cat starting to spend more time hiding and getting up high, it might be a sign that something’s not right from their perspective, so I’d recommend a check-up at your vet to make sure they’re feeling okay.
For The Understood Cat’s website, go to https://www.theunderstoodcat.com/.
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