Help!!!

*sigh*

The sign on our door would read: Interested in a slightly used cat? He's really friendly and will pee on your husbands things quite willingly! If interested please inquire within.

What is the best way to get a cat to STOP peeing on your husbands clothes or now his side of the bed. See we've had this problem ever since we got Butters. He'll pee on his clothes and about once a year he'll pee on his side of the bed. This is what I woke up to this morning....luckily hubby fell asleep on the couch.

Honestly, what do I do? I'm at the end of my rope. He's constantly peeing on his clothes. Granted they are in a big pile on the floor, but that is still NOT acceptable! No, he doesn't have a medical problem. I've taken him to the vet countless times and all they do is give me needless medication and bill me too much. This is not a medical problem, this is a behavioral problem. HELP!

First - is he neutered? What type of medication do they give him?

Second - how many litter boxes do you have, have you tried different types of cat litter and does he regularly use them?

That will help people answer you

He is neutered. I don't remember the medication. It was a while ago and tramatizing (he is very hard to give medication to).

We have 2 litter boxes. We would probably have more, but unless it is in the living room or our bedroom there are no other places to put another one. I use Arm & Hammer. I use a mixture of multi-cat and the regular formula. I have never used anything other than that so I know it's not the litter. He does use the litter normally. He usually pees on hubby's clothes about once a month.

I'll move this to the Behaviour forum

How does the cat feel about your husband? I mean, aside from the obvious clue -- -- do they interact at all? Does your husband feed him, play with him, pet him?

I do most of the care. He's barely home. He's a student at an art college and working his tail off doing homework. When he is home he pets him and they do spoon on the couch.

The only thing I could think of is that he's jealous of your hubby for some weird odd reason. He could be claiming territory. Maybe have your hubby give him more attention, such as giving him treats when he gets home. Also make sure that that spot on the bed where he pees- is cleaned well so he can't smell it anymore!


Good luck!

For the cleaning so far I've used vinegar & when that was nearly dry I put nature's miracle on it and now I'm waiting for it to dry. Earlier I had left it for about 4 hrs and came back and it was still wet and it still smelled of urine.

Bump!

Any more suggestions would be great!

Originally Posted by Melindar

For the cleaning so far I've used vinegar & when that was nearly dry I put nature's miracle on it and now I'm waiting for it to dry. Earlier I had left it for about 4 hrs and came back and it was still wet and it still smelled of urine.

Click to expand...

you can try and use a fan to get it to dry faster. when we moved into a bad apartment (previous tenants dogs peed all over) we used vinegar and water, soaked the spots, put a fan in the room to blow over the spot. we kept drying it, then reapplying the vinegar/water solution. the same works for natures miracle. you have to really soak the spot, let it dry, and reapply. keep this up til the stain is gone. you can use a black light to check to see that stain is gone. it will be there before the application, and after 1 or more (in your case you may need more applications) the stain should be gone.

i don't have any suggestions for the peeing other than a UTI check at the vet. and contacting a behaviorist if it's not a UTI.

It sounds like he either doesn't like your husband or he doesn't like a smell that may be on him, possibly from art school? Getting the two of them to bond more closely may solve the problem.

Unless, of course, it's only a coincidence that he pees on your husband's clothes. Do you ever leave your clothes out and does he pee on them? Some cats just prefer a soft spot to pee. One solution a client of mine found was putting a cheap bathmat in a litter box and allowing the cat to urinate there. If that works you'll have to give up mats in your bath as the cat might decide those will do in a pinch.

I haven't had a chance to reapply the vinegar a 2nd time. I'm gonna go do that after I post this. I can't see a stain (but I haven't used a black light either) but you can sure smell it (even when you are standing near the bed on hubby's side).

I really do think he's got an issue with him. He seeks out his clothes (he's not only peed on them in the clothes hamper, but also in other places around the house that hubby may leave them for more than a day). I try to spread attention time between the 3 of them (they all demand my attention). As for hubby, I'm not sure what he does when I'm not home. When I am, he'll pet Butters b/c she gets right in your face and demands it (same with Copper...the dog). Ash will go out with him when he goes to smoke and they'll hang out, but I don't think much more. I can't have hubby be the sole feeder of him b/c he's barely here and if he is, he's sleeping or working on homework. I really think its a behavior issue, but I don't have the resources to get a behaviorist (I'm the primary income and supporting hubby while he's in school). I think I do a pretty good job with keeping my animals happy and healthy, but this one is really stumping me.

I've talked to other people who have said "I would have to get rid of him, the moment he peed on my things once". #1 I couldn't live with myself for letting him down & #2 he's my favorite and my baby. Some days I wonder if he would be happier being the only furry animal, but I just can't let him go.

He's jealous, plain and simple, and I have no idea how to change it except to keep your husband's clothes out of his reach, cover the bed with a plastic sheet (til he stops bothering... could be a while) and cross your fingers. They don't know they're just 'cats', think they're super macho studs.. and we're the focus of their love/sex drives. One of the few ways they have of asserting it is by dumping on the 'other' guy, and peeing is quick and easy! Good luck.

I can accept the probable thought that he's jealous. I've actually given up getting upset when he does it to his clothes, for the whole reason that hubby doesn't put them away when they are clean or he'll pile them up when they're dirty. That's his fault and he can't get too mad about it either. If I was the good little wife I would do his laundry, but I'm not.

I can't keep a plastic sheet on the bed.....I was sleeping on the bed when he did it!!!

Have you tried Feliway at all? If this is a territorial dispute (in the cat's eyes) it might be worth it to try. Also - cats seem to be attracted to the scent of bleach and/or ammonia. Do your husband's clothes get bleach on them? Does he use ammonia or bleach at art school? Something in the cat's olfactory gland tells them that they should pee when they smell bleach or ammonia.

I hope you can get it sorted soon!

This is gonna sounds totally "Crazy Cat Lady" & possibly dumb, but that's OK by me!

Try putting some vanilla(just a dab) on an article of your hubby's clothes in the pile & a dab anywhere else he pees. See if that smell overpowers the smell of hubby to deter him from peeing? It may sound absurd, but I put vanilla on the spots where Ophelia sprayed & she hasn't sprayed there since...granted she had a UTI causing the spraying.

I've thought about the Feliway, but I really hate to spend $50 and it not work. DH uses bleach on his whites, but by the time Ash gets to them they've already been worn and smell like dirty man feet.

I might have to try the vanilla thing. Even if it doesn't work at least the room will smell like vanilla instead of cat pee!

As for the cleaning, I've done 2 soakings of vinegar & 2 soakings of Nature's miracle and it still smells, granted not as bad.