An unpleasant surprise

Hi, I wonder if you could give me some help with this one; Me and my partner went to bed last night and found that under the quilt there was a pool of pee (it smelled like weetabix, sorry but it's true!). We've noticed no abnormal behaviour in the cats lately, they seem active and are eating and drinking normally. There was a really bad thunderstorm that night though and we think that one of them might have been under the quilt, got frightened by the thunder which was very loud, and peed... does this sound possible? It seems strange that they'd do it under the quilt. I'm also not sure who it was, our dog was with us downstairs so it must've been one of the cats, Fable's the one that usually sleeps under the covers when nobody is around. Also neither of them have ever peed anywhere other than in the litterbox and it's not dirty.

(I just want to say that we'd had one night in this bed and it's brand new, we'd been sleeping in a single bed all year I can't believe it was peed on!)

"I just want to say that we'd had one night in this bed and it's brand new"


That might be it sometimes something new gets peed on! Or it might be the storm.Just keep a eye out for any more peeing . And if it does continue then get the culprit checked out by your vet for any medical causes..But I bet it because its something new. You might have to try and keep them away from the bed..

OK that sounds good, I was panicking about UTIs but neither cat seems to be in any pain (I've had UTIs and know how painful they are ). Also I'm in the process of changing litter types, I've mixed the old kind in with the new though and I haven't had any trouble with them using it so far. I'm going from normal non clumping clay litter to recycled paper which is better for the environment and I hoped it would last longer.

Yup they've been shut out of our nice new room...but so have we!

So you've had 2 changes: new type of litter and new bed (unfamiliar odor to it). Could be a combination of those plus the thunderstorm. Once you clean the mattress, I suggest that you get a plastic liner to cover the mattress to prevent any future accidents.

We've cleaned the mattress as best we can and turned it over, do you think they'll be ok in there on a night when we're in bed? I'm going to keep them out of the bedroom for now when we're not in it. I wont be able to get a mattress protector until after Christmas due to money being tight.

If it is Fable who peed in the bed then why now? He's 2 and a half years old and in that time he's moved house 4 times and never had a problem, my ex was very unstable and hard to live with for me and my dog and cat, I know how my dog has been affected from living with a violent person but Fable always seemed ok although of course I've wondered how much he did suffer . Anyway we've been out of that situation for 11 months (thankfully) and living here for nearly 6, he's a bit jumpy but I think that's due to being pounced on by Jupey as he was ok before.

I really hope he is ok.

(This may be better in the behavior forum now ??)

I agree that it's probably a combination of the new mattress, moving, and also the thunderstorm (and quite possibly the change of litter, too). When cats are ill or stressed, they usually show their discomfort or displeasure by peeing somewhere they normally don't. I would continue to moniter your pets, and see what happens...

Your pet(s) could also be suffering from stress due to the abusive ex. I went through an abusive relationship several years ago, and my cats got stressed out over the situation: they were depressed a lot, and just not themselves. Once I got away from the abusive ex, they eventually returned to their old selves again. Animals can suffer from stress too - just as much as people can.

~KK~

It is possible to have been scared by the storm or another cat. But I'd keep an eye out the next week or so with the litter box habits to be sure.

Charlie was going in the litter pan too many times and straining. I noticed it right away, called the vet, and had him in there the following day - he did have a UTI and now has to be on a special diet. The faster you notice this the better. UTI (for males) can be fatal if they are blocked and can die in a few days if not caught.


As far as the mattress cover - you need to find some large plastic sheet (even plastic drop cloth for painting) to put over the mattress and protect it.

Thanks for the advice, I will bring the litter box downstairs this evening so I can see if they're peeing normally. Hopefully it was a one off but still worried!

A cat might have been sleeping on the bed and was startled by a clap of thunder. I've seen that happen. If so, nothing to worry about.

I do agree that you should keep an eye on them in case of a UTI, though.

I really hope that's what happened!