Need advice from cat owners (long)

[DisneyDog]

We have 2 cats. We have had one of them for over a year and the other for a few months. The newer one is about 1 year old. We made a boo-boo a few weeks ago -- we had 2 litter boxes and we took one away (it was stinking up the upstairs and they were sharing, so we thought we were safe). Well, what happened is most likely the result of us taking away the 2nd litter box (which we have since put back!) -- the newer cat started to pee on our leather sofa.

The sofa is completely ruined. I cannot get the stains out, but most importantly I can't get the scent out. I covered the cushions in tin foil and that didn't discourage him. We know we need to get this (very expensive) couch/litter box out of the house. (He also started peeing on a fake leather chair, which we didn't care about and have since put out in the trash)

We have ordered a new couch. It is not leather. We figure that he must have a thing with leather. We have a microfiber couch in another room that he loves to curl up on. We also have microfiber kitchen chairs, and a microfiber bedspread in our room. He loves to fall asleep on all of these things (yes, even the kitchen chairs). So...we have ordered a new microfiber couch to replace the leather one.

My concern is that, if the new couch is put in the same place as the old one, do you think he'll start doing the same thing on the new one? The vet said he doesn't believe cats think like that, and most likely he won't soil the new couch. Any opinions or experiences anyone could share with me? I am really nervous about the new couch, and if he does soil the new one, we will have to find a new home for him (which would be very sad). This is all very confusing for me, since, as you can tell from my screen name, I am really a dog person. I just don't understand cats...help:confused:

Thanks!

[Goofyjrzgrl]

I am also a dog person but we just recentley adopted 2 kittens... so I bought a bunch of books to help me understand our feline friends a little more. I can suggest going to the pet store and getting something to spray on the couch. They make them for biting and scratching (it smells and tastes bitter so the cat will not want to scratch or bite it). I know they make one to help keep animals from having accidents. We got one for my dog. You just spray it on the rug (or couch) and the animal won't go near the smell. Don't worry it won't keep you from it either. They smell good or sometimes have an odor the animals are sensitive to. Once they get the idea not to go near it.. you won't even need to spray it anymore.
Also, if you haven't already-- consider getting a litter box (or two) with a hood it helps the smell. Or automatic fragrence dispensers that spay every few minutes. We have two cats in an apartment so we try EVERYTHING to reduce that smell!!
I'm sure you are trying everything but keep searching... books, the internet, etc. to try to find a way to make the cats happy and make you happy!! Good Luck!! :thumbsup:

[murphy1]

I would keep the new couch covered for a couple weeks until you are absolutely sure he won't do this again. I have been a longtime animal owner of cats and dogs, cats are definitely their own person (or cat)! I agree with the vet, they don't think he will, even though dogs mark stuff, I don't think cats do. There is a product out there for items that cats pee on (b/c cat pee is the worst), but I can't remember what it is. Luckily ours haven't done this.

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I am a cat person. I've had cats for 26 years. Cats don't like the smell of flowers. If you put something like a wallflower with a strong floral scent by the new couch the cat shouldn't do it again. If the smell is gone the cat shouldn't do it either. They go were their scent is.

The problem probably occurred because you moved the litter box. Whenever moving a litter box you have to do it gradually.

I hope this helps. Good luck with the new kitty.

[AuntDJ]

I am going with the Cat will NOT do this to the new couch. I made the mistake of adding a litter box and now if I move it, she poohs on the floor.

So I had a rug buy the new litter box and she would pooh on it instead of the box, well I moved the rug to the kitchen and she has NOT poohed on it at all...but still does in the same place as the rug was...

I also tried the spray keep away stuff on my christmas tree as it is fake and she loves to eat it and ofcourse it makes her sickly..didn't work for me...I will try the flower smell...

Good Luck!
DJ

[NJGIRL]

In my experience the most important thing is to get the smell out. Cats will continue to pee where they have peed before if there is an odor there. Most people make the mistake of buying a cleaner from the store that is not specifically for animals urine. I know you got rid of the sofa which was a good move. I also suggest you to have your carpet professional cleaned in that room just in case some pee trickled down leaving residue that the cat may still smell. Make sure you tell the cleaning person you are trying to get rid of cat urine (they will use special cleaner). Also get the carpet and new sofa scotchguarded so if it does happen again it doesn't soak into the fabric (it just sits on top) and the smell is not permanently in the fabric.

One last suggestion (if you don't already) scoop out your litter boxes once in the morning and once at night. That will keep them fresh and keep the cats coming back to them instead of going elsewhere. I also always suggest to people to completely clean out their boxes, scrub them with brillo and dawn at least once everyother week. This will keep the box fresh for the cats and keep the room the boxes are in odor free.

[DisneyDog]

Thanks for the responses everyone. BTW, The couch has not yet been removed. The new couch won't arrive for another week or so, and they will take away the old one. I have covered the sofa cushions in heavy duty trash bags. Hopefully that will keep the little guy at bay. I wish we could take the couch out into the garage, but it is REALLY REALLY heavy. So, we are stuck with it in the living room for now.

All of your responses are very helpful and most appreciated!

[Dakota Rose]

In my experience the most important thing is to get the smell out. Cats will continue to pee where they have peed before if there is an odor there. Most people make the mistake of buying a cleaner from the store that is not specifically for animals urine. I know you got rid of the sofa which was a good move. I also suggest you to have your carpet professional cleaned in that room just in case some pee trickled down leaving residue that the cat may still smell. Make sure you tell the cleaning person you are trying to get rid of cat urine (they will use special cleaner). Also get the carpet and new sofa scotchguarded so if it does happen again it doesn't soak into the fabric (it just sits on top) and the smell is not permanently in the fabric.


I agree with the cleaning suggestions above. We had a cat (he was part-siamese which probably explains it) that pee'd on my living room curtains. I replaced them and he pee'd on the new ones too. Third time, I got a different type of curtain (different fabric) and we shampoo'd the rugs. Problem solved. Well, at least the pee problem was solved. The cat was :thedolls: and proceeded to destroy my antiqe sofa. Needless to say, he became an outside cat and when we moved, he didn't move with us. :blush:

[LauraF]

I had a similar problem with a cat who would pee on the carpet when she was mad at me. I've seen my cats do try to return to the same places to go, so your cat my try the same thing.

A couple of suggestions:
1. Use an enzyme cleaner and black light to get rid of all traces and scent of the stain. Don't just use a perfumed cleaner as it won't cover the smell to kitty. (Also, NEVER use ammonia-based cleaners as they smell like cat pee.)

2. Place food or a snack nearby. Cats don't like to pee near their food.

3. If kitty hasn't been neutered, then do so soon. Once boy cats get to be about 12-18 months old it's harder to break the habit.

[BouncingTigger]

There's a lot of good suggestions here, especially about using an enzyme cleaner specifically made for cat urine and keeping the litter boxes clean (I would like to add that when scrubbing the litter box, don't use a product with a strong scent and be sure to rinse it very well - some cats will freak if they can still smell a cleaning product in their litterbox).

From a "kitty psychology" viewpoint...cats HATE change. You already know that moving the litterbox was too much of a change for kitty to handle, but getting a new couch (although necessary) counts as a change too, especially since there will most likely be movers to get the old couch out and new couch in. Since that might be stressful to the cat, as well as that he is probably stressed from the litterbox/couch incidents, try to keep everything you can the same. This includes not moving any other furniture around if you can help it and keeping routines the same (regular feeding times, frequent play times, etc). If the litterboxes do not have hoods, I would wait until both cats have been regularly using the boxes for a while before adding hoods (again, minimizing change).

Pam Johnson-Bennett is a famous cat behaviorist and has many books on understanding cat behavior and psychology that help cat owners fix problematic kitty behavior. The books are very interesting and fun to read - I think every cat owner should read at least one! Her website also has many helpful suggestions (just google her name).

[MNNHFLTX]

I agree that cats hate change, especially if they're around when it's happening. When your new couch is delivered, I would seclude your kitties in the room with the litter box, so that they don't see strange people going in and out of the house. In fact, I would keep them in this "safe" room quite a bit for the first day or so, just letting them out to sniff around the new couch (with you supervising, of course) and get a little loving. This is not cruel in any way; it will reinforce that they have a safe place to hang out. Whenever we have new people staying at our house or some other change we keep our cats secluded in our laundry room, where the litter box is, so that they don't feel stressed. They are perfectly happy to retreat there for a while, where they feel secure.

Since you know that the cat likes leather (or microfiber), you might want to get a pillow or blanket made of that to keep in the room with the litter box, to entice him to go in there more often.

As far as domed litter boxes, I've never had much luck with those. Since our cats were used to the regular ones, they were reluctant to even go in the domed one, and started going outside the box.

[Magic Smiles]

I agree with the cleaning suggestions above. We had a cat (he was part-siamese which probably explains it) that pee'd on my living room curtains. I replaced them and he pee'd on the new ones too. Third time, I got a different type of curtain (different fabric) and we shampoo'd the rugs. Problem solved. Well, at least the pee problem was solved. The cat was :thedolls: and proceeded to destroy my antiqe sofa. Needless to say, he became an outside cat and when we moved, he didn't move with us. :blush:
I don't know about others, but I find this very disturbing. Why wouldn't you just find the cat a new home? Why would you even have pets?

[NJGIRL]

I don't know about others, but I find this very disturbing. Why wouldn't you just find the cat a new home? Why would you even have pets?

I also found this to be upsetting. Animal abandonment is illegal in the United States and also cruel.

[valjane]

I don't know about others, but I find this very disturbing. Why wouldn't you just find the cat a new home? Why would you even have pets?

I thought it was horrible, myself. :mad:

OP, you've gotten some great advice here. I really think you'll be okay with your new couch. Your cat was probably more attached to the object than the location, if that makes sense.

When we moved to our new house, one of our cats immediately peed on our microfiber couch our first night there. (Too much change for her!) But.... we went to Home Depot and found a cleaner specifically for urine and it seemed to get the job done. She hasn't done it again, either, thank goodness!

Good luck!

[Carol]

I don't know about others, but I find this very disturbing. Me too. :(

I work at an Animal Hospital and see pets that have been abandoned and it's extremely disturbing. Often they must be put down because their bodies are in deplorable condition.

We sell products at the hospital that takes the smell out and it's an all natural odor eliminator. It's made by Petrotech. They have different products for wood, fabric, carpet, tile ...etc. I'd check with your local Vet and see if they carry the product. It works great.

[trennedy]

I understand that cats can be difficult. My cat is partially paralyzed after being on the losing end of a fight with a possum. He now has litter box issues. His fancy self cleaning box broke after years of service. I tried to get by with a cheap old one, but he definately let me know that would not do. I ended up getting him a new pricey one.
I guess I just feel once you have made a commitment to an animal, you don't just give up on them. That's just MHO.

[BouncingTigger]

I don't know about others, but I find this very disturbing. Why wouldn't you just find the cat a new home? Why would you even have pets?

I agree that that comment was extremely messed up. I didn't even notice it before you pointed it out (I guess I do miss a lot when I skim long threads). An animal is a lifelong commitment and just because things don't go perfectly all the time does not mean an innocent animal should be kicked out of the house and abandoned. Frankly, there is no excuse for that. Cats don't set out to destroy sofas to be :thedolls: - they simply are stressed out for whatever reason and problem behaviors can almost always be fixed given enough time, patience and commitment. My cats are part of my family and I would never discard them because they happened to develop an inconvenient behavior. Even when my cats are chasing each other around the apartment at 3 a.m. and not letting me sleep before a big exam, tossing them out is simply not something that would ever enter my mind.

[mrsgaribaldi]

I agree with NJGirl and the frequent scooping of the boxes. I have 3 cats and just one box and we never had a problem yet, (knock wood);)
As for the person who left there cat behind when they moved, I don't agree with that. But I do see how some people don't get as attached to pets as myself and others do. I could totally understand why someone would not want to go through alot of trouble and damaged furniture for a pet. That's their opinion and feelings about their situation and I don't think we should be knocking them for it. Would I get rid of one of my cats for destroying furniture? no. That's why I don't have any nice furniture;) But if someone else wants to I don't think we should be quite so belittling towards them or question why they even have a pet. However I would stress placing an animal with a new family, shelter, etc and not just leaving them. These are my feelings, again, not right or wrong, just my own.

[DisneyDog]

I agree. I only considered sending the cat back to the spca for about 1 minute. The couch is ruined, nothing I can do about it. But, the cat, despite having only been with us for a few months, is a member of our family. I would not, put any animal in a position where it would possibly be killed if there was anything I could do about it.

As upsetting as it is that a tiny little cat ruined my $4,000 couch (no, that isn't a typo, we were stupid. Don't know why we spent so much money. Wouldn't do it again!!), a couch can be replaced, a life cannot. We moved the couch into the garage (it took 4 people to move it!!) because he kept peeing on it. The object of his "affection" is out of the picture, and there is currently nothing there pending the arrival of the new couch. Hopefully the behavior will be over and done with (fingers crossed!!). I do know of some products, sold by veterinarians, that will get scents and stains out of furniture, but they just don't work on leather.

I am considering cleaning the carpet now that the couch is gone, but I don't think that any of the mess traveled down to below the couch.

[mrsgaribaldi]

Hi DisneyDog, did you get the new couch yet? I was just checking to see what was going on. Good luck :pixie::pixie:Please let us know what happens.

[DisneyDog]

I just got a call that the couch is in, so I have to arrange for delivery. Maybe next week some time :)

The old couch is still in the garage, and will be taken away by the delivery guy. Cat hasn't marked anything at all since the couch was out of the house:thumbsup:

I'll certainly report back when the new couch arrives.

[Disney Doll]

We have 4 cats that share one litter box. As for the smell I would recommend a good quality litter (not the cheap stuff), a hooded litter box, and regular scooping. Most people have no idea we have 4 cats. I have moved our litter box from time to time and my cats don't seem to care. Although, I do not think it's uncommon for cats to be finicky. We used to have a dog who regularly had accidents. We tried every product know to man to get the smell out (lots were specifically made for urine). We eventually ripped up the carpet and replaced it with laminate wood. We also had a problem with one cat clawing up the carpet. Again I tried all the cat repellent products available, but none worked. Another reason we replaced the carpet. I have also tried foil as a cat repellent for the baby furniture and my cats don't seem to care. So now the rocker in my son's room is always covered in cat hair, but I gave up that fight. At least they are not in the crib. Cats have a mind of their own. I don't think you'll have a problem with the new couch, but just in case... a black light will illuminate any pee stains. I don't think you can ever really get it all out, but at least you'll know you didn't completely miss one. Good luck!

[brownie]

You might consider adding a third litter box along with making sure you have one on each level of your home (I've read that it's better to have 1 more litter box than the number of cats you have.) Use the scoopable litter if your cats aren't fussy about it being changed, and clean out the boxes at least every couple days. That should keep the problem from reoccurring. We have 2 cats right now, and had 3 for a while, and although we haven't had to replace a couch, we have had to do some cleaning and washing!

[DisneyDog]

Sadly, we made the horribly difficult decision that we just could not live with the cat. It just about killed me, but we took him back to the spca. It goes against everything I believe in. But this was a behavior problem that I felt I could not change. He is a sweet little guy and I will always love him. But we tried everything and nothing was working. I cannot have urine all over my furniture, especially with a 5 year old in the house. As much as I love the little guy, I had to put the health of my family first. I thought that with the sofa out of the picture that he would stop the behavior, but on Monday he started to soil a different chair in a different location. It was getting out of control. I feel just awful about it, believe me. We had to have a bio-carpet-cleaning company come in a deep clean everything.

Our other cat is a true gem. I could move the litter box every day and he'd never have a problem with it (we had some construction work done a few months back, and we did have to keep moving the box and he just adjusted each time). You can do anything to this cat, he's so laid back. You can make him dance, hold him upside down...he just lets you. I love him to pieces.

We've had a tough year. We lost my heart dog to dementia, then our other dog developed a degenerative spine problem and I had to carry him everywhere for months until we finally made the tough decision to send him to the Bridge too. Dealing with the cat situation was just more than I could handle. I am completely burned out, exhausted and sad from loss and cleaning up pet messes. We are just going to stick with having our one perfect cat for a while.