Cat Peeing Randomly on couch

[AbbyCat3570]

Hello everyone! Tried to make it short, lol.

I have two cats. Simon is 11, Abby is 5. Had both since each was about 8 months old. They get along pretty well. I never had any issues at my other house. At my new house, I have 2 litter boxes in my finished basement which I clean daily.


May 2016 – moved into new house

November 2016 – first noticed cat pee on my couch in the basement. Might have been there a good month or so, we assumed it was the furnace smell at first. Cleaned it with some cat odor remover stuff.

In the meantime, set up a webcam to confirm which cat it was. After it happened a third time (in about 5 months), I covered the couch with plastic tarp. This definitely helped, and I thought it would kick her bad habit. Finally decided to give it a try and took the tarp off. A week later, she peed on the couch again. Put up two night lights in the basement, thought maybe it was too dark.

April 2017 – Took Abby to the vet; didn’t do any blood tests, but was convinced it was behavioral since she only peed on the basement couch, the timing was so random, and she never went anywhere else in the house. Also tried Feliway for 3 months, didn’t do a thing.

September 2017 – couch has still been covered with tarp up to this point. But then threw couches away.

October 2017 – for the past month, no couches in the basement and NO issues.

Last week - got a new (used) couch. From my parents’ house, no prior pets, my cats actually sat on it before when they went over there for a visit.

Yesterday – found pee on the new couch!

I feel like with the old couch, something spooked her (garage door, people in the house, etc) that caused her to go the first time originally. Who knows. And maybe we just never got the smell out of the old couch. Ok fine. But why on earth would she go on a perfectly clean (non-smelling) couch again?! Especially since it’s been a least 5 months since she’s had the opportunity to go on the old couch? I thought we would’ve broken the habit.

At this point my only option is to have NO couch downstairs. Wood chairs maybe? LOL.

I’m just confused, and wish I could speak cat. Just looking for any opinions or comments.

Thanks

[Kay]

my best guess is that there is something about the litter trays she objects to when she does it, as it's so random - does your boy use both trays, for instance?

I'd be tempted to put a third tray down in the basement, away from the other two, but close to the couch, and see what happens, as that could be the easiest solution

[rudyboy1]

Hi,

Our family has the sweetest and most affectionate cat named Rudy who is 4 years old. We rescued him from a neighbor who abused her animals. Every night he would come to our house and meow until we came to the door. We would feed him daily because he was extremely thin. One night he came to the house limping. He was being used as target practice and shot with BB pellets several times. We immediately took him in, and he is now an indoor cat who is spoiled. Rudy has been the king of the kingdom and has a special bond with our youngest daughter who he sleeps with every night and hasn't missed a night without her. I have an Instagram account dedicated to him posting pictures snuggling with his favorite human. After a year of taking him in we decided he would probably enjoy a companion because he has separation anxiety. He cries the moment our youngest leaves until she comes back home from school and plops himself on her not getting off of her until she gets up. It doesn't matter if there is someone else in the house, he only wants to be with her. So, we mistakenly brought a healthy female kitten to be his companion. We did everything right and made sure he was properly introduced to her. He wanted nothing to do with her, and his anxiety got so bad that he stopped eating and started peeing on the couch. We tried in vain for these two cats to become friends but Rudy was suffering. So, we gave the kitten to a family that loves her very much. While it devastated us, we made a vow to make Rudy a top priority because he is such a special cat. We took Rudy to the Dr to rule out any health issues and he came back with a clean bill of health. We have litter boxes scattered around the house, and make sure his routine is consistent. After we cleaned the couch with heavy duty enzyme cleaner we thought he would not use it as a litter box again. For a couple weeks he was doing great until our youngest went away for a sleepover. We scattered his toys around the house, have special relaxing sprays and scratch posts for him and he was still upset with her absence. We found him using the couch again at night to pee on. So, we took him to the Dr again who ran tests and said the same thing in that it was behavior. Putting Rudy down or giving him up is not an option. We just want Rudy to be happy again. For now he is staying in our youngest room while we are gone at work making sure he has two litter boxes with his food, water and toys in there. He is very content and happy with no issues peeing outside the litter box. Once we are home he is with us until it's time for bed which he automatically goes to her room and sleeps on her head. We feel bad that he has to stay in there while we are gone, but he hasn't been crying because he's in her room and has a large space and window to look out. Is this cruel to do this to him while we are gone? Do you have any suggestions that could help Rudy? We decided to toss the couch and replace it hoping he will not associate it as a future litter box. Thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Lilith]

Hi and welcome

Blimey, you've got a right one there, haven't you? Perhaps he knew her in a previous life?

I'd say - whatever keeps him happy. If staying in the daughter's room, feeling her presence and smelling her scent, calms him during your absence, why not?

I live in a tiny house; the living room's 12' square with a kitchen about a third of the size tacked on. A neighbour in the same row told me she'd kept two cats for 16 years. Not allowed upstairs, oh no. Indoor cats too. Had to live downstairs in that tiny space. For 16 years. Eventually she added a small outdoor run, but the boy wouldn't let the girl into it.

(I might add my lot go where they want in the house and we have a decent sized yard secured, so in fine weather they can run in and out.)

So I reckon compared with that, Rudi's not that badly off, and your daughter's room is obviously helping his separation anxiety.

I think this is amazing - so sweeet! I do like it when children have good relationships with animals; I know a guy who was 'minded' by a possessive Siamese as a toddler; he grew up very 'green' and ecological and cool and alternative; I reckon the cat trained him.

[rudyboy1]

Thank you! The Vet recommended kitty meds to lower his anxiety. I just don’t want to put anything in his system if I don’t have to. Could that make it worse or affect his system? I want him to be able to roam the house and not feel he is being abandoned. Could he possibly be smelling the other kitten and feels the need to mark his territory or was upset our youngest was away. We use special litter called pretty litter that shows if he has any possible infection as well and isbgood too to keep an eye on him to go to vet if a color other than yellow shows up... Right now he is cuddling up to his human, and is rubbing his face on hers. I would definitely give him more love and attention but doesn’t give us the time of day...only when he is really really desperate. If I have learned anything about cats it’s that they choose who they want as “theirs” and you could be the nicest animal lover and they will choose the person you would least expect. Perhaps it’s his intuition, smell or the fact that she carries him around like a baby! Ha.

[Lilith]

I feel as you do, about any meds, for humans as well as animals, but there is some stuff called Zylkene (comes in capsule form) that is based on milk enzymes, NOT chemical stuff, and has a good reputation for calming cats and dogs ... I haven't used it myself, and then there are products from Feliway, sprays and diffusers to promote calming. This seems to have varying reports, but where it works, it works well.

Bless him, he sounds extraordinarily devoted and so does she; so many children are allowed to treat animals as living toys, and I cringe at the kind of sentence that goes 'this breed is good with children' (will the children be good with it?) It really is great to hear of a genuinely loving child - maybe she's destined to be a vet? I like the avatar

Hope you get more feedback on Zylkene etc from other people - plenty of people on here who use these products and know more than I do.

[bobbys girl]

I do sympathise and I wish I had the answer. Now we have the two kittens and one of them (Billy) has chosen me as 'his' human, we are starting to have problems with Bobby. The other day I was sitting on the sofa when Bob came out from behind the sofa (where the kittens had been playing) looked me square in the face, turned around and pee'd up the side of the sofa! 'That's what I think of them - AND you!' I have also caught him spraying up the, appropriately named, splash back in the kitchen. P

I prioritise him over Billy and I don't know if this is just a short term power struggle or something else . I am hoping that with better weather and after the kittens have been 'done' all this will subside.

As well as the usual cleaners I have started using half a lemon and a splash of eucalyptus oil in the kitchen. I see kitty noses twitching as they approach it, then a eeugh look on their faces and they turn away. Fingers crossed THIS will work.

Oh hello here comes Billy looking for attention and Bob is sitting next to me. Here we go again!