Hello! I'm having problems with one of my cats. We have three female indoor cats. The oldest is Bunny who is about 10 years old. Magic is around a little over a year old. Freyja is about a year old. The other day Magic pees on a blanket that was laying on the couch. We thought that there was something wrong the kitty litter so we changed it and all was fine for a few days. Then a few days ago one of the cats poop on the couch. We cleaned it up and last night it happened again. We found out it was Magic that was doing it. There is a kitty litter downstairs that the three are free to use and since Freyja is my cat, I have a kitty litter box up in my room with a bowl of water and food for her. Magic did not do this when we first got Freyja so I don't think its a jealousy or territorial thing since all of the cats just lay on the couch and are free to roam. We squirted her with a water bottle today after we cleaned it. What are we supposed to do to get her to stop pooping on the couch?
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Cat pooping on the leather couch
- Thread starter shadowwolf140
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For some reason the cat is probably attracted to the leather, a lot of people have issues with cats doing their business in clothes or blankets... I've never heard it on a leather couch before though. Cats who do not cover up their feces are sometimes trying to dominate, this happens a lot of with cats that share litter boxes, it's essentially boldly marking their territory, this might be what the cat is doing on your couch, claiming it as his own. If you do not have more than one litter box I suggest getting another one. You should always have more than one if you have more than one cat.
However sometimes under stress or some sort of underlining illness cats will avoid using their litter box. When my cat had a urinary blockage he would attempt to urinate pretty much wherever he was. You might want to take him to the vet if it is at all possible just to make sure nothing is wrong.
If this does turn out to be a behavior problem, which it most likely is, your best bet is keeping him off the couch entirely. Spraying him with water won't teach him anything unless you catch him in the act, if you just squirt him after the fact he wont know what you're bugging him for. You can try some cat repellent spray, I have read cats also dislike anything citrus so you could try some citrus air freshener.
However sometimes under stress or some sort of underlining illness cats will avoid using their litter box. When my cat had a urinary blockage he would attempt to urinate pretty much wherever he was. You might want to take him to the vet if it is at all possible just to make sure nothing is wrong.
If this does turn out to be a behavior problem, which it most likely is, your best bet is keeping him off the couch entirely. Spraying him with water won't teach him anything unless you catch him in the act, if you just squirt him after the fact he wont know what you're bugging him for. You can try some cat repellent spray, I have read cats also dislike anything citrus so you could try some citrus air freshener.
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Several things jump out at me immediately:
1. How are you cleaning it? Are you using an enzyme cleanser? The most likely thing, it sounds like to me, is that she can still smell her waste and pee there and therefore is attracted to it as a good place to go.
2. Am I understanding correctly that she, Bunny, and Freyja all share one box in the basement, and only Freyja has access to the box in your room? If so that is really, really not enough boxes for 3 cats, especially non siblings. You have to add at least one more box. I'd add two.
3. Am I also understanding correctly that she has to go downstairs whenever she has to go? If so, you should add at least one box she and Magic can use on the upper level. I know this is a new development, but often, sooner or later, cats will do what is convenient (or what they have to do) in the easiest place if there is no litterbox nearby.
4. As this is a new problem, I personally would take her to the vet to rule out any medical issues.
5. This site is anti water bottle in general, but even if it were pro water bottle your squirting her when you did was useless. Since it was after she was done, she will not associate it with her going and is probably just thinking you squirted her randomly or about something totally unrelated especially since you did it long after the fact. If she starts thinking you are going to randomly squirt her for no reason she may get stressed out, and this stress will likely make the problem much worse, not better.
Good luck.
1. How are you cleaning it? Are you using an enzyme cleanser? The most likely thing, it sounds like to me, is that she can still smell her waste and pee there and therefore is attracted to it as a good place to go.
2. Am I understanding correctly that she, Bunny, and Freyja all share one box in the basement, and only Freyja has access to the box in your room? If so that is really, really not enough boxes for 3 cats, especially non siblings. You have to add at least one more box. I'd add two.
3. Am I also understanding correctly that she has to go downstairs whenever she has to go? If so, you should add at least one box she and Magic can use on the upper level. I know this is a new development, but often, sooner or later, cats will do what is convenient (or what they have to do) in the easiest place if there is no litterbox nearby.
4. As this is a new problem, I personally would take her to the vet to rule out any medical issues.
5. This site is anti water bottle in general, but even if it were pro water bottle your squirting her when you did was useless. Since it was after she was done, she will not associate it with her going and is probably just thinking you squirted her randomly or about something totally unrelated especially since you did it long after the fact. If she starts thinking you are going to randomly squirt her for no reason she may get stressed out, and this stress will likely make the problem much worse, not better.
Good luck.
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Agree with everything posted. You also have to make sure you clean all the boxes at least once a day.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Hey! Thanks for the quick replies, everyone! Another thing that happened that I did not mention was that she peed on the couch right in front of someone. Also, when she poops she seems to do it once in the morning when other people are awake and then for the rest of the day she will poop in her litter box. She also tried to scoop litter over it as if she was in the litter box and attempted to hide it when my boyfriend and his mom walked up to her. She ran off when they got close enough to the couch.
1. We cleaned it with a citrus smelling cleaner. I'm not sure what brand it was though.
2 and 3. We do only have two litter boxes. We generally clean the one out downstairs a few times a week so it is often kept clean. But I will make sure to add another one somewhere in the house. Freyja tends to stay upstairs with me and use her own litter box and her own food bowl when she is hungry and has to go to the bathroom.
4. I will take her to the vet as soon as possible! Does anyone know if she would show other signs of something being wrong with her?
5. I did not know this site was anti water bottle! D:
Thank you, once again, for the replies, you two!
1. We cleaned it with a citrus smelling cleaner. I'm not sure what brand it was though.
2 and 3. We do only have two litter boxes. We generally clean the one out downstairs a few times a week so it is often kept clean. But I will make sure to add another one somewhere in the house. Freyja tends to stay upstairs with me and use her own litter box and her own food bowl when she is hungry and has to go to the bathroom.
4. I will take her to the vet as soon as possible! Does anyone know if she would show other signs of something being wrong with her?
5. I did not know this site was anti water bottle! D:
Thank you, once again, for the replies, you two!
I think you have been given good advice by the other posters. Just to clear up a few things.
The cleaners most of us use are Nature's Miracle or NokOut. Don't flood the spots where they have peed or pooped. That will liquefy the odor causing thing and cause it to sink into the leather and the foam cushion underneath. Spray lightly, wipe off, rinse lightly, wipe that off, spray again, wait 30 seconds then wipe off again. Use a clean paper towel with each wipe.
You really need to scoop each box at least once a day, and have at least one box on each level of your house.
This site is anti-spray bottle, because cats don't understand discipline: www.thecatsite.com/a/cats-and-discipline-dont-mix You stand a better chance of stressing them out, with the pooping problem getting worse.
Other signs of medical problems would be: aggression, not eating, hiding all the time. and constant yowling.
One thing not mentioned by you or asked by other responders, Are all of the cats spayed?
Welcome to TCS, and hoping this post helps clear some things up.
The cleaners most of us use are Nature's Miracle or NokOut. Don't flood the spots where they have peed or pooped. That will liquefy the odor causing thing and cause it to sink into the leather and the foam cushion underneath. Spray lightly, wipe off, rinse lightly, wipe that off, spray again, wait 30 seconds then wipe off again. Use a clean paper towel with each wipe.
You really need to scoop each box at least once a day, and have at least one box on each level of your house.
This site is anti-spray bottle, because cats don't understand discipline: www.thecatsite.com/a/cats-and-discipline-dont-mix You stand a better chance of stressing them out, with the pooping problem getting worse.
Other signs of medical problems would be: aggression, not eating, hiding all the time. and constant yowling.
One thing not mentioned by you or asked by other responders, Are all of the cats spayed?
Welcome to TCS, and hoping this post helps clear some things up.
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You really need to get a enzyme cleaner they sell them at any pet store. Cleaning the litter boxes a few times a week is not enough they need to be cleaned once a day and this should take less than a min to do if you do it everyday. Here is a good article on litter box issues written by a vet http://www.catinfo.org/?link=litterbox
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Yes! All of this information is very helpful to know! Everyone in the household has had cats at different times of their lives and I guess we didn't realize how important it was to scoop out the litter every single day instead of changing it a few times a week.
Thank you for letting me know about the cleaners. I will take a look at Petsmart that is across the street from my work on my break and make sure to get some.
We only have two levels of the house. I'm up on the second level where there is a litter box in my room and there is one downstairs. I will add one more in another room of the house so the cats will have access to another area to use the bathroom.
That is actually pretty interesting that they don't understand discipline. We only squirted her once and it was right after she ran off after attempting to hide it from us.
She does not show any of those symptoms. She runs around and plays with the other cats and is as normal as she a cat can be.
Yes! All of the cats are spayed!
Thank you everyone for helping me out with this and welcoming me! I've mostly had outside cats my entire life so I'm new at keeping an indoor cat but everyone has to start somewhere.
Thank you for letting me know about the cleaners. I will take a look at Petsmart that is across the street from my work on my break and make sure to get some.
We only have two levels of the house. I'm up on the second level where there is a litter box in my room and there is one downstairs. I will add one more in another room of the house so the cats will have access to another area to use the bathroom.
That is actually pretty interesting that they don't understand discipline. We only squirted her once and it was right after she ran off after attempting to hide it from us.
She does not show any of those symptoms. She runs around and plays with the other cats and is as normal as she a cat can be.
Yes! All of the cats are spayed!
Thank you everyone for helping me out with this and welcoming me! I've mostly had outside cats my entire life so I'm new at keeping an indoor cat but everyone has to start somewhere.
Thank you everyone for helping me out with this and welcoming me! I've mostly had outside cats my entire life so I'm new at keeping an indoor cat but everyone has to start somewhere.
I am glad the comments have been helpful and I hope the problem clears up for you ASAP! Please keep us updated!
I have had my cats for awhile now and 2 leather couches too and my cats have never peeped or pooped on mine.,or never scratched them up either.
