I'm at my wit's end!!!! - cat vent

amynicole21 wrote: My 11yo female cat has taken to peeing all over the house. She peed on our nice living room furniture, and the odor was unbearable. We called a steam cleaner in and paid $170 for him to come in last night to clean all the couches thoroughly. (BTW, if you haven't done this, I recommend it! The filth that came out of our couches was disgusting!!!) Anyway, I woke up in the middle of the night and smelled pee, but didn't know where it was coming from. This morning we found that she had peed on the freshly cleaned and still damp couch! AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!! DH is ready to put kill her. I have a vet appointment for her on Sat since I've heard that this is usually an indication of a medical problem. In the meantime, I can't get the smell out and it is driving me crazy.

Thanks for letting me vent

kimberley replied: sorry this is happening. both my cats suffered from incontinence shortly before they passed away it is a clear sign that something is wrong. my first cat, we took her to the vets numerous times and got meds. nothing helped. we didn't go that route with my second cat who just passed away a couple of weeks ago. they were 17yo and 14yo. is there a favorite room your cat could stay in so the smell is not everywhere? i eventually gave up and just kept washing the mat she peed on. let us know how it goes on saturday.

aspenblue1 replied: you may want to try some of that natures miracle to get the smell out. cats sometimes pee when they are mad at you also.

Boys r us replied: Uh oh!!!!! Kitty's in trouble!
I'm sorry, I can only imagine how frustrating that must be!!!!

jcc64 replied: Amy, Unfortunately, btdt with one of my cats. We got a brand new couch on a Mon, and on Thurs, she peed on it. It still smells, and that was a few months ago. It can be a medical problem, but not always. Some cats pee for emotional reasons, such as jealousy over the baby. My cat always chose to pee on surfaces she knew I would be on, like my bed (once right on top of ME while I was asleep!!!!!!) We visited the vet, more than once, and concluded it was not a medical problem. Our solution was a last resort. We turned her into an outdoor cat. I got a little doghouse so she would have some shelter in inclimate weather, but she is no longer welcome in the house. Keep in mind that we live in upstate NY, wtih lots of snow and freezing cold winters, and she has adapted just fine. The decision should be easier to make for you, living in Fla. There are a lot of pet behavior sites all over the web, check them out, but this is the only solution that allowed us to maintain a clean, pee-free house and not get rid of the cat alltogether.

kit_kats_mom replied: Cat pee is evil and alive.

I don't have any suggestions but I hope it is something that can be fixed.

My cat just pukes all over the house. It's disgusting.

Kaitlin'smom replied: aww I am sorry, it could be either a medical problem or emotional. I have a cat if you dont keep the box clean she will poop in certain places.....DH has learned this and keeps the box cleaned out every other day. Or he is in the cat house with her! I hope you find the cause and find a solution.

coasterqueen replied: Amy,

Sorry your cat is doing this. This is exactly what Jakey was doing but we didn't take him in right away and he ended up having severe diabetes and it affected his liver so bad we ended up having him put to sleep. This was back in December, you may remember me mentioning it.

So I would definately take her in!!!!


It's funny you posted about being at wit's end with your cat, because I've been feeling the same way with another cat of mine. Her name is Cinderella. She's not a long-haired kind of cat, but her hair is longer than the other cat we have and longer that what Jakey's was. She's an inside cat and refuses to eat anything but soft cat food, so she's expensive too. Well she's constantly getting hairballs stuck in her behind and then when she tries to poo she ends up smearing her butt all over the floor! Could she pick the tile to do this?? NO. Of course not, she has to pick the carpet. Grrrr. She does the same thing when throwing up hairballs. The tile is just not good enough for her bodily functions. She's been doing this a lot lately, driving me INSANE! She won't take that goop crud the vet gives us to help with the hairballs either. If DH didn't like that cat so much I would let it disappear. I only have one cat that is NO maintenance. She's a great cat (Smokey). Why can't the rest of them be like her?

jem0622 replied: I understand your frustration. One of my cats likes to pee in the kids playroom. The only thing to rid the smell is to take up the carpet (if it's carpet) and the padding and paint the floor. Then replace the carpet and padding. UGH. I am so sorry. Honestly.

We let our cats sun themselves in the backyard if weather permits. I think that it makes them happier girls when we can do this.

Don't even let me talk about the other cat who has damaged some of my carpet by digging in it!

UGH

porksdad replied: If it is VERY smelly you may find that the cat is actually marking rather than just urinating-- a truly offensive odour

When i was a child my parents divorced and remarried and the resultant merged family brought two adult cats together--they both made a point of marking their territory regularly-it was a competitve thing so no part of the house was safe--we quickly learnt to keep our bedroom doors shut- alas too late to save my hifi speakers hahaha

Response to the new baby may well be part of it or introduction of some other new `threat' to her sense of security, the fact that she returned to the couch may indicate that rather than health issues --though it would be very wise to check that out...

Does she use a litter? if so has that been moved or some new smell added? does she use a catflap?? have neighbours introduced a dog or new cat?? scaring her from roaming? or is as was said above-she simply jealous of the new baby and the attention? does the baby lie on the couch with you maybe?--no need to answer the questions I am just musing LOL--in many ways I miss having cats hahahaha

the joy of cats is their independence and dependence wrapped up in one the nightmare of them is what you have

kimberley replied:
have you ever tried feeding her cat grass? Cashmere was a long hair so i know the horror of stepping in that nasty mess at 2am and you're right, it is ALWAYS on the carpet, never the tile or hardwoods where you could actually clean it

coasterqueen replied:
Cat grass? Is that the same as catnip grass? LOL.

She used to get outside once in a while and eat grass, her favorite thing to do, but we can't let her anymore because every time she eats the grass she throws it up within seconds of getting into the house.

is it the same?

CantWait replied: I'm so sorry your kitty is doing this. I hope it's not to serious. I know what it's like for a cat to pee all over everything- both mine and someone else's

A&A'smommy replied: awww I'm sorry! I hope that they give you something at the vet to help you kitty! (((HUGS)))

kimberley replied:
if you go to a pet store they have these little dishes of grass that grows and the cat can eat it and it really does help reduce the amount of hairballs. here is more info...

http://www.meowfoundation.com/health/plants.html

amynicole21 replied:
Karen, they eat the grass to enable them to throw up. Usually if they eat it it means that they have an upset stomach or in this case probably a hair ball. I would suggest getting some of the grass from the pet store for her to eat. I bet it would help her keep things moving.

Kirstenmumof3 replied: Amy I'm so sorry your cat is doing this. It's odd because it's usually a male problem not a female problem. We had to put our cat down because of this. I put up with it for 8 years. He used to pee off and on anywhere in the house. We have had to rip out carpets and the kids have lost so many toys because of it. I have heard that you can put them on medication that will stop them from doing this or it could be that she has a bladder infection. Let us know how it goes at the Vet.

coasterqueen replied: Thanks Kimberley and Amy! I'm gonna go out and get that grass this weekend. I'm desperate because I'm thinking ill thoughts.

chloe&tysmommy replied:
Oh my...reading that made me LOL..sorry



My cat was horrible for peeing everywhere too. Get this- she would pee in the VENTS!!! Yuck!!! She passed away I think she was 18 yrs old but you can still smell that everytime the heat comes on...(this is at my mom's house- my poor mom). She would also pee on the carpet and on our CLEAN CLOTHES!! That darn cat, I wore a coat to school once and sure enough I could smell the pee-after I got to school argh! (and yeah, it is a rank smell)

sorry this is happening to you, I don't know why my cat did this but she never got any better I hope your cat stops doing that!

Kila replied: I know how you feel. There is something about that smell!!! My cat right now is only about 10 months old and I haven't had him neutered yet. I know that is the problem but I'm so busy that I haven't got around to it. Well, one morning I am getting ready for work and Shamus walks up to a pile of sheets that are laying on the floor right in front of me and pees on them. ARGHH!! The nerve. He can be suck a brat sometimes though. It's his personality. I know that dogs will pee right in front of you, but I've never heard of a cat doing it.

alice&arik replied: I had a cat many years ago at my first apartment. It peed on the bed I had in the spare room, and then on the couch. I ended up taking both out to my mom's farm just down the road and burning them. The cat went too. Not in the burn pile though. LOL. That is where I got the cat from anyway was at my mom's.

I know the smell is awful! I hope you can figure out what the problem is, Good Luck!