Question of the Day

This cat is urine spraying/marking due to his reproductive status, and surgical neuter will significantly decrease the likelihood of continued marking.

In neutered cats, marking is often a reaction to an environmental or social stressor, but can also be seen with feline interstitial cystitis, so it is important to rule this out.

Always rule out systemic disease in cats with house-soiling behavior. The onset of house-soiling behavior in an older cat may indicate underlying disease such as chronic renal disease, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, cystic calculi, or a urinary tract infection.

Tx in neutered cats or if incomplete response to neuter: Eliminate environmental stressors; use feline facial pheromones; optimize litter box number, size, and substrate; +/- anxiolytics.

Here are the 2014 Am. Assoc. of Feline Practitioners/ International Soc. for Feline Med. house-soiling guidelines.