peeing on sofa

[triumph650]

Hi can anyone help with a answer to a problem we have,we have just got two kittens from a rescue,they are 16 week old brother and sister,we brought them home 4 days ago,although they were very nervous to start with they are getting on very well in their new surroundings,we decided to start with, to keep them in the one room a kitchen diner, the second day when we came down in the morning,we found a wet patch on the throw over the leather sofa,we have got 2 litter trays for them to use which have been used,we washed the throw and cleaned the sofa with soap water and cider vinager (recomended on google) about 11pm that day I came into the kitchen and caught the male cat wetting on top of the newly washed throw that was back on the sofa,my next idea, I got a waterproof cover and covered the complete sofa,the following morning both trays were used,but he also wet on the waterproof cover leaving a puddle he don't appear to be spraying he is just weeing,the first question is why the sofa and the second is how to stop him. cheers john.

[PeanutsFriend]

Insecure ?

[Meandmymunki]

Maybe try a different lítter.....

[sarie]

Hey triumph - this article is worth a read and has some very good information.

http://www.telepathictalk.com/article_f ... potty.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cats, as I'm sure you know, are incredibly clean animals so urinating outside the litter box like that is definitely a sign that something's not right. It could be stress due to the change in his environment as he's only been with you a few days, or it could be that he doesn't like the litter facilities, or both!
What sort of litter trays do you have down for the kittens at the moment and what litter are you using? It also sounds silly but make sure you've got enough litter in the tray - depth matters as they like to dig. Rescues and vets often just use a thin layer to cut down on costs but ideally it needs to be a few inches deep to keep them happy. I know you say the trays have been used but it could well be that your male kitten isn't as impressed with the facilities as the female. I'd start by changing his litter facilities. Perhaps keep one tray as it is and change the other for a different style of tray with an entirely different style of litter and see how he gets on.

As for the sofa, unfortunately once a cat starts weeing in a specific place it's very hard to eradicate the smell entirely and stop them from repeating, although using vinegar was definitely a good move. You need to break the cycle with the sofa as soon as possible before it becomes a routine for him. I'd remove the throw entirely, if you haven't already, so he no longer has access to it as despite washing it he'll probably still be able to smell his urine. Put it away in a cupboard or somewhere he can't get to it for now. It'll probably be fine to use in future once he's a little older and past this problem but for now it'd be better to remove it from the equation.
If he still pee'd on the sofa with a waterproof cover on it then it does suggest it's not just the smell but the area he's attracted to. Can you limit his access to the sofa overnight for now? If you've got a room you can confine both kittens in overnight I'd strongly suggest you do that for now. The kitchen is often as good as any as it's easy to clean up any messes and is devoid of furnishings that contain lots of smells (usually) so it helps to ease any sensory overload.
If you can confine both kittens in the kitchen at night with beds, litter trays and food/water this would allow you to break the cycle with the sofa and will encourage him to utilise the tray. Once he gets into a habit with the tray you'll hopefully be OK, it's just a case of working out what litter and what tray he likes and cutting back on any stress he may be suffering from his new start with you.

If for some reason you can't confine the kittens at night then I'd suggest you continue to use the waterproof cover on the sofa (to keep your sofa from being damaged) and put a layer of tin foil across the seat of the sofa as cats really don't like it. That will hopefully keep him off it overnight and again, break the cycle. Do still change his litter facilities though - some cats are just super picky about what they like and there are an awful lot of litter types and trays on the market to try If the rescue was using a particular brand then perhaps see if you can find out what it was!

Best of luck with him - kittens at his age are fairly adaptable and as you've taken him on with his sister he'll hopefully settle more quickly than an only kitten. Once you get to the bottom of the cause of his behaviour you should be able to get him to change it without too much trouble Keep us updated

[triumph650]

Hi Sarie thanks for your reply,my next move tonight was to change the make of litter as you suggest i'm using wood pellets at the moment, going to try martbedz eticat.I have seen him use the tray which are just open top during the day ok,I have removed the throw and covered the sette with just the waterproof cover and last night I covered that in tin foil,it was all ok this morning and I thought I had sorted it,then within the hour he got on the arm of the sette walked the full length on the foil and started to pee on top of the foil ,as the sette is in the kitchen area I am unable to isolate them from it,tonight I am going to try as well as the litter change laying some spare ceramic tiles across to seats working on the fact he dose'nt wet on any hard serface in the room and then keep my fingers crossed other than this problem they have both settled quite well considering the time scale they come to me when I open the door and call them in the morning,and will let me pick them up,round two

[sarie]

Haha the little sod! It sounds like you've got the right idea already though - hopefully perseverance will pay off eventually. You could try double sided sticky tape on the sofa too - you'll probably need to use quite a bit to make sure he can't put his paws between it to squat though so it's perhaps overkill but might be worth a shot if the tiles don't work! Tiles are definitely a good idea first though!

Hopefully the change of litter might do the trick too... I've got my fingers crossed for you Good job kittens are so cute, makes it easier to laugh It sounds like they're settling well though, other than the wee problem!

[triumph650]

Hi sarie got up this morning tiles all dry seems I've cracked it,let you know if still ok in few days

[bobbys girl]

That's good news. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[sarie]

Woohoo! That's great news, long may it last The tiles were a great idea!

Although despite the weeing, you've got me craving kittens again