NBR: cat peeing on the furniture

[jsquaree]

My cat has started peeing on the couch. He's not sick (he is prone to crystals in his urine, but it's not currently the case), his litter box is clean and he does use it. He does not like LO, so I think that has something to do with it. Also, we're on the ground floor, and the spot he pees on the couch is between two windows, and there are a lot of strays wandering around, so that could be an issue, too. I'm at my wits end, I really don't know what to do. I've tried special cleaners, vinegar, lemon juice...DH wants to rehome, and as much as I don't want to, I don't know what else to do. Anyone have any suggestions?

Eta spelling

[athn64]

Do you have ferals or cats that wander the neighborhood? Sounds like it could be a territory thing.

[jsquaree]

Yeah, we do. We started keeping the blinds closed (which sucks, because they're the only windows in the room), but he still paws at them and sticks his head between.

[meggypoo1]

I have no advice but I feel yeah. A little different story but when we moved into our current place a year and a half ago our cat peed on the love seat. We tried everything to get it out. We ended up just giving up and throwing it out. Sorry this happened!

[jsquaree]

That sucks, I'm sorry. Yeah, definitely not throwing this couch out. It's brand new. Lucky, it's faux-leather, so it's easy enough to wipe down, and vinegar pretty much gets rid of the smell. I just don't know how to get him to stop.

[rainbowsockmonkey]

have you tried Feliaway products? They make collars, spray and a room diffuser. It has pheramones in it that help to calm cats and can help with peeing because territorial issues.

[lavendergiraffes]

My cat started peeing on the clean folded clothes in the laundry room and on the carpet in the living room when I moved away to college. She just got pissed and when she got pissed she peed on things. She had issues. My parents eventually had to tear out the carpet and get rid of my cat - so sad but I wasn't there and obvi she was unhappy.
No suggestions on getting the smell out cause my sore to house still smells like pee 10 years later. You said he doesn't like your LO? That might be a big part of it, sadly. My cat did it more when my brother got a dog. Territorial and seriously, that cat was a bitch!
Good luck!

[Deleted]

Oxiclean!! It's the only thing that totally gets cat urine out. Soak cushions, cushion covers etc. Use the powder that you mix with water. One thing that helped when my cats did this was a) getting a new litter box. Just a plain one and I changed the litter brand too to remove negative associations. Also gating off the cat food and litter area as a safe space. I had two cats and got a dog. They peed on everything. But making those changes got rid of the urine and made them stop peeing.

[meggypoo1]

Jan 24, 2015 11:43:00 GMT -5 jsquaree said:

That sucks, I'm sorry. Yeah, definitely not throwing this couch out. It's brand new. Lucky, it's faux-leather, so it's easy enough to wipe down, and vinegar pretty much gets rid of the smell. I just don't know how to get him to stop.

Well that's a plus! Totally unsure on how to make him stop! Sorry!

[becole]

We use the resolve for pets carpet cleaner spray for everything and it's great. I think it has oxi clean in it. I would say keep the cat away from those windows as much as possible. Can you move the couch away from the window? Even if temporary, might give you an idea if the cat will pee on the couch when not seeing outside. You should call Jackson Galaxy. I'm sure he knows. Also, make sure kitty has their own space, where they can retreat from baby and make sure once the babes are in bed, kitty gets lots of snuggles and playtime.

[jsquaree]

Thanks ladies. We're not totally ready to rehome, DH knows how much I love this cat, but he's never been this bad before. Like I said, it's got to be a combination of seeing strays everywhere and not liking LO. I hadn't thought of getting a new litter box, that's actually a good idea. And we do have lots of oxyclean! I'll try feliway if that doesn't work.

[jsquaree]

Jan 24, 2015 13:44:48 GMT -5 becole said:

We use the resolve for pets carpet cleaner spray for everything and it's great. I think it has oxi clean in it. I would say keep the cat away from those windows as much as possible. Can you move the couch away from the window? Even if temporary, might give you an idea if the cat will pee on the couch when not seeing outside. You should call Jackson Galaxy. I'm sure he knows. Also, make sure kitty has their own space, where they can retreat from baby and make sure once the babes are in bed, kitty gets lots of snuggles and playtime.

Our apartment is super tiny and this is literally the only spot the couch fits. We have the resolve and it doesn't do anything for us. We also used some spray foam stuff that's supposed to be heavy duty, so much nope.

[kat8805]

Our young male cat keeps peeing on the carpet behind the couch. It's driving my husband mad. He's ready to pitch him out the door. We've tried using those urine out products you find in the pet isle, he even used it in our steam carpet cleaner. No help. We think ours is a territory issue. Our house was unoccupied for a good while before we bought it and moved in, so the neighborhood strays got into the crawl space and used that particular area we're having an issue with as their litter box.

I'm not much help, but can commiserate. I've heard those calming collars work wonders, maybe it's worth a shot. I hope we both find a solution before our kitties get the boot.

[jsquaree]

Jan 24, 2015 16:23:42 GMT -5 kat8805 said:

Our young male cat keeps peeing on the carpet behind the couch. It's driving my husband mad. He's ready to pitch him out the door. We've tried using those urine out products you find in the pet isle, he even used it in our steam carpet cleaner. No help. We think ours is a territory issue. Our house was unoccupied for a good while before we bought it and moved in, so the neighborhood strays got into the crawl space and used that particular area we're having an issue with as their litter box.

I'm not much help, but can commiserate. I've heard those calming collars work wonders, maybe it's worth a shot. I hope we both find a solution before our kitties get the boot.

I soaked the cushions in oxyclean (and a hint of bleach), and it actually worked AMAZINGLY well. I'm having trouble with the covers, though, because they're attached to the couch. We have this cleaner called "when piddle happens" that's worked pretty well with the smell on the nylon, but I'm having to use the Bissell on the rest, and I've done 3 applications. It's minimized the smell...we'll see how airing it out overnight works. Good luck to you, too!

[Deleted]

Jan 24, 2015 11:47:41 GMT -5 rainbowsockmonkey said:

have you tried Feliaway products? They make collars, spray and a room diffuser. It has pheramones in it that help to calm cats and can help with peeing because territorial issues.

This. Plus adding another litter box, and I would take him to the vet to have his pee checked. Stress can cause them to get infections or crystals, and if that comes up clear then maybe discuss medication such as Prozac.
My cat (female) has a history of bladder stones and crystals. She on a special diet and all but will pee on LOs things occasionally. It's been quite a bit lately and DH wants to put her to sleep but I just can't. She's so thin that the mess really make her wacky so I don't usually give them to her. But I know your cat is on the bigger side so he should do fine. good luck.

[rainbowsockmonkey]

Depending on the weather where you are, putting the cushions outside in the sun can also help with the smell.

[kat8805]

Jan 25, 2015 0:49:15 GMT -5 jsquaree said:

Jan 24, 2015 16:23:42 GMT -5 kat8805 said:

Our young male cat keeps peeing on the carpet behind the couch. It's driving my husband mad. He's ready to pitch him out the door. We've tried using those urine out products you find in the pet isle, he even used it in our steam carpet cleaner. No help. We think ours is a territory issue. Our house was unoccupied for a good while before we bought it and moved in, so the neighborhood strays got into the crawl space and used that particular area we're having an issue with as their litter box.

I'm not much help, but can commiserate. I've heard those calming collars work wonders, maybe it's worth a shot. I hope we both find a solution before our kitties get the boot.

I soaked the cushions in oxyclean (and a hint of bleach), and it actually worked AMAZINGLY well. I'm having trouble with the covers, though, because they're attached to the couch. We have this cleaner called "when piddle happens" that's worked pretty well with the smell on the nylon, but I'm having to use the Bissell on the rest, and I've done 3 applications. It's minimized the smell...we'll see how airing it out overnight works. Good luck to you, too!

FFC - we've never, ever, used oxyclean before. But I've been more and more drawn to it lately lol. We'll have to get some next time we go to the store and give it a try. Thanks!