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How to stop my cat from spraying when vet says she's healthy?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | 9 lbs

My 8 year old female cat keeps spraying in our house. I’ve tried pheromones, litter attractants, and even essential oils (to deter her) and nothing has been working. I’ve taken her to the vet multiple times and she doesn’t have crystals or a UTI. We have 3 litter boxes in the house and cat toys/trees for her to relax. How do I make it stop?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 26th, 2017

So sorry that she is having this problem. If your vet has ruled out medical reasons and you have already tried pheromones, litter attractants, etc. then you could talk to your vet about trying an anti-anxiety medication, like Prozac, and see if that helps stop her from urinating inappropriately.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on March 26th, 2017
Poor Spook! If this behavior only occurs when you have visitors in the house, it may be related to stress or anxiety - urine marking is a common response to stressful situations for many cats. Spook may also have a medical issue causing her to urinate inappropriately on things, such as a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis). I would recommend having her examined by a vet as the first step in addressing this problem, since if she has a medical issue, this will need to be treated appropriately in order to make any progress at stopping the behavior.

If her exam and lab work are all normal, you can also speak to your vet about whether she might be a good candidate for anti-anxiety medication - many cats with inappropriate urination related to stress respond well to SSRIs such as Prozac or similar medications. You could also try a Feliway diffuser along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to see if this helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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