Territorial marking behavior is used by cats to delineate their "home turf" and is especially prevalent among unneutered males, although neutered males and both spayed and unspayed females may engage in it. It is usually triggered by the presence of an unknown cat or cats, or an upsetting event such as a move to a new home or the arrival of a new person or animal in the house. Marking behavior consists of spraying urine against an upright surface, rather than squatting to urinate. Urinating in an inappropriate place, such as a person's bed, is another kind of territorial behavior.
Cats display territorial behavior when they scratch or claw surfaces other than designated scratching posts. Territorial behavior may also emerge as aggression toward the "offender"
Next: Aggressive Behavior
Reprinted from Cat Speak by Bash Dibra © 2001. Permission granted by New American Library.
