I've had my cat Scooter for almost 15 years now, and she's always had this issue where she likes to pee in very specific places in the house. When she lived with my mom, it was always on one particular spot in the entryway, which was way in the opposite direction of her litterbox. When my mom got a cow-hide rug, it was in one particular corner on the rug (also incredibly far from her box). Now that she lives with me, I've tried just about everything to try and combat the behavior.
First, she liked to go off to a far corner of the apartment to pee. I moved her litterbox, and that seemed to help for a while. Then, it was always the spot right in front of the litterbox on the debris-catching mat. I wondered if it was because she's getting older and it's harder for her to get into her box (especially because she's disabled), so I tossed the mat and got her a shorter litterbox. That's been a definite help since then.
Now we've moved to another apartment and a whole different set of issues came up. First, it was peeing in my closet. Oh god, it was awful. She would go to sleep under my dresser and for a long time she was fine making the trek from my closet to her box. Then on fateful day she stopped bothering. So I had my closet Rug Doctored, and barred her from it. Then she would pee on any stacks of clothes left on the floor, so I had to cut her off from most of my room. That’s when the bed wetting began.
Now, no matter where I put her litterbox, she always ends up peeing in her bed. She’s even hijacked the dog’s bed and started peeing in it too!
I’m not sure if the issue is litterbox related. I clean the hell out of her box: anywhere from three times a day, I always put fresh litter or baking soda in it, and every time I buy more litter I scrub the box down top to bottom before filling it. I’ve considered getting a second one, but as you can imagine there’s not quite enough space in our apartment. I’ve tried all of The Cat Site’s tips for a few weeks now, but nothing seems to be working.
I figured if she’s peeing her bed then it’s a sign of other problems (like incontinence), so I took her to the vet about it. The vet said there’s nothing wrong with her as far as her digestive system goes, but now I’m wondering if it’s a stress thing because of her mouth infection. Fortunately I’m getting her surgery on the 26th and I’m hoping her behavior will change. It’s gotten so bad that I’ve had to put her in diapers and take them off when I see her walking toward the litterbox. Funnily enough, if she has a diaper on, she never pees in it! I’ve considered just buying training pee pads and lining all her beds with them because I’m sick of tossing them in the wash.
TL,DR: My cat is peeing the bed, and I have no idea why. I’m wondering if it’s stress from her mouth infection and I’m hoping surgery will help fix the behavior. Has anyone else had such a debacle? How did you fix it? Help is greatly appreciated. I’m at my wits end!
First, she liked to go off to a far corner of the apartment to pee. I moved her litterbox, and that seemed to help for a while. Then, it was always the spot right in front of the litterbox on the debris-catching mat. I wondered if it was because she's getting older and it's harder for her to get into her box (especially because she's disabled), so I tossed the mat and got her a shorter litterbox. That's been a definite help since then.
Now we've moved to another apartment and a whole different set of issues came up. First, it was peeing in my closet. Oh god, it was awful. She would go to sleep under my dresser and for a long time she was fine making the trek from my closet to her box. Then on fateful day she stopped bothering. So I had my closet Rug Doctored, and barred her from it. Then she would pee on any stacks of clothes left on the floor, so I had to cut her off from most of my room. That’s when the bed wetting began.
Now, no matter where I put her litterbox, she always ends up peeing in her bed. She’s even hijacked the dog’s bed and started peeing in it too!
I’m not sure if the issue is litterbox related. I clean the hell out of her box: anywhere from three times a day, I always put fresh litter or baking soda in it, and every time I buy more litter I scrub the box down top to bottom before filling it. I’ve considered getting a second one, but as you can imagine there’s not quite enough space in our apartment. I’ve tried all of The Cat Site’s tips for a few weeks now, but nothing seems to be working.
I figured if she’s peeing her bed then it’s a sign of other problems (like incontinence), so I took her to the vet about it. The vet said there’s nothing wrong with her as far as her digestive system goes, but now I’m wondering if it’s a stress thing because of her mouth infection. Fortunately I’m getting her surgery on the 26th and I’m hoping her behavior will change. It’s gotten so bad that I’ve had to put her in diapers and take them off when I see her walking toward the litterbox. Funnily enough, if she has a diaper on, she never pees in it! I’ve considered just buying training pee pads and lining all her beds with them because I’m sick of tossing them in the wash.
TL,DR: My cat is peeing the bed, and I have no idea why. I’m wondering if it’s stress from her mouth infection and I’m hoping surgery will help fix the behavior. Has anyone else had such a debacle? How did you fix it? Help is greatly appreciated. I’m at my wits end!