My Cat has been urinating on my bed ever since my husband started working 2nd shift..

kimnjohn · Jun 26, 2005

My husband & I have a beautiful 1 yr. old male cat. He's very lovable & has the greatest personality! But recently my husband started working 2nd shift & doesn't play with the cat as much as he did while worrking 1st shift. Now the cat is walking around the house frantically meowing & he has urinated on our bed twice now, the one time was right in front of me as i was petting him. We had him to the vet less then a month ago & he's completely healthy. Is it possible that he's upset over my husband not being around as much?

Please help!!!!

hissy · Jun 26, 2005

I would take him back to the vet straightaway and have him checked for a UTI. That is the most important thing when cats are going outside their box. Rule out a health issue first regardless if the cat has been to the vets a month prior. UTI come up quickly and they do take lives if not caught in time.

elizwithcat · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by kimnjohn

My husband & I have a beautiful 1 yr. old male cat. He's very lovable & has the greatest personality! But recently my husband started working 2nd shift & doesn't play with the cat as much as he did while worrking 1st shift. Now the cat is walking around the house frantically meowing & he has urinated on our bed twice now, the one time was right in front of me as i was petting him. We had him to the vet less then a month ago & he's completely healthy. Is it possible that he's upset over my husband not being around as much?

Please help!!!!

He probably has urinary problems caused by stress. Just because he was completely healthy a month ago doesn't mean he is healthy now. He should be examined by a vet with you describing his behavior of peeing on the bed.
So the vet knows to analyze his urine and see what's going on.

playbunnyjinx · Jun 26, 2005

The only thing I can say to you is that cats can be trained so maybe rubbing his nose in it before you clean up next time might help. Don't be too strict though he might do it just to spite you and be careful as he probably won't like it when you do.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

good luck

lotsocats · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by playbunnyjinx

so maybe rubbing his nose in it before you clean up next time might help.

NO,NO,NO!!!!!! Don't ever rub a cat (or dog's) nose in urine or feces! (sorry to be so forceful)

Rubbing your cat's nose in pee would be just like rubbing an infant's nose in her diaper because you were upset that she didn't use the toilet. The cat won't understand why you are being so cruel. She won't make the connection between having urine rubbed on her face and pottying where she shouldn't go. All she will know is that the person she once trusted is now abusive and cruel. Please, please, please never do something so cruel!

lotsocats · Jun 26, 2005

Here is a handout on stopping inappropriate urination based on information gathered here at TCS. Some of it won't apply to you, but there are lots of good ideas the folks here have used in the past with great success.

Stopping Inappropriate Urination

First, we need to know for sure that the problem is urinating rather than spraying. If the cat is standing and the urine shoots straight back so that he/she is aiming high on the wall or side of the couch, it is spraying. If the cat squats while urinating, it is normal urination. This hand-out is for urination problems rather than for spraying.

The first and most important thing to do is to take the cat to the vet! You need to specify that the cat is urinating outside the box so that the vet knows what to look for. Urinating outside the litter box is the #1 symptom of urinary tract problems! A urinary blockage can quickly kill a cat!

If the vet says she is okay, then consider making a few changes:

• If you use a covered litter box, take off the lid. Many cats refuse to use covered boxes.

• Most cats prefer fine-grained unscented litter. So, try changing litter even if she liked this litter in the past.

• Most cats prefer to poop in a different box than the one in which they pee. So have at least two boxes for one cat.

• If you have more than one cat, make sure you have at least one litter box per cat PLUS one extra box. So, if you have two cats, three litter boxes is ideal. Do not place the boxes right next to each other. Two boxes that are together is the same as just one box in the cat’s mind!

• Make sure you scoop the litter box daily, and with multiple cats, scoop twice daily. Cats often refuse to use dirty boxes. Most of us avoid toilets that are full of pee and poop. Cats are even more fastidious than us humans and certainly have more delicate senses of smell, so of course they do not want to step in a box full of old feces and urine! A clean rug is much more attractive than a dirty box!

• If your litter boxes are old, they may have absorbed odors even if you regularly clean them. So, try buying new boxes.

• Make sure your litter boxes are in a place where the cat feels safe while going potty. If she is disturbed by you or your kids or another cat or dog while she is trying to potty, she will choose to use a safer location. So, move the litter box to a location where she can see the comings and goings of the other people and animals in the house. You can set up the box in the corner of a room, then surround the box with nice house plants. It will be attractive and open enough for the cat to feel safe!

• Put a litter box on each level (floor) of the house.

• Make sure you thoroughly clean all old urine spots on the rug and elsewhere. If she can smell the old urine she will think that place is a good place to potty. Use a flourescent black light to find old urine and treat all old spots with an enzymatic cleanser.

• Try putting a plastic carpet runner upside down on the places she likes to urinate....most cats don't like to walk on the "spikes" so they will avoid the covered spots.

• Put something real smelly where she likes to urinate...most cats hate the smell of citrus, so try putting citrus scented air freshener or orange peels or citrus potpourri where she urinates.

• According to Cat Behaviorist Amy Shojai- if your cat is peeing on personal items the cat is probably stressed out over something. Urinating on some object that holds your scent is calming to him. If you can eliminate the stressor, chances are good that the potty problem will end.

• If your cat is standing inside the litter box and aiming outside the box, you simply need a larger box! Try a Rubbermaid under-bed storage container as a litter box instead of the typical small box.

playbunnyjinx · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by lotsocats

â€¢ Put a litter box on each level (floor) of the house.

â€¢ Make sure you thoroughly clean all old urine spots on the rug and elsewhere. If she can smell the old urine she will think that place is a good place to potty. Use a flourescent black light to find old urine and treat all old spots with an enzymatic cleanser.

â€¢ Try putting a plastic carpet runner upside down on the places she likes to urinate....most cats don't like to walk on the "spikes" so they will avoid the covered spots.

â€¢ Put something real smelly where she likes to urinate...most cats hate the smell of citrus, so try putting citrus scented air freshener or orange peels or citrus potpourri where she urinates.

â€¢ According to Cat Behaviorist Amy Shojai- if your cat is peeing on personal items the cat is probably stressed out over something. Urinating on some object that holds your scent is calming to him. If you can eliminate the stressor, chances are good that the potty problem will end.

â€¢ If your cat is standing inside the litter box and aiming outside the box, you simply need a larger box! Try a Rubbermaid under-bed storage container as a litter box instead of the typical small box.

so what you are saying is her husband should not work his second shift, a baby knows better than to excreet in its nappy and the lady isn't looking after her cat properly.........I never did agree with these leaflets in the time I was a vet and I sure don't now either........

lotsocats · Jun 26, 2005

Did I say that?

If the cat is upset that she's not getting as much attention as in the past, perhaps the husband can make sure he spends a few extra minutes of one-on-one time with the cat before he leaves for work or when he gets home. That sure would be better than rubbing the cat's nose in urine! Toddlers often regress when they are faced with an upsetting life-change and stop being potty trained, would you rub their noses in their soiled underpants because they were peeing inappropriately due to being upset??? If not, why would you do that to a cat? How the heck would a cat -- with its tiny little brain -- make the connection between urine in the nose and oops I'd better not pee here?

coaster · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by elizwithcat

Just because he was completely healthy a month ago doesn't mean he is healthy now. He should be

Yes, double dittoes to that. He was just healthy on the day of the exam. So, before you get upset with the cat, please just have him checked for a UTI first. Well, er, please don't get upset with the cat after that, either, that won't help.

Some great tips in lotsocats' bullet-points list.

playbunnyjinx · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by lotsocats

, would you rub their noses in their soiled underpants because they were peeing inappropriately due to being upset??? If not, why would you do that to a cat? How the heck would a cat -- with its tiny little brain -- make the connection between urine in the nose and oops I'd better not pee here?

I hate to say this and i wasn't being funny!!!!!!!! I have a 4 year old that has been out of nappies since she was 1 1/2 no I never rubbed her nose in it but she was told it was wrong and I have over 6 years of animal experience including veterinary I have seen many cats and dogs get this treatment and it works....................might seem a little cruel, alot of vets suggest it!!!
CATS ARE EXTREMELY INTELLEGENT it worked with my two as well.......do you really think their mum doesn't tell them where to pee and doesn't tell them off??????
And before you say it a mummy cat wouldn't rub there babies nose in it because they don't have hands. My daughter did get a simular treatment when she was 3 for pooing on the carpet...........she got closely shown and told it was wrong whats wrong with that she never did it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

elizwithcat · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by playbunnyjinx

I hate to say this and i wasn't being funny!!!!!!!! I have a 4 year old that has been out of nappies since she was 1 1/2 no I never rubbed her nose in it but she was told it was wrong and I have over 6 years of animal experience including veterinary I have seen many cats and dogs get this treatment and it works....................might seem a little cruel, alot of vets suggest it!!!
CATS ARE EXTREMELY INTELLEGENT it worked with my two as well.......do you really think their mum doesn't tell them where to pee and doesn't tell them off??????
And before you say it a mummy cat wouldn't rub there babies nose in it because they don't have hands. My daughter did get a simular treatment when she was 3 for pooing on the carpet...........she got closely shown and told it was wrong whats wrong with that she never did it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't know about UK, but no vet in the US would suggest it. We used to do it to our cats but everything I have read about cat care says it doesn't work.

playbunnyjinx · Jun 26, 2005

Maybe things have changed since i went to university and if so i hold my hands up.!!
After all this is supposed to be a site for opinions and help. I am only giving my proffessional and personal opinion, and it has been agreed by a collegue as well.

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE OFFENCE BY ANYTHING WRITTEN.

tnr1 · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by playbunnyjinx

Maybe things have changed since i went to university and if so i hold my hands up.!!
After all this is supposed to be a site for opinions and help. I am only giving my proffessional and personal opinion, and it has been agreed by a collegue as well.

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE OFFENCE BY ANYTHING WRITTEN.

In the case of introducing cats and dealing with peeing and pooping issues..there are already established posts to help people. Please direct people to those posts first before providing any advice that may go against the advice already provided.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22301

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9563

playbunnyjinx · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by TNR1

In the case of introducing cats and dealing with peeing and pooping issues..there are already established posts to help people. Please direct people to those posts first before providing any advice that may go against the advice already provided.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22301

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9563

thank you again, as for these sites i do not have them to hand and i can only go on what i have grades and diplomas for. as i said before this is an advise site, what works for one does not always work for another.

coaster · Jun 26, 2005

And also keep in mind there's a wide variety of opinion on what works with cat behavior. Even the experts don't agree. Not to mention there's "old-school" and "new-school". A lot of thoughts about what works has changed. So even when people give advice with good intent, it may be contrary to what other people say, also with good intent. Such a deal, eh?

Personally, I think it's the cats. They're doing it on purpose to keep all us humans really, really confused!!

playbunnyjinx · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by coaster

And also keep in mind there's a wide variety of opinion on what works with cat behavior. Even the experts don't agree. Not to mention there's "old-school" and "new-school". A lot of thoughts about what works has changed. So even when people give advice with good intent, it may be contrary to what other people say, also with good intent. Such a deal, eh?

Personally, I think it's the cats. They're doing it on purpose to keep all us humans really, really confused!!

Thank you for your honest back up you have completely explained what i was trying to say

hissy · Jun 26, 2005

Cat behavior is an ever evolving school of thought and study. Many veterinarians will tell you that cats that pee out of the box are fighting health issues. This cat could be stressed, stress in cats cause illness. One of the first ways that cats show us they are sick is by peeing out of the box. It gets our attention rather quickly. Some cats are unfortunate enough to be owned by people who don't care to find out why they are peeing on the bed, in the shower or in the sink, and are quickly shoved outside to fend for themselves. Others, will search for answers as to why this happens, and because this is a cat welfare board that is quite popular at the moment, many end up here.

In order to prevent a cat from needless suffering, the rule of thought here is to cancel out the health issue FIRST and then pursue other reasons why the cat is peeing out of the box- not enough litter pans, not clean enough, change in the routine, stress in the home, new baby on the way, new cat in the house- But first and foremost the health issue needs to be ruled out, because it can zap a cat rather quickly and cost quite a bit in vet bills if not dealt with properly.

Treating a cat like a dog is not something that anyone who works with cats for long periods of time recommends. A cat doesn't make the transition from rubbing it's face in pee and poop to "oops I did something wrong." They only know they are being restrained against their will and will fight to be freed, and turn around and become aggressive to the owner if the procedure is repeated.

ccoccocats · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by playbunnyjinx

so what you are saying is her husband should not work his second shift, a baby knows better than to excreet in its nappy and the lady isn't looking after her cat properly.........I never did agree with these leaflets in the time I was a vet and I sure don't now either........

Please listen to what people are answering and don't be on the defense! When one asks for help, here, trust me the mods would not mislead someone.

ghostuser · Jun 26, 2005

Originally Posted by playbunnyjinx

I have a 4 year old that has been out of nappies since she was 1 1/2 no I never rubbed her nose in it but she was told it was wrong and I have over 6 years of animal experience including veterinary I have seen many cats and dogs get this treatment and it works ... might seem a little cruel, alot of vets suggest it!!!

If vets where YOU live suggest rubbing any animal's nose in urine or feces, then all I can say is that I am relieved I don't live where you do. Any vet that even hinted to me that I should do such a disgusting and abusive thing would stay my vet for approximately the same amount of time it took me to pack up my animal, tell off said vet in no uncertain terms and leave.

Originally Posted by playbunnyjinx

My daughter did get a simular treatment when she was 3 for pooing on the carpet...........she got closely shown and told it was wrong whats wrong with that she never did it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I am also relieved that I am not your daughter. To answer your question about what is wrong with it, where I live it would be considered child abuse (or in the case of an animal, animal abuse) and punishable by law in either case.

evnshawn · Jun 27, 2005

Well, this thread quickly deteriorated into a mass of flames.

Why can't we all just get along?

So anyway, I think Hissy (as always) is right. Your kitty might be trying to tell you there's something wrong with him. Please don't wait to get him to the vet. We almost lost our sweet (okay, not really, he's very grumpy but we love him anyway) Ace last year to a urinary tract blockage.

Please let us know how your baby is doing.

My Cat has been urinating on my bed ever since my husband started working 2nd shift..

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