The cat emits urine in two different ways:
¤ Removal
When it goes to the litter, it smells the substrate, turns on itself, crouches then eliminates in this position, before to cover its urines and its excrements.
This elimination behavior is to be distinguished from the urine marking.
¤ Urinary marking
It is used by the chat to communicate.
It consists of the emission of a small stream of urine on a vertical support, at about ten centimeters from the ground:
The cat finds the place he wants to mark, sniffs ... He then climbs on his hind legs and throws small jets of urine as high as possible, while kneading the ground with his front legs and jumping, tail erect ...
Urinary marking can be
- territorial: it allows the cat to mark and delimit its space by emitting jets of urine scattered in several places
- sexual: in this case, the urinary spots are found near the exits of the house.
At the age of puberty (around 6 months), the cat often begins to practice sexual marking in the house or apartment.
A castration carried out early after the appearance of this type of urine marking makes it possible to make disappear this behavior certainly "normal" but little appreciated by the owners ...
On the other hand, sudden onset of elimination in inappropriate places or urine marking may reveal an animal's discomfort.
This disorder is very often associated with other symptoms (aggressiveness, excessive grooming, anorexia, bulimia, diarrhea, vomiting, cat complaining when it tries to urinate ...)
These behaviors are no longer normal at all and you should talk to your veterinarian about the cause.
The distinction between urine marking and elimination in inappropriate places can be of great help in finding the cause of a urinary disorder.
It is therefore imperative, in case of uncleanness, to describe to your veterinarian the circumstances in which these urine are emitted, in what quantity, on what type of support (large puddle on the floor, small urine on a wall or Furniture, always in the same place or, on the contrary, scattered throughout the house ...) ...
Similarly, do not hesitate to discuss any anomalies you may have seen with your cat, even if, in your opinion, it seems to be unrelated to the urinary disorder (a cat that always seems fearful, an aggressive cat , Cat that suffers from frequent diarrhea, cat drinks a lot ...) because these elements can help to reveal an anxiety disorder, a developmental disorder or a general disease that can explain the urinary problem.
