I have a Himalayan kitten, 9 weeks old, who pees and poops on my couch.?

Question

I have a Himalayan kitten, 9 weeks old, who pees and poops on my couch. She even does it in front of us. She uses her litter box on almost all occasions, but once a day tries the couch. I know it's not the litter, cause she uses it several times a day. She has not eliminated anywhere else in the house, only the couch. I keep the litter box clean and I keep it in a close, private location for her. I cleaned the areas with nature's Miracle and with my Hoover steam vac, the smell has been eliminated, but even when I covered the area with a blanket, she climbed on top of the blanket and pooped! The vet says she's healthy, but offers no advice that I have not already tried What on Earth can I do to stop this, she is ruining my furniture and I paid alot of money for her, I would like to keep her.

Answer 1

Go to www.kittenwise.com get a free account and then you can e-mail experts questions and they usually give you long in depth answers with a few different things to try. I used this when I was having trouble with my kitten and it helped a lot.

Answer 2

My guess would be that she just doesn't know any better right now - she is a baby, after all. Is the litter box on the other side of the house/apartment from the couch? That's too far for her to go to eliminate. Either put a litter box in the room with the couch (you can always remove it when she is older), or keep her restricted to one or two rooms so that the litter box is near by. Only let her out of that area when you are able to watch her closely and take her back to the area if you think she needs to eliminate. Praise her and give her a small treat anytime you see her using the litter box.

Answer 3

Obviously you care about your kitty by taking the first step and having a vet check her out. Unfortunately unless you can break this habit now before it becomes ingrained you may lose the sofa. The litter box is clean and in a private area, yes? Does the kitten yelp or meow when defecating? If so, the vet may have missed something. If she does it mainly when you are around, she may be trying to get your attention for some reason. Is she an only "child"? I have one that is so needy I have to hold her every time I come into the room or she sulks, I kid you not. I have found that the two main reasons for behavior like that are jealousy or medical. I hope this helps some. We have the same problem with my wife's cat and our sofa. It was worse when we first moved in together, the cat and I are now friends but still, every once and awhile we get a "present" on the sofa, which we now keep under a plastic sheet.

Answer 4

First off, try moving her from the couch every time she goes near it even, even if you are watching her.

If you put her outside, then let her in after awhile, that can help, otherwise, perhaps try a cat flap/door? She might be smelling something in the kitty litter you cant pick up on. Try using a different kind, or possibly, move the box around from time to time.
Even to try it next to the couch, then to move it further and further away may very well help.

Answer 5

U could move the affected furniture to another room for a few days, and keep her out of that room. See what happens and adjust. Good luck.
Ace Furniture Movers

Answer 6

you could always repel her from the couch. cats absolutely HATE the smell of citrus, so try a strong smelling air freshener or spray on the couch.

Answer 7

Have you tried a stay-off spray, made with essence of orange peels? You may have to completely train her to stay off the couch, period, at least temporarily.
Also, have you tried putting her in an enclosed room, with just a scratching post, her litter-box and some water? Do that every time she defecates on the couch, and leave her there for at least a few minutes, if not a couple hours. She'll be fine.
It also might be her food. Have you tried switching brands for awhile to see how she reacts?
It sounds like you just got her, if she's only nine weeks old. It's entirely possible that if you "crate-train" her, and train her to stay off the couch, while still treating her lovingly, she'll stop.
You may also want to try going to www.ucarerescue.com, and ask your question there. It's my sister's site, and there are a lot of animal experts on there who could most likely answer your question better than anyone here. You'll have to register, but it's free. It's a great site!
Good luck!