Help! My cat is peeing on my furniture!

Hi there bmf1976...and welcome to mylot. As you are no doubt aware, cats are free range hunters, and they will instictively mark their territory and/or property. There are a couple of reason why your cat may be doing this, but rest assured, it is possible to cure him of this habit. There is NO need to have him put down! First watch the way your cat is POSITIONING himself when he starts to do this. This is important. Cats SQUAT when urinating, but mark property and/or territory when STANDING...tail straight and flicking. Most often, a cat might mark furnature etc., if something new is introduced into the house...such as another animal...if they are not spayed or neutered...or if they were not "fixed" until later on in life. It is also to show other cats or animals that: "THIS IS MY PROPERTY". Another reason might be because of boredom, or from being left alone for too long without attention. On the other hand, your cat may possibly have a urinary infection. Take him to the vet, he'll know, and prescribe the proper medication. If it's a recent thing, and your cat IS fixed, here is what you can do to stop your cat from exersising annoying behaviors. Buy yourself an empty spray bottle, and fill it with cold WATER. When you see him doing something you don't like, give him a few sprays. He'll immediately stop what he's doing and most likely "take off" in a hurry. With PERSISTANCE, you CAN train your cat in this manner, and eventually he'll get the message. But, I'd check him out with the vet first, just to make sure he doesn't have an infection. Cheers; commanderxo

I know this is going to sound strange but have you tried taking him to a chiropractor for animals? You said this is a recent change he may have subluxated a part of his lower spine which rubs against the nerve which controls urinations, this could cause either numbness or discomfort in the bladder which can make him irritable or unable to feel when he has to go. Since the vet was unable to find anything this would be the next option I think. It could also be a nutritional thing. He is getting older and so may need more of a certain nutrient. Most chiropractors can detect this as well. Hope this helps!

I think there have been a lot of good suggestions given here, but I do have a couple of other ideas for you to try. I myself have a Russian Blue who is 14 years old and a diabetic. He takes 4 insulin shots a day and has never peed on anything. However, the fact that you say your cat started to do this after you had your daughter leads me to think that he may very well be jealous, especially if he is not getting much attention any more. You can certainly try the retraining and make sure that the litter box is cleaned twice a day. When cats become diabetic the smell of their urine triples whether or not they have a urinary tract infection. I know as my buddy has had his share of infections; just something he is prone to, says the vet. Anyway, so since the pee smells a lot worse, some cats will mark other things if they are not happy with how their litter box is kept. I'm not accusing you or anything so please don't take offense. Some people just do not realize this fact and think that as long as they clean the box a couple of times a week that that will do. Kitty may be telling you that he doesn't like the way his box smells, even though to you it may be fine but his nose is 10 times more sensitive than yours. Ok, so if he doesn't have an infection and his litter box is fine and he doesn't respond to the retraining, try giving him to someone who doesn't have any other animals and has lots of time to pay attention to him, such as a senior citizen. If there's no one in your family or among your friends who can take him, try placing a poster at a senior citizen center and see if anyone would be interested in adopting him. It could be the best solution for both of you. Hope this helps and good luck!