My cat keeps peeing on my sofa!

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
I'm just at a loss. It's not a dirty litter box, I clean it every morning. I know cats do this sometimes when they have a UT infection, it's kind of their way of telling you something's wrong, but these days I'm chained to my desk & there's absolutely no way I can get her to the vet.

Any suggestions? I don't want to send her off to the shelter, it's like a certain death sentence, but I absolutely will not stand for the smell of cat pee in my house, & certainly not on my favorite piece of furniture. Please help!
 
Laura, I had this problem with my cat several years ago and it turned out to be bladder stones. Once he had surgery to remove the stone he was fine. Does your vet open before you leave for work? My vet will let you drop your pet off in the morning and pick up at the end of the day.
 
I know you're busy but you are going to HAVE to take her to the vet to get checked out. Do you have a friend or someone who can take her to the vet for you? Sooner rather than later - urinary issues can be deadly, if blockages occur.

In the mean time, you need to remove all traces of cat pee smell from your sofa - the smell that lingers is just attracting her to come back and pee there again. Even if you can't smell it, she probably still can. Use something like Nature's Miracle, which actually neutralizes pet odors (you can get it at Petsmart).

You could keep her off the sofa altogether by making it unattractive for her - for example, taking some of those plastic carpet runners with the spikes on the underside, and putting them spike-side up on the sofa. It will only take her jumping up there one time to realize that the sofa isn't as soft and squooshy as she thought it was! :eek:

Maybe she doesn't like the location of the litter box... try moving it somewhere else. In general, it should be in a private, low-traffic, quiet area of the house. For exampl, if you keep it next to the washer, and she tries to use it and all of the sudden the spin cycle starts, she may be scared away from ever using again.

ETA - Michele made a good point. Most vets will let you drop off your pet first thing in the morning and pick them up in the evening. :)
 
If you can't get to the vet right away, could you keep him in a bathroom or kitchen? A room without carpet? Is your cat really old? My sister's cat did this toward the end of his life. I can't remember what was wrong with him.
LD
 
Emily is right, a UTI can be fatal. I had a cat die from going into renal failure from a kidney infection that wasn't diagnosed right away. It happened very quickly too.

Maybe Kathryn will have some advice.
 
Crap. OK, I don't even have a carrier for her but I guess I can borrow my neighbor's. This is very problematic. I don't know when I'll be able to get her to the vet. I'm seriously stuck here ALL DAY. My boss is on vacation today & tomorrow, there's just no way I can take any extra time from work.

She did it twice about 2 weeks ago & stopped. Then she did it again last night. Which leads me to believe this is more of a behavioral problem than a medical problem.

The litter box is most definitely tucked away in a quiet corner. I don't even want to know it exists so I keep it as invisible as possible.

Damn those mice! I never wanted a cat & this is one of the reasons why. Sometimes it seems like nothing is ever easy. x(
 
Good advice here already. Please take your kitty to the vet and make sure nothing is wrong with her.

My kitty was peeing on the carpeted area just right outside of his litter box in our old house. It drove me crazy. In our new house he is only allowed downstairs where there is no carpet so he has to use his box. I actually have 2 out for them (2 cats) and scoop them both twice a day and clean them thoroughly once a month.

There are some sprays that you can get to keep cats off furniture, they don't like the scent of it. I agree that you want to neutralize the existing pee odor from your couch as she could be attracted to it. This may sound silly, but another cheap thing to try is to put some aluminum foil on the couch. Most cats hate aluminum foil and will avoid it all all costs.
 
Laura, something just occurred to me. Your house is on the market, isn't it? I wonder if your cat is freaked out by the people coming through. My cat tends to be skittish around strangers and it's possible this is a factor -- but I'd still have him checked to rule out any physical problems. It's probably okay if you wait until tomorrow to take him.

ETA I understand the stress you're feeling. I was working full time when my cat was doing this and it's tough to manage when your time is limited.
 
One other thought, if you use the Nature's Miracle, make SURE you get the version for cats. The other one is for dogs, only it doesn't say that. The cat version has a cat on it. :)

Is the cat box near the washer or dryer or a window or some item that might make sudden or startling noises? If so, the cat may be scared to use it in that location (once they get startled like that, it's downhill from there), and you might have to move it. Also, aren't you using the covered box? That does tend to be problematic for cats, because, frankly, the inside air really stinks...

Sorry you're going through this!

Marie
 
Definitely get it checked out at the vet. As you say, it can be a medical problem, which could be serious. Find a way to get her to the vet! You need to rule out any medical reasons for the problem.

Next, have a cleaning company come in and clean your sofa with an odor remover that will get rid of all traces of the cat pee. Even if you can't smell it, the cat still can, and will continue to mark those spots.

Try using 'cat attract" in your litter box (it comes as a litter, or as an additive you can add to your litter).

For a period of time, you may have to keep your kitty out of the living room where the sofa is when you are not there to supervise. Since inappropriate urination can also be psychological in nature, and cats under stress can do it, you don't want to make this feel punitive to her (like locking her in a small, cramped back room for most of the day).

You're right: if you send her to the shelter for this, she will be euthanized if you tell them about it. If you don't, she may be adopted, then do the same with someone else, then be euthanized.
 
She's still a kitten, right? Have you had her spayed? I had a cat with the same problem (although she peed pretty much everywhere), and it was getting to the point where I was considering surrendering her to the shelter (bit could never do that), but I got her fixed and the problem went away. She was a much better cat after that, too.

If all other medical reasons are ruled out and she's not spayed, consider that.
 
Yep, she was spayed at the shelter where I got her.

I talked to the vet. They told me I didn't have to bring her in, that I should put her in the bathroom with a teaspoon of litter in her litterbox & collect a urine sample that way. I'll do that when I go home for lunch & hopefully she'll have done her business by the time I get home from the gym tonight.

I JUST HAD the couch professionally cleaned less than a month ago. Now I have to find the time & money to do it again. I have to admit I am really mad at that cat right now. If this isn't a medical problem I won't keep her. I just can deal w/this. :-(
 
If it's not a UTI or a kidney problem, she may be stressed out. There is a spray called Feliway (it also comes in a wall outlet dispenser) that helps with this. It contains feline "happy" pheromones and if you spray it on your couch will keep her from peeing on it.

Your vet can also prescribe amitriptilene/elavil. It is an antidepressant and keeps my cats from peeing outside of their box. It is very cheap and effective - and your cat may only need to be on it for a couple of months. It takes about 2 weeks for it to breech the blood/brain barrier though, so if this is a direction you take, try keeping kitty in a bathroom while you are at work. Cats hate to pee where they eat, so if it is a small space it will encourage her to use her box.

Also, if it is behavioral, you can get a scat mat for your couch. It has a motion sensor - when your cat lands on it, it emits a static shock (you can set it on low, medium or high - it's really not bad, just enough to startle the cat).

Good luck and don't give up. As pp have said, vets are usually open early (7:00) and have nights they close late (around 6:30-7).

arancini
 
Definitely take her to the vet. My cat was doing this excact same thing and it turned out she was diabetic. Got her on insulin and everything became fine.
Have the sofa professionally cleaned.
 
I hope you don't decide to get rid of your cat, but if it comes to that are there any no kill animal shelters in your area? I know they're always pretty full, but maybe they can help you out. Again I hope it doesn't come to that.
 
Oh I hope your kitty is okay :(. I lost my beloved cat Ripley to kidney failure and the first symptom was peeing outside of her litter box which she had been using since the first day I brought her home. It did happen very, very quickly too. My thoughts and prayers are that you just have a kitty that is confused.
Laura
 
To keep my pets off of places I didn't want them, I bought a couple of Scat Mats from the PetSmart website.

I bought two of the medium-sized mats. I know they weren't cheap - somewhere in the $40 - $60 range.

They really work! I've accidentally sat on one of them, right when I got them and had forgotten it was on the couch. Yes, it does give a mild shock!

http://futurepet.com/cgi-bin/fullpres.exe?PARTNUM=SKM411&GO=G1

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...T<>prd_id=845524441775467&bmUID=1179492989922

I've also used a spray-on product called "Boundary" to varying degrees of success. It is very stinky to human as well as kitty noses.

Hope this helps!

Susan L.G.
 
Thank you Susan, that does help. I don't know if I'll get the spray--I'm trying to sell my house & ANY odors, whether it's cat pee, cat repellent or something else are not advisable, but I am gonna get the mat. I have a pet store (really a pet boutique LOL) about a block away & I'm gonna stop at lunch & pick one up. I was there last night for the Nature's Miracle, it definitely got rid of the stink. Maybe b/c I got it when it was fresh w/some disinfectant first yesterday morning.

I'm pretty convinced this is behavioral & not medical. She did it a couple weeks ago & stopped. Then started again two days ago. She uses her litter box all day, it's just at night she pees once on the couch like she's sending me a message. I think it's b/c I don't let her in the bedroom at night when Max & I are both in there sleeping, she probably feels rejected. This started for a variety of reasons--when I first got her I was sleeping on the couch b/c of Cosmo & she was still a baby, she kept me up all night while she was playing. Then when Cosmo passed I didn't want to freak Max out by allowing another animal sleep w/us. Maybe now it's time to give her a chance. Lord knows there's plenty of room for the 3 of us in my california king. ;)

In the meantime, collecting that urine sample was an absolute disaster. I did what the vet told me & locked her in my bathroom at lunch until I got home from the gym w/a teaspoon of litter in the box. Well, she crapped in the sink, she crapped on the floor, she trashed everything she could, but she didn't pee anywhere. She is just way too smart & vengeful for me. :p
 
What's her personality like otherwise? I would have trouble living with a sneaky cat - my ex-step daughter had a sneaky destructive cat & I couldn't stand it even tho' I am a cat person.
 
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