Discouraging cat from pissing on sofa

August 3, 2015 11:06 PM

Our lovely little cat-beast has taken to pissing on our sofa basically every morning, no matter how much we try to stop him, no matter how clean the litter box. We're using Febreeze to try and get rid of the smell, but we worry that a certain aroma remains, and that's what makes him go back there. Is there some strong-smelling but nontoxic-to-cats substance we could put on the sofa to make it appear less like a giant soft litter box?
posted by Zarkonnen to Pets & Animals (34 answers total)

Once they've done it, it's really really hard to make them stop doing it without replacing the furniture. But if it's a sudden behaviour change, have you eliminated FLUTD? When my cat starts to get crystals, he starts to pee on his favorite soft things-- the best guess i have is that he hopes it will hurt less under those circumstances. Not all crystals lead to blockage.
posted by frumiousb at 11:12 PM on August 3, 2015

Look into enzyme cleaners available at pet supply stores. Natures Miracle is one brand. The staff will be able to advise you about what would be best for this situation.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 11:24 PM on August 3, 2015

Response by poster: Ah yes, relevant information: he has a weak bladder and is getting medicated for that. Pre-medication his bladder would swell up massively. That's stopped now, but in recent weeks he's taken to peeing on the sofa. He will also pee in the litter box, but he generally tries the sofa first.
posted by Zarkonnen at 11:24 PM on August 3, 2015

Best answer: Take that little butterbean to the vet asap and get him checked out. Cats are fantastic at hiding pain, and things going wrong with kitty urinary tracts can be early indicators in more serious things.

Also invest in some Nature's Miracle products, (the ones for cats, of course - there's different types for different surfaces and the lengths to which you are willing to go) and probably one of those air blowing cat trainer thingies, if you are strong of heart/wish to be amused, to place pointed at the pee spot.

Febreeze will do nothing discernible to your cat, who still smells his stuff all over that couch.
posted by Mizu at 11:25 PM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]

Oh, sorry, completely misunderstood the question. An enzyme cleaner should help get rid of the urine smell, which is a good step in making the sofa less of a litter box.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 11:26 PM on August 3, 2015

I used a foil blanket over the sofa to discourage it when I wasn't using the couch.
posted by AugustWest at 11:27 PM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]

The Febreeze is not going to do much good. You need a for-reals enzymatic cleaner, and it needs to really soak the pee zone. I like Anti-Icky Poo better than Nature's Miracle because it does not come with its own weird smell the way Nature's Miracle does. Cover the soaked area with a foil blanket, upside-down laundry basket or something similar in the interim.

Please note that any enzymatic cleaner will make things smell temporarily worse for a day or so as the enzymes do their work.
posted by charmedimsure at 12:18 AM on August 4, 2015 [5 favorites]

I've been in this situation myself. The sofa is dead, sorry. You can spend loads of money on expensive cleaning products, fruitlessly trying to remove the imperceptible-to-you smells, or you can put that cash towards a new sofa instead. I recommend the second option.
posted by bifter at 2:12 AM on August 4, 2015 [25 favorites]

Paving my guest bed with aluminum foil was the only thing that worked for me in a similar situation. Also putting a litter box right next to it. This makes the guest room completely nonfunctional as a guest room of course but it stopped the pissing.
posted by Cocodrillo at 3:01 AM on August 4, 2015

I started by putting the extra litter box on top of the foil in the guest bed and then moved to the floor next to it.
posted by Cocodrillo at 3:02 AM on August 4, 2015

Nthing Nature's Miracle. The "normal" kind is good, just remember you need to SOAK the pee area. One of my cats took to peeing on the bed occasionally, so we did lots of Nature's Miracle soaking to get rid of the smell. I feel like that's mainly for us, though...kitty doesn't occasionally pee the bed because of smells, she does it because it's a happy safe place and sometimes she relaxes too much when she ought to be taking care of her bladder.

So we a) protect and b) discourage. We have a waterproof mattress protector, if kitty is peeing on the cushions are you able to do something similar? We also cover the bed with a plastic tarp when we'll be gone for the day, which discourages her from getting comfy on it. It's not pretty and it's a minor inconvenience, but it's way better than cleaning up pee.

We've also used the scatmats (not sure if that's the right name) that give off a little electric shock when touched. Our cats just avoid stepping on it, so for us they haven't been useful as the kitties walk around it.
posted by Baethan at 3:09 AM on August 4, 2015

Do not use Fabreeze; as stated, use Nature's Miracle. And get a plastic drop-cloth to cover the couch every single night before you go to bed.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:07 AM on August 4, 2015

Best answer: If the cat's been peeing on the couch for a while and the only thing you've done to it is spray Febreze, that couch is a lost cause. Couches are hard to get cat pee out of because you have to completely soak the areas with enzyme cleaner and when most of the couch has been hit it stops being realistic. Throw that couch out and cover the replacement with a plastic tarp 24/7 until you can resolve the inappropriate urination.
posted by crankylex at 4:15 AM on August 4, 2015 [12 favorites]

A warning...our cat did this and no amount of anything would get the smell out. We tried Feliway too to see if that would help. Used the soft litter without crystals. Finally, we went and bought new furniture and covered it in every possible way...waterproof mats, rug over the mat, quilt over that, and laundry baskets and other similar items on the furniture whenever we left or went to bed. The d**m cat still managed to pee on the new sofa. Cat now lives in his own part of the house and not allowed near the sofa. Vet can't find anything wrong with him. YMMV
posted by tamitang at 4:21 AM on August 4, 2015 [4 favorites]

Natures miracle works on thin fabricy surfaces or carpet when it hasn't gotten in to the pad, but does NOT work on cushy things like couches. A fabric-seated office chair? Maybe. A big squishy couch? ehh...nah. Think of it like a lawn sprinkler versus a hose. A hose held in one spot will create a mud puddle and soak water deep into the soil. A sprinkler will lightly penetrate the soil over a wide area. You're trying to clean up a deep, focused burst(or bursts, all on the same principle) of pee with a sprinkler. The smell is in deeper than you can even get at it.

I'm on team "couch is toast", unless it's like, a leather couch. I'd even so far as to say all the febreze did was rewetten the pee a bit(especially if you use a lot) and vaguely soak it further into the couch internals.

I hate how unfixable this sort of thing can be, but thems the breaks.
posted by emptythought at 5:10 AM on August 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

I agree the couch is a goner, but not much point replacing it until you get the situation under control. Have you tried placing his food on the couch? That might be a solution (under the assumption he won't want to piss where he eats). However, as the (former) owner of a lovable orange tabby, I urge you to double check that there are no crystals in his urine. The problem can recur frequently and quickly....we lost our little guy after months and months of good health suddenly and with very little warning. Better safe than sorry!
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 5:43 AM on August 4, 2015

This same issue happened with me a few times. Usually when a big event happened and we had some change around the house. The first time was when we adopted a puppy, the second time was when our baby started walking, which totally freaked out my cat.

The first time we ended up replacing the furniture totally, and it stopped. The second time, about a year later, I ended up having to take all the couch covers off and washing them multiple times. I then took the couch cushions and sprays them with enzyme killer and cat urine discouragement spray, both of which I found at PetsMart. I hung the couch cushions outside for a few days and sprays them multiple times during this. Finally I started spraying them with febreeze as well, and brought them back in the house. I put the newly washed couch cushion covers on the couch and stuffed laundry fabric softner inserts in them too. The smell was pretty much gone after that and the cat never used the restroom again on the sofa.

If you don't have a couch with removeable covers, trash the couch.
posted by Sara_NOT_Sarah at 5:43 AM on August 4, 2015

Even if it's a leather couch, it'll be ruined eventually. Speaking from experience here. The urine dries out the leather and makes it crack, and then it's able to soak into the foam unimpeded. I flipped my couch over and soaked each cushion with Anti-Icky-Poo, then let it dry for a week. That helped some, but the couch was still toast.

It is fucking amazing how a cat can slink under every foil blanket, hamper, pad, mat, and anti-cat device, to pee. When I take my rightful place as Bitch-Queen of the Known Universe, I'm going to use a crack team of cats to infiltrate my enemies' strongholds. All I need is to drop a couch the cats have pissed on behind enemy lines. No force in nature can stop them from getting to it.
posted by culfinglin at 5:49 AM on August 4, 2015 [5 favorites]

Seconding Death of the Couch, unless...

If it's a cloth-covered couch, the pee has soaked into the foamy inside of the cushion, and no amount of Nature's Miracle will ever ever get the pee funk out completely. (Even if you think so now, wait until you turn on your heat in the winter...) If you can take the cover off the couch cushion, you might be able to replace the foamy inside, then take the cover itself to a dry cleaner.

Another possibility is to put the couch outside in the sun for ... a long period of time ... a couple of weeks? Sunlight has amazing properties to dry up funky smells. But keeping it protected from rain and pests will be a hassle.

Sorry about your kitty's woes.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 6:24 AM on August 4, 2015

It is not Couch Death if it is a non-leather couch and if you use Anti Icky Poo. I have had this happen with a kitty who had crystals. I actually injected AIP into the cushion and put the cushions in garbage bags for a few days. Had the couch another 8 years.

Another option is Microban-- used to clean up crime scenes. This will do more for the smell and disinfect the area. Ozium will also help out there for ambient odor.
posted by oflinkey at 7:00 AM on August 4, 2015

your couch is now a gross pee sponge and you should toss it, and in the future use nature's miracle on all pet stains ASAP.
posted by poffin boffin at 7:36 AM on August 4, 2015 [3 favorites]

Just want to mention that Nature's Miracle has their bonus-level URINE DESTROYER product. This was a lifesaver for us in a similar situation.
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:57 AM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I want to add that if your kitty peed on the couch and felt relief, he might be going back there because of the memory of this happy physical sensation in one specific place. The litter box might have memories of painful or somehow unsuccessful urination.

My vet told me this occurs often with cats that have urinary infections which cause burning and frequent urination. If they lose control and have a painless experience, they associate that place with lack of pain. She also succested that an extra litterbox placed near the target furniture could help with redirecting him. Keep watch and scoop him into the nearby litterbox when he approaches the couch, and keep him confined while you're out of the house in a room with the litterbox.

I agree with other posters that once a couch is the destination for more than a couple of episodes it is not salvageable.
posted by citygirl at 8:00 AM on August 4, 2015 [3 favorites]

We just threw out a comfy chair. Two gallons of Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer Just For Cats did nothing. Good luck with new sofa shopping.
posted by infinitewindow at 8:23 AM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

Our cat had crystals in his urine and associated the box in the laundry room with pain. He decided that next to the front door was an awesome place to go, and continued to do so after being treated for the crystals. We got him back into the laundry room by placing a litterbox where he liked to go (making a trip hazard for a while, yes) and every week, as we changed out the box, we moved it a few feet closer to the laundry room. Within a month, he was happily using the box back in the laundry room as we'd broken the association with pain in there.
posted by telophase at 8:36 AM on August 4, 2015 [4 favorites]

If you go for a new couch, here's a quote from an old answer of mine: I had feline urine problems for years, and what I did was buy a couch something like this. The cushion covers on mine go on and off with a zipper, so I took them off and put the foam underneath into plastic garbage bags, and then put the covers back on. This keeps stinky urine out of the foam core, and you only have to worry about cleaning the covers and replacing the plastic bags. I thought having plastic in there would be noisy, but it's not noticeable at all.
posted by JanetLand at 11:35 AM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

You may want to consider containing him during the times he usually pees on the sofa. We had a cat who peed on everything at night. Her problems were not physical. She ended up on valium and had to be put to bed in a guest room, with a litter box, food, water, comfy bed, etc. She screamed bloody murder for a while but eventually accepted her fate. The peeing stopped almost completely for several years. So maybe he goes to a bedroom or bathroom every morning or at night if it's happening before you get up.

You'll need to get rid of the sofa too if he's been going on it repeatedly, it's toast now, no amount of Nature's Miracle will deodorize it imho. And get a cover for the new one until the problem is totally under control. A plastic cover will be ugly & a pain to take off but it may save you the cost of a third sofa. Cat pee is so hard to get rid of when the cat pees on the same upholstered item repeatedly. I had a couch I thought we'd salvaged using Nature's Miracle, until the night a friend visited and we sat in that room to talk. When the couch warmed up from our body heat, that pee smell returned with a vengeance.
posted by RichardHenryYarbo at 12:47 PM on August 4, 2015

Nthing replace the couch. In the meantime, can you put a tarp over the couch, tucking it in securely, to try to break the habit? You might even want to get a new litterbox and put it right next to the couch as an easy alternative.
posted by zug at 5:44 PM on August 4, 2015

You CAN completely get rid of the oder/schmutz under a certain set of conditions, but it may be more work than you want to deal with:

In my experience, you'll never get the smell out of leather. I've tried every combination of enzyme products, leather conditioners and cleaners, things that aren't even recommended for leather, and eventually soaking the leather in oxy clean which did the most good but takes roughly forever to dry out, and still had some odor.

Cloth, IF you have removable cushion covers, and IF the cat has not gotten pee on parts of the couch that aren't easily dissembled, can be taken care of. In my experience, I've never met a removable cover that couldn't be washed and dryed in the machine, regardless of what the label says, this includes upholstery fabric, microfiber, and other "normal" textiles. I'm sure there's some fabric out there that will shrink/be ruined forever by the washing machine, or be to delicate for this so YMMV. If there is any kind of 'batting' material (loosely pressed together unwoven fabric) under the cover just get rid of it and buy a sheet or two at the fabric/crafts store. You can put it back together later with 3m spray adhesive, 3m #77 or 90 will work, available at the same store. For the cushion sponge: soak the area in 7th generation or some kind of enzymatic cleaner, dump oxy clean type stuff on there and flood with super hot water. Do this in the bathtub. Flood the entire thing with warm water, stomp that thing like you're mashing grapes in the old country while rinsing it. It's just a sponge, and you're going to need to clean it like any other sponge. After that, roll the thing up and squeeze out as much water as you can, get a good deep whiff and determine if you need more work on it. Once you've hit the point of diminishing returns on this take it outside and dump like a gallon of water mixed with a cup of bleach and just get the hell away from it. Any leftover ammonia is going to mix with the bleach and create chlorine gas which you don't want any part of. Bring the cushion back inside when it's mostly dry and give it one more washing in the tub. Let it outside and only put things back together when it's completely dry. If you foresee future problems maybe line the thing with a garbage bag and some tape until the cat's problems are resolved.

For parts of the couch you CANNOT easily dissemble, a hot water/steam extractor and enzyme cleaner, over and over is the only easy option, unless you're good at upholstery or sewing in general. I've gotten excellent results with the cheap carpet shampooers out there that have accessory wads.

Cleaning agents you can also try include white vinegar, which is great at sanitizing and getting rid of odors, carpet shampoo in some kind of pet formulation, and again, bleach, although I'd say use it outdoors and test on an inconspicuous spot first since it could both bleach out your fabric and also kill you if you use it in a closed space to clean cat pee, which WILL react and wreck both your lungs and kitty's.

Again, this is a LOT of work. The first step though is making sure that the cat is okay first, if there's a UTI or problems those need to be addressed first. Something I've heard works but I'd do cautiously is putting some cloth scraps on top of the litter, that way the cat remembers the place he's supposed to be going but is still able to do so comfortably while it's healing. Maybe use some brand new tea towels or the like that haven't been washed or used in the house before for this. If it's something that has your scent on it, or the smell of your fabric softener you might inadvertently teach him to use those clues to find a spot to go in.
posted by mcrandello at 11:08 PM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

I should add that if you do use any kind of plastic or whatnot to try to keep pee off of the couch cushions, you want to also use a towel on top of that or put plastic under the couch. That stuff is going to go somewhere, and the last place you want it is in the carpet or the bottom of the couch.
posted by mcrandello at 11:11 PM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you all for replying. Turns out the proximate problem was an UTI, which we're now treating him for. And we're trying the route of soaking the sofa in enzyme cleaners. We also tried a spray that's meant to discourage cats from peeing on things. We sprayed it on, he went up to the sofa, sniffed it, squatted down and proceeded to pee...

Unfortunately the sofa was a gift, and is a fancy designer one from the 50s. If/when he is better, we might look into reupholstering it.

Also, some more pictures of him and his brother.
posted by Zarkonnen at 5:03 AM on August 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

We have had (HOPEFULLY IT IS FULLY IN THE PAST) a similar problem with one of our cats. Nthing the enzyme cleaner and disassembling the couch as much as possible to soak everything with it ... our couches have done pretty well with this method but we had to do it immediately (within hours).
In terms of retraining the cat, we have taken to putting foil blankets over the couches (which the cats hate) and we have also gotten pads that make a loud noise upon any weight being on them (which the cats hate). They hate both of these so much that they flee the room whenever anyone touches the couch. We've only had to hear the pads go off approximately twice.
posted by anthropophagous at 7:35 AM on August 5, 2015

Just coming out of this problem, hopefully for the last time... My cat did have a UTI but I think had it in her to pee on stuff as a habit at that point. She pee'd on the bed and two couches. The solution we've finally come up with (after soaking everything in enzyme) has been to cover the couches in Mylar and put a Sofa Scram on each couch when not in use. Both of our cats dislike the sound of Mylar and both HATE the sound of the Sofa Scram.

Additionally, we've noticed that there's some neighborhood cats that like to come to our window and bother the cat, which my wife read can make a cat go pee crazy. We put a high pitch, motion sensor outside that has kept them away and helped calm our cats down in general.
posted by coreywilliam at 8:16 AM on August 5, 2015

Response by poster: Follow-up: after treatment for the UTI and liberally spraying the sofa with enzyme cleaner, our cat has stopped peeing on the sofa, and is clearly generally happier. Thanks, MeFi!
posted by Zarkonnen at 5:17 AM on August 11, 2015 [5 favorites]