I experienced a rather messy problem this morning and am wondering about behavioral causes and solutions.
As is normal, I lie in bed for a few minutes after the alarm goes off, and eldest cat (of two) often makes noise, etc., to encourage me to get up. After about 15 minutes, she left and I quickly smelled a disturbing odor. She had messed right on the bed! A rather large pile, so this did not seem like an emergency where she couldn't get to the box fast enough, nor was it diarrhea. The area was also wet, which I assume was urine. Everything affected has been rinsed and in the laundry, so I hope I've removed the offending material before odors had a chance to set.
The larger concern to me is why, and how do I prevent this in the future? I've not had this problem with her or any cat before. I have two litter boxes which I clean every other day or so; I know I should do this daily but I've not had a problem until now. Could it be stress-related? I have traveled quite a bit with my job in the last six months. They stay with a friend while I am gone, and they seem to like this friend and enjoy staying there.
Any suggestions? I don't want this to become a chronic problem. I also cannot monitor her behavior 24 hours a day. Thanks for any help with this.
As is normal, I lie in bed for a few minutes after the alarm goes off, and eldest cat (of two) often makes noise, etc., to encourage me to get up. After about 15 minutes, she left and I quickly smelled a disturbing odor. She had messed right on the bed! A rather large pile, so this did not seem like an emergency where she couldn't get to the box fast enough, nor was it diarrhea. The area was also wet, which I assume was urine. Everything affected has been rinsed and in the laundry, so I hope I've removed the offending material before odors had a chance to set.
The larger concern to me is why, and how do I prevent this in the future? I've not had this problem with her or any cat before. I have two litter boxes which I clean every other day or so; I know I should do this daily but I've not had a problem until now. Could it be stress-related? I have traveled quite a bit with my job in the last six months. They stay with a friend while I am gone, and they seem to like this friend and enjoy staying there.
Any suggestions? I don't want this to become a chronic problem. I also cannot monitor her behavior 24 hours a day. Thanks for any help with this.