Feline Territory Issues and Marking


So you have brought your kitten home, have trained her to use her litter box, and seem to be getting along swimmingly. But if you pay attention to your new kittys behavior, you may notice that she is exhibiting some interesting behavior. Your cat has taken to marking its territory. This may be done in several different ways and some of which are destructive.

This article will outline a few methods and how to deal with this type of territorialism.  The most common way of marking territory by kittens is by a certain type of scratching in which your kitty will scratch in many different areas, such as near windows and doorways.  An easy way to solve this destruction of property is by purchasing a large bit of cat gear that provides horizontal scratching planes.  

Another, much less pleasant alternative for marking their territory is through urine.  Before you automatically assume that territorialism is all that is occurring, you might want to rule out any health troubles.  If the cat is marking territory, be sure to use a cleaner which will completely break down the chemicals and odor or else your kitty will be enticed to come back and re-mark their territory.  The worst cleaner you can use in this case is ammonia as it will strengthen the smell and attract your kitty for re-marking.

If your kitten is still behaving inappropriately, you may want to separate her area to the bathroom, as this is to re-train your kitten in using the box. Be sure to praise her each and every time she uses her box and gradually allow her more area to roam, all the while reinforcing the proper behavior.