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  oes your cat think of you and your home as his
property? Cats often mark areas or people by
brushing their cheeks or tops of their tails on
them – both of which contain scent glands. This is done
to establish their territory within a household and to
create familiar scents of comfort throughout. |
Scent marking at its worst
Scent marking can take a destructive turn when the mark
is made by scratching furniture or spraying household
objects. A cat that uses his claws to mark will usually
scratch large vertical objects like chairs or couches to
scent mark with the glands of his paw pads. Your cat may
also spray urine on vertical surfaces like drapes, walls,
or furniture to identify his property or cover the scent
of other cats. Both can cause damage to your property.
Get a handle on scent marking
The most effective way to keep cats from spraying is to
have them altered before the age of 6 months. More than
90% of cats will never start to spray if neutered or spayed
before the behavior begins. For cats that have already
started to spray, try a calming pheromone spray or plug-in
like Feliway to help reduce stress-induced
spraying. Always clean up any urine with an enzyme cleaner such as CleanAway. Also, talk to your veterinarian about behavior
modification methods.
For cats with claws, use a cat nail trimmer on a regular
basis to trim claws. Also, offer a catnip-scented scratching
post like our economical Swiss Mountain Scratcher. This will attract him to scratch where it is appropriate.
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