I really need some help. I adopted my cat from a rescue seven years ago, and for those seven years, he has been regularly peeing on the sofa and the bed. The litter tray is kept clean, he gets fresh water every morning, his bowl is always full, and he gets plenty of affection and playtime. I even took him for a vet check-up only a month ago and everything was fine.
I'm at my wits' end... I never thought I'd be capable of saying this, but I'm starting to think about rehoming him. I've tried everything, including those hormone plug-in diffusers—absolutely everything—and nothing works. I even replaced the sofa and it's the same old story again!
SOS
Translated from French
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Lol, yeah, it’s more just a way of speaking and expressing how desperate I’m feeling. If I’ve spent the last 7 years replacing sofas, covers and litter, and shelling out money on pheromone plug-in diffusers and the like, it’s definitely not because I’m the kind of person who could ever give up my cat.
He’s been neutered since he was a kitten...
Good shout on the IKEA boards, I’m going to give that a go + the two open litter trays + some water and citrus spray on the sofa.
Fingers crossed it works.
Thanks everyone for your advice.
Hi there, did this work in the end? It’s 2024 and I’m having the same problem with mine...
Lol, yeah, it’s more just a figure of speech and a way of expressing how desperate I am. If I’ve been changing sofas, covers and litter for 7 years and spending my money on pheromone plug-ins and the like, it’s certainly not because I’m the kind of person who’d just give up on my cat.
He’s been neutered since he was a kitten...
Good idea with the IKEA boards, I’ll give those a go, plus the two open litter trays and the water and citrus spray on the sofa.
Next time a protective cover gets soiled, don't give it a full wash straight away (just rinse it with water to dilute it). Place it somewhere you'd actually want your cat to go to attract him there, and block off the sofa by any means necessary, even if it means temporarily restricting his territory until he breaks his old habits and picks up some more acceptable ones.
After that, you can give it a proper wash.
Either way, the idea of "getting rid of the cat" is completely out of the question, even if I imagine it was just a figure of speech and a moment of frustration 😄😄 (still, don't say that ever again 😡😡).
By the way, I don't think you've answered @kelinda's question: is your cat neutered?
That's the first thing to do to limit the accidents and especially the smell; even with a throw on, he won't think twice about going – mind you, he hasn't for the last 7 years! 😂
Instead of just using a cover, try putting something hard on the sofa to make it impossible for him to get on it. Clutter it up at night with things that will bother your cat but are easy to tidy away the next day. Even better, get a piece of flexible hardboard, like the ones used for the back of IKEA wardrobes, and place it over the cushions leaning against the backrest. It should curve, so if your cat tries to jump up, he'll just slip off. Just be careful not to leave any gaps for him to crawl underneath.
At the end of the day, it's better to bin the sofa than the cat! 😻😻
Many cats really aren't fans of using a hooded litter tray. The solution is a large open tray, or even better, two open trays, placed in a quiet spot where they can have some privacy. If you don't make some changes yourself (switching the trays, getting a genuinely waterproof cover), then nothing is going to change.
Yes, we shut all the doors whenever we go out, but unfortunately we can't do that with the living room.
I’ve bought countless so-called waterproof covers but I’m never happy with them. Where did you get yours from, please?
The litter tray is a large hooded one; I’ve moved it once, then replaced it altogether for an even bigger one. I haven’t tried taking the lid off, though, because my 2-year-old is a right little mischief-maker lol.
I’m going to try a citrus spray, plus it won't be harmful to my son.
Yes, it’s a waterproof cover, which also has the advantage of drying very quickly. 45 minutes in the wash, 15 minutes to dry and my sofa is ‘as good as new’ from the outside. Mind you, I have to wash it about once a week, as soon as I haven’t managed or remembered to be quick enough to get them to the litter tray. With a plastic sheet underneath, the sofa frame – which is otherwise soaked in white vinegar from constantly trying to get rid of the smell – isn’t damaged (well, no more than it already was after a few months... I dread to think what it would be like after 7 years). And while the fabric cover is in the wash, I keep the plastic one on the sofa (to be honest, I should buy another one so I can swap them over). It’s not ideal (and not very eco-friendly, given how often I’m washing it), but it stops you feeling like you’re living in cat pee, doesn't it?
And as for the bed, yeah, you really have to make the bedrooms out of bounds for the cat, if that’s possible.
Hi there,
As mentioned before, seven years is a very long time! At the start, the cause might have been easy to find and the behaviour corrected, but it’s going to be much tougher now as it’s likely become a deeply ingrained habit.
Generally, a cat peeing on the bed or the sofa is a sign that they’re stressed about their litter tray (due to a change, someone else being around, a lack of privacy, it being a hooded tray, etc.). They end up doing their business somewhere they feel safe – usually somewhere elevated that smells like their owner. Have you tried moving the litter tray to a different spot? Do you have other pets that might be stressing your cat out? If it’s a hooded tray, have you tried taking the lid off?
If it really has become an impossible habit to break, I’d suggest keeping your bedroom door shut (at least the bed will stay clean!) and as mentioned above, maybe look into a sofa cover or a throw. Also, cats really aren't fans of citrus scents: you could try putting a bit on your sofa to deter them (people often suggest vinegar too, but citrus is much nicer for us!). On the flip side, bleach and ammonia actually attract cats and make them want to pee, so why not try putting a tiny bit in the litter tray to encourage them?
Hope this helps,
Anais
Does your sofa cover actually protect it well? I’ve tried everything, but it always ends up soaking through to the sofa in the end. I think that even with all the protective layers, he can still smell his scent and just keeps going back there relentlessly...
Have you got room for two litter trays? (One for weeing, one for the rest – one of my cats can't stand doing both in the same tray, and if the "wee tray" isn't spotless, she goes on the sofa... as for the sofa, I've more or less given up on it. I've scrubbed it, protected it with plastic sheeting, and put a really nice waterproof cover over the top from a specialist shop... I still end up doing an awful lot of washing, mind you.
