Cat started to pee on weird places!

Hi,

My name is Erika and I have two female cats. I usually travel a lot and the cats stay with my roommate who helps me take care of them. One of them started to pee on my bed since a two week holiday vacation I took with my family on December. She started by peeing on my bed, even though she still used the cat litter. I have never changed anything on the cat litter since December and I keep it very clean since I have two cats, so I was puzzled on her behavior. After doing a lot of research I thought that maybe she felt threaten when I left and decided to mark her territory. But then she started doing it even while I was home. She doesn't do it often, maybe once or twice a week. I decided to buy them beds and try to get their own little property to sleep in but she started peeing in both cat beds and if the cat beds where not out (because I had to wash them) she would pee on my pillow. Lately she has been doing this the moment I get home: she runs to the room and pees. I usually stay at my bf's house twice a week and he has another female cat. I thought that maybe she did this because she could smell the other cat and was being territorial.I have tried different things and she keeps doing it. I went to the Vet twice and she was free of any infections. About two weeks ago we had a new roommate move in who has a male cat, by she has been doing this even before the new roommate and even after I had been staying at my bf's house for more than year so I am very confused on why she is doing all of this now. I really don't know what to do and need some help.

I would say she is doing it to both mark her territory and because she is under stress. It probably started, like you said, when you went away for 2 weeks. She felt abandoned and started stressing out.

When you stay at your bf's house, you pick up the odor from his cat and that threatens your cat.

Now you have a new roommate and  her male is more of a threat to your cat.  Did you introduce them slowly? Or did you just let them "work it out" on their own?

Several suggestions:  First, separate and re-introduce the new cat using this method.    www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

Secondly, make sure you clean all the places she has peed with an enzyme cleaner. I prefer Nature's Miracle Just for Cats Urine Destroyer. It is available online and at most pet stores. If the urine soaked into the mattress, you are going to have a bigger problem. It must be cleaned extra thoroughly to get the enzymes to eat the uric acid that is embedded into the mattress. Flip it over after cleaning and then think about getting a plastic mattress sleeve.

Hello Catspaw66,

Thank you for the advise. I do believe it is a behavioral problem. This happened before the new cat came here, but I am sure the new cat might make it a bit worse. We tryed introducing them slowly at first: we used the door method where both cats when on each side of the door and got to smell eachother, but I did not use any blankets to lay in between for them to smell. I might have to reintroduce them and see how it will do.

Concerning my boyfriend´s cat, I don´t know what I could do to prevent the cats from smelling eachother, I think this is very difficult.  Before my trip I would also go to his house but my cat never peed anywhere until I left. Since then it has been constant. one to tow times a week.

What happened recently is that all cats where outside in the living area and they got into a fight. After that, I left for work and when I came home my cat had peed on my roomate´s bed!! I always use Nature´s Miracle, but this is the first time she pees on someone elses´bed, usually it is always on mine. I am not sure if this had to do with the new cat. a few days before that she also pooped on my pillow, she didn´t pee but she pooped. It is very frustrating to come home at 1am or 2am and find pee or poo on your bed, so I feel really bad about this situation, not just because of me, but because I can´t figure out a way to make my cat feel more confortable. I will try and reintroduce them and see how her behavious changes.

Thank you once again!

Erika