Cat sprayed on mattress

I have 2 male cats (neutered) at home, both just over 1 yr old and I've had them for about 6 months. Up to now, I haven't really had any alarming behavioural issues but yesterday, one of them sprayed on my bed. I'm pretty sure it's spray and not pee because the scent seems to be permeating the whole room. I have their litterbox in the same room and it's never smelled this bad/strong even after they've just peed in the box. Then this morning I noticed that one of them had pooped in a different room. Also, I slept in a different bed last night, since my other mattress is too stinky, and there was another spraying incident in that room, but not on the bed this time.

I normally clean the litterbox everyday but I got busy and it ended up being 2 days by the time I cleaned it. So, I'm wondering if maybe there was some protesting of the dirty litterbox? It was definitely overdue. Also, my bf has pretty much been living at my place for the past week or so. Stress over a new person in the house? They both seem to like my bf and their behaviour towards him is practically the same as they behave towards me.

It seems like this may be a behavioural issue but I'm wondering if a trip to the vet is appropriate. The only problem is that I don't know which of my 2 cats is having the litterbox issues. I guess I should just have both checked out by a vet.

Any suggestions/thoughts on why this is happening? Also, what can I do to remove the odor? Especially from my mattress. I have Petrotech Carpet Cat Stain and Odor remover. I sprayed some on my mattress last night and again this morning but the odor doesn't seem to have subsided at all.

Any advice is much appreciated!! Sorry for the long post.

What happened on the mattress isn't spraying. Spraying is done on vertical surfaces like walls, typically along the perimeter of the house.

I don't think that there's a smell difference between spraying and "standard" urination, but I could be wrong.

Where did the other "spraying" incident take place?

As you mentioned, I do think it could certainly be a response to an unacceptable litterbox, and/or to your boyfriend spending more time than usual in the cats' territory. On a side note, would it be possible for you to permanently add a second litterbox? The general rule is one box per cat, plus one extra for a total of three in your case, but even just adding one more would likely be beneficial for all concerned.

I think that you should bring both of them to the vet, because if these episodes aren't explained by either of the above things, they could represent a urinary tract infection, which requires immediate medical attention. Male cats are particularly susceptible to UTIs due to their narrower urethra, and, if left unchecked, a UTI can even be fatal.

To remove the odor, you'll need to soak --- and I do mean soak --- the mattress with an enzymatic cleanser, such as Nature's Miracle. I am not familiar with the product that you mentioned so I have no idea if it is appropriate. You may have to apply Nature's Miracle two or three times before the odor is finally gone. You might want to take this approach anyway, even if you think that the smell has been removed after the initial application. Because your cats' nose is much more sensitive than yours is. If your cats can still smell urine on your mattress, they are basically being given a green light to urinate there again and again.

Lastly, regardless of whether the issue is behavioral or physical, you might want to get a package of Cat Attract litter additive. Many cat owners have reported great success with this product, as it apparently contains scents that induce cats to use their litterbox more faithfully (I personally have never had reason to use it).

Good luck.

Thanks for your response, Robert. After posting here, I did some research and yes, you're right, spraying is not the proper term. Regardless, the odor is awful. Makes me realize just how good of a job their litter does to control odor since I've never experienced the odor permeating so much before.

As I already mentioned, the first incident was on my mattress sometime yesterday. The second incident I have yet to pinpoint exactly where but I think it may have been on the carpet near the other bed I was sleeping in in my spare bedroom. It happened sometime in the night while we were sleeping. I'll probably pick up a blacklight this evening to find the spot. The third incident was feces in the corner of my dining area. Hopefully, the guilty cat hasn't left more surprises for me today.

I did notice this morning that there were 2 pee clumps and some feces in the litterbox, so I think both cats are using it ok now. I need to stay on top of keeping it clean without exception. And yes, I will put out a second litterbox. I really hope it's just a dirty litterbox reaction and not them stressing out over my bf being around so much now.