All About Scent Marking - it's how your cat speaks

Have you ever wondered why your cat licks itself after you've groomed it?

Cats have the natural tendency to re wash every hair that has been groomed. This is called scent marking. Cats have a favorite scent - their own. So even after grooming, a cat will try to lick every spot in its body. If they can't lick areas with their tongue, they'll wet their arms and paws and use it to rub against the hard-to-lick areas.

Cats do scent marking not only after they have been groomed but also after they have been petted. You will notice your cat scent marking after you have finished petting him. Your cat will do his very best to try to cover your scent with his own scent.

It's not just themselves that cats like to have their scents on either. You may have noticed your cat loves to rub against you and lick your legs and feet after you get out of the shower. Your cat is scent marking you, this a his sign to himself that he owns you.

Cats are much like totem poles; they mark their territories as per who is the chief cat or the top of the pole. Older whole cats own more and are more dominant than younger or neutered cats.

Clawing and Spraying to Mark Scents

Cat spraying and clawing are two more ways of scent marking. This allows them to know they have been here and that anyone new coming in, animal of course, can also smell that this area is already claimed. Cat clawing is a preferred scent marking direction over spraying for obvious reasons!

Cat spraying happens when a cat is stressed, anxious or territorial. Male and female cats that are not neutered mark their territory as a way of calling another cat. The scent of the female or male cat spray will actually tell the other cat where to go. As bad as we humans feel this scent smells, the cats actually thinks it smells good.

Many times a cat will spray out of anxiety or fear, for example, an unfamiliar room, a child's screaming or even the new friend that comes to visit.

If your cat starts to pee on things , like your husband's side of the bed, your child's backpack, or even in the middle of the room. He is calling out to you and trying his very best to talk to you. He may be ill, or tired of a new direction you created in his life, or simply not happy that your husband is yelling at you too much. Who knows, maybe the kid's growing and playing louder have began to really stress him out.

Try to find out the solution and fix the problem. Cats don't pee and scent mark just because they are cats. They do it to talk to you in attempt to have you hear them out.

Therefore, if a neutered cat starts spraying, there is something wrong with the cat. If your cat is neutered and you notice him spraying, find out what is wrong with your cat.

anna tips

 

An Anna Tip: cat tips are found all throughout our site: "If your kitty likes to visit you in the bathroom, keep Anna face wash and a comb nearby to take advantage of your time together.".


Solutions for Clawing and Spraying

1. Identify the cause of your cat's behavior

Always try to think back to when the first issue began and what was changed in your lifestyle. Neutered cats may start spraying if they are unable to adjust new things that are happening at home, such as children bringing friends over and playing and getting loud. A cat can also start spraying if a new pet is introduced or if you start cleaning. Your cat would start scent marking in an attempt to cover up the scent of bleach.

2. Get a scratching post or cat tree

Clawing is also another way of scent marking, but clawing also helps remove the dead cells in their nails. Give your cat a good cat tree he can use for clawing. You can buy a scratching post so your cat doesn't scratch on your furniture.

We suggest the rope post over the carpet ones. This also helps train your cat not to scratch and scent on the carpet. Training cats and kittens to sisal rope is very easy, and does indeed save furniture.

3. Use coffee soap to clean up urine stains and odors

dark coffee soap for urine stainsWhen it comes to removing tough urine stains and unpleasant odors from floors and furniture, nothing works quite so well as a bar of natural coffee soap. Coffee can absorb tough stains and lingering odors without resorting to chemicals. It's the reason many short-order cooks keep a bar of coffee soap by the kitchen sink and wash with it between preparing meals. That way the scent of the previous meal doesn't contaminate the next. Purrinlot's natural coffee soap is made with real coffee grounds, which not only gives it this unique deodorizing ability but also makes it great for scrubbing!

 

 

 

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