My kitten wont stop peeing on my bed.

WolfenLynx

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After we took her to the vet, she peed on my bed. We thought that was why, but now she won't stop. This is her 3rd time peeing on my bed. It's as if the litter box is for poop and my bed is for pee!

Today she was accidentally locked in the laundry room (which also has the litter box inside, but no food or water! My poor baby...) by one of my parents.

Have owned cats my whole life, has never happened before. Is there any way to teach her to stop? We might have to let her go if she just pees on my bed nonstop.
 

rubysmama

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Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kitten. Sorry though about her litter box issue.

How old is she? How did she react at the vet. Cats, kittens especially, will pee on soft things to mark them as their own, and also on things that make them feel safe.

Make sure you wash the bedding with an enzyme cleaner, so ensure the urine smell is completely gone. Here's a TCS article with more info: How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens

You could also try putting out another litter box. Sometimes cats do, actually, think one litter box is for pee, and another for poop.
 
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WolfenLynx

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Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kitten. Sorry though about her litter box issue.

How old is she? How did she react at the vet. Cats, kittens especially, will pee on soft things to mark them as their own, and also on things that make them feel safe.

Make sure you wash the bedding with an enzyme cleaner, so ensure the urine smell is completely gone. Here's a TCS article with more info: How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens

You could also try putting out another litter box. Sometimes cats do, actually, think one litter box is for pee, and another for poop.
Hi, and thank you. She is 3 months old. She did not react to the vet well, she had to get a shot and that made her poop in her carrier. However I could not comfort her by cleaning her or holding her, she seems to not want handling when she is upset.

Then the next day she started the peeing.
I didn't think about how peeing would make her feel safer, I will see if I can put a litter box out again, but we removed it because she created a gigantic mess.

Right now we have her using a closed litterbox (very tall box that looks like a small shelf).

(I will definitely check that article, thank you!)
 

rubysmama

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Oh, poor baby. :( Stress can cause UTI's which can cause peeing outside the litter box, but not sure if it could come on that fast. The 2nd litter box might help her get back to using one for peeing, then hopefully back to the larger one. There's also Cat Attract™ Litter | Dr. Elsey's that might help her get back on track.

I'll post these TCS articles on litter box issues, in case they might be helpful:
How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide | TheCatSite
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet | TheCatSite
Inappropriate Peeing, Spraying, Toy Obsession And Leg And Hand Nipping | TheCatSite
Spraying: When Your Cat Uses Urine To Mark Territory | TheCatSite
 
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WolfenLynx

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Oh, poor baby. :( Stress can cause UTI's which can cause peeing outside the litter box, but not sure if it could come on that fast. The 2nd litter box might help her get back to using one for peeing, then hopefully back to the larger one. There's also Cat Attract™ Litter | Dr. Elsey's that might help her get back on track.

I'll post these TCS articles on litter box issues, in case they might be helpful:
How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide | TheCatSite
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet | TheCatSite
Inappropriate Peeing, Spraying, Toy Obsession And Leg And Hand Nipping | TheCatSite
Spraying: When Your Cat Uses Urine To Mark Territory | TheCatSite
Thank you very much. I will definitely check those out and try what I can.
 
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WolfenLynx

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Things have escalated. She is now pooping underneath a bed in our guest room. We cannot choose another litterbox yet because of my dog. She eats the poop! We need to get a dog proof one but the kitten has pooped 3 times in this one room already.
 

Pjg8r

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Can the dog get to the current litter box? If so, it’s possible that is causing the kitten to go other places.
 
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WolfenLynx

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Can the dog get to the current litter box? If so, it’s possible that is causing the kitten to go other places.
We basically have 1 litter box the dog cannot get into. The kitten will pee and poop elsewhere. We used to have an open cover litter box that we used to transition her into the closed one, but then the dog started eating from it.

She was sick with an infection that caused bloody stool, and had accidentally gotten trapped in the room of the closed litterbox, so we are trying to accustom her back to it and make it friendly again. I'm guessing that's a factor.

Right now she is trying to poop under that bed since I wont let her pee in my bedroom. She also now has a cold (sneezing), and there had been people in and out of the house lately. During her infection she was previously traumatized by the first vet visit- which is what started the peeing. She's gonna go to the vet again soon.

Current plan is to get a dog-proof litterbox and use fabric spray to dis-encourage peeing and pooping other places, but things are looking real rough from here.
 

She's a witch

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Most cats don’t like closed litter boxes, she may be one of them.. have you considered top entry box? It’s slightly better than the closed one. Would that be sufficient dog proofing? You can also consider offering her open box but dog proof the area where it’s located (with pet gate). By all means she needs more litter boxes, at least two and if you have a large house, even more (you’d be able to reduce it’s number when the problem will be resolved).
Have you tried offering her different kinds of litter? They must be unscented, you could try corn, walnut, grass seed. Hopefully she’ll get something she really likes.
And make sure you’re using enzyme cleaners to get rid of the smell.
Is she generally stressed? Does she feel safe at your place, especially with the dog?
 
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WolfenLynx

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Most cats don’t like closed litter boxes, she may be one of them.. have you considered top entry box? It’s slightly better than the closed one. Would that be sufficient dog proofing? You can also consider offering her open box but dog proof the area where it’s located (with pet gate). By all means she needs more litter boxes, at least two and if you have a large house, even more (you’d be able to reduce it’s number when the problem will be resolved).
Have you tried offering her different kinds of litter? They must be unscented, you could try corn, walnut, grass seed. Hopefully she’ll get something she really likes.
And make sure you’re using enzyme cleaners to get rid of the smell.
Is she generally stressed? Does she feel safe at your place, especially with the dog?
The top entry box unfortunately the dog would get into, even ones with a closed hood.
The baby gate is a good idea, and we can try different litters. And you're totally right- we have always used only 1 litter box because we had indoor-outdoor cats (which was so unsafe, and has cost us cat lives, but was how we've done it our whole time raising cats until now.) My parents are very picky with litterbox placement (there's a perfect spot they keep saying no to! arg!).

The really isn't acting stressed whatsoever, which makes it a little harder to tell what's what. She's playing fine, and is very bold. Will do anything for food: Face the other animals head on just fine, and climb strangers.

Side note: I was originally hoping I could get this kitten used to some travel as she grows older (I plan to buy her a harness, she's smart and does clicker training so I think she could learn it). She will eventually move when I do which is in 2 years or so but still.

Thank you all for the help by the way! It has eased my mind for sure.
 

rubysmama

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How many other animals in your home? How long have you had the kitten?
 
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WolfenLynx

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How many other animals in your home? How long have you had the kitten?
2. Cat and a dog, she gets along with them fine. We know now that multiple cats means multiple litter boxes for sure.
We have had the kitten for a couple weeks now.
 
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WolfenLynx

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Update: taking the advice :thumbsup:
Added an additional litterbox that the dog will most likely not get into (has a raised entry). It has been placed directly into the place where she was pooping.
We had even placed a tray of litter hoping she would poop in it while she pooped near/under the bed- and she did, so when we got this, we put that litter in the new box and she immediately peed in it :) I shouldn't have been so pessimistic.
Bought a new cat post, and put our old one downstairs. (it's broken, but the kitten likes it)
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20191119_173750.jpg
 
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WolfenLynx

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Yup! Thanks for the help everyone, I'll let you all know how things go.
You all reply so fast! You're so nice to offer free advice so conveniently. Can't thank you enough.
 
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