How do you get a cat to stop peeing on your couch?

Question

My cat (black) is peeing on the couch. He is a healthy 7 year old male weighing about 13 lbs. He pees on the couch and it smells bad. It stinks up the whole house. The vet gave us a repellent however it did not help. We do not want to have to get rid of him. Please let us know what we can do.

Answer 1

Cats that have marking problems can be a difficult thing to deal with. Cats are normally festidiously clean animals and usually if they are urinating inapropriately it is a sign that something is wrong. I noticed that you said the vet gave you a repellent. Did the vet also check him to see if he has a urinary tract infection? This can make a cat go other places than a litter box if he had been previously using the box.

If there have been any changes in the household recently that could have caused a disruption in his schedule as well. The first thing I can suggest is try adding another litter box with a different kind of litter...sometimes cats just don't like the litter you are using, sometimes they don't like the placement of the box. Sometimes the box is not clean enough and they will not use it.

You can also purchase a plug in unit that contains feline pheremones called feliway....it can be a bit pricey but it is well worth it. The pheremones that this produces mimics the pheremones from a mother cat and it is relaxing and calming. It takes a little time to work but it does work.

Also if he is not neutered he should be neutered. Intact males often pee inapropriately because they are marking territory. Also have him checked for a urinary tract infection, blockage, or bladder infection.

There are a number of things that you can try. First and foremost you must use an enzyme containing odor neutralizer on the places where he is urinating or he will continue to use the same spot. Cats are creatures of habit and once they have formed a habit it is hard to break them. It is possible though.

You can also try keeping him in a smaller area of the house with a litter box except while he is supervised so that way you can "catch him in the act" and correct him.

I hope this helps.

Answer 2

1. Keep the cat in a plastic bag.

2. I assume the vet checked him for urinary tract infection and that this is relatively recent behavior change. Did you move? Get a new pet? Move the furniture around? Change the kind of litter you use? Cats are all about routine. If you've done anything to upset his routine, he could be registering his protest on your couch.

I've had good results with a sedative for the little furry balls of neuroses.

3. Have you tried the enzyme cleaners to cut the smell? There's a product called Feliway, or something similar, that has a pheremone that's supposed to keep them calm. There's a diffuser for a constant supply of the stuff.

Answer 3

The problem with male cats is that they mark their territorry... and wath they "shoot" is not urine... it's another liquid that come from males glands...

Some male don't do it, but only when they got older...10+, and some males start very early....

Of course, the best an first solution is to have it neutered...., but there is no absolute guaranty... most will stop if taken young...

These male cats will still use a litter box for their real pee...
Making their territory is a sign of mastership and verility...

As for the smell...it is very difficult for a piece of furniture..., but a futon for instance, washed in clorox.... should be out of the smell... plus if you springkle a little baby powder, you should survive rather well...

Unfortunatly, you cannot use clorox on furniture, but you can have a trow-up cover on the couch that could be washed in clorox...or buy a leather couch easy to clean-out...

Hope this helps....

Answer 4

If you want to keep the cat you are going to have to get rid of the couch or have it professionally cleaned to make sure all of the smell is out. Also keep a spray water bottle real handy and every time he goes near the sofa squirt him. Cats have very strong urine smell that penetrates and once they have marked thier spot you have a problem. Also make sure his litter box is super clean all the time. Has he always done this or did it just start:? If it just started it could of been a result of something new happening around the house and it was his way of telling you it didnt fly with him. Get the smell out of the couch and keep your eye on him with the spray bottle handy and you shouldnt have any more problem.

Answer 5

Last year my beautiful Manx cat Theodore went out for the evening and never came back. I love cats and the house didn't feel the same without one, so I picked up Lola from a rescue centre. She was very frightened and would pee all over the house. I found Cat Spraying No More� on the internet and the techniques worked almost immediately. I haven't had a problem with Lola since. Amazing!

Can't stop your cat peeing in the house? Then worry no more...

Answer 6

Get a new couch and use the repellent. Once a cat pisses on something that smell does not go away and he will not stop. This is male cat behavior. My sister's house smells totally like cat piss because her male cat has "marked" everything.

Answer 7

Is he neutered? If not, do that. That fixed the problem with our male cat. You need to neutralize the smell first. If he can smell any of it, he will continue to mark it. Pet stores sell neutralizer. Use a lot of it and put something on the spot he keeps going on. Cats hate tin foil, so spray the spot, and put some tin foil over it so he will stop walking on that spot. Or, when you are around and see him near the spot squirt him with a water gun. After a bit of that he might get the hint to not get on the couch. Good luck.

Answer 8

Your best bet is to leave him outside so he can control the rat and snake population but if this is not possible, have him nuetered and this should take care of the horrible smell from spaying, by the way you will never get the smell out of the sofa so you might as well donate it to someone that you don't care much about.

Answer 9

Let the cat live outside. Put the couch outside too, you will never get the bad smell out of it.

Answer 10

Cats are normally extremely clean and tend to their business carefully. There may be something wrong with the litter box. Maybe if it looks like he is about to pee take him to the litterbox!!