My cat has mental problems

[Mrs P]

Our female desexed cat has been peeing on the couch.

She seems to be very attached to DD, and the peeing occurred after the family had been away at Xmas and now at Easter.

Our vet thinks it's a stress response (presumably to 'her baby' being gone) rather than due to a uti.

Ok so I thought I could deal with it. We've got a Feliway diffuser but it seems to run out very quickly, faster than monthly, so it wasn't working over Easter. So last week when we got back, she peed. But now the diffuser is working and she still peed yesterday and today. Yesterday we were home at the time and DD was napping, today we were out at the shops.
Our couch is permanently covered in plastic and cheap blankets/towels.
DH is losing patience and i am too. Apart from the pee the cat is acting her normal self, but she is a sensitive cat anyway. We saved her from the pound at age 10 mths, she's around 5.5 yrs now.
I don't want to take her to the pound as I know they will probably put her down. But I can't have a cat that pees on my couch constantly and I can't keep the couch plastic wrapped for ever!
I don't really know what I am after but if anyone has suggestions please let me know.
Oh and she's an indoor cat, becoming an outdoor cat isn't an option, nor is locking her in a room as that stresses her even more.

[Phteven]

Has your vet discussed the cat prozac with you?

[Laranna]

I have no suggestions but just wanted to say my cat is doing the exact same thing. It is driving me nuts. I am so close to dragging the damn couch out to the front verge for someone to take!

I find the feliway diffuser runs out very quickly as well and it's not cheap to refill either. My cat is 11 years old and vet checked for UTI which came back clear also. Totally feel your pain! xx

[Mrs P]

Onyx - yep, but considering DH and I can't even cut her claws (she is very strong), I don't think we can fathom giving her a tablet twice a day.

Laranna - sadly it is comforting to hear that we're not the only ones

[Party-of-five]

When my dad went over east to work and left the cat at home with my brother she over groomed and licked all her hair of her back half she had to go on prozac until dad returned the hair grew back and she lived until she was 20!

I hope you sort something out soon...cat pee is the worst

[alish]

my cat used to do that, and all my vet said what "i think youre just a naughty little cat" WTF!

we used to rub his face in it. harsh but it worked

sorry youre going through it, its a pita..goodluck!

[Saffy]

you are definately not alone- our female cat who is otherwise normal does this as well.

She pees on various things- cupboard doors of both spare rooms, foxtel box, dvd player, our heater, occassionally back of the couch.

She only does it if she's ****ed off- excuse the pun- about something, ie if people stay the night at our house, or if we go away for the night, or she's in the cattery while we are on holiday. Last time DH picked her up from the cattery, she peed in the catbox on the way home, her brother frank was in with her so he came out dripping with wee!!!! DH was not amused as he had to clean it all up cos I was at work- haha.

Sorry to hear your couch is getting ruined, very annoying ( its sort of cute tho that she loves you DD so much). My mums cat has something called clonicalm which is like cat valium for if they are anxious, but I think it makes them a bit drowsy, be worth a try though.

Its the worst smell

[krysalyss]

Will she still go in the litter tray? If she doesn't that is the place to start working on a solution. Sometimes cats develop an aversion to their tray and then try to go somewhere else. Once they start somewhere you have to make sure it gets cleaned well and with non-ammonia cleaners to get the smell out. I would try some different kitty litters and give her an extra tray. See if you can move the tray to somewhere she would prefer going? Feliway spray lasts for ages and you can target it in the areas you want so if you go that way again I would use the spray and not the diffuser. If she has a real thing for the couch. I would put aluminium foil on it as cats don't seem to like walking on that, and put the tray next to it. See if she will go there as an alternative. Then you could move it in stages back to where you actually want it.

[Kazzo]

I like what Krysalyss has said.
Does she always pee in the same spot on the couch?
Cats have an aversion to citrus smells. You could sprey (citronella) one of the old blankets you have and put it where she is peeing. I do this for my garden but you could also put some orange peel there and hope that one smell and she stays clear.

If she has a very close bond with your DD then maybe you could give her something like an old T-shirt, blanket or towel that has DD smell on it and put it somewhere she likes to sleep alot. That way she has the comfort of DD smell when evere she gets a bit stressed.