Peeing in cat bed

Sweet Boy (aka Black Kitty) has now been in our small bathroom for a week. He is doing mostly well, calming down and being more quiet at night. He's using the litter box three or four times a day which we clean up from almost immediately. He really goes overboard trying to bury his deposits and whips Blue Buffalo Natural Fresh Walnut Based Litter into a dust frenzy. He has peed three times in this week somewhere other than the box- no spraying but peeing. I've seen a recommendation of two litter boxes, but this bathroom is pretty small. Does anyone think this is the problem?

We want to move Sweet Boy into a larger bedroom with a new cat condo just for him but don't want him to pee on beds etc. Any recommendations?

You might try using some Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter to encourage him use his box.  http://preciouscat.com/product/  Many members have had good results with this.  You don't have to use it forever, just until he's using his box routinely.  Then  slowly transition to the litter you want to use.

It's important to use an enzymatic cleaner that will break down urine molecules when you clean soiled sites.  Otherwise Sweet Boy will be drawn back to the spot.  There are a lot of these cleaners on the market:  one that is often recommended is Nature's Miracle.   Here's an amazon search that shows some of the enzymatic cleaners available:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ds=cat+enzymatic+cleaners&tag=&tag=thecatsite

The other thing you can do is give him some calming treats.  You mention that he was very stressed before so might be peeing in his bed because of his anxiety.  Composure treats are often recommended:  http://www.vetriscience.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=9008103030   Rescue Remedy is another product often recommended to calm stressed cats:  http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pets-bach-flower/

Good luck!     And congratulations on your new family member.

Sweet Boy (aka Black Kitty) was moved from his small bathroom into a bedroom all to himself. This move, unfortunately, was traumatizing to Sweet Boy. We tried to gently pick him up but he would have none of that, so we prodded him as gently as possible into the cat carrier (alien craft). He peed and pooped on the bathroom counter before we could get him into the carrier. He is in the bedroom now and has eaten but hasn't used the litter box yet in the new room. We will let him chill under the bed for as long as he needs to, but Saturday he is due a final worm treatment (no huge deal- pill in a pocket) and an ear mite treatment (we will need to secure him somehow to put the treatment high on his neck- big deal).

Any suggestions or ideas? We hate to disturb him again.

I'm sorry the move was so traumatizing to Sweet Boy.  Poor baby.  His life really has been turned upside down.

Now that he is in his own bedroom, you should go in periodically and spend time with him.  Talk to him in a soft voice or read out loud to him.  Take treats with you and see if you can't tempt him out from under the bed by moving them closer and closer to you.  When you look at him, don't make eye contact since this will seem threatening to him.  If he does catch your eye, blink slowly. Slow blinks are a non-confrontational way to communicate with your Sweet Boy - if he blinks back, he is letting you know he's getting your message.

You should also try playing with him.  Something as simple as a string waved back and forth will probably get his attention.  (Be sure not to leave him with the string unsupervised.)  You can also give him a stuffed toy to keep him company.  He might like having a cat nip toy under there.

Some people also play soft music - harp music is often recommended.

 A Feliway diffuser would probably be helpful - here's their website.  http://www.feliway.com/us/#redirected.  Feliway is based on pheromones that cats emit when they are feeling happy and content and, while it doesn't work for every cat,many of our members have had very good experience with it.  The cheapest prices are generally at amazon.  

Sometimes it helps to eliminate the bed hiding place if a shy kitty is especially reluctant to emerge.  Either put the mattress on the floor or against the wall temporarily and set up a nest made from a box where he can go hide.  You can push the opening part way against the wall so he can get in and out, or take a cardboard box, cut a door in it and turn it upside down.

When it comes time to apply the ear mite treatment, you might need to wrap him in a big towel, burrito fashion.  You can try spraying yourself with some Feliway before hand - many vets do this to reduce their patients' anxiety.   

Good luck!  I hope Sweet Boy starts feeling more at home soon!

Thank you SO much Margd! Your info is so appreciated. This morning, Sweet Boy came to the foot of the bed, stuck his sweet face out and meowed repeatedly! I talked to him while cleaning his box which he started using again during the night! Phew! I will do all of the things you have advised. We have numerous people in our neighborhood reading our NextDoor site enjoying news about Sweet Boy and his transition. He was quite a personality in our neighborhood.