Only looking for things that *actually worked* in stopping cat wee

[Coffeetree]

I've turned the Internet upside down and have found loads of suggestions but no actual stories of "I did X and it stopped my cat from stress-weeing outside her box" .

My indoor cat had been absolutely fine with using her box, and then after lockdown I went from being home all day to working outside the house for 12 hours a day. I had her before lockdown but she was fine with my long hours then.

I've got a new remote-only job beginning in Jan, but she now has the bad habits. She pees on my bed and bathmat and when discouraged from that she started on the couch. She's now confined to spare room with litter box and I sleep in there with her (with foil on bed to keep her off).

Checked at vet, no med issues. I'm not even going to list all the things I've tried because I've tried everything possible that can be found on the Internet. So please don't ask have I tried x, the answer is yes.

I'm beginning to suspect that nothing really works and that people just end up living in urine-soaked homes or giving away their cats, and that's why in the hundreds of blogs and threads all over the Internet you never have the OP returning to say, "Thanks for the advice, problem solved!"

Anyone actually resolve the issue?

[DisplayPurposesOnly]

No... In that the cat solved it himself. He was v old, tho new to me as a rescue. He began peeing on my bed every morning for several weeks but then stopped fortunately!

I just managed it. Waterproof mattress cover as the ultimate barrier, a layer of puppy training pads as first defence.

I wouldn't have given him away, poor old boy, but I was in despair. My next plan was to crate him overnight so he would still sleep in my room, just not on the bed. (I think he would have been ok with that; he liked to be with me but not on me.)

[Coffeetree]

Thanks, do you mean he now sleeps on your bed and never wees on it?

[Kinsters]

The only thing that got ours to stop was moving house..

You have my sympathies, it's awful.

[thelegohooverer]

Following in hope.

[EmpressCixi]

You say you’ve tried everything, so sorry if this is something you have already tried

Instead of trying to get her back to using litter box for wee, perhaps see if you can train her to wee on those absorbing puppy training mats? I’d put it on top of where she has been currently going....the couch. And encourage her to wee on the mat.

[SmolCat]

An extra litter tray. For a while I had even had one in my bedroom (as that’s where she weed). It’s annoying but still a much better option!

I’ve heard that some natural calming tablets help too but haven’t tried them myself. Dorwest are good at offering advice about things like that.

[Bordois]

How are we meant to help when

So please don't ask have I tried x, the answer is yes.

🤣

[Anna783426]

Our vet said it might be stress, and gave us some horrible brown sludgey gel that we put on the cats paws every day for a little while. The cat calmed down and stopped weeing everywhere. I can't remember the name but can have a rummage later and see if we still have it in the cupboard to get the name.

[Roselilly36]

My cat, started in pee in a certain corner, I read a tip, to put surgical spirit where they pee, it solved the problem. Sorry if you have already tried it OP.

[LittleMissA]

We did the foil in the area our cat was peeing and then got one of the calming plug ins. We've not had the foil for at least 6 mths now and had no issues, we do keep the plug in as we notice she tends to go and sit near it at times so we think it does help.

[Prestel]

If it's not physical, it's emotional. She's distressed about something and you need to try to figure out what it is. Is it boredom, would she benefit from being allowed out during the day? Is it territorial, is she distressed by a new cat hanging around the house? Does she dislike the litter you use and doesn't want to go back now she's found somewhere nicer to wee? Is she an elderly cat, could it be the beginning of dementia? You know your cat better than anyone else. If you Google causes of this behaviour, rather than quick fixes, it might help you work out what's behind this unwanted behaviour. If you can fix the cause, it should be possible to fix the behaviour but it certainly isn't easy and you have my sympathy, it's a horrible problem to live with. Not only do you have to live with the wee on everything but also knowing your cat must be very unhappy if she's doing this. I hope you can sort it out.

[Coffeetree]

@EmpressCixi

You say you’ve tried everything, so sorry if this is something you have already tried

Instead of trying to get her back to using litter box for wee, perhaps see if you can train her to wee on those absorbing puppy training mats? I’d put it on top of where she has been currently going....the couch. And encourage her to wee on the mat.

No, again, I'm looking for actual things that real people did, which solved the issue.

[AnnaMagnani]

Clean everything with pet enzyme cleaner. If carpet may need to check if has gone down to underlay.

Get rid of anything tempting on the floor - rugs, towels, laundry left lying on the floor.

Multiple litter trays - a minimum should be number of cats + 1 but you probably need more, and leave the trays in her fave places.

If she is just missing the tray then puppy pads for mistakes.

More things for the cat to do so she isn't bored all day missing you - I appreciate you have confined her to stop your belongings being covered in pee but she has gone from a whole property and your company all day, to being alone in a spare room where she can't jump on the bed. She needs stuff to do - does she respond to catnip?

Feliway diffusers EVERYWHERE.

[Coffeetree]

@Bordois

How are we meant to help when

So please don't ask have I tried x, the answer is yes.

🤣

Because I'm not looking for speculation or things people saw on telly, I'm looking for actual stories of "I did X and it worked."

[Coffeetree]

@LittleMissA

We did the foil in the area our cat was peeing and then got one of the calming plug ins. We've not had the foil for at least 6 mths now and had no issues, we do keep the plug in as we notice she tends to go and sit near it at times so we think it does help.

Great!! Which plug in?

[Coffeetree]

Great, thank you!

[Coffeetree]

Yes please.

[EmpressCixi]

I'm looking for actual things that real people did, which solved the issue

I’m a real person and my real cat had been clawing up a corner of the carpet and going there, I used a puppy training mat on the corner and that worked. I then gradually moved puppy training mat closer and closer to a new litter tray in that room until she started using that tray for wee and the other original tray for poo.

[Coffeetree]

@AnnaMagnani

Clean everything with pet enzyme cleaner. If carpet may need to check if has gone down to underlay.

Get rid of anything tempting on the floor - rugs, towels, laundry left lying on the floor.

Multiple litter trays - a minimum should be number of cats + 1 but you probably need more, and leave the trays in her fave places.

If she is just missing the tray then puppy pads for mistakes.

More things for the cat to do so she isn't bored all day missing you - I appreciate you have confined her to stop your belongings being covered in pee but she has gone from a whole property and your company all day, to being alone in a spare room where she can't jump on the bed. She needs stuff to do - does she respond to catnip?

Feliway diffusers EVERYWHERE.

Again, I've read all the websites, I'm aware of all this. I'm looking for actual stories of "I did X and it worked".

There are thousands of threads online with "cats need company!" "Feliway!" I'm interested in actual experiences of successful outcomes.

[Beamur]

One of my cats is quite highly strung and has had episodes of peeing indoors. This was because we had another cat who was scent marking the litter trays. We had to change some flooring as we couldn't remove the smell. This resolved once she found somewhere safe outside to toilet.
I do tend to keep a Feliway plugged in too as it helps with a multi cat household.

[Coffeetree]

@EmpressCixi

I'm looking for actual things that real people did, which solved the issue

I’m a real person and my real cat had been clawing up a corner of the carpet and going there, I used a puppy training mat on the corner and that worked. I then gradually moved puppy training mat closer and closer to a new litter tray in that room until she started using that tray for wee and the other original tray for poo.

Thank you!

[MurielSpriggs]

@Bordois

How are we meant to help when

So please don't ask have I tried x, the answer is yes.

🤣

I understand her frustration - she means only suggest X if it actually worked for you rather than is just something you read about somewhere that sounds like a good idea!

Some time ago we had a cat like this. We were lucky that we had a utility room with the cat flap in it. We created a kind of pen in the utility room which she couldn't escape from which included the cat flap, and she had a bed food and toys there. She had access to the outdoors, a warm cosy indoor place in the pen, but not the rest of the house, and quite happily lived out her days like that.

I say happily, she'd have been happier on the sofa I'm sure, but we couldn't live in a cat's latrine!

[WorkingItOutAsIGo]

I am a real person and my real cat did this. Followed vets advice and kept him in a large dog crate for a few days or a week or so (can’t remember exactly) with his litter tray so he was forced to stick to his litter tray as the rest of his space clean. Then allowed him in our small toilet with a litter tray so the clean area extended to the small room and then gradually extended the area he was allowed. When he transgressed he went back a step for 24 hours. Probably took two weeks? Pretty much solved it. Had to redo a couple of years later.

Plus all the other stuff like multiple trays, feliways etc.

[Whattochoosenow]

The thing is OP that until you try some of these things you’re not going to know what works. Cats are individuals and quite fickle. What works for some definitely won’t work for others.
So, the multiple litter trays with different substrates, the Feliway, the Zylkene, the Pet Remedy spray etc are all good options.
Also, do you have a cat flap? Are other cats scaring her? I know of one case where the cat was peeing in the house. It turns out the neighbours cat was watching her through the cat flap while she was eating her food. And that caused enough stress for her to pee all around the house. They only found this out by setting up a camera in the utility room and realised there was something going on outside.
I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a bit of a detective and really observe her body language/ behaviour on this one, because something is upsetting her.

[Coffeetree]

Okay, thank you to the real people with real cats. Sorry to be a grump and I appreciate your sharing.