My Cat Pee'd on my Bed

I have a 2 1/2 year old cat "Darla" and in March I bought a himmie "Savanna". Gradually, I have moved Savanna's litter box from my bedroom, to the 1st floor, and now to the basement where Darla's box is kept. This past Friday I finally put Savanna's box in the basement across from Darla's box. On Saturday, one of the cats pee'd on my bed. It was a big circle so I assumed it was "Darla." Well today, my kitten started to pee on the rug in my bathroom. When I flipped the rug over, there was a bigger stain. Are my cats marking territory? I don't think that the kitten can pee that much. Do you think it's because I moved Savanna's litter to the same room where Darla's litter is???? They both have had check ups within the last few weeks, so I don't think it's a health issue. Another thing that I have also changed in the last 3 weeks is the cat food. Since I had Savanna on Nutro Kitty and Darla would constantly eat it. I stopped buying regular food and Darla has been eating kitten food. My vet thought it wouldn't be a problem. Any suggestions????????

Yikes, pee on the bed! Yep, sounds like your older kitty wants her own space and you moved the new kitty's litter box.RIGHT NEXT to hers. I have two litter boxes and they are in two different locations. (My older kitty WILL use the younger cats box now and then)

My two cats eat in separate areas also. In a perfect world, I would only need one litter box and one food bowl, but, they are two separate beings which require two separate living spaces.

My older cat used to eat HER food and my younger cats food because she was jealous of the younger cat, so thats why they eat in separate locations. They do eat at the same time, tho.

I'd say that Savanna is finding that the litter box is just too far away. Kittens play and play and when they finally stop to go to the toilet, they only have seconds to get there. I'd advise that you keep a litter box in your bedroom or at least on the first floor instead of in the basement. I'm guessing the reason that the puddles are so big is that Savanna holds on for a long time before she finally 'bursts' or she's doing little ones in the same spot, creating one large spot.

dulce2u~~

When cats urinate outside of the litter box, it's a clear message that something is wrong.

You have to determine if:

A) Is your cat marking/spraying (still uses litter box but leaves smaller streams of urine on vertical surfaces, sometimes flat ones)

B) Is your cat avoiding the litter box (inappropriate elimination)

You might have to isolate to determine.

If A, this is most likely behavioral and you'll have to work on redirecting. Could be cat competition, not enough litter boxes, cats outside, just general stress (Feliway products can help)

If B, you might be dealing with urinary tract issues. Gotta have a vet rule out. If so, some antibiotics and iso time with the litter box for 'reminding' can be a fix. OR more simply, the litter box access/cleanliness just isn't satisfactory.

EITHER A OR B could involve both medical/behavioral components (just to frustrate you more!)

If these were my cats, I would have them seen by a vet anyway to rule out anything medical. That way you can focus on the behavioral issues. YOu said the cats had recent check ups but urinary *symptoms* can suddenly pop up...and if the vet wasnt' LOOKING for urinary issues, (urinalysis, CBC...) and all they had was a basic diagnostic, then it could have been missed.

You also want to get enzymatic cleaners to remove urine odors and use as a deterrant for future urinating/marking. Though this is most effective if the issue is *MARKING* because cats return to their marking sites.


THAT SAID...it does sound like you have made a couple big changes recently...so you have to backtrack and rewind and all that good stuff and try to get your cats back on track. If you truly aren't worried about anything medical, at least get some enzymatic cleaners and reintro the litter situation (getting another box would be a good move too). Kittens sometimes need INSTANT litter box gratification

Sorry....I think I rambled and went all over. That is my mind this week.....

Edited to say...Err....what Kumbulu just said

Just to add, there is a difference between a cat urinating and a cat marking it's territory by spraying. When a cat urinates, it digs a hole, squats, wees and then covers it up again. When a cat sprays, it stands upright, it's tail quivers and it shoots a fine spray of urine against an upright surface like a door, fence, pole etc. Always about 15-30cm off the ground.

Are both cats spayed?

I didn't think that Savanna was the culprit at all until I saw her squat this morning. She was not spraying. When I found the marking on my bed, I didn't realize it was there at first. Savanna jumped on my bed, she smelled it, scratched at it and then ran. That's when I noticed something was wrong and I figured it was Darla who did it. Oh maaaaaaaaaannnnnn. I've always had a cat but never an issue with urinating. I will have to take them to the vet.

Originally Posted by dulce2u

I didn't think that Savanna was the culprit at all until I saw her squat this morning. She was not spraying. When I found the marking on my bed, I didn't realize it was there at first. Savanna jumped on my bed, she smelled it, scratched at it and then ran. That's when I noticed something was wrong and I figured it was Darla who did it. Oh maaaaaaaaaannnnnn. I've always had a cat but never an issue with urinating. I will have to take them to the vet.

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How old is Savannah? Some vets actually prefer to do earlier spay and neuters (2mo/2lb at earliest) between 2-4 mo Kittens do really well

Don't panic; it may not be anything medical at all. Savannah may just need more litter box 'reminders'. She sounds young for utis, imo, and really might benefit from a brief isolation with box, and add 1 or 2 more (one small enough for kitty entry).

Check ups are always best for peace of mind

My current cat (male) peed on our bed twice and my daughter's bed once. He was 1 year old and not yet neutered. We since had him neutered, and he has not done this since, so I'm guessing it was related to that. Are your cats fixed?

My previous cat (male) started peeing in strange place, and it turned out he had a urinary tract infection. He was always a good cat, never peed anywhere but in his litterbox, so maybe your cat is sick?

We had an issue with Sonic peeing on the bed when we first got him - in his case I think it was just due to insecurity and being introduced to the resident cat (Radar). Fortunately, and after many many loads of laundry, he stopped doing it once he'd settled in. There are however various reasons why a cat could start peeing on the bed - it could be illness, insecurity, inability to make it to the litterbox in time. With Sonic I think that it was pretty much because he was in a new place, became attached to his humans very quickly, and found it comforting to pee in the bed when we were out or asleep when he wanted attention because it smelled of us.

I would provide more litterboxes for the time being, and place them in different locations. Another aspect you need to consider is that one cat can put another off using a litterbox just by sitting across the room and staring... so litterboxes in a few different and private locations may well help, as the dominant cat cannot guard (or stare at!) every litterbox.

Remember to clean up any pee stains well with an enzyme cleaner - let it soak into the mattress, leave for a few hours, and then dry with a hairdryer.

Thanks for all the great advice.