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Cat Peeing on couch

sundaybeach Dec 24, 2004 12:12 PM

My orange tabby just recently started peeing on the couch. I do have another cat but we are almost positive it is him. When I empty the litter boxes every morning I know when he has not used it. He is 4 years old and we have lived here for a year and a half and have always had the same couch. It is an old couch, pleather, with lots of holes in it, but I tend to cover them up with a blanket. Just a couple of months ago I noticed that there was cat pee. I cleaned it, sprayed it and hoped it wouldn't happen again. He still uses the litter box too. He tends to only do it at night when we are sleeping. For about 2 weeks I put plastic bags on the couch and we didn't have a problem, I felt it was safe and removed them. A couple of weeks later I find that he did it again. He has also peed in the dining room but I haven't found any evidence of that recently.

The vet said it was behavioral but he will be going back for his yearly check up soon. Nothing has changed, he knows where his box is. We have 2, one in a closet that he has access to and the other in the garage which he prefers. Occasionally when the garage is open we block the cat door so he cannot run out. Sometimes we would forget to open it and we thought that maybe he just didn't like it when he didn't have access to that box. So the problem still occurs and I don't know why.

His behavior hasn't changed otherwise and seems perfectly happy. He hunts out in the garage at night and brings critters in while we sleep. He has seen cats in our yard before but this problems has been happening before then.

I just would like this problem resolved. Any ideas? He used the litter box just fine last night. For now, anyway, we removed the couch and see what happens from here.

We desperatly need a new couch but now we are affraid he will pee on a new one, so I am looking for a pet friendly couch

Suggestions please!

Tara

Replies (1)

PHMadameAlto Dec 24, 2004 09:19 PM

Because you have visited the vet it is reasonable to assume that all is clear on the health front, and the problem is behavioral. However, since the cat is due for an exam soon, you should also run a urinalisis just to be sure.

Anyhow, you should to take steps to retrain the cat to the box. Basically you need to confine the cat to a room like a bathroom, or a large cage with only food, water, bedding and the litterbox. As he begins to use the litterbox consistantly you can expand his space. There is more information at this link:
Litterbox Problems

Cats need easy access to boxes and you may need to put several boxes around the house.Be sure to keep all boxes very, very clean. Scoop at least once a day!

You need to thoroughly deodorize wherever the cat has been peeing. Petastic is highly recommended as is Heaven's Own. It is the smell of the "accidents" that causes a cat to reuse the place. In your case it is probably good that you got rid of the couch.

Check into using Feliway, a spray that mimics the happy scent cats leave when they rub their check against something. You can get it from your vet or from Cat Faeries at http://www.catfaeries.com
If you visit the website, you will see a phone number that you can call and for a fee discuss your cat's problems with someone. The person who does this is very knowlegeable and it may be worth the $$ for you. Feliway is also available in most large pet supply stores. There is also a plug-in with Feliway that can help.

Finally, if all else fails, ask you vet about using an antianxiety medication such as Buspar or Prozac. These very often work, however the decision to prescribe them will rest solely with your veterinarian who will be able to monitor the dosage and side effects.


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