I am in desperate need of cat help (spraying)

About 2 years ago my cat started to pee and poop on my couches. I thought it was because our dog had died, we got a new dog, we moved, had a baby, and it was just too much for him so he started to act up. He eventually stopped, after MONTHS of vets visits, scrubbing, spraying things with different animal cleaners etc.

Now all the sudden he is at it again! My poor dog can't have a bed or even a blanket anymore because every time we give her one the cat pees and poops all over it. Fine, I took away all the beds. Then he peed and pooped all over my grandmothers blanket and ottoman. The blanket was dark colored so I couldn't see he was doing it until I caught him, I had to throw out my ottoman. He is pooping on the living room floor, pee on the couch. NOW this morning my husband went into the guest room because he smelled something and the cat has been peeing and pooping on our down comforter and pillow top for days.

I don't know what to do. I have taken him to vets, he is healthy, I have had $1000's worth of tests done, thrown furniture out, bought every type of cat off enzyme type thing on the market, gotten new cat boxes, shown extra affection. EVERYTHING. I can't do this anymore. I have a new baby coming and I can't have deification all over my home.

Please help. I am desperate and don't want to have to get rid of him, but I am at my wits end and so is my husband. I am also running out of funds.

Re: I am in desperate need of cat help (spraying)

Sorry, i know how frustrating this is. How is his litter box? Is it kept clean and in a place he is comfortable with? My cat has an issue with peeing on certain things but manly my comforters or dirty laundry. Vet said everything is medically okay so we have been cleaning his litter daily (scooping and putting in a new layer of litter) and then completely cleaning it once a week, removing liner and all litter. Also, I play with him every night for 20-30 minutes and I spray Feliway spray on my bed every couple of days to help keep him calm. He has been pretty good lately (knocking on wood). Your cat may just be acting out about something he's not happy about. Maybe try to relocate his litter box or add another one to a different location and definitely try the Feliway spray. I thought it was a crock but it really seemed to help us. Good luck!

I am in desperate need of cat help (spraying)

I am copy and pasting my reply from a different thread since my daughter is having a full blown meltdown right now LOL

C and P from here:
http://www.lifamilies.com/chat/topic-cat-peeing-in-the-house-769653-1.html

If he is not neutered, that's the first thing to fix. I'd also rule out if he has bladder stones, crystals, UTI etc. Once he gets cleared for that then I would do this...

First he might not like to use his litter box after the second day so I would start by cleaning his box more often. I would scoop every day especially right after a poop. I would dump out the entire box twice a week. You can also add a second or third box in other rooms especially if he is making far away from the box.

They suggest one extra box for each cat you have. So 1 cat should in theory have 2 boxes, 2 cats 3 boxes etc. You should have one box per floor of your house (so one upstairs one down stairs etc.) Also, Some cats do not like covered boxes, especially if they are not perfectly clean. Some cats do not like certain types of litter (if you have recently litter types or formulas). Some cats react badly if they have been declawed. Just throwing some ideas out there if any of those things fit your situation.

So in addition to cleaning his box more and/or adding extra boxes... First deep clean the places where he pees. I would use Anti icky poo unscented (amazon has it for 18) This is the best cleaner for cat pee ever. You need to make sure that the enzyme cleans every molecule of pee so really soak the areas. If there is liquid left over give it a few minutes and then wipe/blot up the excess. There are many enzyme cleaners on the market but cat breeders rave about AIP as the most effective.

Then you have two choices...
After the spot is deep down clean... You can make the area unattractive to him by putting down tinfoil or putting sticky mats down (put double stick tape on plastic place mats), use scat matts or carpet runner upsidedown with pointy grip bumps facing up) which will physically deter him from that area. OR After the spot is clean, you can take a teaspoon of wet food and feed him right on or near the spots where he is peeing. He won't want to pee where he eats. Do it a couple of times a day before you feed him his meal. Do it for a few days and see if that helps. Then you can do it once or twice a week, if he responds well to it. If the first way doesn't work you can try the second way. If neither way works AND you have upped the amount of times you scoop/empty his box and added a second box... then I would confine him with his clean litter box in one room to reestablish good habits.

Praise anytime you see him using the box.

When I had problems with my female cat peeing on my bed and in my daughters crib I did the feed method and it worked within a few days. She also prefers a very clean box. If you have the means you can also look into one of the robot cleaners that clean right after the cat makes so it's clean every time. They are pricey but it will save you some work.
Cats are really smart, its just a matter of figuring out what the problem is. So many people give up great cats because of peeing and there are so many ways to work on it.

I'd also suggest for the stress that you try engaging him in extra play time daily. 15-30 minutes with one of the string stick toys. You want to play until he is laying on his side and panting. It will burn off that extra nervous energy. Also it's important if you are going to play with him that you not use a laser toy. Cats are predators and can get frustrated when they can't catch their prey. Even when you play with him with toy's make sure he gets to catch and kill it once in a while. They take satisfaction in it :O)

A good rule of thumb is to exercise about an hour before dinner. Then feed dinner about 1/2 hour later, and then he should sleep. If you do it on the later side hopefully that will be enough to stop late night crying.

Cat people also think two cats are better than one. Maybe consider getting him a playmate. He might need some hard core cat playing. And cats love to snuggle and groom each other. I would suggest getting a young female kitten if you were thinking about going that route and also read up on how to do proper introductions because if you do it right you end up with less problems. If you rush it and he goes after her, it is harder to fix it when it goes wrong.

Message edited 2/14/2013 3:21:41 PM.

Re: I am in desperate need of cat help (spraying)

My cat had an accident on my basement sofa. Grrrrrrr

I cleaned it w Natures Miracle odor and stain remover specially for cats. spray area, let sit for 5 min, wipe w cloth, let dry. Worked like a charm. Get it at pet stores.

I will have to keep the cat in his own room when I'm not home. Litter box was clean. He never did this before so I'm thinking of letting the vet examine him to see if maybe he has an infection.

Re: I am in desperate need of cat help (spraying)

I'm sorry you're going through this. There is nothing more frustrating!

Here is my experience: your cat is trying to tell you something! He is not happy. The problem is finding out what that THING is. Cats are so quirky sometimes it is hard to figure out.

You say he had a lot of changes when it first happened. Could your pregnancy be starting it up again? Maybe he associates all those past changes with your first pregnancy?

Have you tried changing his litter? Does he use his litter box at all? How many litterboxes do you have? Does he have a kitty condo (a place he can call his own?). How is his interaction with the dog? It sounds like it started this last time with a lot of the dog's things. Is the cat getting enough attention/playtime from you?

In my house, when we had problems with our older cat, it was a result of getting another cat. But the frustrating part was that it was not immediate. It began many months after getting the new kitty. I found that she was urinating in my infant's bedroom. Then she started urinating on bath mats. Then she was pooping in the kitchen. Then she started peeing on my clothes. On my clothes in my laundry basket. In my just washed clothes in my laundry basket. (They were always MY clothes and not DH's).

What we noticed was that the new cat has been "claiming" her spots. He liked sitting on "her" things. Playing with "her" toys. "Waiting" for her while she was in the litterbox. "Blocking" her while she was in the kitchen eating. He would stalk her. Jump out at her. In the beginning I think it was his way of trying to pay with her (he was used to cats). My cat didnt/doesn't like it. If I'm honest, she doesnt like cats at all. I felt bad when I had DS because I felt I was not giving her trhe attention she was used to and got her a "playmate." After nearly 3 years they still cant get along.

I wound up giving her, her own area. In a 2 bedroom coop there is really not a lot of room so we made our bedroom "her room." We put her litterbox in there and it is her sanctuary. Our other cat is not allowed in there and we keep the door closed all the time. the vet also prescribed her prozac to help with her anxiety. It helped tremendously.

At this point, you might have to "retrain" him a bit. You could try isolating him in a small room with his litterbox for a week, until he is using the litterbox again consistantly.

That was just a few things I could think of.

Re: I am in desperate need of cat help (spraying)

Re: I am in desperate need of cat help (spraying)

I had the same problem and did all the tests, etc. What I first did was lock her in a room with the litter box to see if she would use it. She did. Than I put her litter back to the usual place and she would not use it. One day I decided to take the lid off and since then she has used it.

If you have the lid off already you can buy a special cat litter like this

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751734

Re: I am in desperate need of cat help (spraying)

We had an issue with our cat peeing and poopong in one room of the house after we came back from vacation. Nothing worked until we basically locked him into the laundry room (its a finished room not small) with his litter box food and water and kept him in there for a few days. We basically tried to retrain him to,use the litter box. In the meantime clean everything, rent (if you dont own) a carpet/upulstry cleaner and use a product from pet store for cat odor

Hth

Eta also try to spend some play time with the cat. We got one of those cat toys on a stick and this way even DS could get him playing

Message edited 2/17/2013 1:47:10 PM.