How can I determine which of my cats is doing this?

[Disclaimer: No special veterinary knowledge.]

If this were my household, I’d start by keeping notes: bracketing the time of day when it occurs, observing cats using the littler boxes and seeing if anyone doesn’t, etc. Is there a way to isolate them one at a time?

I’ve only had older cats and sick cats do this. You’ve just wisely checked out your eldest, but sometimes there are symptoms before there’s anything physical to see. I’m also wondering if one of your other cats, not the perpetrator, isn’t well and is leaving traces in the litter box that one cat is avoiding.

Does each cat have its own litter box?

If so, does each one use only that litter box?

If so, do any of the litter boxes have unused litter?

What would be the feasibility of focusing a nanny-cam on the couch?

Each cat uses any 4 of the litter boxes we have. One does tend to be used more than the others, but they are all being used. It always happens during the night so no way to tell. We are both at work all day so I can’t really keep an eye on litter box behaviors.

Could do a nanny cam. But I would prefer to not pay for one. Are they cheap?

A mini video camera can record the deed. Just borrow or rent one. @ tinyfaery you beet me to it.

Also you can feed your cats different smelling things and you can sniff which cat peed on your couch. Zoo’s use this with sparkles in droppings. Also your cats might be marking the new furniture.

@tinyfaery

I don’t know how much they cost.

Here’s the first Google page on a search for nanny cams.

I looked at the first link which goes to Arlo cams. They seem to start at $449 so I guess they are expensive.

Perhaps you could rent or buy a used one.

Spytech devices are a lot cheaper.

A time-lapse camera that records one image every five seconds would take snaps often enough to catch a cat in the act. They’re much cheaper than a security camera and not hard to use.

Are there any food additives that change the colour of the pee?
If so, you could feed each cat a different colour.

Hmm. Camera seems like the best choice. This is very frustrating. None of my cats have ever done this.

@tinyfaery It’s a good idea to figure out which cat so you can eliminate a physiological reason for the inappropriate urination (which you’ve done with the elder), but I can tell you that if it’s behavioral, it’s a very, very hard behavior to curb. This is what I’ve had to resort to.

Don’t spend a lot. A cheap motion sensing camera will do it. A simple 4 channel for $150 will do it. OR you can buy a cheap trail camera for $75. You can ave it aim at the couch and if it detects any movement it will take a picture. You will be able to tell if the couch is wet or not.

My first thought was also set up a camera. I think that’s the only way you’re going to be sure who is peeing on the furniture. Hopefully, you can find out who it is and find out why they’ve started doing this.

@syz Oh no. The price I pay for loving animals.

If you can control which cat eats which food, I would sure love to hear about it.

I don’t see how you all are thinking a nanny cam is expensive

From @Brian1946‘s link.

@ibstubro Those are incredibly cheap. I went to the newegg site and found 2 reviews on 2 items that were 1 and 2 (D’ont buy and poor) .
I did browse some of the other entries and am curious. They have HD quality in the $50 range.

@Jeruba Not yet. Don’t hold your breath.

You could just leave each cat alone in the room with the couch over a 4 day period and see if anyone pees on it again or go for the camera option.

It only needs to catch one cat, one time @LuckyGuy.

We discovered the culprit and it is the older cat. Now I’m buying more litter boxes, having my couch cleaned and thinking about changing the food to Senior food.

Does the food matter?

@tinyfaery I know you are very cat savvy but…it could be her kidneys are failing or she is getting demented and confused and not getting to her box quick enough. Maybe have her kidney function checked. Older cats should get less protein as too much protein is hard on the kidneys. Talk to your vet. She may need to be confined to a smaller space while you are gone.

She has already been to the vet and all tests checked out.

Then maybe it is feline dementia, It happens, I have had several oldsters over the years that became quite demented in their ancient old age, forgetting where their litter boxes were, and needing to be sat with when eating because they would wander off after a couple of bites and needed extra coaxing. Good luck, anyway, whatever her issue is.

This is a difficult situation to face: your cat is still well and happy and lovable and able to enjoy life, and you are loyal and protective, but a situation develops that can become very hard to live with. I sympathize.

Yes, I do think the food matters, but as we’ve noted, it can be hard to manage who eats what.

This makes me sad. Flower (the cat) is my wife’s first cat and they love each other so much.

Oh this is sad @tinyfaery. I hope things can be resolved by a change in diet. If she’s starting to show signs of dementia, I fear it may not be enough. It’s heartbreaking when our loved pets grow old. I have two quite old dogs, and I’m very conscious of the narrowing time we have left. And I still miss my two very old cat friends. I know you’ll do whatever is best for her.