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Help! My cat peed on me while I was asleep!!!
- Thread starter kittykatgirl
- Start Date
Back in the day we had a cat named Bear. And one fine summer's night when we were sound asleep the cat got up on my friend and peed a fire hydrant's worth of pee on his torso. I woke up to my friends screams and there was the cat flying off his chest. There was not a drop of pee on the bed and that was a complete miracle but he was completely soaked. This cat was neither sick or without ample places to pee since he could easily get outside and had always done so in the past. The cat never did it again and all we could think was that he was marking my friend for some reason. the only thing different about this cat is that we had taken it in and Bear and my friend bonded closely. Maybe your cat is telling you that he loves you and that you are so precious to him that he just had to mark you as his. At least this was the conclusion we came up with when it happened here. Sorry i couldn't be more help but at least you know now that you are not alone in your experience and that it doesn't necessarily mean a problem in the offing - though constant inappropriate peeing is usually a sign of a problem as you likely know already.
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Hi. I'm terribly upset because my cat has started behaving exactly like yours. A couple of weeks went by, and this morning she did it again at four o'clock. I was lying on my side, and she got up on my hip. Looking right into my face, she peed on me -- the new spread I had to buy because she ruined a heavier one I can't launder at home, plus the top sheet, the blanket, and my pants. She has cost me about $300 in vet and medication bills so far. I can't pick her up. A vet makes house calls, but his assistant had a terrible time catching this cat so they could examine her a couple of months ago. "An infection from the new 'light-weight' litter," was the diagnosis. Two bottles of expensive anti-biotics don't seem to have cured her. She does use her litter box several times a day, so why she is going on ME is a mystery. Has anyone solved your problem? I don't want to put Jess to sleep, but I can't cope with this. I don't drive. I can't pick her up, and she's been here almost two years. What is wrong??? If you've found an answer, please shar it.
May 20 2014 we got both of our female cats spayed cause Thunder peed on the bed and around the house. and now is doing good. Bella and Thunder are indoor cats.
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I'm heartbroken. Last night Jess got up on the bed, and I had a bad feeling she was going to do it again. I went out and slept on the living room sofa about 3:30. When I checked my bed, the spread, blanket, and sheets I laundered yesterday were all soaked again. She did it while I was on the sofa. I don't know what can be done. She might be ill and looking for attention. This can't go on. She's 12 and a half and came from a shelter 18 months ago. She just started this fairly recently and has no obvious reason. She was a really nice animal, but I'm too old to cope with this. Mabe she's ill. Maybe it's a bid for attention, but I don't think so. She needs help that I cannot diagnose or provide. If anyone could catch her and put her into a carrier, I'd simply have to let her go. Easier said than done. :-(
Hi @JayneLovelace If your cat has a history of UTI it could be that she has an infection again. Antibiotics don't always cure it and if her problem is exacerbated by diet, stress or other factors it will keep coming back until you've dealt with those issues as well.
First of all, she needs to see a vet again. I have a few cats that are impossible to pick up as well. I leave my cat carrier out all the time with a soft blanket inside and a cover over it so they use it as a bed. Sometimes I've been able to close the door while the cat takes a nap and get them to the vet that way. Are you able to get close to her or pet her at all? Luring her into the cat carrier with treats or cat nip might work. Leave the cat carrier out so she gets used to seeing it around and doesn't associate it with "bad" things.
Another thing you need to do it to get rid of all traces of urine from your bedding. The best way to do this is with an enzyme cleaner. There are plenty of good ones available. You need to rinse the wet patch really well, spray the cleaner on to the stain and blot it dry. Spray again and leave to dry and then launder the sheets. The enzyme cleaner needs time to break down the urine so that it gets rid of all the smells.
In the meantime could you shut her out of your bedroom? As long as she can still smell traces of her own urine there is a chance that she'll think that is the place she is supposed to go.
First of all, she needs to see a vet again. I have a few cats that are impossible to pick up as well. I leave my cat carrier out all the time with a soft blanket inside and a cover over it so they use it as a bed. Sometimes I've been able to close the door while the cat takes a nap and get them to the vet that way. Are you able to get close to her or pet her at all? Luring her into the cat carrier with treats or cat nip might work. Leave the cat carrier out so she gets used to seeing it around and doesn't associate it with "bad" things.
Another thing you need to do it to get rid of all traces of urine from your bedding. The best way to do this is with an enzyme cleaner. There are plenty of good ones available. You need to rinse the wet patch really well, spray the cleaner on to the stain and blot it dry. Spray again and leave to dry and then launder the sheets. The enzyme cleaner needs time to break down the urine so that it gets rid of all the smells.
In the meantime could you shut her out of your bedroom? As long as she can still smell traces of her own urine there is a chance that she'll think that is the place she is supposed to go.
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NoraChan, thank you very much for the feedback. I'm just about in tears. This problem started a few months ago when I changed litter brands and bought one of the new "light weight" kind. Jess wouldn't use the box any more, and the vet or a friend said that kind of litter has silicone in it that irritates a cat's urinary and reproduction orifices. A local vet makes house calls -- very expensive. Two came and the assistant had to crawl under a bed and drag Jess out. The vet put a salve on Jess. It didn't work at all. Then they mailed me some liquid antibiotic to put in her food. By then I had her using a new litter box outside my bedroom door. She does most of the time but now has started this behavior again. She's still licking under her tail, scratching, and this.
Right now my sheets and blanket are in the washing machine. I never heard of the enzyme treatment! I will close her out of my bedroom even though it seems harsh since she has slept on the extra pillow beside my head. Not driving has never been a problem, bringing up two kids; but now it is a BIG one. I don't know how she can see a vet when no one can catch her. I'll put the carrier out where she can see it and get used to it. Whether she'll get into it voluntarily is another matter. She's not a cuddly cat. She likes to be patted and has a shoe fetish. Maybe if I put one of her favorite shoes in the carrier, she'll be curious. Meanwhile, I have to work out a schedule with my son to come and get her. He doesn't live nearby -- a half hour maybe. He and his lady friend brought me Jess because they're volunteers at the shelter. I feel so useless. I don't know if this is a recurrence of the ITC or something else. Getting her to a vet has to be #1 priority. Thank you again for the time you took to help me. "Thank you" is so inadequate and all I can say. ~~Jayne
Right now my sheets and blanket are in the washing machine. I never heard of the enzyme treatment! I will close her out of my bedroom even though it seems harsh since she has slept on the extra pillow beside my head. Not driving has never been a problem, bringing up two kids; but now it is a BIG one. I don't know how she can see a vet when no one can catch her. I'll put the carrier out where she can see it and get used to it. Whether she'll get into it voluntarily is another matter. She's not a cuddly cat. She likes to be patted and has a shoe fetish. Maybe if I put one of her favorite shoes in the carrier, she'll be curious. Meanwhile, I have to work out a schedule with my son to come and get her. He doesn't live nearby -- a half hour maybe. He and his lady friend brought me Jess because they're volunteers at the shelter. I feel so useless. I don't know if this is a recurrence of the ITC or something else. Getting her to a vet has to be #1 priority. Thank you again for the time you took to help me. "Thank you" is so inadequate and all I can say. ~~Jayne
Could you change back to the litter you used before? I know it might seem a waste to not use the new one - donate it to a shelter - but the expense of cleaning is actually more (been there, still doing that!)! It is very interesting that the problem started with the change in litter. This is actually a REALLY common thing, as cats are very particular with their toilets. The UTI and the silicon thing is certainly good extra info and another major secondary factor, but sounds like your cats' instincts in terms of her preference were bang on. Smart huh?!
I hear your distress. It is so hard. We just have to remember that there is ALWAYS a reason...so there is a solution somewhere.
Closing out of the bedroom could be harsh - you need to assess for your cat. I choose to selectively close our bedroom. So when I see Kato looking like he might be wanting to pee on the bed, the door gets closed until the danger has passed. However, most of the night time, I feel it is too harsh for him to be shut out, as the cause of his peeing is stress - so not being able to sleep at least some of the night with me (around 4am my spider senses tingle and he might get shut out until I hear the box being used again ...if Im awake anyway) could in fact be creating more stress in a situation where he is already stressed. In these instances, I try not to do anything that adds to stress, and EVERYTHING that diminishes stress. Feliway is a godsend for us. Also a new mattress and a mattress protector so we will never need to replace it again due to pee!
Could you make a big deal of taking her special pillow where she normally sleeps and create a new special bed for her - this could be a nice solution to shutting the bedroom without being harsh?
I hear your distress. It is so hard. We just have to remember that there is ALWAYS a reason...so there is a solution somewhere.
Closing out of the bedroom could be harsh - you need to assess for your cat. I choose to selectively close our bedroom. So when I see Kato looking like he might be wanting to pee on the bed, the door gets closed until the danger has passed. However, most of the night time, I feel it is too harsh for him to be shut out, as the cause of his peeing is stress - so not being able to sleep at least some of the night with me (around 4am my spider senses tingle and he might get shut out until I hear the box being used again ...if Im awake anyway) could in fact be creating more stress in a situation where he is already stressed. In these instances, I try not to do anything that adds to stress, and EVERYTHING that diminishes stress. Feliway is a godsend for us. Also a new mattress and a mattress protector so we will never need to replace it again due to pee!
Could you make a big deal of taking her special pillow where she normally sleeps and create a new special bed for her - this could be a nice solution to shutting the bedroom without being harsh?
I just found this thread and wanted to ask you all about a situation my son and his family are dealing with. They recently got 2 sister kittens. They have 2 children, ages 4 and 10 months. The kittens are happy and the kids are good with the kittens (about 4 months old). Well, one of the kittens is peeing outside the litterbox, on clothes, beds and tonight she got on my granddaughters lap and peed on her! My son is not happy understandably. They asked the vet previously about a uti and the kitten was given a shot of penicillin. Any advice? They don't want to rehome the kitten, especially because they are sister kitties. Thanks for any input you can give!!
Ok, first up, here's some reading on UTIs: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth
I don't know the details of course, but jumping straight from the qu about the possibility of a UTI to a penicillin shot seems bad and ineffectual practice. The above will help inform the fur-parents, as I too have had bad vet practice when there was the merest possibility of a UTI and no tests were performed!!
Onto the peeing problem. Very glad the vet trip took place, as it is important to rule out health problems. May I suggest that finding a really good vet is a good idea - there's a lifetime to go. You want to be able to trust your vet. I have been thru three until I found my current vet; and our first visit was to 'interview' her sans cat, to find out if we would be a good fit. We are. She knows her stuff, and can work with raw feeding, even if she doesnt entirely agree with me. So that will be step one. And step two will be a thorough check up with the 'good' vet. It is not just UTIs that can cause peeing outside the litterbox; any health problem can cause this as peeing outside the box is a cry for help, or done to help themselves relieve stress.
Step three: modify the environment for success. Don't leave anything out that she likes to pee on - put it away! No clothes on the floor, for example.
Step four: give her some lovely blankets/towels that are just for her, and make a big loving fuss over making her a 'bed'/nest with them. She will probably be instantly delighted and crawl in. Once she is associating the blankets/towels as hers, you can spread them over any trouble spots like beds, as a protection against her peeing there. The theory is they don't pee where they sleep (I know, doesnt always work that way! But remember you have to tackle such a problem with a recipe of solutions...they ALL help together)
Step five: examine her diet. Examine feline nutrition. Adjust diet to one suitable for a feline. See above link for some of the reasons why this is so important and more info on how here: http://catinfo.org/
Step six: Mitigate/drain stress. Put a feliway on. Now get the adults to play with the kittens and wear them out on a daily basis. Play drains feline stress. Kids playing with the cats wont be quite good enough due to the children's current age. The adults have to have a designated play session with the fur kids. A supervised play session with children and cats is secondary (and important too). Create hiding places, tall places, and generally lots of cat furniture. It is good there are two kittens together - major major bonus, as the two will help each other. Routine is also good for stress-less cats. Remember that even the baby crying for a while (or any loud noise) can create stress for a cat, so because you may not be able to stop all stressors, it is super important to put stress-drainers into place.
Step seven: Create territory. As said, lots of cat furniture/ 'their' places. And SCRATCHING POSTS. We have vertical poles, a cardboard incline, horizontal mat, and horizontal carpet toppers on their furniture. It all gets used, and each cat has a preferred type. Scratching lets them deposit their scents all over their territory, and this creates a sense of peace and safety, because it is THEIR place. Plus the activity of scratching is in itself stress-relieving.
Step eight: why the granddaughter as the pee place? Is the granddaughter causing that kitten pain or stress (aka, peeing on the source of stress makes it better!), or is the granddaughter a favourite person (aka, peeing on the lovely person makes lovely stress-reducing smells and feelings). Even if you can't seem to figure it out, the action is pretty much the same: CONSTANT supervision of any child/kitten interaction, and teachingthe human child how to act in ways felines like - teach and supervise treat giving, cat kisses (no hands!), soft voices, playing gently with wand toys, how to invite a cat to touch by offering a loose fist for smelling before trying to pet, and where and how gently to pet (remember chest and cheeks and chins are all generally safe, some cats really don't like full body strokes). All of the positive associations between child and kitten will be beneficial to the pee problem.
Step nine: Stress less. Remember human angst ups the cat angst and compounds any pee problems. It will be helpful to remember that the kittens are only babies, and they are only new to the family. There is a LOT to adjust to for the kittens, and it has been a massive stress for the kittens. This helps us to not feel so frustrated and be compassionate, which is stress reducing (for everyone!) and helpful for a pee problem. It also reminds us that this may be just a stress reaction, and with gentle love and patience, as the kitten become smore at home, this problem is likely to stop.
Step ten: Make sure the litterboxes (yes, a minimum of 2, and that's pushing it! Should really be 3), are kept clean and are scooped at least twice daily. They also need to be in a convenient and nice place from the feline perspective - not tucked into a dark cupboard where the smells will stink, not next to a scary noisy washing machine, not downstairs if there is an upstairs as small bladders need a litter box on every level, and not a 'bad' shape. Eg, some cats hate enclosed litter boxes; safest bet is uncovered with lots of room to move, and litter at least 4cm deep. You may also wish to try out different litters to see if there is a textural preference, but I'd suggest keeping to what the breeder used and what is known if no problems were evident then. Please no chemicals or 'freshners', and no clumping clay (all for health reasons).
Step eleven: Keep an eye on the kittens and redirect with lots of loving praise to the litterbox if you see signs of wanting to pee on something. I notice my cat pawing at a surface and will pick him up and put him into the litterbox with a happy 'this is the place for peeing'. It's gentle...sometimes frustrated men can 'throw' the cat roughly into a litter box to 'teach' them, and this will just make everything worse. FOr kittens, rembmer sometimes their young minds are totally absorbed in other things, so they sometimes forget. Watch them particularly shortly after meals, as this is a time they will start to need to go, so it can be a good time to show them where. I also praise my cats with lots of cat blinks and happiness when I see them toileting in the litterbox (yeah, I know, mad...but I even have my husband doing it now as he has recognised it works!)
OK, thats my brain-dump! Best wishes for your son and family.
I don't know the details of course, but jumping straight from the qu about the possibility of a UTI to a penicillin shot seems bad and ineffectual practice. The above will help inform the fur-parents, as I too have had bad vet practice when there was the merest possibility of a UTI and no tests were performed!!
Onto the peeing problem. Very glad the vet trip took place, as it is important to rule out health problems. May I suggest that finding a really good vet is a good idea - there's a lifetime to go. You want to be able to trust your vet. I have been thru three until I found my current vet; and our first visit was to 'interview' her sans cat, to find out if we would be a good fit. We are. She knows her stuff, and can work with raw feeding, even if she doesnt entirely agree with me. So that will be step one. And step two will be a thorough check up with the 'good' vet. It is not just UTIs that can cause peeing outside the litterbox; any health problem can cause this as peeing outside the box is a cry for help, or done to help themselves relieve stress.
Step three: modify the environment for success. Don't leave anything out that she likes to pee on - put it away! No clothes on the floor, for example.
Step four: give her some lovely blankets/towels that are just for her, and make a big loving fuss over making her a 'bed'/nest with them. She will probably be instantly delighted and crawl in. Once she is associating the blankets/towels as hers, you can spread them over any trouble spots like beds, as a protection against her peeing there. The theory is they don't pee where they sleep (I know, doesnt always work that way! But remember you have to tackle such a problem with a recipe of solutions...they ALL help together)
Step five: examine her diet. Examine feline nutrition. Adjust diet to one suitable for a feline. See above link for some of the reasons why this is so important and more info on how here: http://catinfo.org/
Step six: Mitigate/drain stress. Put a feliway on. Now get the adults to play with the kittens and wear them out on a daily basis. Play drains feline stress. Kids playing with the cats wont be quite good enough due to the children's current age. The adults have to have a designated play session with the fur kids. A supervised play session with children and cats is secondary (and important too). Create hiding places, tall places, and generally lots of cat furniture. It is good there are two kittens together - major major bonus, as the two will help each other. Routine is also good for stress-less cats. Remember that even the baby crying for a while (or any loud noise) can create stress for a cat, so because you may not be able to stop all stressors, it is super important to put stress-drainers into place.
Step seven: Create territory. As said, lots of cat furniture/ 'their' places. And SCRATCHING POSTS. We have vertical poles, a cardboard incline, horizontal mat, and horizontal carpet toppers on their furniture. It all gets used, and each cat has a preferred type. Scratching lets them deposit their scents all over their territory, and this creates a sense of peace and safety, because it is THEIR place. Plus the activity of scratching is in itself stress-relieving.
Step eight: why the granddaughter as the pee place? Is the granddaughter causing that kitten pain or stress (aka, peeing on the source of stress makes it better!), or is the granddaughter a favourite person (aka, peeing on the lovely person makes lovely stress-reducing smells and feelings). Even if you can't seem to figure it out, the action is pretty much the same: CONSTANT supervision of any child/kitten interaction, and teachingthe human child how to act in ways felines like - teach and supervise treat giving, cat kisses (no hands!), soft voices, playing gently with wand toys, how to invite a cat to touch by offering a loose fist for smelling before trying to pet, and where and how gently to pet (remember chest and cheeks and chins are all generally safe, some cats really don't like full body strokes). All of the positive associations between child and kitten will be beneficial to the pee problem.
Step nine: Stress less. Remember human angst ups the cat angst and compounds any pee problems. It will be helpful to remember that the kittens are only babies, and they are only new to the family. There is a LOT to adjust to for the kittens, and it has been a massive stress for the kittens. This helps us to not feel so frustrated and be compassionate, which is stress reducing (for everyone!) and helpful for a pee problem. It also reminds us that this may be just a stress reaction, and with gentle love and patience, as the kitten become smore at home, this problem is likely to stop.
Step ten: Make sure the litterboxes (yes, a minimum of 2, and that's pushing it! Should really be 3), are kept clean and are scooped at least twice daily. They also need to be in a convenient and nice place from the feline perspective - not tucked into a dark cupboard where the smells will stink, not next to a scary noisy washing machine, not downstairs if there is an upstairs as small bladders need a litter box on every level, and not a 'bad' shape. Eg, some cats hate enclosed litter boxes; safest bet is uncovered with lots of room to move, and litter at least 4cm deep. You may also wish to try out different litters to see if there is a textural preference, but I'd suggest keeping to what the breeder used and what is known if no problems were evident then. Please no chemicals or 'freshners', and no clumping clay (all for health reasons).
Step eleven: Keep an eye on the kittens and redirect with lots of loving praise to the litterbox if you see signs of wanting to pee on something. I notice my cat pawing at a surface and will pick him up and put him into the litterbox with a happy 'this is the place for peeing'. It's gentle...sometimes frustrated men can 'throw' the cat roughly into a litter box to 'teach' them, and this will just make everything worse. FOr kittens, rembmer sometimes their young minds are totally absorbed in other things, so they sometimes forget. Watch them particularly shortly after meals, as this is a time they will start to need to go, so it can be a good time to show them where. I also praise my cats with lots of cat blinks and happiness when I see them toileting in the litterbox (yeah, I know, mad...but I even have my husband doing it now as he has recognised it works!)
OK, thats my brain-dump! Best wishes for your son and family.
PLz understand that when a cat pees on you or in your fav chair or bed,it is because 1 of 2 things..1) they have a UTI or are in pain get to vet asap..2)this is a huge sign of love and loyalty..they r trying to protect you from a danger they think is a danger,and by pissing on you they r telling that "danger" your theirs and stay away..the litter box is one of safety and security and that is why a feline marks the one they love most likely this,believe it or not it is the truth..example,my cat ,the male, inside and fixed,has done this 4x in the 8 TRS I have had him, it is always in my favorite chair or bed,where we both sleep,we r very very close in fact he is more like a dog than a cat,and usually another cat or something outside has gotten on patio and he is in his "way" protecting me, this is a huge compliment even though it may not seem that way and any vet that does not agree with this should not be a vet it is a known fact.i am a vet and I have researched this extensively.PLZ never ever get mad at your baby for doing this,he loves u loads to do this..my female never has done this and we r close but def not near as close as me and my "gideon" are..just calmly spray your sheets with a enzyme then wash them in hot water and it's over..NEVER shame your feline..they have empathy but do not understand this is wrong,this is their way of saying I love you and I'm scared there is a threat and I want to protect you..wise up folks,this is such a sad thing when people do not know this and think their cats are bad,,pathetic it truly is and your feline deserves loyalty and devotion just as he or she is giving u,bottom line if your feline has never done it,good,but you 2 are not as close as u think....thanks... Saxx
