When you decide to have a pretty kitten, you rarely think of issues such as acrid smelling tags throughout the house. Kittens urine does not have a too pungent odor, and they get used to the tray quite quickly. It would seem that now everything is in order. But by the time puberty begins, the situation may change. You need to be prepared for this in advance. Today we’ll talk about when cats begin to mark territory.
When do you choose a pet?
According to statistics, feline boys are more likely to be taken away. In this case, the owner will not have unwanted offspring, which is considered a great advantage. But few people take into account that cats have a strong instinct to mark their territory and declare themselves to both surrounding males and females. When this happens in a natural environment, or at least in the gardens of the private sector, the tags will be visible only to those to whom they are left. But in the apartment a heavy cat spirit will make the space unsuitable for life. Therefore, it is important to know in advance when cats begin to mark territory and take appropriate measures.
Instincts, not vices of upbringing
It really is. What nature has laid down is not given to us and you to change. But this is what makes it possible to say quite accurately when the cats begin to mark the territory. With the achievement of puberty, the cat is “obliged” to inform all females and males about this. So it means that this territory has a host, and other males are ordered to enter it.
To do this, he raises his tail and twitches slightly, releasing a small amount of urine, pheromones and seminal fluid. This fragrant message contains information about the age of the cat and its readiness for mating. If your pet constantly walks in the garden or on the street and leaves its marks on the trees, then they do not cause anyone trouble. Much worse if he lives in an apartment. When cats begin to mark territory, it becomes very difficult to live with them under one roof, as well as wean them from this habit.
Age framework
They are quite arbitrary, and will differ depending on the breed, climatic conditions of habitat, the nature of the content and nutrition. Despite this, there is average data. When it is said at what age cats begin to mark territory, then most often they mean the age of 8 months. By this time, the level of sex hormones in the young cat rises so that he involuntarily tries all the ways to find a partner. And of course, this list will include invocation cries and odorous marks on curtains, doors, upholstery of upholstered furniture.
It is not necessary to know exactly at what age cats begin to mark territory. It is enough just to carefully watch your pet. With the onset of maturity in cats, there are some changes in behavior and in appearance. Their jaws are clearly marked, the whole body becomes more muscular. At the same time, the cat begins to show aggression to other cats and mark the territory so that they do not capture it.
what can you do
Some owners believe that instincts in animals are dull. In fact, they are as strong in them as in the wild representatives of the cat family. This is especially true of the instinct of reproduction. If you close your pet in the apartment, he will lose weight by refusing the proposed food. In addition, the animal will try to get out of the apartment, growl, climb the cabinets.
Therefore, the owner must think in advance about how many months the cat begins to mark, and by this age determine the course of action. If you plan to use it for breeding, then you need to organize a free range for him, when he can fully satisfy his instincts. If this is impossible, and there is no one to bind the cat with, or you did not plan to use it in breeding, then decide on the castration procedure even before the cat began to leave odorous marks.
How else does the instinct of dominance manifest itself
Usually he wakes up in cats with the onset of puberty. Not all individuals immediately declare themselves in the most dramatic way. Instead, some rub on the upholstery of the furniture, leaving their own smell on it. For the same purpose, they scratch the claws of doors and furniture, as well as wallpaper. But when the cat begins to mark the territory in the apartment, this outweighs all the listed inconveniences. Just a few days - and when you go home, you just come across an elastic stream of odor that does not give rest.
Explain to the pet that the main thing in the house is the owners, and not the cat at all, in most cases it will not work. But you can try to wean him from this habit. Once again, we note that this is not so simple. Instincts are the basis for the functioning of the psyche of animals, but they do not possess consciousness.
But what to do first of all after you have determined that the cat began to mark the territory? How to understand what is happening to him? The first step is to contact an experienced veterinarian. You need to know exactly whether this behavior is a consequence of diseases of the urinary system. This usually requires an examination and examination. If problems arise, the specialist will prescribe an effective treatment.
Vintage way
How in childhood did we all teach kittens to use the tray? That's right, they caught the animal and poked its face into a puddle. Therefore, choosing what to do if the cat began marking the territory, many people recall this method. Unfortunately, it has a number of disadvantages. Kittens leave puddles out of ignorance, and they are easily detected. Usually these are transparent puddles on the floor. And, being sent to a convenient tray in which you can also bury vital products, they quickly get used to it.
A growing cat makes marks in a different way. He approaches a vertical surface and, raising his tail, sprinkles on it a small amount of a mixture of pheromones, sex hormones, urine and seminal fluid. It is very difficult to find this place, but it smells sweet for the whole house. If you managed to watch the criminal, then catch him by the collar and shake well. If the cat meowed plaintively, then he recognized you as the main one in the house. Maybe the tags will stop.
Special tools
When the cat begins to mark the territory in the apartment, the owner is ready for anything to stop it. Supermarkets offer a huge selection of liquids and sprays, adhesives and similar products in order to scare away animals from the places chosen for the tags. It's no secret that cats usually return to one or more of their favorite corners.
One can argue about the effectiveness of these funds. Here, your pet’s tendencies and its sensitivity to a particular composition will most likely play a role. For this purpose, someone rubs the corners with lemon, others sprinkle with black pepper.
Watching a visit to the tray
Be sure to take time and see how your favorite behaves around him. If he:
- The front paws are placed on the edge of the tray or not at all, they remain outside it.
- The scrub is not a filler, but a rug on the floor.
- Does not bury its waste products in the contents of the tray.
All this suggests that it is inconvenient for him to use this device. You need to either pick up a larger tray or change the filler. It happens that it is too large and the pet does not like it.
If there are several cats in the house
In this case, it is even easier to answer the question when the cats begin to mark the territory of the house. As soon as one of them comes up with this. If a rigid hierarchy has already been established among pets, then this will be perceived by others as a demonstration of strength and power. But most often at home, individuals coexist peacefully, and have not had time to fight well. Therefore, the answer to such a challenge will be numerous marks throughout the house, from which any loving owner will have the most seditious thoughts. No, we do not urge animals to be thrown into the street. They need to be neutered in time, educated and accustomed to the tray. Then the likelihood of such problems will be minimized.
Pet is stressed
If the cat began to tag relatively recently, then you need to remember what has happened recently. Has the animal experienced severe stress, fear, moving, or treatment from a veterinarian? If the owners ignore their favorite, then he will try to attract your attention. Even in this way. This happens if the owners, before that dearly loved their cat, have a baby.
The pet remains forgotten. Moreover, they begin to drive him out of the room where the baby is. In this situation, if an angry owner chases a cat, then this can be perceived as an exciting game. Of course, until the assault begins. But even that is better than ignoring. Here we need to once again recall at what time cats begin to mark the territory of the house. If we are talking about a young cat, then, of course, this is most likely due to hormonal burst and puberty. But if your pet is already several years old, and the problem appeared for the first time, then you need to think about the reasons more deeply. So, in order to avoid excesses, you need to pay attention to your favorite. That is, communicate with him, stroke and caress, play, keep on his knees.
Cat scare
This is also the case. In this case, the animal begins to leave marks not because it wants to declare itself. He just is extremely uncomfortable, and having staked out the territory, the cat feels some relief. Now my house is my castle. A fright can be provoked by a prolonged absence of a beloved host or a move to a new place of residence, the disease and its treatment with intramuscular injections.
To eliminate this reason, you need to understand what the animal is afraid of. It is not so difficult if you spend enough time with your pet. Feeling your love and care, the pet will understand that it is under reliable protection.
Jealousy
It is not less characteristic of our pets than of people. They are big owners, and their owner, as well as their housing, do not want to share with strangers. Therefore, it is often painful to perceive the emergence of a new household. If your pet has always been disciplined (especially if it has already been neutered), and has now begun to mark the house, then perhaps it makes it clear to the new family member who is the boss in the house. This may also apply to a situation of protracted repairs, when builders appear at home every day to perform various tasks.
Sometimes jealousy of an animal can cause even an ordinary guest visit. Especially if he sees that the owner has switched all attention to the guest, and he was asked away. Today, veterinarians say that cats can be jealous even of gadgets when they see that their beloved owner spends all the time only on a computer or tablet. And again, the best way to solve this problem is a reasonable distribution of free time and attention. If you have a pet, then you need to pay enough attention to it.
Instead of a conclusion
You can answer with approximate accuracy at what time the cats begin to mark the territory. Usually this is the age of 8 months, when they begin puberty. But for some representatives it can be 6-7 months, while for others - 11-12. But if you do not want to face the problem of tags, it is best to castrate the cat closer to 8 months. If tightened, then your pet may begin to make tags. This will become a habit, and even after castration, he will not stop leaving them.
Do not ignore all the other reasons. A lot also depends on how comfortable your pet is at home, how much it feels loved and protected. There are many cases where an uncastrated cat lived for many years with the owner and never methylated at home. But after the death of the owner, he remained in the care of relatives who did not favor him too much. This is where the problems started. The cat became harmful, they tried to spank, educate him, and he continued to leave marks with double zeal. At the same time, few people thought about how much this creation needs affection.