Indoor cat peeing on the sofa?

[Victoria01]

Hi everyone! I have an indoor cat that we have had since he was 8 weeks old. He had been perfectly litter trained since we got him. He's had all his shots and has been neutered. A couple of weeks ago he has started to pee on the furniture. We took him to the vet to check for UTI and she says he's perfectly healthy. We clean his litter box constantly, as a suggestion from the vet, because he may not like a dirty box. It hasn't helped. Nothing has changed in the house so I can't figure it out. Any suggestions? I would hate to have to give him up, but I also cannot live with an animal urinating in my house. Please help.

[aligator79]

I was waiting to see if anyone else responded, but I'll give it a try.  You say nothing has changed in the house- but by your profile pic, you are expecting- Congrats.  From what I've heard but not experienced myself, that cat's can sense a change in your smell when you are pregnant.  This can cause them to act out.  Also if you are prepping for baby- changing rooms, furniture etc, that can upset them too.  

As for the kitty box- have you changed litters or cleaned the box with a different cleaner?  Does your hubby clean the box now?  Could just be random little things we don't think about can upset the kitty.  

Umm-  is he going in the same spot on the couch or different spots- If it's just one, could something have been spilled there?  I hope someone else will respond and possibly have some other input.  

[Victoria01]

I never thought about me being pregnant, though we haven't done anything to prepare yet and not started on the nursery.

It's never in the same spot, and this morning I found urine on one of my son's blankets in the laundry room that was on top of the dryer.

Yep, hubby cleans box now and we've used the same cleaner and litter since the cat first came home.

Thanks for responding and I hope I can get this figured out soon.

[PrettyKitty1]

aligator79 has said it all. I believe your cat is sensing elevated stress levels due to your pregnancy. Your scent may be changing, to him. Your hormones cause change in just about anything they use to comfort themselves, like your scent or condition. Any change in the house WILL stress your cat. Pregnancy = change. If your kitty is behaving like this, make sure you introduce your baby's things to him before the baby is born. This should be temporary.

In the mean time, Nature's Miracle is a product that worked well for me when Abby urinated on my sofa as it eliminates the amonia. Bitter apple I've heard works excellent as cat repellent.

[Victoria01]

Thanks so much for your comment. I think it's strange that my vet never even mentioned me being pregnant the cause. We haven't brought any new baby stuff into the house yet, but I will make sure I introduce them to him before the baby is born.

[opus88]

hi...had the same problem with my boy and it only started when he was 5ish.

I got some info from the 'ask a vet' forum and was told abt FELIWAY spray, its a hormone spray.

I got some from my vet and so far(month now) its worked wonderfully

tough problem to solve I've tried EVERYTHING and this has been the only thing that worked, I just spray it occasionally on his spots....my vet also told me there is this product in a diffuser that will give a puff and do a whole room, somewhat like those plugin room deodorizers...

good luck

[deebelle3]

Aren't cats a hoot? Your boy is simply angry and this is his way of letting you know! He does not want a human child in the house. Afterall he is the child and will not be replaced. You got some good answers.The cats are much smarter then we think. I would say a good prescription would be lots of love. However as for the couch.....thats not so good.. you might want to take the price of cleaning out of his allowance!

Been there with the peeing. That is not something any of us want to go through. Let us know how things are going!!

Dee