New Kitten Has Peed Outside Of Litterbox Twice

[fanjimie]

Hi everyone, new cat owner here!

I adopted a 4 month old domestic shorthair orange tabby cat about 2 weeks ago. She is absolutely adorable and behaves really well. She doesn't scratch my furniture and never uses her claws on me, an absolute angel!

The day I brought her home, I enclosed her in my bathroom (don't worry my bathroom is sizeable enough for a kitten) for the first few hours so she can sniff around and adjust to the new environment. The next day I let her roam around my room and explore. She was a bit nervous but also having fun and running around. I have a small bean bag chair that she jumped on and played with. After a few minutes she peed on it! I didn't think much of it at first because she could've mistaken the beans in the bean bag chair for the sandy/earthy texture that cats eliminate on.

Fast forward to yesterday night, she has pretty much adjusted to the environment in my home. She uses the litter box just fine and I had no issues ever since the bean bag incident. I was watching her as she was playing when she jumped onto my bed. I saw her play around with my covers and then it happened.... she had that stoned look on her face and I knew that I had to break out the emergency cat urine remover. T.T

I have no idea why she decided to pee on my blankets. Was it because my scent was on there and she felt secure? I looked online and people say it could be a UTI or a bladder infection so I made an appointment with my vet on Monday just to rule out any health issues.

I scoop her litterbox twice a day and change out the litter once a week. She has been spayed and the staff at the cat shelter where I adopted her from said she's never had problems with eliminating outside the litter box. For the first week I kept her in my bathroom with her toys, food, water and litter box while I was away at work. When I get home I let her roam around in my room. Last week I started to leave the bathroom door open so she will have more freedom during the day when I'm out.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Side note: Are there ways to keep a cat from jumping over a gate? My bedroom leads to the hallway and across from my bedroom is my bathroom. I want to keep my cat contained in my bedroom and bathroom area because my dad is very ocd about cleanliness in this house. The gate I have is 36 in. tall and she has learned to jump over it.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kitten. Sorry, though, that's she's having litter box accidents.

It's good that you're getting her checked at the vet, just to ensure she doesn't have a UTI or some other medical reason for the accidents.

Is she the only pet in your home? Sometimes inappropriate peeing is a cat marking their territory.

TCS has a few articles on litter box avoidance that may be helpful.

Also, ensure you use an enzyme cleaner to wash where she peed, otherwise she will still be able to smell the urine scent and could go there again.

How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet
Inappropriate Peeing, Spraying, Toy Obsession And Leg And Hand Nipping
Spraying: When Your Cat Uses Urine To Mark Territory
How To Train Kittens To Use The Litter Box

How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home
How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens

About the gate, some people have stacked 2 baby gates on top of one another to block a cat from getting out of a room.

 

[Jem]

When it comes to the gate.....nope. Cats can jump to the top of a fridge in one leap. And I honestly have never been able to train a cat to not go somewhere they want to go. They are very inquisitive and curious....and stubborn. You might just have to promise your dad that you will vacuum everyday, and brush her everyday as well, to keep shedding at a minimum. Also pay attention to where her favorite hangout spots are and make them more cat proof, such as a throw blanket that can be washed, removable covers on cat beds, a cat tree...and keep them clean as well so there is less tracking thru the house. Looks like you might have to ask for a vacuum for your birthday this year so your dad knows your serious about keeping things clean
When it comes to the peeing on the bed and chair, if she comes back with a clean bill of health, stress is other culprit for inappropriate urination. My personal opinion is she is stressed about her too small territory, especially knowing that there is more out there for her that she can't "claim" so she can feel secure.

 

[fanjimie]

Is she the only pet in your home? Sometimes inappropriate peeing is a cat marking their territory.

She is the only pet in my household and also the first pet to set foot ever in this household. My family is the first homeowners of this house so there are definitely no scents left behind by other pets.

I've used an enzyme cleaner to eliminate any cat urine odor and it's worked wonderfully.

I think it might be because her litter box is hooded so I'll try removing it and see if things get better.

By the way she has no issues using her litter box and she doesn't avoid it.

I think maybe she got too hyper or excited while playing around and couldn't hold it in?

Thank you rubysmama for the links to other threads!

My personal opinion is she is stressed about her too small territory, especially knowing that there is more out there for her that she can't "claim" so she can feel secure.

I really wish I could let her roam the house, but unfortunately my father internally freaks out over anything that he thinks is dirty. It took me years to convince him to let me adopt a cat haha.
My room is actually pretty big and so is my bathroom, so I hope its enough territory for her to stay in.

 

[DreamerRose]

Taking the hood off should help a lot. Some cats are afraid they will get ambushed coming out of the box. I think you are on the right track in thinking that the softness of the bean bag and bed are triggering her to pee. She will probably overcome this in time.

You might also tell your Dad that cats are insanely clean animals. The only problem they have is shedding, and combing and brushing them will help avoid a lot of shedding.

 

[maggiedemi]

Canned food helps my cats when they have pee problems.

 

[fanjimie]

You might also tell your Dad that cats are insanely clean animals. The only problem they have is shedding, and combing and brushing them will help avoid a lot of shedding.

I comb her once a week and I'll try convincing my dad again. It's an issue that he's had ever since he was a child so I'm not really hopeful in him changing his mind.

 

[fanjimie]

Canned food helps my cats when they have pee problems.

My cat is still a kitten so I have her on a canned food + dry food routine. I can try giving her more canned food to eat.

 

[rubysmama]

Hopefully removing the cover from the litter box with solve the problem

Also, hopefully in time your Dad will come to see how sweet and adorable cats are, and he'll forget why he thought he didn't like them.

Since she's your household's first cat, here's an article that might be helpful:
First-time Cat Owner's Guide

Also: How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

 

[fanjimie]

So an update of my lovely Ember over the weekend:

She didn't pee on my bed, but that's because whenever she jumped on my bed I would bring her down.

Now I confine her in the bathroom at night when I go to bed. I have her cat tree, toys, food and water in the bathroom and windows to look out of so I don't think it's too cruel to keep her in there overnight. This morning when I let her out into my room everything seemed fine. I did my usual daily morning routine and when I went back to my room I smelled it.... her pee

The vet appointment is this evening so I will be bringing her there to check for any health problems and ask for advice.

 

[rubysmama]

Let us know what the vet has to say.

 

[fanjimie]

Update on the vet visit:

The vet checked her bladder and everything seemed fine. He asked if she was using the litter box properly and if her urine was normal and she was from what I've observed. He said it could be stress because she is in a new environment plus I'm gone for work for at least 8 hours a day.

I got Feliway to see if can reduce her stress for the time being and I guess I'll try investing in some waterproof bed sheets in case any future accidents happen

I'll try my best to give her lots of interaction and play time when I get home from work

 

[ArtNJ]

Its sort of common for this to happen during an adjustment period. Like you said, the beanbag chair has the magic texture that gives cats the sense they can bury waste. That is probably why beds are the #1 spot for accidents. I've also had soft cushions on children's chairs, piles of stuffed animals, laundry basket, stray clothing on floor, and bath mats hit in the past with prior cats. My best advice is to try and remove access to stuff like that for a few weeks. If you can't keep the kitten off the bed, put the comforter in the closet during the day and make sure the sheets are tight so they can't easily be kneaded. And do a look around for other stuff that could be tempting. Once the cat settles in, this stuff won't be an issue, but for now its like leaving bottles around when an alcoholic is coming over.

 

[rubysmama]

I'm glad the vet didn't find anything medically wrong. Hopefully, maybe, the Feliway will work. Can you try getting her a 2nd litter box? Some cats like to pee in one box and poop in another.

 

[Catlover579]

You should try Dr Elsey's kitten attract litter (if haven't yet) I was having litter box issues with my cat a while ago and ever since I changed to Dr Elsey's litter, he loves using the litter box. It really worked a miracle for us. It has something in it to attract cats to it. I would also remove the hood to make her feel safer.

 

[fanjimie]

I'll try adding a litter box in the hallway right outside of my bedroom and see if that keeps her from eliminating elsewhere.

If that doesn't work then I'll try the kitten attract litter.

 

[rubysmama]

Good luck.

 

[JennKitty]

So, Cats tend to do their business outside of the litter box when they are nervous. Let him explore the house more, and let him get used to you! Have a Purrfect day!