Cat wee on sofa

[Maryann1975]

I came downstairs this morning to find my one year old, fully litter trained cat has weed on the sofa. The litter tray was clean so no reason for her to do this that I know of apart from her just feeling like it (she sometimes pees on piles of clean Washing and has done a shit in the ironing basket before .
The sofa stinks, I've tried to surface clean it (the cushions don't come off) but it still smells. I've read about putting bicarb of soda on it. What do I do, just sprinkle it on the smelly area, leave it a bit and Hoover it off?

[thecatneuterer]

Yes you could try that. Or get the Simple Solution stuff from Pets at Home if all else fails.

Are you sure she doesn't have cystitis?

[AmberRose95]

I have two cats and a dog and am a complete clean freak (pets are my husbands) , I swear by Detroit spray it's amazing it's proven to kill many bacterial funguses and even Mesa and it has a lovely smell to it so its abut like an air freshener you can spray it anywhere , kitchen surface , handles,sofas,around the litter tray .
It's available at most supermarkets for around £3.50 .

[AmberRose95]

That was dettol not Detroit lol auto correct

[VimFuego101]

Yep - sprinkle it over, leave it as long as possible, Hoover off. I would spray around the area with lemon juice mixed with water, and put a layer of foil on the area where she peed just to put her off.

[cozietoesie]

Is she neutered, Maryann?

[Maryann1975]

She is neutered yes. Ive bicarbed the sofa and hoovered it off and it still smells, so have put some more down to try again. She hasn't done it again and has been quite happy with the normal arangement of going outside in the day and on the litter tray at night so I don't think there is anything medically wrong with her, I think it's just more of what she does, maybe once every couple of weeks/a month, just weeing where ever she is -a behaviour thing. Can cats be too lazy to move to the litter tray and just go to somewhere a bit more convenient. (It wasn't her space on the chair that she went on), is that a normal (or if not normal, something that some cats do?).

[AmberRose95]

Found out that dropping a few drops of essentials oil will deter from seeing there especially citrus you can get from body shop /Holland and Barrett .

[AmberRose95]

Has anyone been/currently on the slim fast diet ?

[starsmurf]

Please don't use essential oils, it's not going to deter her and could harm her.

To get rid of the smell, try "Urine Off" which seems to get rid of the smell without smelling strongly itself. It stops the smells that would trigger your cat to go back to the sofa.

As she has a history of inappropriate toileting, she needs to see a vet. Cats are stoics and they can hide the fact that they're unwell. If the vet rules out anything physical, ask for a referral to a behaviourist. She might be being prevented from using the littertray if you have another cat or if the dog is bothering her as she uses the tray (fresh cat poo is a delicacy to dogs). The places you mention that she has toileted all have the common factor of fabric, so she may be getting confused by the signals that tell her somewhere is the correct place to toilet. There may also be a reason she no longer wants to toilet outside, from being frightened by something, to a new cat in the neighbourhood. The difficulty in working out exactly what is causing the problem (and how to put it right) is why you need a behaviourist.

In the meantime, I'd recommend making sure she always has access to a littertray and that there is at least one per cat plus one spare. They need to be in different places, as a common bullying tactic is for the dominant cat to place themselves somewhere that means the other cat has to pass in order to get to the tray. Imagine someone who is going to attack you lounging around outside your only toilet. You might end up going elsewhere too!

I know it is very upsetting and annoying when cats do this, but try not to punish her or make her more nervous, that will only lead to more of the same.

[AmberRose95]

Is essential oil harmful to cats ? It's worked for my cats and they are well.
Got recommended by my vet at medi vet asking as the cat doesn't lick it .

[starsmurf]

I was taught that the citrus oils can be irritating if cats get them on their fur and lick them off or if they come in contact with their eyes. If these oils aren't safe for putting straight on your skin, it's best just to assume that they shouldn't be used around animals.

If your vet said it's ok, then he/she probably knows better, just make sure the oil has sunk into the sofa or whatever and then wipe the surface to remove the worst of what is left.

[AmberRose95]

I will no longer be using this method as yes I googled and you're right .
Might not mention this to vet lool

[DeliveredByKiki]

Sorry to say we eventually had to throw our sofa, couldn't get rid of the smell