My 3 year old is urinating on my bed

My 3 year old persian started this in the past 6 months and he is free of UTI's.. The vet told me its stress related since I travel alot and so wrapped up in my work but I do give him a lot of affection and tension.
When Im gone he urinates on my bed
When friends are over he does to
After my partner is over at night he urinates on my bed
When Im working late at home he comes over many times meowing to go to the bedroom with him when I eventually do I find he urinated on my bed.
I love him so getting rid of my cat because of this isnt an option. I live in a big 2 floor home most of the year so diffusers dont really work.
I realized once we go on vacations in the smaller apartment we own on the beach he stops this habit completely. He just did it once after a plumber came over to fix the heater in my main bedroom.
Im worried about him, want to help him if its anxiety.
I groom him frequently and even got him finches because he loves watching birds for hours.
Whst shall I do? He is a liitle towards the lazy laid back side doesnt play more than 25 minutes daily, and we play hide and seek and chase.
Im a first time owner is there something Im doing thats causing this? When Im at work or a business trip he is left with two of my live in help who give him love and affection. He also losses his appetite but he is a fussy eatter very selective of the brands and flavour.
What can I do to relieve his anxiety?? Its causing me stress.. Am I to blame because of my work commitments?

What are you using to clean your bed?  You need a good enzyme cleaner (I'm not sure where you are located, but Nature's Miracle is what I use.) to truly remove the urine to his noses satisfaction.  It has to soak in and be allowed to dry and it can take more than one application in some instances. If he can smell it; it may draw him back to that area.  

Is he neutered?  He could be lonely if he is left alone a lot.  Who cares for him while you travel?    

no1isin said:

My 3 year old persian started this in the past 6 months and he is free of UTI's.. The vet told me its stress related since I travel alot and so wrapped up in my work but I do give him a lot of affection and tension.
When Im gone he urinates on my bed
When friends are over he does to
After my partner is over at night he urinates on my bed
When Im working late at home he comes over many times meowing to go to the bedroom with him when I eventually do I find he urinated on my bed.
I love him so getting rid of my cat because of this isnt an option. I live in a big 2 floor home most of the year so diffusers dont really work.
I realized once we go on vacations in the smaller apartment we own on the beach he stops this habit completely. He just did it once after a plumber came over to fix the heater in my main bedroom.
Im worried about him, want to help him if its anxiety.
I groom him frequently and even got him finches because he loves watching birds for hours.
Whst shall I do? He is a liitle towards the lazy laid back side doesnt play more than 25 minutes daily, and we play hide and seek and chase.
Im a first time owner is there something Im doing thats causing this? When Im at work or a business trip he is left with two of my live in help who give him love and affection. He also losses his appetite but he is a fussy eatter very selective of the brands and flavour.
What can I do to relieve his anxiety?? Its causing me stress.. Am I to blame because of my work commitments?

Click to expand...

You are a wonderful wonderful cat owner! He's very lucky for your commitment, to the point of getting him his own pets 
 

@MoochNNoodles  brought up a couple of critical points. I'm going to assume here that he is neutered. Also, you have to clean the urine in a way that won't leave any residue - 

 [article="29728"]How To Remove Cat Urine​[/article]  

You mentioned he's a Persian cat. Is he pedigreed and registered? If so, I would contact the breeder about this and see if there have been issues with other cats from his line. It sounds like it's stress-related and this could be hereditary, so at the very least it's something a breeder should know about.

In my limited experience with Persians and Himalayans, they were very sweet and less active than the average cat but they were not necessarily calm. I think they were more introverted than other breeds or mixed-breed cats. So, yes, I tend to agree with your own assessment of anxiety and stress. I can see three major things which can be done here - 

1. Assessing potential stressors and coming up with strategies to lessen their effect on his life.

I think you're heading in that direction, which is great but it does sound like there may be some territorial factors at play here which need to be assessed. Here's a couple of things I'd like you to read - 

 [article="30307"]Is Your Cat Stressed Out​[/article]  

 [article="30274"]Potential Stressors In Cats The Ultimate Checklist​[/article]  

See if you can identify the symptoms of stress and potential triggers in his life. Next, once you have stressors mapped out, it's time to see which can be eliminated or maybe you can just lessen their effect. Let us know what you came up with and maybe we can help with ideas on how to do that.

2. Work on therapeutic playtime, and yes, this can be a challenge with a laid-back cat. Here's an article which may help -

 [article="0"]Playing With Your Cat Ten Things Every Cat Owner Needs To Know​[/article]  

3. And this is obviously a last resort and something to be discussed with your vet: Consider drug therapy to help him with his anxiety. More about that  -

 [article="30323"]Anti Anxiety Medication For Cats​[/article]  

Along with the others on this thread and your vet, from the description I agree that it sounds like stress or some emotional behaviour (although a possibility of having a lingering smell on the bed probably doesn't help). Are any of the people or situations in your life new? Is the partner you mentioned or any of the common visiting friends new? 

Once many years ago I started dating someone new who had a Russian blue whom I came to love. However, he was not pleased with my initial arrival on the scene, and he would pee on my stuff. He had never had urination issues before and had never sprayed (he was fixed and this was normal urine, not spray). He peed very specifically on MY stuff, and not that of my new partner or the other housemates in the house. After a while, he seemed to accept me, and he brought me a dead bird and never peed on my stuff again. It was very clearly an emotional/stress reaction. I can't say whether your companion might be having a similar thing, but it seems like a possibility at first glance. Does your cat get along with your partner and friends? Have they tried bonding with him? Would it be possible especially if any of the people who are commonly at your house are new in your life for them to participate in the therapeutic play as mentioned above?

Beyond that I might try confining him to a smaller area of the house for a short while then opening larger areas to him a little bit at a time. If he is having less stress in a smaller area at your vacation home, maybe he will even be less stressed with a smaller "territory" anyway. But you also might be having different behaviour and interaction with him while on vacation vs. when at home and having a busy and stressful work life.

MoochNNoodles said:

What are you using to clean your bed?  You need a good enzyme cleaner (I'm not sure where you are located, but Nature's Miracle is what I use.) to truly remove the urine to his noses satisfaction.  It has to soak in and be allowed to dry and it can take more than one application in some instances. If he can smell it; it may draw him back to that area.  

Is he neutered?  He could be lonely if he is left alone a lot.  Who cares for him while you travel?    

Click to expand...

He is left with the care of his nanny and other home keepers which are with us full time, plus I keep my room open so he can sleep in a spot he is used to and ask his nanny to sleep with him (he dislikes being alone).
We clean the martix with detergants and bleach followed by vinger I read somewhere cats hate vinegar and citrus smells (use a citrus dettol).

Lonelocust said:

Along with the others on this thread and your vet, from the description I agree that it sounds like stress or some emotional behaviour (although a possibility of having a lingering smell on the bed probably doesn't help). Are any of the people or situations in your life new? Is the partner you mentioned or any of the common visiting friends new? 

Once many years ago I started dating someone new who had a Russian blue whom I came to love. However, he was not pleased with my initial arrival on the scene, and he would pee on my stuff. He had never had urination issues before and had never sprayed (he was fixed and this was normal urine, not spray). He peed very specifically on MY stuff, and not that of my new partner or the other housemates in the house. After a while, he seemed to accept me, and he brought me a dead bird and never peed on my stuff again. It was very clearly an emotional/stress reaction. I can't say whether your companion might be having a similar thing, but it seems like a possibility at first glance. Does your cat get along with your partner and friends? Have they tried bonding with him? Would it be possible especially if any of the people who are commonly at your house are new in your life for them to participate in the therapeutic play as mentioned above?

Beyond that I might try confining him to a smaller area of the house for a short while then opening larger areas to him a little bit at a time. If he is having less stress in a smaller area at your vacation home, maybe he will even be less stressed with a smaller "territory" anyway. But you also might be having different behaviour and interaction with him while on vacation vs. when at home and having a busy and stressful work life.

Click to expand...

He is neutered and it is pee since my partner and I caught him the act once. He likes my partner when he is over but when he sleeps over he does the deed on my bed.
I rarely invite friends over because he will do it, especially that some dont like cats and will ask for my cat to leave so I think its anxiety because he is usually free to roam the house and will stand next to the door waiting to go in.
I ordered some calming collars for him, read its more effective than the diffuser.
As a first time owner Im trying my best to keep him away from anxiety but feel Im failing.

Anne said:

You are a wonderful wonderful cat owner! He's very lucky for your commitment, to the point of getting him his own pets :lol3:

 
@MoochNNoodles
 brought up a couple of critical points. I'm going to assume here that he is neutered. Also, you have to clean the urine in a way that won't leave any residue - 
 [article="29728"]​[/article] 

You mentioned he's a Persian cat. Is he pedigreed and registered? If so, I would contact the breeder about this and see if there have been issues with other cats from his line. It sounds like it's stress-related and this could be hereditary, so at the very least it's something a breeder should know about.

In my limited experience with Persians and Himalayans, they were very sweet and less active than the average cat but they were not necessarily calm. I think they were more introverted than other breeds or mixed-breed cats. So, yes, I tend to agree with your own assessment of anxiety and stress. I can see three major things which can be done here - 
1. Assessing potential stressors and coming up with strategies to lessen their effect on his life.
I think you're heading in that direction, which is great but it does sound like there may be some territorial factors at play here which need to be assessed. Here's a couple of things I'd like you to read - 
 [article="30307"]​[/article] 
 [article="30274"]​[/article] 

See if you can identify the symptoms of stress and potential triggers in his life. Next, once you have stressors mapped out, it's time to see which can be eliminated or maybe you can just lessen their effect. Let us know what you came up with and maybe we can help with ideas on how to do that.

2. Work on therapeutic playtime, and yes, this can be a challenge with a laid-back cat. Here's an article which may help -
 [article="0"]​[/article] 

3. And this is obviously a last resort and something to be discussed with your vet: Consider drug therapy to help him with his anxiety. More about that  -
 [article="30323"]​[/article] 

Click to expand...

Thank you for the detailed reply will go by each assignment and will post feedback. He has an appointment to prepare him for travel and will keep his vet updated.
Ironically our vacation home is on a spot full of tourist and he sits in the balcony for hours looking at tourists day and night, but his issue pops out once we get home. I do agree with some posts the vacation home is smaller and we have more time together even if he just naps next to me.
I recently bought some of his favorite furniture pieces in the vacation home here but it didnt work. Ordered calming collars for him read its more effective than diffusers.
He is neutered but has an issue with people over in the house again this wasnt the issue in the vacation home only once when a plumber (male) fixed the heater in my main bedroom. He dislikes males even vets or whoever gives him his grooming have to be female.

I've spoken about this on another thread before.  I got two purebred persian brothers back in the 90's - one solid black one (Sammy) and the other red (Garfield).  Sammy was about 7 years old when he started peeing on my bed.  I think it started when Sammy tried his best to get me up one morning to feed him.  He was such a typical persian, sweet and laid back, unless he was hungry, then he was a bear.  But even then he was nice about it, at first.  But he peed on the bed one morning trying to get me up.  Actually, he straddled my leg and cut loose on top of the covers. That got me up alright!  

It happened again after I had been working late at a fairly new job.  I took him to the vet to check him for a UTI.  He didn't have one.  The vet said he was a naughty kitty.  I believe that was true.  He could be so sweet, after a meal, of course.  But he got such attitude over eating on time, his time.  Even after I changed my behavior and fed him the very second he asked, he had developed a habit.  So I learned to keep the mattress covered with the plastic fitted cover as well as the bedspread.  No it's not attractive but it sure beats having to wash sheets in the middle of the night.  Below is Sammy - before the naughtiness began - and the bed he took out.  

Have you tried the cat attract litter? I just started using and it works super good.

Ginny said:

I've spoken about this on another thread before.  I got two purebred persian brothers back in the 90's - one solid black one (Sammy) and the other red (Garfield).  Sammy was about 7 years old when he started peeing on my bed.  I think it started when Sammy tried his best to get me up one morning to feed him.  He was such a typical persian, sweet and laid back, unless he was hungry, then he was a bear.  But even then he was nice about it, at first.  But he peed on the bed one morning trying to get me up.  Actually, he straddled my leg and cut loose on top of the covers. That got me up alright!  

It happened again after I had been working late at a fairly new job.  I took him to the vet to check him for a UTI.  He didn't have one.  The vet said he was a naughty kitty.  I believe that was true.  He could be so sweet, after a meal, of course.  But he got such attitude over eating on time, his time.  Even after I changed my behavior and fed him the very second he asked, he had developed a habit.  So I learned to keep the mattress covered with the plastic fitted cover as well as the bedspread.  No it's not attractive but it sure beats having to wash sheets in the middle of the night.  Below is Sammy - before the naughtiness began - and the bed he took out.  

Sammy:prettybed.jpg

• ginny
• Oct 17, 2015

Click to expand...

As you mentioned the naughtiness and demand for attention, is one of his qualities. Plus on his own terms and own time so I do agree and been told by his vet he is a naughty kitty.
As I mentioned in my thread if he wants me in bed because he dislikes being alone and I stay up to complete my projects usually he will have a present waiting for me in bed.

Lesliel76 said:

Have you tried the cat attract litter? I just started using and it works super good.

Click to expand...

Whats that?

no1isin said:

Whats that?

Click to expand...

It's a cat litter that cats are attracted to. It's great for litter training cats that haven't learn't what the litter box is for. It's a bit expensive, but you can put a layer of the Cat Attract litter over your regular cat litter and the smell will draw the cat to it.

spray a very little bit of (in a plant water bottle sprayer) a mix of one teaspoon mouthwash, liquid soap each and fill rest of bottle up with water. Mix well, spray on bed. Voila-no more cat pee! Trust me- it works. Great for poo too in yard or garden.

Yep its litter that they are attracted to. I had a ferel cat I took in at 4 weeks old. He never mastered the litter box fully. Then my older cat started to follow him. So both were pooping outside the box. I got cat attract and havnt had a problem since. I dont know what's in it but when I first filled the box my three cats used it right away. It is more expensive but I find it last longer and is way less dusty. I buy 40lb bad on Chewy for 26 bucks. That last me over two weeks with three cats (scooping twice a day in two boxes). So with one should last a while. There is also this shake stuff you can throw on top to extra attact.

The only way I've been able to get rid of cat pee on a bed is with a Co2 based cleaner and then using some peroxide afterwards to neutralize the smell. It does seem like the issue your vet described but I would recommend trying to find a nice box or cloths basket and try putting some pillows or something fluffy and comfy in there and see if your kitty will start sleeping there. I had a similar issue but if you give your cat something else like a bed that they like they will take ownership in that instead of yours. This will make it so you maybe will only need to clean your cats bed until this is resolved. If you want a good co2 cleaner I use  

what im saying is see my post- if you use this on your bed once per day they will not spray or go pee in the first place!