Kitten Peeing In Bed

[RosenSorcerer]

Hi all,

I'm having a bit of an issue with one of my 16 week old kittens. Cinder has a nasty habit of peeing in my beds on nights that I come home late.

Nearly all of the time she is very good about using her litterbox, however one every other week or so, there's a night where I'm not home part of the evening. When I get home I go right to bed, and she and her brother follow me. The issue is that she's usually so excited that I'm home that she climbs into bed with me and proceeds to pee. Her brother doesn't have this issue and uses the litterbox autonomously before coming to bed.

Any suggestions how I can rectify this behaviour? There was about a month where I thought to lead her to the litterbox first, and tonight I thought she'd be fine and handle it herself. I was wrong and am now washing my sheets.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[Kieka]

Given their age, I would continue to lead her to the litter box before bed. Develop a routine of no matter how late you get home, a quick 15 minute play, some food, lead to litter box and then bed. Routines really help kittens learn expected behavior and if you do that every night, and sacrifice a little sleep each night for it, then she should start doing it herself without prompting as she gets older. She is just a baby right now and still needs the gentle nudging and reminders to help her. Just like some kids potty train late, some kittens need a little more time and training to help them.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

LOL, Kieka You keep taking the words off of my fingertips!

 

[RosenSorcerer]

Thank you for the reply.

Twice since posting this she's peed in the bed.
Monday, I had come home late and had done exactly as you had suggested. About ten minutes of playtime, then I brought her to the litter box. She did not use it, and I kept her around the box for about ten minutes before thinking she just didn't have to go. I went to bed and when she came and joined she peed.


Tonight she had spent most of the night sleeping and I had been home the entire evening. I was watching some TV and she climbed into bed as of to cuddle. She then peed right next to me.

Both times I immediately brought he to the litter box. Any suggestions on what I should do after a mishap to reinforce the idea that she needs to use the litterbox and not my bed? I will continue to bring her to the litterbox before I go to bed.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Where is the box located? Perhaps a second box near your bed? Not necessarily an open box, covered would be fine to try.

 

[RosenSorcerer]

The box is pretty centrally located. To get to my room she has to walk within 5 feet of it.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

This may sound silly, because you probably have done this already, but I think that I have to ask, just in case.

Have you cleaned the area thoroughly with an enzime cleaner after every "accident"? Because if for whatever reason you haven't done it in depth, it may be smelling quite apealing to her.

 

[Kieka]

Even though she is young, had she seen the very recently. I am wondering if there is a UTI going on.

 

[RosenSorcerer]

I have used Nature's Miracle brand cleaner each time. I'm not sure if that's an enzyme cleaner or not.


And yes, she had seen the vet just last Monday for her second round of vaccinations.

If it's relevant she is still using the litter box normally during the day.

 

[RosenSorcerer]

Ironically, about an hour and a half after my last post, we had an incident in the dining room. Tomorrow we are going to call her veterinarian and see if he thinks a checkup is in order, and if so we'll schedule one. Still open to suggestions, just in case no issue is found.

Thank you all so much

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Let us know what the vet says. It's hard to try to come up with a plan of action when you aren't sure if the issue is medical or behavioral.

 

[Elfilou]

Hmmm I think I have heard of this in cases of separation anxiety? Cats peeing on an owners bed, or clothing - as if to mingle their scent with their owners'.

"It’s also a way that the cat attempts to help you “find” your way home. Think of it as the feline version of dropping bread crumbs along the path."

There's way more articles online that suggests this could perhaps be a symptom of separation anxiety, especially since you say it's mostly on days when you're gone extra long. Does she show any other signs of separation anxiety? Perhaps when you're leaving in the mornings?

I don't have too much information about how to fight separation anxiety but a quick google search would do the trick. Lots of people have dealt with this. (Assuming it may be separationa anxiety.) From the little bit I've read about this:
Schedule multiple play sessions during the day, perhaps leave some food dispensing treats and maybe place a perch in your room so kitty can look out of the window when you're gone. She's still young, and she has a brother to keep her company, so it should be easily resolved

 

[Mamanyt1953]

We have a decent article on it right here to get you started:
Separation Anxiety In Cats

 

[RosenSorcerer]

Thank you guys for your responses,

I believe I have found the issue. Lately my grandfather had changed their litter type without letting me know. (He changes the litter because he's usually awake before me and just does it.) And it had an issue of just letting all fluid pass to the bottom and not drying up. We went back to the previous litter and she's been accident free since my last post.

As for the separation anxiety, I definitely think that played a part in it. If she doesn't know where I am in the house she starts crying, she cries when I leave the house, and she cries when I close the bathroom door. She definitely has a level of separation anxiety, although I don't think that was the main culprit of the peeing.

My room is in the basement and just looks out into some thick rose bushes, otherwise I'd definitely install a perch or sill for her to sit on in there. There is a prime window sill for watching for me, though she usually waits for my car door to shut to run to the door (she can tell the difference between my vehicle and my grandpa's.) Throughout the day I do play with them regularly when they're awake, and occasionally visit them when they're napping in their tree. I do hope she grows out of the anxiety, as I feel bad every time I leave home.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, good! It seems that the sneaky litter was the issue!

This article, Separation Anxiety In Cats may give you some good ideas on helping her with the separation anxiety! Let me know how she is doing!