Kitten peeing outside the litter box

SMiah

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Hi everyone, new to the forum but any help or advice will be appreciated!

My kitten is 10 weeks old and he's been with me for around 2 weeks.
He is litter trained and for 1 week he was using the litter tray for everything however in the past few days his behaviour has completely changed.

He peed once in my bed which I assumed was an accident and cleaned it up and washed the covers.

Now he deliberately chooses to pee on my bed/duvet than doing it in his littertray. Even when we take him to the litter box he will come back to the bed and do it there.

He has also started trying to eat his kitten litter which we stop and take out his mouth.

I'm not sure why he's not using the litter tray to pee there anymore.
He sleeps and plays on my bed so I'm surprised why he would choose to pee there when I know kittens wouldn't usually do that.

His litter tray is big & spacious too and always cleaned. The vets advised he may not like the litter however he does use it to poop and pee sometimes but now he's choosing to do it on my bed and strangely the stairs today too


Any advice would be helpful.
Thank you
 

di and bob

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He still may not like the litter, I would get a couple of different litter boxes and different kinds of litter and try that. Get a covered and an uncovered tray, plain clay litter, and two different brands. Kittens are notorious for eating litter which is why clumping litter should never be used until they are older. it can bind up in their intestines.
First have him checked by the vet (he probably needs vaccinations in the near future) for a urinary tract infection, Fever, etc. does he go more frequently, in smaller amounts, or cries when he goes? if he is cleared from that then it is behavioral. There are two big reasons cats avoid the litter box, they don't like the box or the litter. some cats need two boxes, one for pee, one for poop. Your baby is too young to have his training down pat yet, Make sure you get an ENZYME cat urine remover to truly remove all traces of his pee. Get a waterproof mattress cover to keep on top of the bed to help with cleaning up his accidents. He needs to be retrained to use the box. He is more comfortable now that he has been there for a while, and prefers to mark your bed, where he is claiming you as his own. You may even have to keep him in a small room with his boxes until he learns to use them consistently. That works well. The bed going must be dealt with by breaking the habit, which is hard to do because cats thrive on consistenty. close the door so he can't reach it, and you aren't there to watch him. If you can't, get some clear carpet protector with the little nubs on the back and cover the top of your bed with its nub side up so he won't go there. the nubs hurt their feet without harming them. It is easily removed. Make sure no clothes of yours are on the ground so he starts marking them. and one of the frist things to do is to get him neutered ASAP, that will help tremendously, if he already hasn't had that done.
This can be resolved, it is surprisingly common. Especially with young kittens who are confused. but he is also young enough to train. Cats do not respond to physical punishment, it just makes them afarid. They do not respond to an alpha presence like dogs. They ahve to be persuaded it is their own idea. He is a baby, but he will learn. please keep us infromed how it is going!
 
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SMiah

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Thank you so much for your reply. Appreciate the advise and will definitely try getting another litter tray and different type of litter. At the moment I am using a kitten soft and sensitive non clumping one which he still uses to pee and poop in, so he's not avoiding the litter tray/litter So I'm not sure why he's suddenly starting peeing on my bed. I have taken him for a health check and been advised he is healthy and seems fine. But he has not been tested for uti. I have tried cleaning the spot with the enzyme remover and also no clothes anywhere nearby. I'm worried if I leave him away from my room then he will end up just eating the litter without me there. I think i will book him in for his neutering (even though the vets have said he is young and won't need it yet) and also I will get a mattress protector. Thank you again and will keep you informed.
 

di and bob

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It is usually around 5 months when the hormones start raging, I have had cats as young as 5 months get pregnant. Almost always get pregnant at 6 months in the wild. Kittens in the shelters are usually neutered at any time they reach over two pounds, and get neutered very young. they bounce right back, neutering is a much easier surgery than spaying. Go by what your vet tells you, but i certainly wouldn't wait past 6 months. This is a habit now thatneeds to be addressed. I hope others who have had this problem come on to help you!
 

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10 weeks is a little young to consider him trained. (My cat was returned at 12 weeks for stress peeing. He was returned & I adopted him, no accidents for 4 years!) Don’t stress about it to much. Baby kittens have accidents, just like toddlers do!

So wash everything he peed on with an enzyme cleaner like Nature’s Miracle. Then keep all fabrics neatly folded or stored. If you have a black light, it will show you any pee spots.

He is to you for clumping litters and should only get non clumping litter. I would give him a small travel/disposable litter box in every room he goes in, plus his main litter boxes. That way he is always near a box. If you are still having trouble at 4 or 5 months, then you can try cat attract litter.
 

danteshuman

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He is to young for clumping litters (in case he eats it again!) By 4 months he should be past that point, 5 months max.... then you can use clumping litters like cat attract.
 
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SMiah

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10 weeks is a little young to consider him trained. (My cat was returned at 12 weeks for stress peeing. He was returned & I adopted him, no accidents for 4 years!) Don’t stress about it to much. Baby kittens have accidents, just like toddlers do!

So wash everything he peed on with an enzyme cleaner like Nature’s Miracle. Then keep all fabrics neatly folded or stored. If you have a black light, it will show you any pee spots.

He is to you for clumping litters and should only get non clumping litter. I would give him a small travel/disposable litter box in every room he goes in, plus his main litter boxes. That way he is always near a box. If you are still having trouble at 4 or 5 months, then you can try cat attract litter.
 
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SMiah

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Hi

Thank you for your advice

How did you stop your kitten from stress peeing?
My kitten seems to be very happy and playful. The only time he pees in the bed is in the morning.
I've cleaned and sprayed and even used a mattress protector but he still went and done it today again.
I've bought a litter tray for my room and even tried getting him to use that but he didn't like it and only uses the other one that he was comfortable with.
I don't use clumping litter - I've been using a non clumping clay litter which is specifically for kittens.

Throughout the day my kitten uses the litter tray to pee and poop - sometimes he goes by himself does it and then carries on playing.

So I'm not sure why he would choose to only pee in my bed sometimes is he stressed or unwell?
He doesn't seem to show signs of uti either beside the peeing in inappropriate place.
 

danteshuman

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I didn’t do anything, he only stressed peed at his would be adopters house that had a resident cat. I made it very clear we would take him back if for any reason it was needed at anytime. He did have severe separation anxiety that took 6 months to go back to his normal. He is an easily stressed cat. Ironically his calm, brave brother/bff does more to calm him down than anything I could do. A daily routine helps.

I would put a litter box right next to the bed and cover your made bed with a shower curtain. Maybe a different texture and no rumpled bedding will help keep him from going pee on your bedding. If he does it while you are sleeping, he may need to sleep in a separate room for a month.

Buy a blacklight and make sure your bedding/mattress/pillows do not glow. If they glow, wash in an enzyme cleaner. Cats smell as well as dogs do. So just because it smells pee free to us, does not mean there is no “pee here” smell on the item!
 
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SMiah

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I didn’t do anything, he only stressed peed at his would be adopters house that had a resident cat. I made it very clear we would take him back if for any reason it was needed at anytime. He did have severe separation anxiety that took 6 months to go back to his normal. He is an easily stressed cat. Ironically his calm, brave brother/bff does more to calm him down than anything I could do. A daily routine helps.

I would put a litter box right next to the bed and cover your made bed with a shower curtain. Maybe a different texture and no rumpled bedding will help keep him from going pee on your bedding. If he does it while you are sleeping, he may need to sleep in a separate room for a month.

Buy a blacklight and make sure your bedding/mattress/pillows do not glow. If they glow, wash in an enzyme cleaner. Cats smell as well as dogs do. So just because it smells pee free to us, does not mean there is no “pee here” smell on the item!
I didn’t do anything, he only stressed peed at his would be adopters house that had a resident cat. I made it very clear we would take him back if for any reason it was needed at anytime. He did have severe separation anxiety that took 6 months to go back to his normal. He is an easily stressed cat. Ironically his calm, brave brother/bff does more to calm him down than anything I could do. A daily routine helps.

I would put a litter box right next to the bed and cover your made bed with a shower curtain. Maybe a different texture and no rumpled bedding will help keep him from going pee on your bedding. If he does it while you are sleeping, he may need to sleep in a separate room for a month.

Buy a blacklight and make sure your bedding/mattress/pillows do not glow. If they glow, wash in an enzyme cleaner. Cats smell as well as dogs do. So just because it smells pee free to us, does not mean there is no “pee here” smell on the item!
Ahh okay thank you!
I'll have to try the shower curtains because I've done everything else and it doesn't work. I think he may have to sleep elsewhere to get used to not peeing in my bed. He only does it in the mornings the rest of the day he uses his litter tray. Hopefully something can be done else will have to take him vets again.
 

FeebysOwner

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Can you buy another litter box exactly like the one he uses? Maybe even swap the two you have now for him? You can also consider lining it with pee pads instead of litter, so it is soft like your bed. If he will use it, eventually you can gradually start adding a bit of litter at a time to try to convert it to a 'normal' litter box. I think he will outgrow it, especially if you can get him to use one with the pee pads for now.
 
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SMiah

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Can you buy another litter box exactly like the one he uses? Maybe even swap the two you have now for him? You can also consider lining it with pee pads instead of litter, so it is soft like your bed. If he will use it, eventually you can gradually start adding a bit of litter at a time to try to convert it to a 'normal' litter box. I think he will outgrow it, especially if you can get him to use one with the pee pads for now.
Thank you. I'll try the pee pads and see if that works 😊
 
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