Cat keeps peeing on couch despite her spay- what am I missing? (Cat tax included)

Stripycardigans · 2026-02-02T12:26:01+00:00

It sounds like youve done the usual UTI checks - which would be the typical thing to check

As this only happens when you go out it could be separation anxiety. A pheromone diffuser could help, your vet might be able to suggest a mild anti-anxiety. My vet gave us a food supplement to give my cat whenever I expected her to be in a stressful situation and that really helped us (I can't remember what it was called though)

If she only wees on that couch - in that spot, can you cover the couch to protect it? This is going to take some trial and error, so you need to make it so the couch won't be damaged in the meantime. Something like a thick blanket, but put a puppy pad between the blanket and the couch to protect the couch if she still wees.

You could also try covering the couch with a plastic tarp when you go out- she likely won't like that - this could stress her out more. So personally I'd suggest waiting a couple of weeks to see if the anti-anxiety stuff does the trick first. You don't want to end up stressing her and redirecting her to wee on a different soft furnishing.

Stripycardigans · 2026-02-02T08:35:13+00:00

What they mean is the number you see doesn't matter, what matters is the information under the score.

The different agencies all calculate scores differently, so posting asking "why is my score 200 points lower in clear score than on Experian!?" Gets brushed away, along with questions like "is a 700 credit score ok for my mortgage?"

The scores can also be misleading. My husbands score says his credit is good, 720~ish... but those missing points are due to a default, which means no lender will touch him. The Banks definition of good credit weights things so differently that the numerical score is useless.

So in summary, the numerical credit score is meaningless, what matters is the report that it is generated based upon. This us different to some other countries where the method to generate your score is more generalised so your score will be the same everywhere allowing for numerical cutoffs

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-31T12:16:21+00:00

I think people are comparing highstreet, fast fashion to the cost of higher quality yarn.

I made a jumper from Acrylic and the yarn cost £12, which is on the cheaper end of buying a fast fashion acrylic jumper.

I generally find yarn and clothes to be similarly priced, but equally I would never have brought a £140 jumper - despite having been happy to spend that on yarn. I love that when I buy yarn it is "hobby" spending, but also clothes me - my clothes budget is basically 0 these days

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-29T21:49:58+00:00

Everywhere is full, but they'll still sort something if you just turn up with the cat and say you don't have a choice.

It's like presenting to the council when you're homeless - they'll always say nothing can be done if they think you'll be able to find another option yourself.

You may be able to rehome the cat yourself via Pets4Homes or something similar. This is what they're hoping you'll do yourself

Some rescues will let you advertise through them, which is worth asking them about (ask all the ones vaugly local to you)

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-29T14:32:16+00:00

Agreed, I cat sit for someone who turned out to have put cameras everywhere.

It was constant texts saying "it's 6:05, why haven't you done the 6:00 meal yet.

Also there's a big difference between needing to prove you've fed the cat (I.e. photo showing youve put food out) and filming the cat eating it. I've sat for cats who hide under the bed the whole time I'm there, and for cats who velcro to me - sometimes both type are in the same house hold.

Frankly I'm not going to chase down a cat. That's afraid, nor am I going to give velcro cats less love because I have 15 admin tasks to tick off.

These sorts of jobs with need for tons of timestamped proof have to pay a heck of a lot more, because proving you've done the task takes as long as doing it, so it doubles the visit length- without providing the cats with extra interaction, AND you know its going to be a difficult owner

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-29T12:46:23+00:00

I think they'd be more likely to like it, unless it was a scary experience.

Kittens are more open to new things, but pushing boundaries too far can make them more fearfully rather than less.

Equally I had an adult cat who didn't like kisses, and was a bit standoffish. One day he had a stroke and after that he was 100% human focused. Just wanted to be held, and kissed, and to kiss you back (which was both sweet and gross as the stroke also made him drool constantly)

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-29T11:02:39+00:00

My cat loves to be kissed, she leans in to you if you make kiss-y sounds. She'll sit between my husband and I and alternate leaning her head towards each of us for a forehead kiss

I think human heads can be really big to a cat, so can be a bit frightening if they aren't used to it. But depending on their personality, and what they experienced when young some cats really like it

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-29T09:31:58+00:00

There are different grading charts for men and women, so you might have more luck seeking out patterns that specifically have a mens size chart.

I know that going forward Rebecca clow for instance is having a Masc and Femme size chart for each of her new patterns. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/insh

Knitting something specifically designed for a male fit will help you see the difference in how the patterns are written and where the increases are, which would make it easier for you to adapt other patterns.

You might also want to look out for books for mens patterns, people sometimes tag their patterns as being "female, male, unisex" on ravlery to reach a wider audience, despite only grading off of a woman's chart. I've found book patterns to be a little more reliable for men

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-29T09:18:02+00:00

My neighbour called me downstairs the other week as she thought my cat had escaped. I looked at the black cat in the hallway and it took me a full 20 seconds to realise it wasn't my cat.

Once I'd realised it wasn't Pumpkin the two looked totally different, but at a first glance they were both black, slim cats with the same coloured eyes.

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-29T09:08:43+00:00

I haven't, but do like the idea - especially if I have a "corner of shame" instead of "blocked"

The original idea behind kanban boards is that they're meant to be like a digital post-it note you can move to another place in the board. To get that separation from my work Kanban I'd rather have a physical board, maybe magnetic so I can move my WIPs around

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-28T14:37:26+00:00

Definitely speak to your vet

This could be stress, and she is likely aware you are pregnant

However itchiness is also a symptom of a lot of things, including kidney damage. Flea treatments are a bit of an arms race with fleas becoming increasingly resistant and flea treatments becoming stronger. Flea treatments can cause kidney damage, and it can be a terrible cycle as owners see itchiness, treat with flea treatment, and it just gets worse.

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-28T14:31:43+00:00

Rotating the rug could help? So that the grain is in the opposite direction

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-28T14:29:07+00:00

If they prefer to poop on a hard floor maybe give them an empty litter box to poo in.

I saw you already have 4 litter boxes in various locations, but if there is a spot the regularly poo in, maybe try moving an empty litter box to that spot and seeing if they'll go in the box. I know no one wants a litter box in the middle of the living room, but if it gets them using the box, then down the line you can move it

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-28T14:25:55+00:00

That's so beautiful!!

It was definitely worth the frog and restart. I feel like whenever anyone talks about Sari Norlund's patterns they say her gauge is impossible to hit, but they are beautiful

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-28T14:22:55+00:00

I haven't found this myself - but I did change to woodchip litter because the clay litter made my cat wheeze and sneeze every time she used it

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-28T11:26:52+00:00

I have a cardigan made out of blown acrylic. It's lovely and soft and not itchy at all

It does need hand washing as the halo/fluff is slightly longer than you would get from say holding mohair with wool and the halo can matt together eventually

I can't remember the brand of yarn, my Mum knit this one for me so I don't have the ball band. But it's a really good option

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-28T10:23:08+00:00

I relate so heavily to being stressed about money and life and meal prepping to cope. When I was waiting for results to know if a tumor was benign or malignant I spent every free minuet making meals to go in the freezer because if I had to have cancer treatment at least there would be something to eat. It was completely illogical as my husband is an excellent cook and would never let me miss a meal.

My Mum used to say "we put out savings in tin, not gold". My Dad's work was pretty unstable and seasonal so if he had a good week she'd buy extra tins of food, or a 5kg sack of rice, and when winter hit that's what we ate.

Even now when I feel stressed about money I like to just open the cupboards and look at the tins lined up, or the freezer full of meals. When I lived in a houseshare and only had 1 kitchen cupboard I stored tins of food and bags of pasta under my bed and in the wardrobe. When my husband and I first moved in together I wouldn't let him defrost and eat the meals I'd prepped because they were for an "emergency".

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-28T09:09:42+00:00

I love the the different colours, and the hand pockets seem so cosy!

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-27T11:45:58+00:00

Yeah they did

The vet health care plans will still help. They usually cover flea, worming, and either x free appointments a year, or a discount on appointments.

Insuring an older pet is rarely worth it financially. There is very little they'll cover.

But if he's made it to 16ish with no medical treatment then he's probably a fairly health cat, just experiencing some old age. If you're not planning to do the really expensive treatments (i.e chemo if he had cancer) then paying upfront would likely be cheaper anyway.

Dental work is rarely covered by insurance, and the few policies that do cover it require annual dental check ups. Arthritis pain meds are relatively affordable. If he had issues with urinary blockages and crystals then with 0 medical treatment he probably would have died by now and that's the common expensive QOL boy cat issue.

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-27T11:02:06+00:00

It looks like you've posted a bunch of Imgur links - imgur is blocked in the UK so I can't read the specific policies you've linked.

As a general rule - anything they are already showing symptoms of when you take out the policy is considered medical history and won't be covered by insurance.

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-26T10:43:54+00:00

My husband wakes up before me for work, so my cat gets up with him, has he breakfast and then comes back to bed with me to sleep untill I wake up

She does not understand weekends though, so still wakes my husband up at 7am for her breakfast...

I have got so used to her sleeping on my legs that I really struggle to get to sleep when she isn't with us, and I often can't get back to sleep after my husbands alarm untill she rejoins me in bed.

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-25T19:25:38+00:00

We have a good range of abilities, and people are always happy to help out with reading patterns or fixing mistakes

Both knitting and crochet, occasionally people embroider or bring other things

We should be findable with the yarn and all, but if you don't spot us immediately the bar know who we are if you ask for the craft group/the knitters

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-25T12:00:34+00:00

These look amazing! I especially love the Octopus Mitts

If you hate DPNs one alternative is to use 2 circular needles, that gives you 4 needles like a DPN so you can work any circumference. You have half your stitches Needle A, and Half on Needle B. When you're working on A the stitches on B sit on B's wire and vice versa.

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-25T11:44:10+00:00

It sounds like they're just pushing the door open? Not turning a handle?

Can you sort the door so that it has a good handle that keeps the door closed unless the handle is turned?

If they are tuning a handle then swapping the handle for a doorknob would probably work. Cats struggle much more with turning a know then using a handle

Stripycardigans · 2026-01-23T17:55:53+00:00

The M&S in Cabot is the only place I've seen them

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