Anonymous wrote:Maybe husband is not an asshole. Maybe husband doesn't want a 1k piece of furniture ruined and a house that reeks of cat pee. Totally reasonable.

Anonymous wrote:My cat is 15 years old and we've been battling his peeing outside the litter box for about 5 years. We've had long stretches of success, but every time we go on vacation he regresses and starts doing it again. I love my cat and am a person who believes in caring for him as best as I can until the end of his life - putting him down has never been an option, and never will be. But we're kind of at the end of our rope.

We started off closing all the bedroom doors so he couldn't pee in the beds, and that worked well for a long time. Then, after vacations he would pee on certain rugs, until I removed them one by one. As of last summer, we have zero rugs down - not even an entry mat. But that was okay, I was willing to deal with that - he's elderly and it was fine. There were no more pee incidents for a good long time and all was well.

Well, we just got back from a week away (cat sitter came once a day) and he started peeing in our den sofa. I actually put a plastic drop cloth on it and he peed and pooped on that last night. My DH has hit his limit - he is not willing to live with pee and poop on our sofa and I agree. He is demanding that our cat live in the laundry room where his litter boxes are, or downstairs in the basement. But it breaks my heart - my cat is 15 and very attached to me and the kids - and gets very lonely (which is why the peeing outside of the litter box started in the first place). He will be miserable.

He loves to sit by our sliding door in a sun beam and look outside - that's what he does all day. Our basement is unfinished and dark, with no windows, though it's larger than our laundry room. But the laundry room does have a small window and I could set up a perch for him to climb up so he could look outside. But either way, he'd be unhappy.

I realize it's the only way, but I'm feeling so guilty and so bad for my sweet cat - my kids and I love him despite his a-hole behavior and he's been our companion for 15 years. He's had health issues and the vet calls him a "miracle cat" because he just keeps on going. I guess I'm worried if we separate him he'll go downhill. But we've tried cat attract litter, keeping it very clean, giving him 4 boxes to choose from.

Which room would you choose if you were me - smaller, unfinished laundry room with a small window or larger unfinished basement with no window?
Any ideas for what I can do to make the space cozy for him? Should I feel bad about this? I'm just so bummed out.

Anonymous wrote:I am a huge cat lover (I have two!!) & in all honesty could...would never ever euthanize my cat if he wasn't living w/daily excruciating physical pain.
Or even if living w/him in + of itself was a pain.

I have raised three children and I regard my two kitty cats as family members.
When I adopted them, I adopted them w/the belief that my love for them would be entirely unconditional no matter what.

Whatever flaws they had, I would accept them & learn to live w/them as I did as a parent.

My cats tore up my sofa to the point where the wood was exposed so badly, it was an embarrassing eye-sore to me as well as any houseguests.
So I bought a beautiful brand-new sofa (I know, I know....Not the smartest move!), and already they are digging their claws into this one!

But I have to ask myself....At the end of the day, what is more important in my life: The sofa or the cats??
What brings me joy in life and offers the best unconditional love + companionship??

OP:
No offense but your husband does sound like an ass%#le.

Sadly so many pets get the short end of the stick whenever a new person enters their owner's lives.

;(

Anonymous wrote:How many times have I heard it is the husband or boyfriend who cannot handle the issues of household pets??!

And sadly the women choose their S/O over their beloved animal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in animal welfare, and I think it would be kinder to euthanize your cat than to leave him locked in a laundry room.

If you have truly exhausted every option - speaking with your vet, and perhaps also a behaviorist - and your family is unwilling to live with the pee and poop in the wrong places, then I don't see much other choice. You can try to rehome your cat, to a family who understands that he has special needs now. But that isn't easy to do.

I'm sorry you're going through this. Frankly, your husband is an asshole. But you probably already know that.

"To a family that understands he has special needs"?? We've been dealing with this for 5 years. Our home is basically stripped bare because I've been trying to prevent having to keep him separated. We are living with plastic wrap on our sofas. We are the farthest thing from cruel. Rehoming isn't an option - I can't imagine anyone will be more patient with this cat than we are. Plus we are his family.

The idea of euthanize him breaks my heart...I just can't.

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand people saying to put tin foil and plastic tarps on the couch. Are you supposed to remove it every time you want to sit on the couch? What if you get up during commercials? Do you have to cover it all up again? Is this a couch that you actually use or is it in a "fancy" sitting room that nobody ever uses?

I guess since your husband says he will deal with the plastic sofa and always checking before he sits you have your answer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OMG! There are organizations that take cats like this. I'm so sad.

Name one. Post a list with links.

What hick town is this being beamed down from exactly? No vet in the actual Washington DC area would euthanize a 3 year old cat for peeing.
Help us pick out an organization for you by saying where you're actually from.

Anonymous wrote:

OMG! There are organizations that take cats like this. I'm so sad.

Name one. Post a list with links.