# My Cat Won’t Stop Peeing On My Stuff…Advice Desperately Needed **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2011, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575 "2011-01-14T06:38:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/41 "2012-01-20T18:59:37Z")
Haha, **Cat Whisperer** shouted in her post! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/42 "2012-01-20T19:07:38Z")
Look what **bak62066** made me do. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Nolababe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@Nolababe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nolababe)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/43 "2012-01-29T04:27:16Z")
Doperchic, I’m in the same boat. I have a cat that has been doing the same thing for years now. I’ve tried EVERYTHING! The last straw was after throwing away my sofa (I had to throw the love seat out last year). She decided to pee on the my bed again. I’m a mess about this and so is my daughter. I’ve done everything you’ve discribed, doctors, multiple litter boxes, diffusers, cleaners, vinegar, meds, cat food, and nothing has worked. I close doors like a crazy person. I just don’t think it’s fair for me or the cat. Please let me know if you’ve found anything that has worked. We’ve had our cat for six years, four if them dealing with this. I’ve thrown away more of my daughters tots, books, pillows, etc. I can’t even count. Totally frustrated and empathetic for you. ---
**Author:** ![clypsolady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@clypsolady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clypsolady)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/44 "2012-02-06T07:34:58Z")
My male fixed since he was just a little guy never ha any pee problems at all until after my divorce when he decided that since I had to be gone alot for cancer treatments and he was not happy about that he would pee somewhere other then his litter box. I never had anymore problems till the next time I had an overnight or more appointments. Now he had my dad there to take care of him and I know his litter box was changed each day and he got spoiled from him. I moved away from where my parents live into a house instead of my motor home and he decided to pee every time he was left alone overnight. This happened weather I took my service dog or not. I got a kitten for him to have company when I leave. We will see how things go. Punkin man is 9 years old and he smelled both of my cancers so I do believe that cats can get upset at what us humans do and do things just to upset us. I know that he would stay away from me for up to 2 days when I would get home from chemo. Then he was all over me like to tell me OK I am not mad at you now lets be friends. funny thing is that my service dog has done some things similar when he did not get to go when he thought he should and his was worse as he peed on my bed right where he sleeps. After i took off the sheets and the pad and washed them he jumped up and snuggled in and has not done it since. so I think that we do not give our animals credit for what they know and how they use what they know against us when they want to. ---
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/45 "2012-02-06T14:03:15Z")
Cats mark territory by spraying. My 12 year old cat started pissing on our beds recently(incidentally, where the dog lays with us.) Solution, short of getting rid of her, is to MAKE SURE the bedroom doors are shut at all times, even if we leave for a minute! She also will mark the dog bed that is in the living room, but I can easily throw that in the washer. If she EVER starts marking our couches, chairs,etc, I will have to do something drastic with her. I am not willing to have a cat wreck nice things that it has taken my entire life to get. It is not always a physical problem. Even though your 2 cats get along, does not mean that the pisser is not trying to mark territory because of the other cat. I would move him back outside, or give him to a home with no other animals. ---
**Author:** ![TabbyJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@TabbyJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TabbyJo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/46 "2013-06-19T21:30:02Z")
I too have had the same problem with my cat peeing on stuff randomly. At first we could not figure out which of the two cats it was until I caught the youngest one red handed. I had a baby almost 4 months ago and it started right before I had her. The litter box is cleaned regularly and I had changed the kind of litter but have since returned to the original brand to see if that was the issue. She pees on the couch and it’s not a small spot either. It’s on the back and the cushion. I have tried everything from Nature’s Miracle (specifically for Cat Urine) Urine Destroyer, vinegar as well as baking soda solution. Also tried cleaning stuff from Melalucca. None of it worked. I have to say that the vinegar probably did the best of all of them though. Other than the couch, she pees in front of the door and will even leave a little present in front of the door too. I have concrete floors so there isn’t anything like a rug or carpet in that area. Also she will pee on the bath mat. Started peeing a couple of times in the baby’s room that has fresh paint, flooring and new furniture. This room is totally closed off from all things and she managed to sneak in there too. I dont really want to make her an outside cat because I’m afraid something would happen to her but I think that is where we are at. My baby will start crawling soon and also it really sucks sitting on the couch and still having the residue of the pee smell. Cat urine is the worst. Gonna try to get her fixed to see if that helps. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Noodles\_Fellicini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Noodles\_Fellicini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noodles_Fellicini)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/47 "2013-06-19T23:54:24Z")
I THOUGHT this story sounded familiar – sorry to hear about your zombie cat. Only thing I can add to the thread is make sure you use unscented cat litter as sometimes they can connect the “fresh” smell to other “fresh” smelling things in the house, and two cats calls for two or more litterboxes to make sure sharing/cleanliness is not an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/48 "2013-06-20T17:20:38Z")
Ok, so this is a zombie thread, but I still thought I’d add one more tip: Put the litter boxes in different areas. If all the litter boxes are in the basement, then it’s possible that one cat is blocking access to the other. This can be as subtle as laying in such a way that one cat would have to cross the path of the other (or go directly over/past them) to get to the litter box. Depending on the dynamic/hierarchy, the other cat may not pass, so poor thing doesn’t have a choice but to find somewhere else to pee. If you put litter boxes in areas that are far enough apart, the dominate cat can’t block access to two boxes at once. ---
**Author:** ![TabbyJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@TabbyJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TabbyJo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/49 "2013-07-03T14:18:42Z")
Well we ended up having to replace the furniture due to the cat peeing on the couch but she hasn’t gone back there since though (crossing fingers) and the previous owner had cats too. She has now started pooping in other areas of the house which is almost as bad as the peeing was. I think she just un-trained herself. I am going to try the multiple litter boxes to see if that helps but I have to be careful cause I have dogs that like to get into them if they have access. Hopefully we find a solution here.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![TygerRRT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@TygerRRT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TygerRRT)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/50 "2013-07-26T12:26:21Z")
The question is, is this cat ‘peeing’ or ‘spraying’? These are two different behaviors. If that cat is spraying, there is a territorial problem which may have to do with feral cats outside spraying in the yard making Max feel threatened. You could take Max outside to do his marking of the territory out there. I don’t know what neighborhood you live in. You may need to walk him on a leash. You could place a cat tree by the window so Max can observe from a safe place. You didn’t mention if Pumpkin does any of the marking. It is possible that Max lacks confidence. You could get him some cat toys (feather on a string on a stick) and let him chase them to increase his confidence. If Max is peeing (squatting to pee) there may be other issues. Is he declawed? If yes, the litter may hurt his crippled paws. Declawing is a very painful thing for cats and going to the litterbox could cause a lifetime of agony. You would have to change litter to something very soft. Unfortunately, if this is the case, Max has already associated the litter box with pain and may be reluctant to go into it at all. You could try absorbent pads and gradually move them into a box and then cover them with the new, soft litter. Always make sure you have at least one litterbox per cat. You may have to distribute several around the house for a while. If he has urgency due to a urinary tract problem, he may not be able to make it to the ‘proper’ room. Having an extra litterbox in every room may not be pleasant but stepping in pee in the middle of the night isnt’ either. Please don’t give up on Max. Worst case, you should call the show ‘My cat from hell’ and see if Jackson Galaxy can help you. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/51 "2013-07-26T13:22:09Z")
Too many zombies to count in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![lellgee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@lellgee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lellgee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/54 "2014-01-20T18:21:49Z")
Hi just to say please don’t get rid of your cats, they are not to blame for peeing around the house. We had the same problem with our 4, it was very stressful but we finally realised it was their diet. Cats do not drink water very often as they get most of their moisture from their food which means stop feeding them dry biscuits! We changed their food and everything went back to normal. We very nearly lost our boy Blue due to bladder stones caused by eating biscuits. I just do not understand why companies are allowed to sell food that actively causes serious health problems. Please just change the food you are feeding your cats on. ---
**Author:** ![lellgee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@lellgee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lellgee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/55 "2014-01-20T18:23:23Z")
> [@DoperChic](#): > > I am posting this thread with a very heavy heart as if we can’t find a solution we may be forced to give away a beloved family pet. > > Max, my one and a half year old cat, found his way into our home and our hearts in the summer of last year. He was a stray that chose us to be his lucky family. Soon after we found Max we also took in another stray, Pumpkin, a beautiful orange tabby. The two became the best of friends and the best pets a family could possibly ask for. They both never bit or scratched, and loved to cuddle. > > Max’s peeing troubles started in early November of this year. He was peeing everywhere – our bed, piles of laundry, etc. We took him to the vet who diagnosed him with a bladder infection. He was treated with antibiotics which quickly fixed him right up. > > Fast forward to mid-December. We had just moved into a new house. Max started peeing again outside his littler box. Another trip to the vet revealed another bladder infection. He has gone through two different antibiotics to no avail. The vet is convinced that something else is now causing him to continue spraying. After the first round of meds didn’t work, we tried anti-anxiety meds – kitty Prozac, if you will. He’s been on these for about 3 weeks or so to see if anxiety over the move is causing it. They haven’t worked either. Thinking it may be a behavioral thing, we also got a pheromone diffuser. Nothing. > > My husband and I are at our wits end with the whole thing. Few smells are worse than cat urine and it’s really hard to get out of the bedding, mattresses, clothing, and furniture he’s peed on. We’re trying to deal with it as best we can but he’s going after our three-year-old daughter’s stuff as well. He’s peed on her brand new bed numerous times and just sprayed her winter coat about an hour ago. It kills me to think she is now sleeping on a mattress that probably has a lingering odor of cat urine. I will probably just throw her coat out tomorrow and buy her a new one. It’s in the wash now with detergent and a half cup of apple-cider vinegar but I doubt that will be enough. > > I have been in near-constant contact with our amazing vet to try to figure out what’s going on. If it’s a medical problem I want to do everything possible to get him cured. If it’s a behavioral problem I don’t know how much we can do. The vet thinks it’s one of four possible scenarios: > > 1. Feline urinary tract disease (or something of the sort) – basically, he would be very prone to getting recurrent, nearly constant urinary tract infections. I just don’t know if we can handle this if it means he will be constantly peeing everywhere. > > 2. An anxiety over the move – should be at least curbed by the anxiety meds by now, so not really likely. > > 3. A behavior problem – again, could be related to the move. Should also be curbed by the anxiety meds and/or the pheromone diffuser. > > 4. Kidney stones – we would have to have x-rays done to find them. Then medication and/or surgery to break them up and/or remove them. The x-rays run around $200 but I didn’t even ask about the surgery cost yet. I doubt it’s something we could afford right now. > We’re at our absolute wits end right now. I’m up at 1:30 in the morning posting here only because my husband just found Max peeing on our daughter’s winter coat. It brought me to tears thinking of what we may have to do. I really desperately don’t want to give him away but unless we can fix this problem we may not have any other choice. > > So now I turn to you, fellow dopers. Partly in an attempt to just vent and get this all off my chest but mostly to get possible solutions. The vet really thinks it’s behavioral in nature so I’m looking for some tips on how to curb this smelly behavior. Hi just to say please don’t get rid of your cats, they are not to blame for peeing around the house. We had the same problem with our 4, it was very stressful but we finally realised it was their diet. Cats do not drink water very often as they get most of their moisture from their food which means stop feeding them dry biscuits! We changed their food and everything went back to normal. We very nearly lost our boy Blue due to bladder stones caused by eating biscuits. I just do not understand why companies are allowed to sell food that actively causes serious health problems. Please just change the food you are feeding your cats on. It really is not their fault, its ours. ---
**Author:** ![Idol\_Springs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/919ad9/32.png) [@Idol\_Springs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idol_Springs)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/56 "2014-01-20T22:04:59Z")
Try fitting a diaper onto this cat so that it can pee into the diaper, then you can change it for another diaper, and your cat can pee as much as it likes with little fuss compared to your situation at the moment! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575/57 "2014-01-21T01:45:38Z")
The original post was three years ago. Hopefully the situation is resolved. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-won-t-stop-peeing-on-my-stuff-advice-desperately-needed/567575.md?page=2)