If you have a pet cat who constantly pees on your bean bag, you can rest assure that you are not alone, and many cat owners who have bean bags face the same problem.
There are situations that cats would pee on bean bag chairs. Medical issues, psychological issues, and lack of training are the most common reasons for this. But with proper training and attention, you can prevent this from happening most of the time.
Through this article, I hope to discuss the many reasons which lead to this misbehavior of our four-legged family members and what measures we should take to prevent them from peeing on bean bag chairs.
Table of Contents
- It’s Not Their Fault
- 6 Reasons that Cats Pee on Bean Bags
- How do I Get My Cat to Stop Peeing in My Bean Bag?
- How to Train Your Cat
- How to Clean Cat Pee from Bean Bag
It’s Not Their Fault
Some people believe their cats pee on the bean bags or any such place like that which they are not supposed to pee on because they are unfaithful pets, and punishments are the only method they could use to change their behaviors.
There’s nothing more wrong than that. It’s not the fault of those innocent cats, and that is the first and most important thing you have to keep in mind if you are genuinely hoping to find a solution for the problem at hand.
Punishments won’t solve your problem in most situations, and even in other times, it might only seem like a solution for a short time as it will open a path to many other problems when taken in the long term.
What your pet would need is your love, attention, training, and even medical attention as of the root for this behavior change would request.
Below are some of the many reasons for cats to pee on bean bag chairs.
6 Reasons that Cats Pee on Bean Bags
Loneliness
Cats typically don’t care about anyone but themselves compared to other pets, such as dogs, who always show their devotion and affection towards their master. But, as anyone lucky enough to have a lovely cat as a pet would say, this is not the reality at all.
Cats create close and strong bonds with not just their masters but also with other living beings who share the house with them, and they are susceptible to how others treat them.
So undoubtedly, they worry and start to act out when the people it loves or the animals it used to hang out with are not around for a longer time. Peeing on the beds or bean bag chairs is a part of this acting out.
They do this as a way of showing their affection. They try to mix their scent with the scent of the person they love, which can be found on places like bean bag chairs where you sit for a long time.
Sadness comes from being alone, or separation anxiety is more common among pets than you might think. The best way to help with this is by showing your cat that you care about it and love it.
You can do this by spending more time with it when you are at home and playing games that it likes to play with you and enjoy. Spending more time with it when you are home makes it feel that it is a part of your life, and you are unlikely to abundant it Just because you left it alone in the house for some time.
You can also keep a soft toy or a towel on your bed which you sleep on, and leave it with your cat when you leave the house for a long time. This toy will also help them stay calm as that soft toy will have your scent only in it, which will make your cat feel like you are with it even when you are not.
Issues with Housemates
You would understand this fact easily if you live with or lived with a bunch of siblings in the same house for a long time. Being each other’s family members or loving each other unconditionally won’t stop the disputes destined to happen among us.
The same rules apply to your pets as well. Such conflicts will lead your cat to pee on your bean bag chairs, and they do this to mark their territory and let others in the family know that they want to be left alone in the place where they are now.
The same thing would happen when you introduce new animals to the family without proper and careful interaction. This time, markings in the territory will attempt and get your attention more than the other party.
The first thing you must do in a situation like this is observing and evaluating your cat carefully to understand who has a dispute. If you could give your cat a separate place to stay as its territory would fix this problem.
You can do this by putting its favorite toys, a horizontal scratcher, or scratching posts in a place allocated for it. Try to find a place above the ground rather than on the ground level as cats intend to be more Relaxed on places above the ground level.
You should also be careful when introducing new pets to your family, as if not done correctly, that will make your cat feel like the new members threaten it. To avoid that, keep them separated at first and introduce them to each other slowly.
It would be best to give more attention to your old cat first and then divide your attention equally between the old and new pets of the family.
Medical Issues
Medical issues are a common problem for cats to peeing on your bean bag beds and places like that. This unethical behavior could result from a different medical problem they have within them, and it is always better to seek medical attention with a professional in such a case.
Suppose your cat used to behave normally and use their little boxes for their personal works and suddenly changed their behavior. In that case, there’s more chance of that behavior change caused by the medical condition than anything else.
Such medical conditions that change a cat’s behavior could vary from simple sicknesses or food infections to severe medical conditions. Some of these medical conditions contain arteritis, urinary infections, and even diabetes.
So, I advise you again to seek medical attention with a professional veterinarian if you suspect such a thing bothers your beloved pet.
Litter Box Problems
One of the biggest mistakes people make with the litter boxes of cats Is keeping them in an enclosed environment, hoping to give them some privacy while doing what we think they should be doing in private. Because we think they feel secure while attending to their activities while in an enclosed area, just like we humans do.
But it’s the exact opposite of this. Cats have indeed lived with us for hundreds of years, but they are still the wild animals they used to be in their core. They feel like they are trapped in an enclosed area and have no way to escape if someone comes after them while attending to their hygiene activities.
So, you don’t have to be surprised if they decide to use a Bean bag chair in a much more open area with ventilation than their litter box where they feel trapped.
Usually, it would be best to have separate litter boxes for your cats as they do not like to use litter boxes used by other animals or other cats. So, if you have three cats with you, you need to have at least four litter boxes in your house.
It would help if you also were careful not to put those litter boxes close to each other as cats also appreciate their privacy and the feeling of security that they are not vulnerable to threats by other animals or cats. As said before, the usual rule with litter boxes is that one for each cat, but I have seen on many occasions that this rule does not apply.
It is ok to have more than one or a few litter boxes spread around the house for your cat to use when the need comes for them to use them. The most important thing with litter boxes is the location you keep them on.
You need to observe your cat carefully to understand where it needs its litter boxes to be. If you are not sure of the exact place to put them on, try to avoid small rooms and closed areas when you choose the location.
It is always better if your cat’s litter box is in an open area with a good view. You should also make sure that it is in a place where other animals in your house or outside could not use that litter box as that will hinder your cat’s use of them.
Higher Ground
We already talked about how secure a cat feels in an open area than an enclosed area, even in their own house. Because they can see any potential threat that would come their way if they are in an open area.
They also like to be on higher grounds because of the same reason. That is why you can find them peeing on surfaces that are above the ground level, such as chairs, beds, and bean bag chairs, more than on carpets or cushions on the floor.
They believe being in such a place is secure than being on the ground. It would be difficult for any threat to come to them if they are high above the ground level and have more time to escape from that threat as they would be able to see it from far away, as said before.
In this situation, you can ensure that they are secure in the place they live. The priority of every animal is its survival. This phenomenon is the same for your cat.
Not Trained Properly
Apart from all the above reasons, your cat could be peeing on your bean bag simply because it is not well trained to use a litter box. So, let’s see how we can train our cats to use their litter boxes.
How do I Get My Cat to Stop Peeing in My Bean Bag?
To stop your cat from peeing on your bean bag, you need to identify the reason first. It can be a medical/ psychological issue or a lack of training for your cat.
After identifying your cat’s issue, you can address it by consulting a vet or changing his environment, or training your cat to use a litter box properly.
How to Train Your Cat
Usually, most of the cats in modern homes know how to use a litter box, thanks to their mothers, who trained them when they were tiny kittens. But this is not the case with every cat, and it is entirely normal for them not to know how to use a litter box, which won’t be such a bad thing.
But the good news is you can now train your cat, which will help you both get to know each other well.
Training your cat to use a litter box is a much straight forward job than most people think it is. However, this process needs your patience and a little bit of dedication, but the result of this process will be worth every minute you spend on it.
Things you Would Need
The main thing you will need is a litter box. You will need more than one litter boxes for the reasons I mentioned earlier in this article. Location or locations you hope to put your litter box is among the most critical facts of your journey to train your cat for good bathroom habits.
Cats don’t like to have their litter boxes in enclosed areas, as we discussed earlier, but that doesn’t mean they like to have them in wholly exposed areas as well. So, find your cat a place neither too exposed nor completely enclosed and put its litter box there.
Finding the perfect litter box is also as important as finding the correct location you will put it in. You will find various litter boxes ranging through various categories like price, the material they are made of, and even the designs they are made.
Since both you and your cat are beginners for this job, it is better to start with an average standard litter box and change it later when your cat is fully trained. It is important not to change the litter box or the place of the litter box while you are training your cat as that would confuse him or her, and you would have to start the whole process from the start again.
Now you need some toys to put in the litter box. These toys will help you to create a positive picture of the litter box in the cat’s mind and imprint its visits as fun ones. It would be best if you also had some treats in your pocket from the moment you start to train your cat.
You can give them a treat every time they use the litter box, whether it’s by themselves or with your guidance, and those rewards will boost Your cats’ positive attitude toward this whole operation.
Training Process
You need to start training a cat from the very moment they come into your house.
First, introduce it into its litter box by placing it in it and letting it examine the box by sniffing around. You mustn’t force your cat to do this. Try to make this interaction as casual and natural as possible.
As said before, you mustn’t change the location of your cat’s litter box or the litter box itself while you’re still training it. Remember to put your cat in it after every meal and whenever the cat wakes up from a nap.
You should also put them in the box when they act like they need to pee. Don’t forget to reward your cat with the traits you have in your pocket and praise them too.
Clean the Litter Box
It is also vital that you clean your cat’s litter box every day. Otherwise, cats tend to use other places when their litter boxes are no longer pleasant to use.
One of those other places could be your bean bag chair.
Cleaning a litter box doesn’t mean just taking out the litter in it. You should also wash it with mild soap and water.
How to Clean Cat Pee from Bean Bag
Removing the urine of a cat from a bean bag is not a simple task, and the best thing one could do is preventing it from happening in the first place. But what steps should we take if the unthinkable happened and we are the ones who are responsible for cleaning after our troublesome pet?
Read our detailed guide on get pee and pee smell out of a bean bag.
You can clean pee out of a bean bag chair by following below steps.
Don’t Move the Bean Bag
The first thing that would come to your mind when the disaster had happened would be to move your bean bag to a more private place so no one would see or smell the unpleasantness until you manage to clean it.
But you shouldn’t move the bean bag as that will spread the pee on and in the bean bag around it and make it even harder to clean. However, there is an exception if you see your cat pee on the bean bag or you see the result just after your cat has done it.
In that case, quickly flip your bag over to stop urine from going into the bean bag. Even then, do not move it and there but flip it over. You will not have to worry much about this step if your bean bag has a waterproof cover. But most of the indoor bean bags are not waterproof.
Blot It
You should do this only if you can still see the cat’s pee on the bean bag or the area that it had peed is still wet. You should also be careful not to push the pee into the bag or move it around.
It’s better to use something like a paper towel, a piece of toilet paper, or anything which is highly absorbable.
Apply an Enzymatic Cleaner or Vinegar
You should do this step if you need to remove the smell of cat pee from the Bean bag. Applying an enzymatic cleaner would be the best thing to do to achieve that.
You could also use a pinch of vinegar, but that will come with its smell, yet this smell of vinegar will slowly pass away. However, I can’t say the same about cat’s pee. Enzymatic cleaners are not harmful to your cat. So instead of artificial chemicals, always use Enzymatic cleaners.
Vacuum It
Vacuuming is also something you could do for proper cleaning if you have a wet/dry vacuum.
Repeat the Process
You have to repeat the above steps a few times as needed to make them truly effective. However, you can move your bean bag after you did the steps in the first cycle as the pee that’s already in the bean bag chair isn’t moving at all.
There still is a minor chance none of the above would help you, especially if your cat has been using it for a long time before you start to clean it out. In such a case, you have two options. You can change the filling of the bean bag, but it wouldn’t be much cost-effective. If you feel like your bean bag is beyond help, the only other option is disposing of the current bean bag and buying a new bean bag.
Read more on bean bag cleaning and washing on our expert’s guide here.
Never scold or punish your cat for peeing on your bean bag chair or any other place in the house, as it’s never their intention to act mischievously.
Use the tips given in this article to determine the real reason behind the problem and solve it.
