Stummel

We had two cats since they were 2 months old at the time and when we got them they were both litter trained by their mother cat, so we had no problems apart from the odd incident, which eventually stopped.
One of them sadly passed away recently, so we got a 5 month old kitten as a companion for our older cat.
She's been with us three weeks and is getting on well with the older cat and our dog by now. They all play and sleep together etc.
The problem is that she pees all over the place, and it isn't just accidents, it is deliberate peeing on the couches, the beds, the dog beds, just now she squatted on a pile of laundry I had on the couch for ironing and peed on there. She also goes in the laundry room and if there is any laundry on there waiting to be washed, she completely soaks it. I know she can use the litterbox, as she has never pooped anywhere but there, but don't understand what the peeing is about. We hardly ever catch her at it, and when I just saw her on the couch I rushed over to grqab her and put her in the litter bin, but she ran away and I had to chase her around the house in order to do that.
There is a litterbox upstairs, which is her's entirely, and there is also a bigger one downstairs that is also for the other cat.
Any ideas on how to deal with this? I am really tired of the constant laundry and always washing comforters, dog beds and the mattresses, which already have protective covers on them.

DebsShelties

Could be an infection or she is angry with you. Could also be the kind of litter you are using. Have you tried google - cat urination outside of litter box?
I have a feral kitten approx 7 months old now. She is a companion for my older cat. Her only bad habit is taking the paint off the walls with her claws.
Come May spay and declaw since she is an indoor cat.

RatherB Quilting

I would suggest trying to collect a urine sample and take it to your local vet to see if she may have a bladder infection. Sometimes when cats are urinating in odd places, it can be caused by this. Another thing that may be an issue is if your litter is perfumed or if she disagrees with the texture of it. Alternately, there is a product on the market called "feliway". It is a feline pheremone that is supposed to calm a stressed cat. Just because she gets on with your other animals doesn't mean she might not be stressed. I used the feliway with my kitties for awhile after locating to a new home. They did well with it. You can't smell it.

Worst case scenario, contact your local vet for more ideas on what the cause could be or possible ways to resolve her behavior before it becomes a permenant behavior issue.
Best of luck and don't forget to give her lots of cuddles! :)

RatherB Quilting

By the way...Condolences on the loss of your Kitty. It's going on three years since I lost one of my boyz, and I miss him as much today as I did when he left me. However, I have so many happy memories of his fuzzy-butt, (and I swear he visits me in my dreams sometimes!) I hope your Kitty brings you happy dreams!

Stummel

Thanks for the replies! I did hear about feliway, and may try it, but she sleeps on the bed with us with the other cat and spends a lot of her time sleeping on our laps, so definitely no lack of cuddles.
She is also very curious and inquisitive all the time, and already bosses the older cat around a bit with enforced playtime, along with clawing the dog's paws (they have a strange paw tapping game with her under the couch and him in front of it), so she *seems* happy at least.
Next week we have a vet appointment for her second set of shots, so I will ask then. I'm not quite sure how to get a urine sample of her, I once had to get one of my dog, and that was difficult enough, lol!
She does use the litter to poop, so not sure if she dislikes the box or litter, she is in there every day and we clean it every day.

The problem is that the smell is terrible, adn I can't afford to buy new couches and mattresses to get rid of the smell, and not sure if the cleaners I used are effective in making it smell-neutral to cats. If she thinks that is her place to pee, I don't know what to do about it. Sigh.

Stummel

Thank you. She's only been gone a few months, but we talk to her ashes daily and miss her dearly. Her brother was so sad and kept looking for her around the house.

Marjpf

I think if the smell is terrible - that's a pretty good sign of something wrong. The vet will get the sample - all you have to do is pay!
I know how hard it is when a fuzzy child passes away. They keep a special place in our hearts forever.

Stummel

^^Well, it smells like pee, but if it is on the beds and couches and clean laundry it is terrible :mrgreen: . Sorry if that was misleading. She was just at the vet less than two weeks ago for all sorts of tests, and they thought she was fine, but I will ask next tuesday when we go again.

tlrnhi

I would take her to the vet and have her checked out.
Is she spayed? Most people think that only males "mark their territory" but females will do it too. If she's not spayed, this could be what she is doing and you want to stop her now before it becomes a bad habit.

Rachel

I'm not sure how to fix this issue, I would agree with the trip to the vet, but I'm really sorry about your other kitty. I lost Oskar years ago, and I still miss him. But I still laugh at his pictures, he was a handsome boy. tee hee
Good Luck, keep us posted.