I am trying to train my outside cat to stay inside, but he pees on the furniture now. Help?

Answer 1

Hi there...if your cat isn't neutered there may be another medical problem which is contributing to the inappropriate urinating. Cats who eliminate away from the litter box may suffer from a urinary tract infection.

Here's more about house soiling problems by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine of Feline Health: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/Housesoiling.html

House soiling is the most common behavior problem reported by cat owners. It includes urination and/or defecation outside the litter box, as well as urine spraying.

Why do cats eliminate outside of the litter box?
One common misconception is that cats soil in inappropriate places for revenge. It is tempting to conclude, "He defecated on the living room carpet to punish me for leaving him for the weekend." But this kind of calculation requires sophisticated cognitive abilities that cats aren't believed to possess. Furthermore, this conclusion assumes that cats view their urine and feces as distasteful, when in fact they do not. It is only we humans who view it that way.

Medical Problems
So why do cats urinate or defecate on your bed or carpet? Medical problems are one possibility. Inflammation of the urinary tract may cause painful or frequent urination, inability to urinate, bloody urine, and crying during urination. An affected cat is likely to eliminate outside the litter box if he comes to associate the box with painful urination, or if he has an increased urgency to urinate. In addition, kidney, liver, and thyroid diseases often lead to increased drinking and urination. Inflammation of the colon or rectum, intestinal tract tumors, intestinal parasites, and other gastrointestinal conditions may cause painful defecation, increased frequency or urgency to defecate, and decreased control of defecation. Age-related diseases that interfere with a cat's mobility (for example, arthritis, nervous system disorders, or muscular diseases), or with his cognitive functions can also influence his ability to get to the litter box in time. In short, any medical condition that interferes with a cat's normal elimination behavior can lead to house soiling.

Litter Box Aversions
Behavioral problems, such as litter box aversions, inappropriate site preferences, or urine spraying can also lead to house soiling. An aversion implies that there is something about the litter box that your cat finds unsavory. It could be the box, the litter, the location of the box, or all three.

Urine Spraying
When your cat rubs against your leg with his face, or scratches his scratching post, he is also depositing his scent from the glands in his cheeks and paws. Another equally normal but less pleasant marking behavior is urine spraying--the deposition of small amounts of urine around a given area. Spraying announces a cat's presence, establishes or maintains territorial boundaries, and advertises sexual availability.

Cats usually spray on vertical surfaces, like the backs of chairs, or walls. They don't squat to spray (as they do to urinate), but the tail lifts and quivers, and small puddles of urine are left in several consistent locations. Cats that spray are usually unneutered males and, to a lesser extent, unspayed females, but 10% of neutered males and 5% of neutered females also spray. In households with more than seven cats, the likelihood of spraying is high.

Cats may spray when they perceive a threat to their territory, such as when a new cat enters the home, or when outside cats are nearby. New furniture and carpet smells can prompt spraying as well. Cats may also spray out of frustration resulting from factors—like restrictive diets, or insufficient playtime—often wrongly perceived by humans as revenge.

...please see website for more details

Answer 2

Cats (and dogs, for that matter) will urinate in the places they have gone before, because it is a way of "scent marking". So if you wash the smell out of the furniture (but it has to be washed super well), it is less likely that he will go there again.

Sometimes, during litterbox training, it is wise to leave the cat in the room with the litterbox so that he gets accustomed to using it, and he will mark it as his territory.

Then again, my cat has always been an indoor cat, and although 99% of the time she uses the box, I have found little "gifts" on occassion. Thankfully only in my basement!!

Answer 3

Kudos to you for keeping your cat inside...it will live alot longer and be happier. Urinating outside the litter box is sometimes because your cat has a urinary infection...especially with males.
You need to take him to the vet. If that is not the case then keep him in a cage with a litter box until he learns to use it.

Answer 4

Firstly, is he neutered? If not, this is likely why he is peeing in the house.

Secondly, he may have to be litter trained, be very consistant.

I would also take him to the vet. Sometimes cat's urinating in places other than the litter box signifies that they may have a bladder infection or bladder stones.

Answer 5

Put him a baby pin that you can put on the floor. Keep a litter box in there to train him. He will use it all the time after he sees that's what its for. It may take a week or 2 . They sell them at the pet store and also baby stores.

Answer 6

to stop this from happening potty train him show him that cat litter is like dirt then he will be more comfortable using the litter box

Answer 7

Put him in a kennel cage with a litter pan , My tom came out of Russia and was never trained , two years old and I keep him in and out door kennel .

Answer 8

so if he's use to going outside then put a litter box full of dirt since he used to goin in dirt thats what i had to do.