Still peeing on the bed

lyssa366

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Recently my 7mo old kitty has been peeing on the bed. In October or November is when it started, he had peed on the bed a few times and I heard him complain while going to the litter box so I took him to the vet the day he was supposed to get neutered and they said he had a urine infection and that the neuter would have to wait, so he got medicated, I rebooked the neuter for November and another cystocentysis and urinalysis and they said he was fine and they proceeded with the neuter. He still peed on the bed while he was being treated for his infection and he did it once or twice after being neutered. I came home for Christmas and brought kitty back with me, he's been here before, he knows the other cat, he hasn't previously peed on this bed, until now. I'm so lost at what to do, I have him on urinary SO as well as lots of wet food as the vet said to avoid another infection and blockage, nothing else has changed. I even got him a bigger litter box as his other one was getting too small for him, he's never had a problem with the litter type either and he doesn't seem to have trouble peeing in his box because there's lots of little pee clumps in his box which is cleaned like 3 times daily. He never did this when I got him back in August, it only started within the last few months and I cannot get him to stop. My very last resort would be to find him a new home but that's not even in the question right now as I know there has to be a way to stop this madness, I love my little guy too much to give up on him. Has anyone else had this problem and knows what might help? I'm afraid this has begun to be a habit.
EDIT: *Forgot to add that he does stay in my room while I'm in class or away as there are other people in the house I share who don't really watch for him when they open doors no matter how often i remind them hes out roaming, and I don't want him escaping from the house. But that didn't seem to be a problem before October. He's always out as soon as I get home
 
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misterwhiskers

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Can you put sticky tape on your blanket to see if that helps to keep him off?
 

mani

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Have you cleaned the bed, or replaced it?  The scent (undetectable to you) will definitely keep him going there.

You've definitely ruled out UTIs this time as well?

I always have two litterboxes as some cats just won't wee where they poo.. even if they have done in the past, for some reason they can decide it's just not on.
 

emandjee

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Hi there,

A few things maybe you haven't tried yet:

-Use cat attract litter or the litter attractant if you already use unscented scoopable clay litter.

-Scoop the box a minimum of once a day! I scoop my boxes twice a day minimum now, but younger cats may go often, so keeping it clean will encourage good habits.

-Use the largest litter box you can find, and perhaps one without a lid. I use storage boxes as it's much more affordable than typical boxes sold at pet stores, plus there are many sizes to choose from. High sides are also a plus, especially if yours like to dig around a lot or doesn't squat.

-Keep the litter boxes you have in areas that are quiet and not much traffic. At this point, I'd leave one in the bedroom since he's been urinating on your bed. Put a plastic sheet like a shower curtain on your bed and or get a waterproof mattress cover to protect it.

-Use an enzyme cleaner to wash/clean all soiled areas. Some of these require complete soaking and drying for the scent to be eliminated.

-Use a very good blacklight or UV light to check for any spots missed during cleaning. Invest in a good size, with very bright LED lights.

-Keep your daily schedule as routine as much as you can; stress such as strangers coming/going, or changes from your normal routine can often trigger some cats to have UTIs.

-Use a pheromone spray/diffuser or collar to help calm your kitty if you think this is stress related.

A few questions: 

Did your vet ever give or offer your kitty some pain medication after his UTI/neuter? Most likely, he's experienced pain during urination, and has associated pain with the litter box, so you're having the litter box avoidance issue. Cat attract can help him become interested in the box again.

Getting your kitty checked out again can't hurt. Sometimes there are recurrences for whatever reason, as some are just prone to UTIs.

**One suggestion: Keep your kitty well hydrated. If he loves wet food, it may be better to keep him on it exclusively. You may not even have to use the Rx diet, as long as the canned food is high in protein, minimal carbs, and is not fish based. Unfortunately, male cats are much more susceptible to blockages than females are due to their anatomical structures. By feeding him an all wet diet, it'll keep him flushed and less prone to blockages. I also recommend adding about a tablespoon of warm water to his diet. Lots of kitties like to lap this "gravy".

I'm hoping that something(s) or a combination of these listed above here works for you! Sending good, peaceful vibes during these stressful times. Nothing is more exasperating than having a cat eliminate outside the box, I know!
 

flowerdew

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Some things to think about:

- Is anything going on that might be stressing your kitten out? Obviously going to a different house for Christmas counts as something, even if he's been there before.
- Did he have a litter box nearby (in the same room) when he went to the bathroom on your bed? This can really really help.
- Any chance that another cat might have gone to the bathroom on that bed before, even if your kitten hadn't? If he can smell that, then he'll think it's okay to go there.
- I want to emphasize the importance of either replacing any mattress or bedclothes that have been urinated on, or really truly thoroughly cleaning them with enzymatic cleaners. Your cat can smell things far better than you can, and will keep going as long as the smell remains.

And my own experience with this kind of behavior:

My 9 month old kitten has had four instances of litterbox issues, pretty much entirely stress related. The only other place she wants to go besides the litterbox is my bed. Things that have worked to a greater or lesser degree with her are providing several litter boxes, using cat attracting litter, keeping the litter boxes spotless, placing a litter box close to my bed - the place the accident will otherwise happen - and keeping the bed nicely made at all times (this was the hardest for me; I am just not a natural bed maker).

But the most important thing for me to do to fix this is to figure out why she's doing it, and dealing with that underlying problem, because I have found that otherwise we will have setbacks no matter how vigilant I am in my housekeeping. In her case, she is a very anxious, fearful cat, and my bed is a place she goes to for comfort. When she is having a particularly bad day, she might not want to leave my bed for any reason, let alone to use her box. Some of the things that I've been able to identify that frighten her are to feel she is left alone, and the sounds of squirrels and raccoons on my roof, and the sound of noisy traffic on the street. It also seems likely that she may have a chemical imbalance that is the root cause of her anxiety.

A few weeks ago, I was an hour or so late getting home from work. When I got home, I saw that they had been doing road construction in front of my house during the day. When I got up to my room, I found my little girl crouched on my bed between my pillows, pupils blown, body shaking. There was a puddle of pee on one side of her, and a mound of poop on the other. She had not touched her food or her pristine litter box at all since I left that morning.

What I could do for her was, first and foremost, not get angry. She missed me and she was terrified. I sat with her and spoke to her soothingly, brought her over to her food dish, and sat with her while she ate. I stripped the bed and soaked everything that came into contact with her urine and poop, and replaced all the bedding. I tried my best to be as calm and as comforting as possible.

In the long term, I've been working with my vet on this issue. Together, we've tried calming collars (very helpful), calming treats (helpful), playing music she finds soothing (Pink Floyd and Enya, very helpful), Feliway (a little bit helpful), and I've recently begun giving her Fluoxetine (so far, so good). I also brought home a second kitten to keep her company; I truly think this will help in the long run, but we're in the middle of a glacially slow introduction process right now. I've also started creating quiet, warm nooks for her away from windows and external walls so she doesn't feel exposed. These things are helping, and I can see her improving.

Sorry for blathering on! TLDR: work at finding out what the core issue is. Is it medical? Is the litter upsetting to your cat? Is your cat stressed out or frightened, like mine? That he chooses your bed to go on suggests that this might be a possibility worth investigating. Find out what the core issue is, and try to fix that. In the meantime, keep the litter clean and convenient and appealing - do what you can to make sure your cat doesn't have extra excuses not to use his box.

Good luck!
 

shadowsrescue

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She may be smelling her previous accidents on your bed.  How have you cleaned the bedding and mattress?  One of my indoor cats had an issue a few years ago of peeing on one of our beds.  After a vet check, we found out he was upset about one of the feral cats outside.  I placed an old shower curtain liner on the bedding.  He hated it.  The vinyl smell and the feel of it made it unappealing.  I also would place a small bowl of food on the shower curtain liner.  Cats often do you want to pee/poo where there is food.
 
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lyssa366

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Hi there,

A few things maybe you haven't tried yet:

-Use cat attract litter or the litter attractant if you already use unscented scoopable clay litter.

-Scoop the box a minimum of once a day! I scoop my boxes twice a day minimum now, but younger cats may go often, so keeping it clean will encourage good habits.

-Use the largest litter box you can find, and perhaps one without a lid. I use storage boxes as it's much more affordable than typical boxes sold at pet stores, plus there are many sizes to choose from. High sides are also a plus, especially if yours like to dig around a lot or doesn't squat.

-Keep the litter boxes you have in areas that are quiet and not much traffic. At this point, I'd leave one in the bedroom since he's been urinating on your bed. Put a plastic sheet like a shower curtain on your bed and or get a waterproof mattress cover to protect it.

-Use an enzyme cleaner to wash/clean all soiled areas. Some of these require complete soaking and drying for the scent to be eliminated.

-Use a very good blacklight or UV light to check for any spots missed during cleaning. Invest in a good size, with very bright LED lights.

-Keep your daily schedule as routine as much as you can; stress such as strangers coming/going, or changes from your normal routine can often trigger some cats to have UTIs.

-Use a pheromone spray/diffuser or collar to help calm your kitty if you think this is stress related.

A few questions: 

Did your vet ever give or offer your kitty some pain medication after his UTI/neuter? Most likely, he's experienced pain during urination, and has associated pain with the litter box, so you're having the litter box avoidance issue. Cat attract can help him become interested in the box again.

Getting your kitty checked out again can't hurt. Sometimes there are recurrences for whatever reason, as some are just prone to UTIs.

**One suggestion: Keep your kitty well hydrated. If he loves wet food, it may be better to keep him on it exclusively. You may not even have to use the Rx diet, as long as the canned food is high in protein, minimal carbs, and is not fish based. Unfortunately, male cats are much more susceptible to blockages than females are due to their anatomical structures. By feeding him an all wet diet, it'll keep him flushed and less prone to blockages. I also recommend adding about a tablespoon of warm water to his diet. Lots of kitties like to lap this "gravy".

I'm hoping that something(s) or a combination of these listed above here works for you! Sending good, peaceful vibes during these stressful times. Nothing is more exasperating than having a cat eliminate outside the box, I know!
I clean his litter box at least 3 times a day, he doesn't like a messy box. I got my mom to pick up a urine cleaner for this bed at home. I'm not sure its a stress related thing. He uses his litter box all the time, even uses the family cats litter box when hes out and about down stairs. My vet did give me 3 different types of medication for his UTI and after his neuter he was sent home with meloxicam. I'm definatly considering getting a full urine culture done (sent to a lab for full analysis) and see what may be going on down there. I give him a full can of friskies wet food every day (nothing in pate as he refuses to even look at it), half in the morning half at night, and then he gets half a cup of RC Urinary SO dry food, and lately I've been adding warm water to it so he's getting more liquid, the vet didn't specify on a wet food for him, she just said anything would be good as long as he was getting the moisture. The weird thing is, is that he only urinates on the bed once every few weeks, there must be some sort of trigger, now that I think about it, sometimes when I'm gone all day, he will pee on the bed, but other times hes done it right in front of me. I have to travel 7 hours with him on saturday to go back to school, so I'm going to lather up his kennel and blankets and toys with feliway.
 
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lyssa366

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Some things to think about:

- Is anything going on that might be stressing your kitten out? Obviously going to a different house for Christmas counts as something, even if he's been there before.
- Did he have a litter box nearby (in the same room) when he went to the bathroom on your bed? This can really really help.
- Any chance that another cat might have gone to the bathroom on that bed before, even if your kitten hadn't? If he can smell that, then he'll think it's okay to go there.
- I want to emphasize the importance of either replacing any mattress or bedclothes that have been urinated on, or really truly thoroughly cleaning them with enzymatic cleaners. Your cat can smell things far better than you can, and will keep going as long as the smell remains.

And my own experience with this kind of behavior:

My 9 month old kitten has had four instances of litterbox issues, pretty much entirely stress related. The only other place she wants to go besides the litterbox is my bed. Things that have worked to a greater or lesser degree with her are providing several litter boxes, using cat attracting litter, keeping the litter boxes spotless, placing a litter box close to my bed - the place the accident will otherwise happen - and keeping the bed nicely made at all times (this was the hardest for me; I am just not a natural bed maker).

But the most important thing for me to do to fix this is to figure out why she's doing it, and dealing with that underlying problem, because I have found that otherwise we will have setbacks no matter how vigilant I am in my housekeeping. In her case, she is a very anxious, fearful cat, and my bed is a place she goes to for comfort. When she is having a particularly bad day, she might not want to leave my bed for any reason, let alone to use her box. Some of the things that I've been able to identify that frighten her are to feel she is left alone, and the sounds of squirrels and raccoons on my roof, and the sound of noisy traffic on the street. It also seems likely that she may have a chemical imbalance that is the root cause of her anxiety.

A few weeks ago, I was an hour or so late getting home from work. When I got home, I saw that they had been doing road construction in front of my house during the day. When I got up to my room, I found my little girl crouched on my bed between my pillows, pupils blown, body shaking. There was a puddle of pee on one side of her, and a mound of poop on the other. She had not touched her food or her pristine litter box at all since I left that morning.

What I could do for her was, first and foremost, not get angry. She missed me and she was terrified. I sat with her and spoke to her soothingly, brought her over to her food dish, and sat with her while she ate. I stripped the bed and soaked everything that came into contact with her urine and poop, and replaced all the bedding. I tried my best to be as calm and as comforting as possible.

In the long term, I've been working with my vet on this issue. Together, we've tried calming collars (very helpful), calming treats (helpful), playing music she finds soothing (Pink Floyd and Enya, very helpful), Feliway (a little bit helpful), and I've recently begun giving her Fluoxetine (so far, so good). I also brought home a second kitten to keep her company; I truly think this will help in the long run, but we're in the middle of a glacially slow introduction process right now. I've also started creating quiet, warm nooks for her away from windows and external walls so she doesn't feel exposed. These things are helping, and I can see her improving.

Sorry for blathering on! TLDR: work at finding out what the core issue is. Is it medical? Is the litter upsetting to your cat? Is your cat stressed out or frightened, like mine? That he chooses your bed to go on suggests that this might be a possibility worth investigating. Find out what the core issue is, and try to fix that. In the meantime, keep the litter clean and convenient and appealing - do what you can to make sure your cat doesn't have extra excuses not to use his box.

Good luck!
As far as I know, the only thing that really stresses him out is being in his carrier, absolutely hates it, but I've recently bought feliway and I'm going to smother his carrier and blankets and what not with it before we leave. Since i share a house with 3 other people, his litter box stays in my room under my desk, I dont usually sit at my desk so its there and out of the way. No chance of another cat peeing on the bed, our family cat doesn't go in my room. The first time he peed on my bed is when i realized i should take him to the vet and found out about his UTI. I didn't scold or blame him for that, he was in pain and the litter box wasn't helping. I've bought him a bigger litter box because the other one looked too small for him and he always had a hard time trying to find the right spot. It gets cleaned at least 3 times a day because hes very fussy. I dont know why the litter would be upsetting him, i got him back in august and the previous owner told me what litter she used and he had no problem using it, everything was well until he had his UTI. Like i mentioned in the previous post, he's only peeing on the bed once every few weeks, so there has to be some sort of trigger thats probably right in my face but I just can't see it. 
 

flowerdew

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Like i mentioned in the previous post, he's only peeing on the bed once every few weeks, so there has to be some sort of trigger thats probably right in my face but I just can't see it. 
This is the same with my kitten - for her, it's every 2-3 months. Otherwise, she's perfectly happy with her boxes. And you're exactly right, there's probably some kind of trigger. For her, it's feeling threatened and frightened. Since you say that your boy's problems didn't start until his UTI, there might be something that makes him think it's going to hurt if he tries to go in the box - maybe not being able to go for the time of the trip in this instance? Maybe when you take trips like this in the future, give him several hours to get calmed down in the bathroom with a litterbox before you let him into the room with your bed.

It could be the litter, even if he was happy using it before. He might have changed his mind, or there might be another litter out there that would make the box more attractive than your bed in the moments he's tempted to use the bed. Try Kitten Attract litter from Dr. Elsey if you haven't yet - my kitten generally likes her regular litter just fine, but she really seemed comforted by the Kitten Attract litter when I offered it to her. She's super fussy, too, and doesn't like to use the same box for peeing and pooping, and doesn't like to use any box if there's something in it already, or even if it's completely scooped but the litter has been in there a while. That might be something to consider for your cat, too - even if you clean the litter several times daily, how often to you clean out the box entirely? Since my girl has several to choose from, when I notice she's avoiding one of them, I have a little leeway to get it up to snuff for her. She just uses the others until I figure out and fix the problem.

It really sounds like you're doing a lot of things right to get to the bottom of this and fix it. Good thinking with the Feliway; that helps for a lot of cats. Good luck - I know how frustrating what you're going through is. I hope you two get it worked out.
 
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