I need serious help, please!!!

My 11-year-old female cat has started urinating in several areas of the house. One is the loveseat in the den. :-(

I'm almost certain this is in reaction to two neighborhood cats that come around at night. My cat, Gin, is extremely territorial and just goes nuts when the outside cats are on the deck or the window ledge. She has completely destroyed several mini-blinds over the years, but this is the first time she has ever peed all over stuff.

I have tried everything to get the smell out of the loveseat, but I think it is a lost cause. DH says there's no point in buying a new one if she is just going to pee on it...which sounds reasonable. But you don't know my DH. He is so angry, he has threatened to turn the cat out...permanently...or have her euthanized. And he means it!

I sprayed a cat repellant all over the window ledges and the deck, three times in less than a week, but the cats are not deterred.

Any suggestions for me? Short of divorce, which I AM considering... ;-)

Have you gotten any advice from your vet? When you say "cat repellant" do you mean Feliway or similar cat calming pheremone sprays? Maybe try some Catgrass or other stimulants to take her mind off the territoriality?

Yes, it is a spray similar to Feliway, but it isn't a hormone-calming spray; it is supposed to smell bad to cats. The breeze blew some onto my arm as I was spraying, and Gin didn't seem repulsed by it in the slightest. I might get one of those Feliway dispensers for inside.

I did order some cat repellant granules which should be here by Friday. Some of the reviews were positive...

I plan to take her to the vet, too, but I will only ever get her into the carrier once. She's not the kind of cat that can be picked up or coaxed into something!

I finally put my cat on Ativan (anti-anxiety) at the advice of my vet. It is the only thing that has worked. I tried Feliway (the spray and the plug-in), Buspirone (an antidepressant) — no improvement. Now he is on buspirone and ativan. He still sprays occasionally but the frequency is far less. Talk to your vet about these anti-anxiety medications.

Good luck!!

k4k

Perhaps your cat has some urinary issues, and is seeking a "painless place" to pee?
One of my cats once developed a bladder stone, caused by medication she was taking for a different problem, and started peeing outside the litterbox.
A bladder stone can be detected with ultrasound which won't hurt the cat.

Vinegar sponged into the cushions may help the smell.

You have my sympathy. People can be so irrational. Would they euthanize their child for wetting the bed? Hope not.

>5 Selliers: That is true! I forgot about that. Definitely worth checking out.

>5 Selliers: medical causes are worth ruling out. Our 16 year old cat (RIP) got bladder infections towards the end and did the same thing.

Do you watch the Animal Planet TV show My Cat from hell? Amazing how repetitive each episode is. Cat is peeing in house, husband/male partner doesn't like it, threatens to get rid of cat. Cat whisperer comes in, orders more cat litter trays, playing with the cat, and a few tweaks to house, often putting up high shelves so cat feels more confident.

And they usually seem to have a happy ending.

Yes, I'm hoping there is nothing physically wrong, but I'm going to get her to the vet as soon as I can get an appointment.

Y'all don't know my DH—he can be quite cruel. I said the very same thing about banishing your child to the outside or euthanizing him, but he just said he could and would euthanize Gin.

I am using an enzyme cleaner on the loveseat, but it just seems to soak farther in. I have washed everything that was removal and even bought and replaced the foam in the cushions. It smells worse than ever tonight, so I think she must have peed again. :-(

Oh, also, I bought her some urinary tract chews just in case...and she gobbled them up the first day or two, but now she won't touch them.

I really think the outside cats have got her in a tizzy, and because of her age, she is having issues.

Can you resurface the outside with stones or something that other cats won't like to hang out in? If they're stray, you could try to get the humane society to pick them up. Motion-activated sprinklers?

At least one of the outside cats has a collar. I think they belong to somebody; they just get put out for the night.

They come up on the deck and stare in the patio door at my cat. She lunges at the glass over and over, but they don't go away. Then they jump up on the window ledge and walk along, trying to find a way in, I guess. My cat follows inside and tears up the mini-blinds. If she loses track of them, she races back and forth until she finds them again. I don't think there is anything physical I can do to the deck or the window ledge. DH put carpet tacking strips on the ledge early last summer, with the nails sticking up, but the cats either knocked them down or stepped around them.

The repellant granules I ordered are supposed to smell like a fox or other predator. We'll see if they help!

Once DH goes back to work tomorrow, I'll start on the loveseat again...