[pinkpolowraps]

this stupid cat that I found on the side of the road a year ago is PEEING on my couch. Her litter box is clean, she is spayed and she is an indoor cat (for now anyway...she might be a permanent outdoor fixture in a minute though). She peed on a couch pillow once too but I was able to throw that away. I can't throw away the couch. Why is she doing this? Anyone?

[mroades]

When I worked in a small animal vet's office...almost every cat that was brought in that had been peeing somewhere it wasnt supposed to had a kindney infection

[pinkpolowraps]

How the heck am I supposed to know if this cat has a kidney infection?!

[Calamber]

Take it to a vet and have it checked out?

[kypeep]

Generally speaking, cats do not go outside the litter box unless there is a physical reason. Best thing is to take her to the vet as soon as possible. If she does have a kidney infection, she is likely associating the litter box with pain. Kidney infections are no doubt as painful for cats as they are for us. Even if you toss her outdoors, you wouldn't be alleviating her physical problem.

[PRS]

Ditto on the advice to have her checked out by the vet...especially if this behavior is new. Has anything else changed in her environment? I had a cat that would pee on stuff when he had a UTI. After a round or two of antibiotics he'd straighten up. But no matter if he had a UTI or not if I had an overnight guest staying in my guest room I had to make sure to keep their bedroom door closed because he would pee on their bed. He apparently didn't like "strangers" staying over. When my MIL was visiting for a week he went so far as to poop on her bed too. I guess he really didn't like her!

[saje]

Yes, vet ASAP, to check for a UTI, and then try this stuff to clean the spot she peed on. Also, This gadget is a tad pricey, but works great!

[pinkpolowraps]

I know I should take her to the vet but I just spent $70 on her last weekend to get her a steriod shot for her allergy. I really dont' want to take her back again! So much for a free cat. Next time I will not listen when my kids say "can we pick it up please".....!

[Ibex]

Mine did that... a round of antibiotics and it hasn't been an issue since.

[Guin]

Wow. With that attitude I hope the poor animal pees in your bed.

[deltawave]

Well, steroids can make animals pee like crazy, AND can make them more prone to infection, so . . .

Maybe your vet could prescribe empirical antibiotics without the cost of your bringing her in? My vet will do stuff like that, since I'm a good customer and vigilant about routine visits.

[ponygirl]

I think the trip to the vet is more than likely cheaper than a new couch.

[kypeep]

Please take the cat to the vet or give her to a local cat rescue (but not somewhere that she might be euthanized). I know $70 can be difficult when money is tight, but I also recognize that seeing an animal in need of care is difficult too. If you have had a UTI, you know how much they can hurt; however, a cat instinctively hides pain so it's hard to tell when they are hurting. She might be in a large amount of pain but just not showing it.

[saje]

Anyone with any exposure to animals at all, and especially someone who's into horses, should know that there's NO Such Thing as a free pet!

Think about how uncomfortable she is - she's peeing out of the box because it hurts to pee, and she thinks that it's the box that's making it hurt, so she's trying to find a pain-free way to pee.

And perhaps if you hate the cat that much you should consider rehoming it, or, if your kids are old enough, having them contribute the her care and upkeep.

[gloriginger]

I'm really sorry I opened this thread.

[Diamondindykin]

Wow. With that attitude I hope the poor animal pees in your bed.

Ditto!! If you can't afford to take your animals to the vet you shouldn't have them. Period.

[Horsegal984]

There are two main reasons cats will start having urinary problems, infection and inflamamtion. The treatement of choice is depenant on the urinalysis, but in a lot of cases the best thing is to combine steriods for inflammation and an antibiotic for infection.

Since she was just at the vets and got a steroid injection(Depo-Medrol?) they likely would be willing to prescribe antibiotics without another exam. If she's never had a UTI before they may want to check her urine, if you can giver her an empty clean litterbox in a bathroom for a day of so and collect one it may save you a trip in. Stress can also be a big trigger, so if she didn't start doing this until after the visit taking her back in may make things worse.

Make sure you're using an enzyme cleaner on the couch to actually break down the odors, and not just cover them up. Also try looking into Feliway, it's a pheremone that may help her chill and not feel so stressed about going back to her litterbox.

Katherine
Vet Tech

[PRS]

I know I should take her to the vet but I just spent $70 on her last weekend to get her a steriod shot for her allergy. I really dont' want to take her back again! So much for a free cat. Next time I will not listen when my kids say "can we pick it up please".....!

I've been in your shoes...but you said "yes" and picked the cat thereby taking responsibility for her. I know things can be tight especially when you are trying to balance a horselife, kids and other pets. Maybe your vet will just give you antibiotics....I'm pretty sure mine would but I've been using the same vet for 18 years and with all the critters I have I get to see him often .

[siobhain]

Maybe your vet will just give you antibiotics....I'm pretty sure mine would but I've been using the same vet for 18 years and with all the critters I have I get to see him often .

I was just going to suggest this same thing. Maybe if you have a good rapport with your vet you can just tell him/her that your cat has a bladder infection and you need some antibiotics for it.

That may take care of it. Then in the future I would suggest feeding "Puring One Urinary Tract health" formula to avoid the same problems.

It has really kept my pets healthy and I was dealing with urinary tract problems pretty regularly. good luck -take care of your kitty

[Liberty]

Most vets will want to do a urinalysis to try to diagnose the problem, along with a physical exam to feel the kidneys, bladder, etc. Could be a UTI, or something else entirely.

For the urinalysis, they'll sell you a small bag of clear pellets to put in a CLEAN (as in new, or empty & wash the current one and line with a plastic trash bag) box. Kitty pees, and you siphon it out with an eye dropper. The dropper my vet gave me had a little cap so I didn't need to put the pee in another container.

What you can do to cut costs is to go to the pet store, Wal-mart, etc. and buy a bag of aquarium gravel. Get the kind that is polished (shiny). Put in a strainer and rinse it thoroughly. Dry gravel thorougly with paper towels or a hair dryer. Put in CLEAN litter box. Do the eye dropper thing (either get a new one or make sure the one you use is absolutely clean). Take to vet for analysis.

There, you've saved an initial vet visit and a vet's charge for the urinalysis, not to mention a second trip to take the urine sample back in after vet sells you the supplies.

Good luck, and I hope you can get some help for your kitty. She's feeling lousy and doing her best to tell you something's wrong. Help her.