If I get my indoor female cats spayed, will they no longer spray? Or will they just spray for territorial reasons only?
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Related How long after neutering will a male cat continue to mark/spray territory?– James JenkinsCommented Mar 2, 2015 at 15:43
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@JamesJenkins: Thanks. I wonder if this applies, mutatis mutandis, to female cats.– GeremiaCommented Mar 2, 2015 at 16:14
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I am not sure. Quotes in the answer there, seem to be gender specific. The possibility of different answers exist with your question.– James JenkinsCommented Mar 2, 2015 at 17:04
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As I understand it, they can, but it's a lot rarer than male cats continuing to spray. I don't have references so I'm not adding this as an answer.– Kate PaulkCommented Mar 3, 2015 at 12:32
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2 Answers
Any cat can spray if sufficiently motivated to. It is a natural response.
Spaying does, however, remove a very strong trigger for a female cat. Biology demands that she broadcast to tomcats that she is ready for breeding, so come and get it. After spaying, that motivation goes away entirely.
But spaying may also be a signal for other cats to stay away, a claiming of ownership. If this is the driving force, then spraying could persist until whatever causes this distress is handled in some way.
Female domestic cats to do not "spray." Males do, not females. Females don't mark territory in any way.
If a female is urinating outside the litter box that is an entirely different issue.
Sometimes inappropriate urination locations can be a sign of a health problem which might need prompt attention.
We go by the rule that if a cat's condition or behavior changes with no obviously reason, we will get the cat examined by a vet.
SimonT
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They may "maintain" territory but they do not "spray" as does a male cat. It is one thing for a cat to decide that other cats are violating their territory, it is another to mark territory as a male does.– SimonTCommented Oct 13, 2015 at 4:20
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