Peeing on couch....

[grooverite]

I have two 6 year old cats both brother and sister and one 4 year old male.  I started noticing peeing on the couch a little after I brought in the 4 year old male but it was VERY RARE and RANDOM.  The past 2 weeks now, its been constant and every day almost at night and sometimes when I get home.  I can tell because its fresh pee and not dried up.  I have leather couches and use Nok-Out (GREAT STUFF BTW!!) to clean the couch. I have a vet coming to my apartment tomorrow morning at 8am hopefully to rule out UTI.  I REALLY hope its UTI!!  I have a HUGE feeling though that this is behavioral.  I have 2 litter boxes but really have no space for 1 (let alone 2) more!  I have closed (hooded) litter boxes.  I plan on getting one more.  I also plan on getting a cat condo because I think my cats are very stressed out by each other.  I've been trying so hard to read as much as I can online to remedy my situation.  If there is anything you all can help me out with, it would be greatly appreciated!!

A lil more info.....

I see them use their litter boxes every day so I believe that this may not be UTI.  I have both males isolated in my computer room now because I caught them this past Saturday peeing on the couch and the younger one peeing in the kitchen sink....never saw that one before!  Last week, one of them had peed on the sleeve on my jacket when I put it on the other couch right before I go to work in the morning.  I noticed the pee on my jacket when I was waiting in line at the grocery store and thought someone on line smelled really bad of pee.....IT WAS ME!!!! lol!  What do you all think this may be?!?!  I really think they are stressing each other out.  How do I deal with this??

 

[ritz]

Yes, I think it is probably stress related peeing.  I assume they're both neutered.

Cat condos are a good way to go as are more litter boxes; the rule of thumb is a litter box for every cat plus one.

Also, have you tried different kind of litter boxes, like an open one?

And I assume no new cats around where you're living or anything else new.

Good luck, I know it's worrisome--and I know you kind of home it IS medical (versus behavioral) problem.

 

[vball91]

If they're not already all neutered/spayed (you don't mention either way), that would be the first suggestion. A Feliway pheromone diffuser may help. Did you do proper cat introductions?

I agree that a cat condo may help. If they don't get along, it would be helpful for them to have separate places they can go to be alone.

 

[di and bob]

Have you changed litter? I just really wanted to tell you to not give up, once you find out what the stresser is and correct it, it should stop. After we moved and started feeding a feral, my neutered male sprayed the doors and windows for a year. He FINALLY doesn't do it anymore! You might go on the internet and find calming collars for your males.

 

[grooverite]

Yes, I think it is probably stress related peeing.  I assume they're both neutered.

Cat condos are a good way to go as are more litter boxes; the rule of thumb is a litter box for every cat plus one.

Also, have you tried different kind of litter boxes, like an open one?

And I assume no new cats around where you're living or anything else new.

Good luck, I know it's worrisome--and I know you kind of home it IS medical (versus behavioral) problem.

Yes they are both neutered and female is spayed.

I've been wanting to get them a cat condo for awhile now but haven't had the money.  I may be moving this summer which is why I'm hesitant on getting it but after this, I will be ordering it hopefully sometime this week.  Have had an Armarkat condo on my Amazon queue for awhile now, lol!  I will be getting an extra litter box.  I will try my best to make room for a 4th one as well. I'm just unsure about whether I should get another closed (hooded) box or open.  May just get an open one so they have variety and see if they take to it.  I just don't want my apartment smelling bad with an open litter box.  There are no new cats around.  All they have is a window where they see birds fly by and random stray cats in the back yards.  I'm on the second floor so all they have is line of sight....no interaction with cats at the windows if you are wondering.  

If they're not already all neutered/spayed (you don't mention either way), that would be the first suggestion. A Feliway pheromone diffuser may help. Did you do proper cat introductions?

I agree that a cat condo may help. If they don't get along, it would be helpful for them to have separate places they can go to be alone.

I have Feliway and used it when they were kittens when I caught...umm, rescued them from my back yard!  lol!  These things are EXPENSIVE but will be most likely picking some more up on Amazon.  Yes, I did do proper introduction when I bought in the young male.  Had him isolated for 2/3 months and was swiping old shirts I had them all laying on and swapping back and forth so they could smell each other out.

What I always notice is both males constantly picking on the female.  I don't trim her nails so she can fend them off and get them off her back but she has been really hurting them bad with gashes on their backs so I may have to trim hers as well.  Both males get VERY rambunctious every morning when I wake up and feed them.  They either pick on her or each other.  When they to so, they seem to be fighting and not play fighting so I intervene and stop them from fighting.  I feed them twice a day, dry in the morning and wet in the evening when I get home.  These are usually the times when the pee appears on the couch.

Have you changed litter? I just really wanted to tell you to not give up, once you find out what the stresser is and correct it, it should stop. After we moved and started feeding a feral, my neutered male sprayed the doors and windows for a year. He FINALLY doesn't do it anymore! You might go on the internet and find calming collars for your males.

I use fresh step clumping litter.  Clean it daily and fill up when needed.  I completely clean the litter box once a month with soap and some tilex.  I wonder if the chlorine in the tilex is a stressor?!?!  They usually go right in after I dry it and put new litter in there so I don't think its a problem.  Glad to hear your male isn't doing it anymore!  What are calming collars??  Will have to do some research on them!  Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[grooverite]

Thank you all for your suggestions and help!  REALLY REALLY appreciate it very much! 

I'm looking forward to see what the vet finds tomorrow morning.  She does house calls so its great that I don't have to transport my cats!

 

[catspaw66]

Yes, the Tilex is extremely toxic to cats.  Use vinegar instead and rinse the box several times.  A calming collar is like a personal Feliway diffuser, but is right there all the time.

Is Nok-out an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle?  Enzyme cleaners are the only thing that will completely get rid of the chemicals in the pee.

 

[catsallaround]

A open litter box should not be stinking up your apartment if cleaned often enough.  Imangine the smell of a hooded one not cleaned often enough and all the smell being trapped and cats forced to use it.  Keep the scoopable litter deep enough. If UTI is ruled out there is always cat attract litter too.

I would get  an open pan ASAP or take lid off one.  I have had issue of cats laying on top of the hood stalking cats as they tried to use it.  I stopped using hooded boxes when I had only a couple cat as when I saw that I felt so bad. 

 

[grooverite]

Vet came this morning and basically ruled out UTI.  She told me that its most likely stress related issues but to keep an eye out on my young male because I caught him peeing in the kitchen sink this past Saturday and was in a trance peeing but trickling.  Thats what worries her so she gave me some meds and told me to give it to him and see if his pee is coming out normal or not.  I ordered a cat condo this morning from Amazon and will be getting another litter box today after work.  Will most likely take the hoods off of the other boxes so I can see whats happening with all my cats.

Yes, the Tilex is extremely toxic to cats.  Use vinegar instead and rinse the box several times.  A calming collar is like a personal Feliway diffuser, but is right there all the time.

Is Nok-out an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle?  Enzyme cleaners are the only thing that will completely get rid of the chemicals in the pee.

Wow, I didn't know it is toxic for them!  Will stop using that and use vinegar instead!  I'll also pick up some calming collars at the pet store and try them out...I need all the help I can get right now!

Yes, I do believe its an enzyme cleaner.  Nok-out has been better than Natures Miracle for me.  Really gets rid of the smell and doesn't mask it like other cleaners do.  This stuff is amazing, and expensive!

A open litter box should not be stinking up your apartment if cleaned often enough.  Imangine the smell of a hooded one not cleaned often enough and all the smell being trapped and cats forced to use it.  Keep the scoopable litter deep enough. If UTI is ruled out there is always cat attract litter too.

I would get  an open pan ASAP or take lid off one.  I have had issue of cats laying on top of the hood stalking cats as they tried to use it.  I stopped using hooded boxes when I had only a couple cat as when I saw that I felt so bad. 

I clean it every morning before I head out to work.  I come home around 7pm so I will start cleaning it out twice a day now just to be on the safe side of things.  I keep my apartment pretty clean along with their areas.  I always keep the litter deep but now that I will be adding another box (and possibly an extra 4th later), its going to be costing me twice as much for litter!  I hope cat attract is to expensive so I can give it a try and see how they take to it.  They seem to be content with the fresh step clumping litter!

Here is the thing about taking the lid off that I see a problem.  For some crazy reason, I always find pee stains and marks on the upper part inside of the box.  So, if I take the lid off, I hope they don't pee accidentally outside of the box.  Not sure if they are shooting it upward or perhaps because the lid is there but we shall see, I guess.  They used to ambush each other on the litter boxes but when they were kittens, lol!  Now, they just bother each other to no end, usually around feeding time.  Otherwise, its peaceful...

 

[catsallaround]

My one cat Ben will lift his butt up ONLY when he has issue peeing.  Some of my others pee high up normally.  I have the 18 ish gallon totes.  The cats jump up into them.  There are also some regular sized cat tray available.

So she ruled out UTI but left med?  Can you get a culture done on the cat you found peeing in sink?  

What do you feed them? Try to have alot of canned NON fish flavors(low carb is also a plus!)

I love Fresh step!! clumping or regular it is GOOD litter.

 

[catspaw66]

Get a hooded box, leave the hood on for a couple of days, check for pee stains, then take the cover off and see what happens.  You might want to put some plastic behind the box at first. Some people use a large Sterilite storage box with a hole cut in it.  I am not sure how you do it, but hopefully someone will see this and chime in.

I took the covers off my hooded boxes, except the one in the bathroom, when Silly had the cone on after she had her eye removed.  I liked the fact that there were no ambushes so much that I left them off. And that was a year ago.

 

[ritz]

Ritz pees standing up sometimes, always has.  Like 17" high.

At first I bought a hooded litter box, but the urine went out between where the hood connected with the base.

I bought the tallest Rubbermaid like container I could find.  My brother cut a square hole in the side (with an Ecco knife cutter I think).  Works well.  If you go this route, make sure to start the hole at least an inch or two from the bottom, otherwise the litter will fall out.

Note that some people don't cut any hole--cats CAN jump you know!  But I guess I just like to spoil Ritz!  And I wanted to make it easy for her.

 

[grooverite]

My one cat Ben will lift his butt up ONLY when he has issue peeing.  Some of my others pee high up normally.  I have the 18 ish gallon totes.  The cats jump up into them.  There are also some regular sized cat tray available.

So she ruled out UTI but left med?  Can you get a culture done on the cat you found peeing in sink?  

What do you feed them? Try to have alot of canned NON fish flavors(low carb is also a plus!)

I love Fresh step!! clumping or regular it is GOOD litter.

I have seen those high cat litter boxes online.  Trust me when I tell you I have looked through many many many pages in Amazon of whats available, lol!  I suppose this is an option if I see them peeing outside when they are in the box

Yes, she ruled out UTI.  I was confused because I didn't see her do anything but she said that she felt their bellies and they weren't swollen.  What concerned her was my young one possibly having a blockage since I saw him peeing in the sink and it was trickling coming out.  He was concentrating so hard because he was in a trance like state even as I approached him yelling, "HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!!" 

I've been feeding them Trader Joes wet and dry hollistic food for a very long time.  They don't like anything with fish flavor (except tuna!!) so I don't get them that.  About 3 or 4 months ago, I went to BJ's and got them some Friskies because I thought they may be bored with the other food.  They DEVOUR the Friskies!!  Its like a drug, lol!  So I've been feeding them Friskies and Trader Joes for variety.  I asked the vet if the Friskies might be the problem to the peeing (possible crystals in urine) but she said no.

Get a hooded box, leave the hood on for a couple of days, check for pee stains, then take the cover off and see what happens.  You might want to put some plastic behind the box at first. Some people use a large Sterilite storage box with a hole cut in it.  I am not sure how you do it, but hopefully someone will see this and chime in.

I took the covers off my hooded boxes, except the one in the bathroom, when Silly had the cone on after she had her eye removed.  I liked the fact that there were no ambushes so much that I left them off. And that was a year ago.

What I plan on doing is keeping one uncovered and the other 2 covered.  I'll see if they take to the uncovered one more or less and if I see them using the uncovered one more, I'll uncover the others.  I just don't want my apartment stinking when I'm not home and it builds up when I'm not home to clean it up.

Glad to hear you solved the ambush dilema! 

Ritz pees standing up sometimes, always has.  Like 17" high.

At first I bought a hooded litter box, but the urine went out between where the hood connected with the base.

I bought the tallest Rubbermaid like container I could find.  My brother cut a square hole in the side (with an Ecco knife cutter I think).  Works well.  If you go this route, make sure to start the hole at least an inch or two from the bottom, otherwise the litter will fall out.

Note that some people don't cut any hole--cats CAN jump you know!  But I guess I just like to spoil Ritz!  And I wanted to make it easy for her.

This is EXACTLY what happens with mine, lol!  I remember when I first came about it....I thought they were peeing right outside the box.  For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how or why this was happening but ultimately figured out that it was because I didn't lock the top down and pee came out in between where the top and bottom connect.  They usually scratch and paw on the inside and since it wasn't locked, must of made the space in between the top and bottom part that allowed pee to come out with their high peeing/spraying.  I now always lock it so that no pee accidentally comes out of the seem.  These are the litter boxes that I have.......
Tallest Rubbermaid container sounds like a great option!  I'll def keep that in mind and thanks for bringing it up! 

 

[catsallaround]

Feeling them to see if they are swollen will NOT rule out a UTI.  They swell when they really can not pee and then it is a true emergency as no urine out means the body starts to destroy itself quite quickly.  You NEED to get the cat you saw in the sink a urine sample.  You may want to call another vet to ask what should be done.  Urine sample is a good start.

I go with the 18 gallon clear totes and they jump in.  The lazy ones get a regular cat box.

I have had healthy cats spray pee into the crevice.  I used to fold a paper towel a few times and latch the box onto it to hold towel in place.  

 

[grooverite]

Feeling them to see if they are swollen will NOT rule out a UTI.  They swell when they really can not pee and then it is a true emergency as no urine out means the body starts to destroy itself quite quickly.  You NEED to get the cat you saw in the sink a urine sample.  You may want to call another vet to ask what should be done.  Urine sample is a good start.

I go with the 18 gallon clear totes and they jump in.  The lazy ones get a regular cat box.

I have had healthy cats spray pee into the crevice.  I used to fold a paper towel a few times and latch the box onto it to hold towel in place.  

You're right!  I just don't have the money to be taking one, let alone, two of them to a vet.  I'm going to have to find some alternative and see what I can afford.

I woke up this morning and my couch had a lot of urine on it.....*sigh*.....I'm going to start isolating them when I'm not here.  

 

[catsallaround]

Maybe you can just request she run a sample.  did she leave clavamox for the cat? Or some antibiotic.  Have you given the cat the medicine?

I really would have waited on the cat condo and figured out what is going on.  UTI can get bad fast. 
 

 

[grooverite]

Maybe you can just request she run a sample.  did she leave clavamox for the cat? Or some antibiotic.  Have you given the cat the medicine?

I really would have waited on the cat condo and figured out what is going on.  UTI can get bad fast. 
 

Not sure what the name is but its on the plastic envelope she gave to me with the meds.  Starts with a 'D' if I recall.  I started giving it to him last night, put it in his tuna. Watched him eat it.

You think I should cancel the cat condo???  I believe I still can right now since it hasn't even shipped yet.  I'm just hoping that the condo will alleviate whatever is STRESSING them out.  I just hope they don't pee on the condo as well, lol.  I can use the money for the condo to go to a vet and get them examined if I cancel it.  Decisions, decisions......

 

[vball91]

I agree that without at least a urinanalysis, you can't rule out a UTI. I think it's more important to rule out a medical issue especially with males since blockages can happen fast and be life threatening.

 

[catsallaround]

I would cancel it.  I have had to euth a male cat who was ok one day and deathly ill the next.  You need a urina sample run ASAP.

If it is a URINARY issue tuna is bad.  He would need to eat low carb no fish wet food to reduce it happening again.  A bag of RX dry to dissolve crystals runs ALOT of money but works well.  I would call your vet and if she is not willing/did not suggest it in first place I would go to another vet-maybe ask for the urine cup before hand

Stress is one thing but you need to know for sure what it is.  I have many cats and have one who will pee from stress.  

 

[ritz]

I agree--I'd use the money for a visit to the vet.  The cat condo can wait; a male cat with a UTI and potential blockage can't wait.   It can be a life and death (literally) emergency.

(And you can sometimes find cat condos in thrift stores for a lot less money.)