New couch, new behavior

Question
Hello.  Thanks in advance for you help.  My girlfriend and I live together and have a 5 year old male cat.  We bought new furniture just over 1 week ago.  When we are not at home, he is pooping in the same section of the couch.  We are not sure how to correct this behavior.  

He has had issues with him pooping on our new bed or in our shower (after we moved) in the past, but we were able to prevent that by keeping doors closed.  Because this happens in our living room, we are unable to prevent him from this area during the day.

Happy Holidays,
Paul

Answer
Paul,

This is a cat who does not like change, but is, obviously attracted to the smell of the new couch.  You can try putting a plastic slip cover on the couch, for the time being.  Also, make sure you clean the area where he pooped with an enzyme based cleaner specifically for pet stains and pet odors.  You may also locate a product called Cat Attract which you can put into his litter, to see if this also helps. (Both the cleaner and Cat Attract should be available from your local pet supermarket).

I am also providing a link to a super series of articles on litter box problems which may have further ideas and suggestions.

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html


Best regards... Norm.