Peeing on my bed

My kitten knows how to use the litter box. He doesn't have any accidents anywhere except for on my bed, even though I put him down into his litter box several times during the night. How can I stop this? Will he outgrow it? Is it a good idea to put a litter box on my bed?

I don't think its a uti because he isn't avoiding the litter box. If there is one on the bed he will use it. And he uses it all the other times. I have multiple litter boxes around the apartment. Its like he just forgets to get off the bed when hes on it and has to go.

How old is your kitten? When they're very young, they don't necessarily have such good control - and they do forget to go sometimes. Is it easy for him to get up onto and down off of the bed himself?

Laurie

I think he is almost 8 weeks old now, yes he can get on and off the bed by himself.

The only thing I have to suggest is

1) keep putting him in the litter box over the course of the night;
2) Purchase Feliway and spray some on your bed covers;
3) Wash all the bed linens with an enzyme cleaner (like http://www.nokout.com) - if any of his pee has reached the mattress, you need to soak that area (and I mean soak it). Let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes, blot up the excess (to the extent possible), and put down towels over it, and make the bed over that. Change the towels daily - it may take a few days for it to dry.

The smell of pee MUST be removed (and to kitty's nose, not ours), or it just encourages him to continue peeing there. Adding some of the Feliway scent should help discourage him - it has the wrong "markers" (it is a synthetic hormone that mimics the "friendly" markers in cats cheeks) in it.

But most importantly, praising him to high heaven any time you see him using a box is important. Cats learn best from positive reinforcement.

Laurie

You do have a litter box in the bedroom, right? Maybe add another one right next to the bed, close to where he pees (if there's a regular side or something), and slowly move it to where the other one is (like a foot a day) if he's using it. When it's next to the other litter box, and he's using it regularly, then just remove it.

Just remember, for one cat you should have two litter boxes available - and if you're in a home that has more than one floor, there definitely needs to be at least one litter box on each floor of the home.

Laurie

Originally Posted by LDG

You do have a litter box in the bedroom, right? Maybe add another one right next to the bed, close to where he pees (if there's a regular side or something), and slowly move it to where the other one is (like a foot a day) if he's using it. When it's next to the other litter box, and he's using it regularly, then just remove it.

Just remember, for one cat you should have two litter boxes available - and if you're in a home that has more than one floor, there definitely needs to be at least one litter box on each floor of the home.

Laurie

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I have two litter boxes downstairs--one in the dining room area and one in the living room.

One in my kids bedroom upstairs.

Two in my bedroom upstairs, one of them is right beside the bed. I'm thinking of keeping one ON the bed for a while. I've had one on the bed before and when its there he uses it.

If you're going to have one on the bed with you, when you're ready to move it, do it in small steps, starting with next to the bed, then move it a foot or so towards one of the litter boxes in the bedroom, rather than just remove it and it disappears.

Laurie

There is already one next to the bed. So when I'm ready to move the one off the bed, do I still need to put it next to the bed? So there will be two next to the bed?

No, I wouldn't think so. The problem is that if he gets used to going someplace on the bed, he may go there if even there's not a litterbox. If it's covered, maybe take the cover off - and if the litterbox on the floor IS covered, place the now-uncovered box that's been on the bed on the cover of the litterbox next to the bed?

Actually, I think that's the way I'd go. We have seven cats, and with a queen size bed, all the cats just don't fit on the bed with us (also issue with personalities). So we put boxes next to the bed so they are bed height, and we put a cat bed on top of those. Maybe do something like this with the litter box, rather than placing it on the bed?

Laurie

No, none of the boxes are covered, but thats a good idea, I'm sure I have something I can put next to the bed and set the litter box on it. I'll try that.

Please let me know if that helped.

Laurie

Okay, last night I put the litter box back on the bed. As far as I know, he didn't use it all night. In the morning I set him into it. He didn't use it. He jumped off the bed and went into the litter box on the floor beside it!!

He didn't use that one either. He went over to the big cat's litter box, the one he can't even get into by himself, and tried to get into it. So I put him in that one and he used it.

So weird.

Well, at least he didn't pee on the bed!

Laurie

Hi, I just wanted to update and let you know he has never peed on the bed again since I posted about him. He is a very good kitty (except when it comes to begging for people food, he's worse than any dog!!)
He is super sweet and cuddly. I had to give him a bath the other night and though he obviously didn't like it, he was actually pretty cooperative. He is so sweet

What a good boy! He was probably just too little and waited too long to get down and go to a box.

Laurie