Please help!.. desperate - cat spraying

[LoobyLou2709]

I'm at my wits end!! 😫 my lovely cat I've had for 5 years (rescue) has just started spraying/peeing EVERYWHERE!!
Never had a problem before, we never had a litter tray, she'd go outside as she pleases to do her business! Moved in to a new house in August and this last 3 weeks every pile of clothes or toys or cushion seems to have that horrific cat pee smell in it! She has also pooed twice in the corner of 2 separate rooms, I have decided today I'm going to go right back to the beginning, confine her to the utility room, with a litter box, I've ordered one of those diffuser things on amazon, keep to a routine with feeding (rather than just when she's there asking!) I don't know what else I can do so asking here for any advise!? Also how do I get rid of the smell! Washed some clothes and cushion covers on a hot wash but I can still smell it! Have ordered a bit bottle of cat enzyme cleaner stuff on amazon and a UV torch as I'm so worried that I've missed it somewhere in the house and it's just festering, we have just moved in to a brand new house we have spent the last 3 years building and if I can't get this sorted I think my husband will get rid of me and the cat! 😂 she is a lovely cat, very affectionate lap cat, loves cuddles and isn't at all nervous, any advise greatly received! Or any tips I haven't yet mentioned??

A medical cause should be ruled out as a first step, urinating outside the litter tray is a very common symptom of urinary tract infections. A vet check up this week, ideally with a urine test done.

Female cats rarely spray, so it sounds more like urinating.

Could also be stress related. Are there other cats around outside? The house move in itself is stressful - new territory to establish etc. You can get something like Feliway Cystease supplements and Pet Remedy plug ins to help with stress, but again, rule out UTI first.

One more thought - did you have a litter tray for her at the time she started this? All cats should always have a litter tray, ideally more than one, even if they have outdoor access.

None of the enzyme sprays work. I tried them all when Maia was peeing on the sofa

It’s possible she’s just unsettled from the move. I had a female cat who used to spray and pee all over the place. She had dementia which didn’t help. I would start by having litter trays in as many places round the house as you can, we had seven at one point. If you can put them near places she has peed all the better. We had two behind sofas in the living room. I would also go to the vet to rule out a medical problem. In my experience the enzyme spray (Simple Solution) does work, you need to really saturate things in it. A strong solution of Bio washing powder also works. Don’t use bleach, it attracts cats.

Thank you so much for the feed back! Didn't even consider a medical problem as she's fine in herself eating/ drinking no problem, goes in out as usual! Have booked a vet appointment for tomorrow,
No I didn't have a litter tray down as she never used it, used the cat flap happily to go out to toilet, but I am off to the local pet shop as we speak to get several more to put around the house!!
Interesting about the bleach! 😬 it's what I have been using to clean up the pee so will certainly stop doing this now!
It is a new house but we have been living on site (in a static caravan) so the area isn't new to her and she has been in and around the house as it's been going up over the past 3 years, and she has been properly in the house 'living' since August so I just assumed she was pretty settled now, will see what the vet says tomorrow and then go from there, thank you all

I found the best thing to clean cat accidents is a mixture of white vinegar, biological washing powder and hot water - chuck it in the washing machine or use it as a cleaning solution on sofas, carpets etc.

She's either poorly or stressed.

We also moved in August with a 5 year old cat who we've had from a kitten. She has never had a litter tray past six minty old and has never ever weed in the house

Until we moved! The life stressed her far more than I anticipated it would

5 times in total always behind the tv. I did take her to the vets but it's not medical at all and doubt yours will be so don't pay money out of you don't need to

What I have done to tackle it - because I'm not having her use the house as a giant toilet!!

Plugged in feliway for a month

Don't allow her in the living room unless we are there and vigilant!

Cleaned area thoroughly

She's confined to the large kitchen / diner at night now - no more sleeping on the sofa alone overnight!

Put a covered litter tray inside (untouched)

As yours is doing it everywhere, you need to close as many doors as you can and just confine her to one room as far as possible unless she's with you

With our cat - it was stress of the move. Plus there's 4 cars around here so she's busy asserting herself and trying to carve out a new territory and I underestimated how stressful that would be for her. I don't plonk her outside anymore - I open the door and let her choose - she will go out but only for half an hour!

Thank you LucyLockets, will take on board everything you have done and will do the same! Thinking it is going to be more stress related than illness, I have ordered the plug in which is coming tomorrow,

With regards to the vinegar, powder etc, what's the ratio? Just got some vinegar but realised when I got home it's clear malt vinegar, not white vinegar! Guessing it's definitely the white I need? will have to go back out again and get some!

Just seen terrible typos in my previous post! Sorry!

Mine last did it about a week again- just as I was trusting her again! It's been a good month prior to that. So it's proved to me I need to watch her in this room.

I feel your pain. We have brand new deep pile carpets so it's been a nightmare getting wee out. I've used bio washing powder and just scrubbed basically . I know it's not the scent tempting her back though. She just bloody likes it round there!

Plug the feliway in where she will spend most of her time. I think it helped ours as she was behaving in quite a stressed way too. I did take her to the vets but it was very traumatic for her, she weed all over her carrier and was very frightened. All for the vet to tell me she thought it was stress but I could have anytime collecting kit for 30 quid if I wanted to and we could test on the off chance? Err no thanks! So I paid £42 to have a more stressed cat than before basically

She sleeps upstairs during the day and is there for a good 12 hours so I know she won't wee then. I then make sure we are all eyes on her on the living room and she is scooped up and placed outside of she goes towards the tv

Sat thinking last night and trying to get my head around what's changed! Looking back over the last 5 or 6 weeks she's had her jabs at the vets, We went away for a few days about 5 weeks ago and she went to the chattery for 3 nights, I also looked after my brothers dog for the weekend a couple of weeks ago (she's fine with our dog, they curl up together on the dogs bed, and my brothers dog is very quiet) but I guess it's a different dog to what's she's used too! Just thinking whether this combination could have completely stressed her out! Have done all of the above obviously before without a problem but probably not so close together! Poor cat, feeling very guilty now!