We Tell You How Cats Mark Their Territory

Cats are fascinating animals, but there are some things and curiosities that you may not know that are important to be informed, especially so that you can better understand your cat’s behavior and meet its needs.

adanal glands

The most common way of tagging cats is through urine. But this is almost exclusive to male cats, and usually happens when there’s a female cat in heat around.

The markings are made with small amounts of urine impregnated with the oil produced in its adanal glands, which empty when the cat releases urine and indicate that the animal is willing to reproduce.

Cats leave these messages on surfaces where the cat can pass, so this is also done inside their home, as the cat is within their territory.

There are artificial pheromones that are used to apply to surfaces that you do not want the cat to urinate on, but this problem is greatly reduced if cats are neutered.

Other reasons why cats do the marking is when they are surprised or frightened by something, when they are under a lot of stress, after a move (because they must delimit a new territory), or because of the arrival of a new one. feline or other animal to your home.

Pheromones

As with the adanal glands, cats produce pheromones that mix with their urine to make the mark. They also use an oil that is produced near the skin and is secreted through the pores to enclose the objects they regard as their own.

So, normally, they rub their body against certain objects or people, especially if those people share their territory.

Therefore, what we normally take as the cat’s way of showing us its affection really corresponds to a dominant attitude towards us. But don’t worry, this is absolutely normal.

You will be surprised to learn that cats do this, even with other animals, for example with dogs. The glands responsible for producing this oil are spread throughout your body, including the foot pads, tail and head.

scratches

One thing that can really bother cat owners is finding their furniture and objects destroyed by scratches caused by their beloved pet. But this is one of the most normal and healthy activities a cat can have.

Scratches are a visible form that cats use to indicate to other animals and people that this place belongs to them or that it is their place to play.

Scratching is part of his nature, so you’re hardly going to get him to stop doing that. What you can do is control the places where he does it, teaching him from a puppy to use scratchers.

In the beginning, it will take him a bit to start using it, but with a little patience and training, he will learn.

The best thing you can do is determine the places he likes to scratch, as they often pick the same places over and over again.

After identifying these places, leave a spray of water nearby and when you catch him scratching, throw a little water and take him to the place where the scraper is.

You should put it in a place that is easily accessible and kept cool, cats don’t like hot places.

But if the cat scratches everything inside the house, continues elsewhere despite the scratcher, or scratches or bites you frequently, it can be a stress problem, so you’ll have to take him to the vet for an evaluation. .

And remember, never, under any circumstances, think about abandoning your cat.