Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a 5 month old who was rescued from a feral colony at 9 weeks and he was neutered shortly thereafter. his behavior is immaculate - he is a little angel. recently he started putting his tail straight up in the air and shaking it much like a cat who is spraying. thing is, he's not close to any surface (he'll just do it in the middle of a room) and no urine or liquid comes out. for now it's cute - it just seems like he's really excited - but i'm afraid this behavior is a precursor to REAL spraying. does anyone else's cat do this?

any information would help!

I used to have a cat that did that as well and never sprayed. Maybe they do that because they saw other cats doing that tail wiggle before. Just be glad nothing is coming out and hope for the best that it stays that way.
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Gonzo, Tigger, Stumpy, and Willy

hi. my 11.5 yr old bombay has done this from the time he hit puberty. He's never sprayed (never gone outside the box, ever), just backs up, wiggles his tail and hindquarters, and walks away. I think he may be just flaring anal glands or something. So I don't think it's necessarily connected with spraying. You might want to mention it to the vet at the next checkup just to have them check and make sure everything is as it should be with glands, etc.

and congrats on the fake spraying-much better than the alternative!

Lisa S. mom to three kitties and two bunnies.

My bf's mom's cat also does that funny tail shake in the middle of the room with no spraying.
He is 8 or 9 yrs old. And he has always done it. He does it when we pet him sometimes also. I think he does it when he gets excited.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

This is typically known as phantom spraying...all the signs of spraying are there, but true "mark" is left. I am not sure why this occurs, but most people are not concerned about it, and I don't believe it leads to true spraying...

Terri
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Mia Liger Fluffy Banzai Smudge Hazy
& Midas ~ Golden Retriever and honorary cat