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Larien37

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I have a lovely 4 year old, somewhat anxious cat. My friend stayed over recently and slept on an airbed in my room. Luna wee'd on her in the night. Since then, she goes to the toilet on my bed if I let her into my room. I've spoken to the vet who have said it's behavioural.

Any tips on how to stop her?
 

sweetdz99

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I have a lovely 4 year old, somewhat anxious cat. My friend stayed over recently and slept on an airbed in my room. Luna wee'd on her in the night. Since then, she goes to the toilet on my bed if I let her into my room. I've spoken to the vet who have said it's behavioural.

Any tips on how to stop her?
You have to get the smell out first. Maybe change the litter and get a bigger box. Is she the only cat you have?
 

sunny578

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I would start by adding a litter box to your room and protecting your bed when she's in there by putting something like a tarp on it or an old shower curtain. Hopefully she will start to use the new litter box and stop urinating on the bed. After a few successful supervised room visits, I would take the shower curtain off the bed and feed her a meal or some treats on the bed. You could also play with her on the bed, put down cat nip, brush her, etc. Then, once you are done hanging out with her on the bed, put the tarp back on.

Hopefully, as you create a new association with the bed, you will begin to trust her again, and you can slowly do away with the bed tarp.

If you friend spends the night again, I would just keep the cat out of your room while she's there (if that's an option.) Wondering if your friend has her own pets or wears a strong perfume or something like that. If so, you might take care to really air our your room and launder any blankets your friend has used so your cat doesn't feel the urge to cover her scent.

Pheromones could also help for future sleep overs.

Please keep us posted! If this doesn't work, I have lots of other ideas. Good luck!
 

danteshuman

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Well first off are you 100% sure your cat doesn’t have crystals in her bladder or something? What changed so much that your cat peed on your friend?

I would also try cat attract litter in a large open box or storage tub in your bedroom.

You need to soak your bed & bedding in nature’s miracle. Use a black light to make sure you got all the pee in your entire house. Also why not ditch the comforter for now and get a waterproof mattress liner. That way if any accidents happen you can wash it easily I would look online for a laundry enzyme cleaner for your bedding. (I might try dumping a half box or full box of arm & hammer in each load of pee bedding then check it with a black light to see if it works. I know it passes the human nose test but I am not sure if it would pass the cat nose or black light test.)

Hang in there! Figuring out pee problems are a long game of clue as we try to figure out what our cats are telling us!
 
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Larien37

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You have to get the smell out first. Maybe change the litter and get a bigger box. Is she the only cat you have?
No. I have 2 cats- the other is her brother. He's much more outgoing, but she's always been very anxious. I've got the smell out- even bought new bedding. I've got them another litter box, but they won't use it. They just kick the litter onto the floor.
 
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Larien37

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I would start by adding a litter box to your room and protecting your bed when she's in there by putting something like a tarp on it or an old shower curtain. Hopefully she will start to use the new litter box and stop urinating on the bed. After a few successful supervised room visits, I would take the shower curtain off the bed and feed her a meal or some treats on the bed. You could also play with her on the bed, put down cat nip, brush her, etc. Then, once you are done hanging out with her on the bed, put the tarp back on.

Hopefully, as you create a new association with the bed, you will begin to trust her again, and you can slowly do away with the bed tarp.

If you friend spends the night again, I would just keep the cat out of your room while she's there (if that's an option.) Wondering if your friend has her own pets or wears a strong perfume or something like that. If so, you might take care to really air our your room and launder any blankets your friend has used so your cat doesn't feel the urge to cover her scent.

Pheromones could also help for future sleep overs.

Please keep us posted! If this doesn't work, I have lots of other ideas. Good luck!
I have tried feeding her on the bed. She just pushes the treats onto the floor and eats them there. She had also stopped sleeping in the bed, so I do think she sees it as a toilet. I will persevere though!

My friend has 3 cats, which probably didn't help. I've tried pheromones- absolutely no luck.
 
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Larien37

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Well first off are you 100% sure your cat doesn’t have crystals in her bladder or something? What changed so much that your cat peed on your friend?

I would also try cat attract litter in a large open box or storage tub in your bedroom.

You need to soak your bed & bedding in nature’s miracle. Use a black light to make sure you got all the pee in your entire house. Also why not ditch the comforter for now and get a waterproof mattress liner. That way if any accidents happen you can wash it easily I would look online for a laundry enzyme cleaner for your bedding. (I might try dumping a half box or full box of arm & hammer in each load of pee bedding then check it with a black light to see if it works. I know it passes the human nose test but I am not sure if it would pass the cat nose or black light test.)

Hang in there! Figuring out pee problems are a long game of clue as we try to figure out what our cats are telling us!
The vet has said he is sure. I think it was just letting my friend sleep in my room (and technically Luna's room). She's an incredibly anxious cat and doesn't like people. My guess is that she went on my friend to try to cover her smell, and then discovered she liked going in softer places. She doesn't go anywhere other than the bed. I've kept them out of my room for over a week and she's been using the litterbox well in that time.
 

sunny578

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That's great news! Maybe just a while longer and she will forget about how fun it is to urinate on a bed.
 

danteshuman

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oK you said she is a severely anxious cat. I wouldn’t skip straight to this for a pee issue but you describe a cat that is nervous all day long. Can you try putting her on mood stabilers for 6 months? Not to the peeing on the bed (though it may help) but to help her feel less anxious. Prozac takes weeks to work, do it isn’t a instant fix.

I would also give her a box on it’s side with a towel draped over 3/4 of the entrance. I would give her a cardboard scratcher in her room and after a couple of months, move it h ty o your room. I would feed her in your bedroom. Basically make your bedroom her (safe) place. So give her blankets or towels, beds, cat scratchers & a cat tree. Then you can slowly move them into your bedroom one item at z time ever 1-3 weeks. Keep letting her claim the guest room, just encourage her to claim yourroom to,
 
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Larien37

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Not nervous all day. But she dislikes people coming into my home and will hide while they're there. She's afraid of many things: that car carrier, car trips, the vet, the noise sellotape makes to name a few. On a normal day when no one is coming and going, she's quite a laid back little thing. But (a lot of) certain things make her nervous/anxious.

I have tried Feliway- no joy.
 

danteshuman

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You might ask your vet for a light sedative for her you can pick up before her vet visit or car ride or if needed when someone visits.

I still think making your bedroom her go to room is your best bet when it comes to visitors. Just hang a sign that you have a scared cat inside & they can’t enter the bedroom. That way if they stay over, it is not in her safe place. Having your friend do a weekly stop by for 5-15 minutes (shere the cat is ignored) may help her stop seeing your friends as such a threat. Though ideally you do this when they are kittens.

I have an easily stressed cat that takes a long time to never to warm up to people. Feliway didn’t help at all! His calm confident “mojito cat” brother does help to calm him down. So a calm confident 4 month old kitten may help her.

When I suggested prozac I suggested it in a use for 6 months then wean her off them kind of way. Just to allow her to reset her world view that it is safe & she can relax. You know your cat better than I do; but if her anxiousness grows worse, that is an option.
 
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