Why Did My Cat Just Pee On The Bed?

[smosmosmo]

I've had her for about two years, and in that time she's only had a urine accident once. This was when she traumatized from having been dumped outdoors and settling into our home again - I think the peeing was anxious territorial marking and she's never done it since.

Smo had a cystitis scare about four months ago from dehydration, and her bacterial culture came back negative. She was obviously very uncomfortable when the symptoms set in (peeing every 15 minutes), but never went outside her box. I'm baffled as to why she would suddenly do this when she stuck to her litterbox through such discomfort.

What happened tonight was that she was asleep on my bed for about a half hour. I saw her twitching her paws and whiskers like she was having a nightmare, then she bolted awake with a meow. I see her twitching like this sometimes, but she's normally very quiet and rarely wakes herself up meowing. She kept sleeping for a bit then suddenly got up and started pawing at the sheets, which I've only ever seen her do when she had her last urine accident a year ago. I was watching her the whole time and it really looks like she peed herself in her sleep - she never got up and squatted or anything like that. Just, one second she was asleep and the next she was up and trying to bury the pee on the sheet.

Smo got a pretty bad scare yesterday from something crashing down in the closet last night when she was exploring it, but seemed to recover pretty quickly and was using her litterbox normally today. I did notice though that she spent most of today hiding in a box we have out for her - she was in there for hours even though it was hot out. Her demeanor was just off somehow. I'm partly wondering if she's scared of me because I'm the one who caused the commotion in the closet.

I've seen Smo have cystitis-like symptoms twice before and this just doesn't seem UTI related, especially since she was going in her box normally when having all the symptoms of a UTI.

Can anyone help me decode what's happening here? I'm honestly terrified that she's going to do it again, and in a common space - I live with people who started allowing her into our common areas several months ago, and I'm afraid she'll be banned from accessing them if she keeps urinating inappropriately.

Is it possible that she peed herself out of fear, especially since she's seemed anxious all day? How do I prevent this from happening again? We already have a waterproof mattress cover on that I've sprayed down with enzyme cleaner, and I'm washing the sheets and mattress cover with vinegar right now. I just can't imagine why she would do this.

 

[rubysmama]

It does almost sound like she was dreaming and peed in her sleep. Hopefully it was a one time thing, and won't happen again. And, of course, make a vet appointment if it happens again, or you think somethings off with her.

Cleaning the bedding so that the urine smell is gone is important. Here's a TCS article that might be helpful: How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I think that rubysmama hit that nail right on its head. She may have been having a nightmare (cats do, we know this) that literally "scared the pee out of her." If that was it, and it may well be, it will be a one-off, barring another nightmare.

Follow those suggestions, and if it happens again, take her in. Explain what you told us, that she bolted awake and pee's on the bed immediately. It's little things like that which tell vets what they need to know.

 

[smosmosmo]

Thank you both for the responses! It really did seem like an anxiety response - it was just so strange because she deals with stressful situations pretty well. We've had construction done in the apartment, had strangers over, switched up her living situation a few months after the renovations...I was surprised that a nightmare's what made her pee in fear. She did seem scared all day so maybe that pushed her over the edge.

I scooped her box after throwing the bedding in the wash, and her clumps were very healthy-looking and not indicative of UTI. She also went in her box about an hour after the incident and did a normal poop and pee, so hopefully all this was a one-off. I've been pampering her all day and she does seem a lot calmer, and is back to her usual routine and sleeping in her usual spot. She's stretched out by my feet right now with a fan blowing on her, lol.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Keep us updated! I am glad to hear that she's calmer now. Let's hope for a one-off!