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Nighttime Behavior Problem

post #1 of 15
7/14/10 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all, I need some advice. My wife and I have three cats, "Blackie" is her baby boy. We adopted our third in January. Because of our schedules I turn in first at night before my wife. Blackie has gotten into the habbit of sneaking into the room and (sorry...) defecating on my wife's pillow. I usually clean it up, turn the pillow over and she's none the wiser but some tips on how to stop this would be appreciated. Thanks!
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post #2 of 15
7/14/10 at 1:22pm
Oh my goodness! Throw that pillow away and try to figure out why kitty is stressed. If you keep this pillow, the cat will return time and again to poop on it. With three cats how can you be sure that Blackie is the phantom pooper?
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post #3 of 15
7/14/10 at 1:27pm
Thread Starter 
Hi Hissy. I know it's him because I catch him! He's very clever, he waits until I'm in bed for about twenty minutes after I've taken my meds and he creeps in. Thankfully I'm a light sleeper because I get rid of the mess before my wife finds out. She doesn't know and I'm afraid to tell her because he is her boy. That's why I turn the pillow over because if she sees me replacing it she'll get suspicous. Your right thogh, I think I need to replce the pillow.
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post #4 of 15
7/14/10 at 2:16pm
Can you pinpoint to the day that he started this? Once you think about the day, think about a few days prior, did anything change? It can be something as minor as changing out the bedcover, to adding a new animal, going away for a few days, fireworks starting outside- stress and cats are quite tricky really. Generally, when cats poop on soft things they are stressed about something. The combination of their scent on our things help to calm them down. Take a sheet of paper and write anything down that changed for this cat to prompt this behavior-
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post #5 of 15
7/14/10 at 2:52pm
Thread Starter 
It started in May. We got the third cat in January (Ginger, my little girl). It's funny that you asked me to pinpoint it because it was right around Mother's Day. We don't have kids but me and that cats got my wife a bottle of Merlot. She had a little too much and dropped her glass sending pieces of glass all over! I remember Blackie being absolutely terrified....do you think this could be the problem Hissy?
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post #6 of 15
7/14/10 at 10:22pm
Is there any reason why you haven't told her? She is your wife, and Blackie is her kitty, don't you think she deserves to know? Blackie is definitely stressed about something, usually this type of behavior relates to litter box issues. It could be anything from dominant threat from another kitty, litter cleaning, type of litter, placement, interaction with the other cats........
How old is Ginger? I doubt the glass breaking was the cause, but I think you need to share this with your wife because she may already have answers you don't. Please don't let her sleep on that pillow any more or keep covering it up, that is so wrong, in so many ways!
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post #7 of 15
7/15/10 at 3:25am
Thread Starter 
I haven't told her because she adores Blackie and will be very upset. I can't deal with all of the crying. Ginger is about a year and a half, and if I tell my wife Ginger and or me will get blamed. I usually pick it up right away, is it bad to let her continue to use the pillow? Thanks.
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post #8 of 15
7/15/10 at 9:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KBO View Post
is it bad to let her continue to use the pillow? Thanks.
She's probably not going to get anything since you clean it up pretty quickly.. but that's sort of gross.

When did Blackie have his last vet visit? It may be good to get him check up just in case and to discuss this with the vet.

Have the cats been acting differently towards each other? Has Blackie been more jumpy since May? Have your schedules changed any?

Let her know about it, after you replace the pillow. It can be your quick save when she asks what you did with her pooped on pillow. While trying to figure out what is going on, try covering her pillow when she's not using it.
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post #9 of 15
7/15/10 at 10:13am
Thread Starter 
When you say “get anything†you mean like sick? Blackie went to the vet last year and it was very difficult for him. He was panting and the vet gave him morphine. He’s kind of fat so I’m always afraid to take him to the vet. I use Fabreeze on the pillow. The cats haven’t changed their behaviors towards each other. I wish my other cat Pickles was doing it because she is much smaller and it would be easier to get rid of the mess.
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post #10 of 15
7/15/10 at 1:27pm
So he's overweight and is due for a vet visit? It could very well be health related then. I hope you can get him in. Products like Bach's rescue remedy (for pets) and Feliway spray can help calm him a little on the way to and at the vet.

Please have a thorough discussion with the vet about Blackie's weight. There's all sorts of health problems that can come with being even a bit overweight - the same sort of health problems people get, in fact (diabetes, high blood pressure, liver issues)

And I was referring to bacteria, which fabreeze definitely will not take care of. For urine and feces clean up you need to get a proper enzyme cleaner to neutralize it - such as Nature's Miracle, Nok Out, etc. These will be found in pet sections at stores, at petstores, and online. If you're putting the same pillow case back on the pillow without treating it with one of these special cleaners before washing, it's still going to smell like poop to Blackie so he'll go back to it.
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post #11 of 15
7/15/10 at 2:54pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks! It looks like I'm going to "Petco" and then to "Bed Bath and Beyond"!
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post #12 of 15
7/15/10 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KBO View Post
I haven't told her because she adores Blackie and will be very upset. I can't deal with all of the crying. Ginger is about a year and a half, and if I tell my wife Ginger and or me will get blamed. I usually pick it up right away, is it bad to let her continue to use the pillow? Thanks.
Hate to say this but I think she would be more upset if she found out you never told her then at Blackie who is stressed and doing this for reasons you can't figure out on your own........
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post #13 of 15
7/16/10 at 2:53am
Thread Starter 
What do you mean?
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post #14 of 15
7/16/10 at 11:16am
Oh boy. Here's a big tip for you. Don't lie to your wife, especially not in areas where she would have a big emotional response over. She probably thinks Blackie is her baby and will worry that his pooping could mean he's sick. Not telling her that he could potentially be sick automatically puts you in the dog house, so to speak. The other part of the problem is you taking over and deciding for her, that can make some women mad.

So take the advice of the women posting in this thread. You better tell her that her favorite cat Blackie is doing something abnormal.

And yes, I know you have very good intentions. I would rather you not get in trouble with her.
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post #15 of 15
7/16/10 at 6:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
Oh boy. Here's a big tip for you. Don't lie to your wife, especially not in areas where she would have a big emotional response over. She probably thinks Blackie is her baby and will worry that his pooping could mean he's sick. Not telling her that he could potentially be sick automatically puts you in the dog house, so to speak. The other part of the problem is you taking over and deciding for her, that can make some women mad.

So take the advice of the women posting in this thread. You better tell her that her favorite cat Blackie is doing something abnormal.

And yes, I know you have very good intentions. I would rather you not get in trouble with her.
I also apologize for saying "Blackie who is stressed and doing this for reasons you can't figure out on your own" didn't mean it to sound that way. It is your wife's kitty and maybe she has more insight as to what could be Blackie's stress issue.
I also think that these are exactly the things you don't want to hide from your spouse, for so many reasons......
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