cat peeing on my bed

My cat has recently started peeing on my bed. She only does it on my boyfriends side, yet he has done nothing to upset her. She is young, and in excellent health. This is the only location she has done it. No changes have been made to our home recently, and her litter is clean and the same as always. Other than this she is behaving normally. This clearly seems to be a mental thing, not physical. Any ideas on what could cause this?

Is she spayed? If not, that could alleviate the situation.

Even spayed, though, cats are very territorial. If she has been cleared of any health problems, and nothing else has changed in your home, the change could be outside. Perhaps she sees/smells another cat outside, and in her kitty mind she may be telling that cat that this is her space! If she is marking her territory, you have to completely get rid of the urine smell to her or she will keep re-marking it. Wash your bedding with 2 cups of vinegar, no detergent. This will neutralize the urine smell in your bedding. You will need to get an enzymatic cleaner for the mattress, and until you get this situation solved you may want to invest in a pastic cover for the mattress (under the bedding so it can't soak in the mattress).

Also, here's a thread where our experts have given advice for peeing problems. Inappropriate Peeing Problems Answered They cover the full gamut in that thread.

And welcome to the site! I hope we can help you here, and that you will stick around so we can get to know you and your kitty better.

thanks for the reply! She is in fact spayed. Also, we live on the seventh floor, so she doesn't see any other kitties out the window. hmm.. I'm pretty sure it is being directed at us, I just can't figure out why.
I have recently started to work at a cat hospital and thought that maybe the smells on me are bothering her, but it is happening on my boyfriend's side of the bed,in the exact spot he sleeps on. Could this be scent related?

It sounds like your boyfriend has been there a while, but has there been any changes in your relationship lately? (I don't mean to get personal, and you don't have to bear all here, just things to consider.) Cats are very receptive to moods and feelings. Is he being more attentive to you which could cause some jealosy? Is there some tension that she could be picking up on? Did you have a big argument not long before this behaviour started? Is he treating her any differently, like being more involved with work and not spending as much quality time with her? If you can figure out what she is sensing from you two, you can work to make the situation better for her (i.e. if she's jealous spend more quality time with her, if there is tension work on getting that out of the house if nothing else).

Have there been any small changes in products you use, like litter, laundry soap, soap used to clean the litter box, floor cleaner? They can be very sensitive about those things, and she may be telling you (and him, especially if he does the cleaning) that she doesn't like it. Their noses are so much more sensitive than ours, it could be some minor change that set her off, like a change in scent of something. Has he changed soap? Doing something different at work that may have changed his scent?

You could be right, too, that she smells the other animals from you. The behaviour may be a little misdirected to his side of the bed, after all their logic isn't always perfect. Do what you can to eliminate the smells, especially in this area. I.e. take a shower when you get home, keep your shoes by the door, get a covered laundry hamper (or storage container for a hamper), things like that.

Sorry if this seems like a lot. I'm trying to come up with everything I can think of. Of course, the best way to fix it is to figure out what truly is the trigger, so if nothing else consider and eliminate as much as possible from the above.

thanks again for the detailed reply! I took her to work with me today, to get a thorough check up. We took blood for thorough testing, in case it could be a possible thyroid problem, and to make sure she's ok if we decide to put her on meds. We also took urine in case it's an infection. I'll know the results tomorrow. The doctor figures it likely is a mental problem, but we're testing to be on the safe side. Combined with all her other obessive behaviours, she thinks Lexxus may have an anxiety disorder, in which case we may treat it with amitryptoline (sp?) or rescue relief (an herbal remedy). I guess we'll know better tomorrow when her results come in!

My neutered male cat has peed on my husband's chair, clothing and (the last straw) suitcase in the last month. There have been no changes in any areas discussed in prior posts (habits, stresses, health), and my husband feeds and loves him. Faced with losing my kitty, I'm anxious to hear the progress of your story. An acquaintance told me that my cat is JEALOUS of my husband, and that the solution is for my husband to pee on the cat the next time the cat pees on his stuff. We both howled with laughter - but I'd try anything. P.S. This is the 4th cat in 25 years to exhibit this exact behavior, and I've had to give away the other 3!

Karla,

Has your kitty been to the vet for a complete check-up not just a brief one? Have you tried introducing one more litter box for him to use? Making sure his box is clean and scrubbed daily? Is he an inside only kitty? Or does he go outside as well? Is there perhaps a new cat in his territory perhaps spraying the outside of your home and working him into such a behavior? Have you used a good enzyme cleaner to get rid of all the odor that cat urine leaves behind? It is certainly a shame that you have had to get rid of three others for this type of behavior and it sounds like you might have to do the same with this one. I do hope you were kidding in some parts of your post here.


Although you cannot see it, there is something that is causing your cat to exhibit this behavior. He could have crystals in his urine, or something going on in his urinary tract. So please have him checked out.

Yep, like hissy said - first thing is a complete check up at the vet's.

If this is urination rather than spraying, I give it 50% that the cat is suffering from or has suffered from FLUTD. Make sure the vet takes a urine sample and checks for both bacteria and crystals!

Please read more on how to tell if it is urination or spraying here:
http://www.thecatsite.com/behavior/spraying.html

For more about litterbox problems here:
http://www.thecatsite.com/care/box.html

And for info about FLUTD here:
http://www.thecatsite.com/health/flutd.html

These should get you going. But if the vet gives the all clear and the cat is spraying or has a litter box problem that you feel you can't cope with you really do need the help of a behaviorist.

Please take your boy to the vet! If he has a blockage he could DIE!!! You don't want to take this chance. Urinary tract problems are the #1 cause of inappropriate urination!

I remember my mothers cat was peeing all the time and by chance I happened to see him pee and I noticed that his urine was red, and so I told my mother that he needed to see a vet as soon as possible, and we took Muggsy (mum's cat) to the vet right away and he said that he was lucky that we took him right away because he could have died within a few days.
Unfortunately, that cat has died since, not from the FLUTD but a few years later, he was old and I guess his time was up. He was the most sweetest cat ever to live in that household! I do recommend getting your cat checked for FLUTD, as it will be uncomfortable for it if it does have it.
I hope all goes well!

Other than checking for strange cats spraying on our house (our kitty is indoor/outdoor), the only thing I haven't done is the thorough physical. I'll do that right away. And I wasn't kidding about the advice I received (have my husband pee on the cat) -- the couple who recommended it SWORE that it solved the problem!

I know exactly what you guys are going through. I've been battling this kind of problem myself (my post was "cat peeing on my bed again"). So far in the last 2 1/2 weeks, Tiki has not peed on my bed or on our couch. The only thing that I changed was giving her another box. Apparently she is one of those cats who needs one box to poop in and another to pee in. I've noticed when I scoop out her boxes, one of them always has lots more poop in it than the other one. I do have to agree with everyone else...please take him/her to the Vet. My vet told me that usually when cats have a UTI they pee in several small spots, not just one huge spot. Tiki didn't have an infection or anything...she was just trying to tell me what she wanted, but I just didn't understand. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you won't have to give up another little furbaby. It is very hard to be patient during this frustrating time...trust me I know how hard that is..but it is an important part of this.
Good luck and please keep us all posted with any news!
-Shell

Mellanie,
Just curious on what you found out with your kitty? Best wishes,
Shell