Peeing In Between Couch Cushions?

[Samantha1242]

I will be making a vet appointment to check for UTI.

But thought I would check in to see if anyone else has experienced this change in behaviour after a long trip. We left Charlie for 1 month at a cat boarding place where he had lots of time to play with kitties and go out on a catio (enclosed patio). The owners said he had a great time playing with kitties and such and when he came home he seemed mad at us at first, but then back to his normal self. I just went on a mouse hunt to find his toys and sometimes they are in the couch cushions and I noticed that somehow he has started peeing in between the cushions. It has to be new because it is currently wet with urine and not stained indicating old. Is this related to us leaving him for a month? or more likely related to a medical concern?

He has never peed anywhere other than his litter box the entire 1.5 years we have had him. We had a vet check right before we went away and he got a gold star bill of health. Quick back info: rescued ex-feral male kitty, spayed and approx 3 years old.

 

[Bel]

I'd probably say that going to the vet (even for a condensed appointment) is a good call.
I have two cats both brothers who started peeing on the carpet two years ago and they'd never done that before. As it turns out my neighbors cat was marking around the windows causing them to mark in retaliation. So he may be feeling the urge to mark his territory now that he's back home.

He may also be anxious adjusting to being back home after being in bording which could also be triggering that behaviour.

Is he crying in pain when he pees? Or licking himself more?

 

[Samantha1242]

Thanks for the response.

He has been meowing a lot more at the door, which started before we left for our trip too, so I think a new kitty must have moved in somewhere in the condo. I know a new dog moved in down the hall but wouldn't think that is the concern.

Not crying in pain when he pees or licking himself more that I have noticed. He is also still using his litter box for pee too, so that leaves me kinda confused!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. How long have you been back - and what is the time line between coming back and the couch peeing? If the timeline has been short, B Bel probably has captured the issue with the anxiousness of transitioning from boarding home and back to his home. What was his 'pee/poop set up' like in the boarding place? A month is a fair amount of time, depending on what his set up was, he may not feel the need to always go to the litter box to pee.

Although the possible new kitty in the building might be affecting him somewhat, if he wasn't inappropriately peeing at that time, I am doubtful that is the primary problem.

Also, don't always trust what you hear in a boarding place either, not so much because they are lying but because they just don't know what cat is doing what when there are many of them. Bad habits can be established in those places, and a month is enough time to help create that.

He also could have caught something from the boarding place - perhaps some sort of bacterial infection. So, when you take him to the vet to check for a UTI, make sure they do a urine culture in addition to the standard urinalysis. The urine culture will look for specific types of bacteria which will help in determining which antibiotic will be the most effective.

You can try covering the couch where he is peeing with plastic, once you have used an enzymatic cleaner to thoroughly clean it. And, even add a towel over top of the plastic to help with clean up.

 

[Samantha1242]

We have been back for a month and I can't exactly tell when the started peeing in between the cushions as I only just noticed today. From the current wet spot and a little darker spot behind I am thinking maybe one week? The boarding place has individual rooms with litter etc. in their own rooms and they are only out to play with each other when the boarder is there to chaperone. Though he could have absolutely picked something up from there and perhaps he started to get used to peeing outside on the catio so is adjusting to only have his litter box again..

Any recommendations to what to use to clean the couch?

 

[FeebysOwner]

For un-washable fabrics, I use "The Equalizer" which does not have to saturate the material in order to work, hence less drying time. However, I have pretty much used that on carpeting, and so I cannot attest to how it might work on upholstered cushions. And, it is has never been an issue in terms of discoloring my carpet, but you know they always tell you to test any product on an area that will be hidden should there be a color-fast issue. That product is found on many on line retailer web sites.

However, if you can remove the covering on the couch pieces (think cushions that have zippered covers), but they are not washable, I would contact some local dry cleaners and ask how they would treat the covers to remove urine smell/stains. If they are washable, you can try Nature's Miracle, Fizzion, or SCOE10x (also on many on line retailer sites) in your washing machine. Or, if the urine hasn't been allowed to set in, even standard detergents and baking soda (or white vinegar) can be used in the washer. Soak, wash, rinse, repeat. Always check for smell before drying.

 

[Bel]

No problem! I hope I was a little helpful.

So there are two options one is an enzymatic cleaner. This will eat away the urine smell so the cat won't remark it. Sometimes you will have to go over it multiple times.

Also there are deterrents/repellents that will make the area smell bad to the cat so it won't want to urinate there. (Some smell bad to people too).

Usually you should only use one product and stick to it. Nature's Miracle Advanced Stain Remover is my personal favourite. Not sure how it will react on your couch though!

Since this is the couch I would maybe suggest covering the spots he's peeing on too. Some cats (like mine) get extra attached to a spot and continuosly mark it. Like a couch cover. As weird as this sounds you can buy these discounted even from a site like wish.com if you don't want to spend too much on it.

Another thing you may want to look into is the type of litter box or litter he had at the boarding place. If it was different he may just prefer it to the one he has at home. Adding another litter box could also be helpful.

I'd just keep an eye on him. If you notice sudden changes take him to the vet. I mean like confusion, lethargy, or missing the box completely.

I hope this helps! I know how frustrating this can be you are not alone!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that you could also try a low sided cardboard box - or one of his own litter boxes - and line it with soft, washable towels, or even puppy pee pads to see if he would use that instead of the couch. Maybe even place it near the couch??