Indoor Marking - Cat

Introduction

Indoor marking and housesoiling/inappropriate elimination often occur together in the same household, and in a multi-cat household several cats may be involved. The common factors are discussed on the housesoiling page. An important part of reaching a behavioural diagnosis must be to identify the culprits.

More than one cat may be involved, and it should be remembered that, in some cases, the culprit for indoor marking may not be a resident cat at all. Intact male cats and despots may enter the homes of other cats to take food, and then leave urine marks within the home. In these cases, treating the resident cats will have no effect on the marking behaviour and, in fact, increasing the level of resources available within the home may raise its value and therefore encourage the despot to try to take it over. In such circumstances, an electronic coded cat-door would need to be fitted.

Typical Causes

• Loss of core territory facial or flank marks: Usually due to redecoration or change of house.
• Loss of maintenance of group odour: Temporary or permanent loss of a social facilitator cat, absence of the owner, or housing of group members apart (at a cattery) so that odour is not mixed between individuals and factions.
• Failure of odour recognition of a specific individual: Individual odour may be altered or lost if a cat is taken away for grooming or veterinary treatment such as dental work. The cat may also return home with the odour of an unfamiliar cat on it. The returning cat may be regarded as an intruder. This causes aggression or the cat may never regain its previous role in the social group.
• Introduction of a new cat: This may exceed the population that can be supported by existing resources, or the new cat may upset existing social relationships (through despotism, competition or by increasing stress in the group). The same effect is apparent when a recently introduced kitten reaches maturity.
• Illness: Conditions that alter the cat’s emotional state or interaction with other cats (hyperthyroidism, senility, pain, hyperaesthesia, debilitation) or need for resources (conditions causing polydipsia or polyphagia).
• Excessive population density outside the home: existing overpopulation, new cats introduced to an area, or when a cat owner moves a group of cats into a new home in an area where many cats already live.
• Unfamiliar odours brought into the house: non-resident cats may spray close to a front or garage door so that this odour seeps into the house. Owner’s shoes, clothing or bags may pick up odours from outside.

Diagnosis

Example of a diagram illustrating the relationships between cats within the same household

Diagnosis involves several steps:

• Identify culprits.
• Assess health status of all group members.
• Map the location of resources and the progression of urine and faecal marks within the home.
• Assess the structure of the social group within the home, to identify potential conflict.
• Identify specific situations in which marking occurs.
• Detail the cat’s behaviour before, during and after incidents.

It is important to establish the motivation of the behaviour to be able to resolve the issue successful in the eyes of the owner. Scent is used to identify territories as well as individuals and scent marking forms a part of normal cat behaviour, it only becomes problematic to owners when inappropriate surfaces and methods are chosen by the cat and when cats are obliged to share territories under domestic circumstances.

So several scenarios emerge. If the core territory is threatened by being overlooked or invaded by cats that are not part of the group, then the boundary of the core territory can retreat into the house and the resident cat(s) will use spray or claw marks to delineate a boundary at the edge of the core territory which happens to be within the home. These cats may end up inhabiting the upper rooms of a house as core territory and then spray marking or middening on the ground floor, but the situation often starts when urine marks appear at windows or external doors, or around the cat flap.

If the relationship between cats within the home is flawed, then, rather than one group, there may be two or more factions coexisting within the home. They may have little tolerance for each other. Most domestic cat groups are of mixed gender and are not actively engaged in mutual kitten rearing, so that there is no positive reason for the cats to coexist other than their own individual social preferences and affiliations. The continued function of the group is highly dependent on whether present resources are plentiful enough to maintain the whole group without competition. Within domestic cat groups sharing a home, it is possible to identify patterns of interaction by analysing greeting, affiliative and aggressive behaviour between cats (see example diagram).

Identifying the social structure of the group may give insights into why the relationship between resident cats has broken down. For example, the loss of a social facilitator cat may cause aggression to begin between factions because no other individual is maintaining the group odour. The same situation can occur when the owner goes away on holiday or when a social facilitator becomes ill or infirm. The role of a particular individual may change according to its health status. A pair or faction may break up if one cat suffers from pain, hyperaesthesia or some other condition that changes its acceptance of grooming or affiliative behaviour. It may change to become a satellite individual. A polyphagic hyperthyroid or diabetic cat may consume more food or despotically control access to it, leaving the rest of the group resource deficient. Investigating and treating marking problems that relate to social difficulties between cats can be demanding.

Treatment

Underlying medical conditions should be investigated and treated. Regardless of the cause for the marking behaviour, it is useful to increase available resources so that cats have easy access to them and perceive their core territory to provide a surfeit of the things that they need. F3 diffusers (Feliway) help to create a sense of core territory and can considerably reduce tension in cat groups. Soiled areas should be protected to prevent soiling from becoming ingrained and harder to remove.

Marking Caused by an External Threat

In the case of spraying caused by an external threat from cats, the perceived threat must be reduced and the boundary of the core territory strengthened. Basic changes might include installing an electronic coded cat flap so that outside cats cannot gain access to the home and the use of glass etch spray on windows. Glass etch spray is applied in several coats until the window is effectively opaque. Light will still enter, but it will be diffuse. This has several functions. It removes the opportunity for non-resident cats to use visual threats (posture, eye contact) to intimidate resident cats in their own home. It also prevents the resident cats from using internal vantage points to threaten cats outside, and encourages them to go outside instead. This helps to prevent reactionary spraying on areas around the window, which are intended to be a deterrent to the outside cat. Glass etch is not needed on all windows; only those which are known to be used as vantage points by indoor cats or are associated with areas of spraying or provide outdoor cats with a view indoors. It may be removed after marking has stopped for a period of 8 or more weeks, and can be shaved off the window in strips using a razor blade or scraper. This makes the change back to normal transparency more gradual.

The intensity of core territory, facial and flank marks can be enhanced using F3 diffusers (Feliway). These should be positioned in each of the rooms in which the cats spend a lot of time, and used at a rate of 1 per 50-70 m2. F3 may have no effect if used at less than this rate.

Having made the core territory safer, the aim is to enable the cats to reestablish a pattern of territorial defence outside. The cats should be given several vantage points that face into the garden but have no view back to the house. This prevents non-resident cats from using these perches to threaten the owner’s cats. Non-resident cats may have favourite places from which they use long-distance visual threats to intimidate the client’s cats. These should be removed or altered so that they are unusable. Flat headed nails,8-10 cm long, knocked into the top of a fence about 6-8 cm apart will allow cats to walk along the fence but will prevent them from sitting comfortably on it. Pieces of sharp plastic doormat or plastic anti-burglar strip can be put onto the top of concrete posts or roofs so that perching is uncomfortable. If a particular perch cannot be made unusable, then the view from it can be blocked using fencing or plants. Glass and other hazardous deterrents should not be used because these may cause injury to the cats.

Softwood posts make good clawing places and they should be installed at the edge of the territory so that the resident cats are able to leave appropriate territorial scent marks. Rub them against existing scratch places and then break up the surface with a wire brush to make them appear attractive to claw. It is also sensible to place claw posts or pads near to the cat door inside the home so that the cat can leave a territorial scent mark without spraying. The cats should be provided with outdoor latrines around the edge of the garden, as these also help to strengthen territorial boundary and reduce the need for resident cats to cross other territories to find a latrine.

Marking Caused by an Internal Threat

If indoor marking has been caused by conflict between cats in the home then comprehensive environmental enrichments should be provided. The aim is to provide separate factions with their own resources so that they can effectively live separately from each other whilst sharing the same domestic space. This ability to coexist without competition actually increases the likelihood that the cats will begin to associate with each other.

The mixture of facial and urine marking odours impairs the sense of core territory for the cats. Urine marks are also self-perpetuating because the marker feels compelled to refresh them periodically. For these reasons, it is very important to remove urine odours thoroughly. Scented products and those containing ammonia should not be used to clean up spray marks because they may intensify urine odours and leave an objectionable smell that encourages over-marking. F3 diffusers may be used to intensify the core territory facial and flank odours, and these scents may be harvested from the cats and then spread around the house.

Group odour is crucial to maintaining a conflict-free multicat household and it is often apparent that relationship breakdown occurs when cats are unable to maintain this for themselves. In the same way as for treatment of inter-cat aggression in the household, it is possible to classically condition an association between the odour of a specific cat or cat-faction and the presentation of food or play. The scent is harvested from the facial and flank regions of the individual cats (or factions) onto separate cloths. The cloth from one individual or faction is then regularly presented to one of the other cats before giving food or play, until that cat shows a positive response to that odour. That cat’s cloth is presented in the same way to the group or individual represented by the cloth. Initially the presentation of the odour may cause some alarm. However, after repeated presentation, each cat should begin to rub against the cloth when it is presented, which indicates that the odour has been fully accepted. The body odour of the factions or individuals may then be merged, by exchanging odours between them [see diagram below]. In situations where there is overt aggression between cats it is best to isolate them for a period of 1 to 2 weeks and reintroduce them as if bringing in a new cat for the first time.

Marking sites can be made less attractive for cats in a number of ways, but it has to be remembered that, if the motivation is strong, this will merely displace the activity elsewhere. Deterrent methods must therefore be used in combination with other environmental modifications. Cats are generally reluctant to spray or midden close to feeding sites, so small bowls may be put close to spraying locations. This also increases the number of feeding places. Odour deterrents should be avoided, because these may actually draw attention to spray sites or produce odours that the cat will deliberately overmark. Sheets of aluminium foil or plastic can serve to protect the floor around a spray site and may deter cats from going there. These methods are best used for isolated locations where it is imperative that the cat does not spray, such as around electrical equipment.

Claw marking often exists as a sub-problem in indoor marking cats. Claw marks have a similar territorial function to urine spraying and the rate of claw marking may increase along with other forms of indoor marking. Providing cats with good claw marking sites that fit with their need to defend territory can be an effective way to displace the pattern of marking from spraying to clawing. Most owners find this desirable. Claw marking posts or pads may be positioned close to windows, doorways and cat doors. They are made more attractive by rubbing them against existing clawing sites and then raking them with a wire brush to simulate real claw marks. Bold vertical stripes made with a permanent marker pen will draw attention to the object as a suitable clawing place. Undesirable claw marking can be deterred by daily application of F3 spray, combined with the provision of a nearby alternative scratching place. Client information on the provision of clawing places is provided in a handout in the appendix.

Psychoactive Drug Therapy

Psychoactive drug therapy is often prescribed for cats with indoor marking problems, but this will not offer a solution. The underlying reasons for the indoor marking must be addressed. Medication does have a role in longstanding cases where the number of marked sites is large, or when marking has become habitual, or there is an emotional problem that may benefit from temporary drug support. Analysis of the general emotional state of the animal is important. SRI/SSRI drugs such as Fluoxetine and Clomipramine are beneficial for cats that are habitual indoor markers, or show a pattern of anxious, reactionary spraying. Selegiline benefits behaviourally-inhibited cats that will not explore their environment, or that display fearful reactions followed closely by reactionary spraying when they see certain cats lurking outside the home. These drugs will not help confident cats that show no signs of anxiety or fear and are merely using spray marks, albeit inappropriately, as part of a calmly considered strategy to control territory in the house. Hormonal preparations have no role in the treatment of indoor marking.

The decision to use psychoactive drugs for indoor marking

Psychoactive drugs may be of value when

• Individual cats are showing signs of chronic anxiety (SRI/SSRI) or inhibition of normal behaviour (Selegiline).
• The case is longer than 6 months duration.
• Response to environmental change has been incomplete.
• Spraying is a reaction to specific fear (Selegiline).
• A rapid resolution is demanded and the client can be relied upon to complete environmental modification.

Risks of using psychoactive drugs include:

• Disinhibition of aggression: SRI/SSRI/benzodiazepine drugs.
• Clients may assume that changes in behaviour are solely due to medication, so that they do not comply with behavioural therapy or environmental modification.
• There may be a relapse if drugs are withdrawn before environmental and social factors have been remedied.
• Potential adverse effects of drugs: fatal hepatic disease after oral benzodiazepine administration, cardiovascular effects of SSRI/SRI drugs.
• Interactions with concurrent medication or disease: drugs that affect the function of cytochrome P450 can interfere with the metabolism of SRI/SSRI drugs (e.g. Cimetidine). SRI drugs should be used with care in cats with thyroid disturbance, or with bladder disease (risk of outflow obstruction).

Treatment: Indoor Marking

General Changes	Provide additional resources around the home, including extra resting, feeding, drinking and latrine sites. These should be located so that each faction or individual cat has easy access to its own set of resources close to a location where it spends time. Soiled sites should be cleaned properly. The cats should not be punished or threatened and chased when spraying, as this may increase stress or encourage the development of spraying to gain attention. Strategically install F3 diffusers (Feliway)
External Threat	Install one or more coded electronic cat flap to prevent entry by nonresident cats. Transparent cat doors should be sprayed with a solid coloured paint so that they are completely opaque, otherwise nonresident cats may threaten residents through it. Use glass etch spray to prevent outside cats from seeing into the home through windows close to where the resident cats have sprayed, or which overlook resources. Install scratching posts, vantage points and latrines in the garden so that territorial control is shifted from inside to outside. If a stray entire male cat has moved into the area it should be trapped, neutered and homed away from the area.
Internal Conflict	Follow general advise on resource distribution, giving each faction its own feeding stations and other resources. Consider providing an additional cat-door if one cat is guarding it. Introduce activity feeding. Use scent reintroduction and scent swapping to re-establish a group odour. Consider isolating and reintroducing cats in accordance with guidelines on dealing with inter-cat aggression. If cats have spent time away from the group, reintroduce them appropriately.
Unfamiliar Odours Coming in from Outside the Home	Regularly clean doorways, paths and walls where non-resident cats are spray marking (scrub with a solution of biological washing powder and hose clean). Fit draft excluder around doors and frames to prevent odours from coming in, and install a weatherboard to the bottom of external doors so that urine marks do not run down the door and into the house. Take off outdoor shoes and put them on a high shelf when entering the house. Apply a squirt of F3 (Feliway) to bags when they are brought into the house. Allow new furniture to air for several hours before allowing the cats access to it. This allows plastic and other odours, that may trigger spraying, to disperse. Apply F3 spray [Feliway] to the furniture regularly until cats are voluntarily face and flank marking it.

Withdrawing Treatment

Environmental modifications that are made outside should be permanently maintained, but glass-etch on windows, food bowls that have been used as spraying deterrents and other minor environmental modifications should be gradually removed after 6-8 weeks without spraying. Psychoactive drug or F3 diffuser therapy should be gradually withdrawn after 6-8 weeks without spraying or after the temporary environmental modifications have been removed. Drugs are withdrawn over a 4-8 week period depending on the duration of therapy. At least two dose decrements are required, first halving the daily dose and then doubling the dose interval. Feliway diffusers are allowed to run out completely, one at a time, after drugs and temporary environmental modifications have been removed. If inter-cat hostility exists in the household then F3 diffusers should be continued until the cats have fully re-established their previous allogrooming and allorubbing affiliative behaviour.

Prognosis

Cats with a history of indoor marking are likely to relapse at some point in the future, because this behaviour is normal and situations outside the owner’s influence may create the conditions for a new bout of marking. Typical times when marking may re-emerge are after redecoration, a house move, or the introduction of a new stressor (new baby, new pet). Spring and summer bring a social turmoil for cats, as these are times when they are most active and territorial space is hotly disputed. The presence of young entire females may lure intact males into a neighbourhood, where they may settle and despotically wreak havoc on the local cat population.

It is possible to minimise the risk of recidivism by continuing to offer an excess of resources and maintaining a suitable core and garden territory for the cats. If a new bout of marking is anticipated, then the environmental changes and F3 diffusers may be temporarily reinstated.

Prevention

• New cats should be introduced carefully and with an accompanying increase in resources for the group.
• When redecorating, building or making changes to house layout, install an F3 diffuser (Feliway) to maintain core territory odour signals. Allow paint to dry and the room to air thoroughly before allowing the cat(s) back into it. Harvest facial and flank odours from the cat(s) and apply these to doorways, and furnishings in the newly decorated area. If the cat is particularly sensitive to change it may be better to arrange a cattery stay during major projects of redecoration or renovation, especially if they involve core territory areas for the particular cat.
• Provide adequate resources for the group.
• When cats are temporarily removed from the group (such as when going to the vet clinic) they should be reintroduced carefully after trying to re-label them with the group odour.