Tried Everything—male Cat Pees On Soft Things

[Chevallier]

Hey everyone, I’m not a forum person normally but we’re at our wits’ end with Murphy.

He regularly pees on our couches, as well as towels/clothes that are pulled down onto the floor by his scheming sister (littermate).

They have grown up together in the house, and seem to have no territory issues.

We have two litter boxes (haven’t tried 3 yet).
We have tried all types of litter.
We have tried pheromones.
We have tried petting/showing love on the couch. And in the litter box.
We have tried many other things that I can’t remember right now.

The point is, we don’t know what else to try to get him to stop feeling the need to pee on anything soft during the night. Almost always during the night.

Any suggestions?

 

[Chevallier]

We have also gotten confirmation from a vet that it’s not a medical problem.

 

[abyeb]

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble with Murphy peeing on things. It's good that you were able to take him to the vet to rule out any medical conditions; that is always the first step to take.

Has Murphy been neutered? Intact male cats will often spray to mark their territory.

I would recommend trying three litter boxes. I know that this sounds like a lot, but the general rule of thumb is one per cat plus one, so that the cats don't feel like they have to compete over resources.

I would also recommend experimenting with different types of litter boxes, if you have not already (covered vs. uncovered). I know you said that you have tried different types of litter, but is it unscented? Cats have a very sensitive nose, so they do not always take kindly to scented litter.

Also, make sure you are cleaning the box often (at least twice per day), because cats can be very picky about clean litter boxes, so if the box is not up to their standards, they may feel like they have to do their business elsewhere.

 

[She's a witch]

We have also gotten confirmation from a vet that it’s not a medical problem.

But did they check his urine to rule out UTI? Cats often pee on soft things when they are in pain, as it soothes it, they avoid litter box as they associate it with pain. Especially if he eats dry food mainly and drinks little - if that's the case, I would look for other medical opinion.

 

[ArtNJ]

Ugh, we had a couch issue once and its not fun. You can use as an enzyme cleaner and think you got it all out then on the first really hot day, boom, the smell is back.

I think you need to try to deprive the cat of all opportunities for this for a few weeks. It can be hard if you have young kids that leave stuff on the floor. But that is how we got past it.

 

[Kflowers]

Did they do a culture from his urine to be absolutely sure there is no infection?

 

[IronHippo]

When Radish had his urethra blockage, he started peeing on any soft thing we left on the floor, which usually consisted of floor pillows and towels. He was still doing this while he was recovering, too. We had a bunch of puppy pads that we put out in addition to making sure all soft things were off the floor and put away, and he would just go on the pee pads instead. You do have to check because some cats, like Radish, like to dig and bury before/after peeing. He was generally good at still peeing on the puppy pad but he would get the pad in total disarray and we had to pull it into place under his butt a couple of times.

Anyway, this would be what I consider a temporary solution to save you on towel laundry if you want to give it a try. We stopped putting the pads out once it looked like Radish was making normal sized pees again, because we didn't want him to develop a habit of going on pee pads over the litter box. He's resumed normal litter box habits now!

I wonder if you might want to just toss the couch if it's old enough. Wait until he's using the litter box habitually and then get a new one. Also, since your vet has ruled out the possibility of a UTI/bladder/urethra issue (common in male cats), does he have a lot of high places to climb up to? How often does he get active play with his people? And what kind of litter and litter box do you use?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

IF a urine culture wasn't done, it needs to be. With cats, especially male cats, a UTI is one of the first things we think of when we hear "peeing on soft surfaces." I know we're sort of beating this idea to death, but it really is THE MOST common cause for this issue, or an un-neutered male marking territory. No, they don't always spray, sometimes they squat and pee...and neutered males will do this, also, if they feel their territory is threatened...

Which raises another question...are there neighborhood cats who come around that he can see or scent? If there are, that could drive him into a frenzy of territorial marking. That's further down my list, though, simply because of the "soft surfaces" thing.

If it comes down to it, consider a third litter box lined with soft puppy pads. Not ideal, but a good bit better than your sofa! We had good luck with that when dealing with a female who had been declawed in front by her previous owners, then essentially abandoned because of her issues.

 

[CatLover49]

Hey everyone, I’m not a forum person normally but we’re at our wits’ end with Murphy.

He regularly pees on our couches, as well as towels/clothes that are pulled down onto the floor by his scheming sister (littermate).

They have grown up together in the house, and seem to have no territory issues.

We have two litter boxes (haven’t tried 3 yet).
We have tried all types of litter.
We have tried pheromones.
We have tried petting/showing love on the couch. And in the litter box.
We have tried many other things that I can’t remember right now.

The point is, we don’t know what else to try to get him to stop feeling the need to pee on anything soft during the night. Almost always during the night.

Any suggestions?

Hey everyone, I’m not a forum person normally but we’re at our wits’ end with Murphy.

He regularly pees on our couches, as well as towels/clothes that are pulled down onto the floor by his scheming sister (littermate).

They have grown up together in the house, and seem to have no territory issues.

We have two litter boxes (haven’t tried 3 yet).
We have tried all types of litter.
We have tried pheromones.
We have tried petting/showing love on the couch. And in the litter box.
We have tried many other things that I can’t remember right now.

The point is, we don’t know what else to try to get him to stop feeling the need to pee on anything soft during the night. Almost always during the night.

Any suggestions?

Is he neutered??He could be marking territory from other passer by cats outside.I know u said medical issues was ruled out.Were there tests done to rule them out??

 

[Kflowers]

If there are neighborhood cats spraying on your house you can solve this without carting them off. Get a black light use it to find the spots outside your house - usually front and back doors, yes, even if you have a fence enclosing them. Then wash the spots with enzyme cleaner. You will have to continue to do this until the outside cat gives up. Usually once a cat picks a spot they stay with it, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to do a general check around about once a week.