We have a 7 year old spayed cat who is normally a very good cat but lately she is being very naughty! We have recently been gone for two long weekends in a row and she has decided to punish us for it. She has started to urinate in places other than her litter box. I saw her do it a couple of times on the rugs in our entry way, she made sure I knew she was doing it - so I washed them and cleaned everything up - but I kept smelling the urine.
So last night I went on a quest to find it and discovered she has been urinating on our leather recliner chair! It isn't so much the leather portion of the chair - that is easily cleaned but there is urine all over the metal working parts on the underside of the chair. The urine has even started taking the paint off the parts! She must have been going on it multiple times over the past few weeks and I kept thinking she was going in the entry way like I had previously seen her do.
How do I clean this? I don't even know where to start with it. My husband wants to hose it off because it is really difficult to get into the parts and clean but I am afraid the water will ruin the chair. The urine has also gotten into the fabric parts that are under the chair.
I have tried spraying it with a water and vinegar mixture, but I'm just not sure I'm getting it all out. I am really close to saying the chair is trash - but I don't want to do that. It's part of a matching leather living room set and I don't want to spend the money on new. In the meantime, I have had to lock her in the laundry room where she is supposed to be going in her litter box. If this keeps up, the cat is seriously one leg lift away from a cage at the pound.
Thanks for all the great responses. The cat has had Urinary Tract Infections in the past and this was not the case here. When she had urinary infections, we found little spots of urine all over the house. (we have all white tile floors, so it is easy to spot). She just found two spots that she decided to start going in. My husband found an enzyme cleaner at Petsmart and that seems to have helped the smell in the chair. Let's hope it doesn't come back! We were gone for the day yesterday and I did not find or smell anything, so I think she is back to using the litter box. Thanks again!
I had a cat do the same thing, only it was a fabric chair, we had to get rid of the chair and the cat. I'm sorry, but if it's in the fabric, you're just going to have to get rid of the chair. (she also ruined a brand new mattress.)
We had a cat that did this to a fabric couch in our living room and we had to throw it out we tried buying the no go stuff and it worked for awhile then it stopped working and he started doing it again so we sent him to the basement where the literbox was and after that we still had problems and had to get rid of him it was very sad but it was also sad all the things we had to get rid of because of this..We even checked with the vet to make sure he had no bladder problems b4 we did any of this...If your cat can't jump I found out because it hurts them or you press on the tummys and it hurts them they have a bladder problem so that could be what's going on and maybe he is not spraying just a though but either way best of luck to you.
Hi T.,
First off, you need to make sure there isn't a medical reason for what he is doing.
Regarding smell, we have had very good luck with plain Listerine (the original, yellow kind). Color check the area first, then douse it well and clean it up. You can even use this in the washer instead of laundry soap for clothes/bedding. When you're done, sprinkle pepper all over the area that he likes to go. They don't like the smell and will avoid it.
Good luck,
K.
There is a cat litter called "Cat Attract" that you can get at Petco that is supposed to help with the whole peeing outside the litterbox thing.. But as far as the chair goes? I don't know if you will EVER get the smell out. THey have different cleaners at Petco, you could spray the chair down and try that, or you could just have a giant bonfire. I dont know.. Cat urine is one of the worst smelling things to get out. Next time you go somewhere, make sure you have a house sitter, or board the cat so he isn't alone to make sure he doesn't keep doing this. They are nasty little things from time to time aren't they?? GOod luck.
I'm honestly not sure how to get the cat urine smell out of the chair (sorry!), but please take the cat to the vet. When they begin urinating on things randomly after so many years of using the litter box, it often indicates a health problem (like a urinary tract infection). My cat was having accidents (after a good track record for 10 years) last fall, and it turned out that he 1) no longer liked his covered litter box, and 2) was no longer able to digest his food properly, which I learned from the vet. I switched the food and got a different kind of litter box and there was never another problem.
Good luck!
Please take your cat to the vet to be checked for crystals and/or urinary tract infection. This is a common cause for the type of behavior you are describing. Sometimes even if nothing is found, a prescription diet of C/D cat food or the other one (can't remember the name of it) will take care of the problem.
One case at the shelter where I volunteer stands out particularly- the cat would urinate outside the box when she was not given this special diet, and when she was given the special diet, she was perfect about her potty behaviors. This cat was tested several times and nothing was ever found. But the food was the cure- so please have it looked into and ask if you can try the Rx food (C/D) even if they find nothing.
We have one cat here at home who is on C/D food and doing fine now. It is worth trying.
I didn't read all your replies, but I read up to Jennifer's. I agree with her 100%. We recently came back from a long trip, and found that the cat had peed on the furniture and some rugs. I took him in, and he ended up having the crystals in the bladder. It's very painful for them to go, and they can't control it. After being on some pills for a week and a month of special diet food, he is all better again and peeing in his litter box again.
As for getting the urine out of the furniture, go to Petsmart or Petco, ask for a product with a Enzyme in it for removing the urine. It MUST contain the enzyme or it won't work. Good luck!
Your cat may have a medical issue. Mine started doing this and it turned out that it was a urinary tract infection. I happened to know someone whose cat had gone through this and died so I knew enough to bring it in. My cat was close to death when I did bring him in. A female is not likely to spray (something males will do if they weren't neutered young enough.) But cats generally won't go against their natures just to "punish" you. She may have been stressed out or her litter box may have been left dirty. This is what caused our cats trouble. If they can't stand the smell of texture of the litter box they will find an alternative. Since your cat was picking soft places to go, she probably does have a medical issue. I would strongly encourage you to take her in to a vet before you give up on her.
I've had good luck with Natures Miracle, but be sure and get the kind for cats.
Your cat has probably started urinating because she is anxious. This is a common thing for even spayed and neutered cats to do when something stresses them out. What probably stressed her to this point is the fact that you were gone for two long weekends in a row; this has made her feel insecure. Locking her up will probably only increase her anxiety. She needs some love and attention to make her feel secure again. Once she feels secure again, this behavior will very likely stop. She really isn't doing it to be "naughty", although it may appear that way to you. The other possibility is a urinary tract infection; you should have your vet check her for this.
