Young cat weeing in bedroom

[nickytoby]

Hi,

Our kitten Toby (7 months old, but been with us 3 months) uses all the litter trays in our house for both pee and poo, but he has also developed a habit of weeing in our bedroom, especially on my stuff. He has wee-ed on my shoes under the bed, on a spare duvet, on my hot water bottle, and elsewhere in the house, on both my handbags, and on my gym bag. He has only once wee-ed on something of my husband's - an old jacket on the floor near my bag. He did once also wee on the bed. He isn't allowed in there when we're out during the day, so it is probably done either at night or in the early morning.

Our other cat, Nicky (his mum, 1-2 yo) (we've had her a little longer) is a model of behaviour. 

Both our cats are neutered, and we have eliminated any medical issues in Toby's wee-ing.

We have the recommended number of litter trays (2+1).

The cats generally get on ok - grooming sometimes, playing other times - although Toby does like to butt in on any fun Nicky is having - she generally wanders off at that point. He does follow her around and pester her getting the odd swipe and hiss in response. That said, they are generally pretty happy together. He does like to go for her food too, and has to be guided back to his own. She has very relaxed body language most of the time though.

We are not sure what Toby is doing, or how to stop it. We have currently banned him from the bedroom pending some idea of what to do.

Thanks!

 

[Anne]

It's great that you got the all clear on the medical issue. It's important to keep in mind that sometimes a past infection - one that won't show up on present test results - could be the trigger for a behavioral preference. The cat avoids the litterbox to avoid the pain associated with it. The cat gets better and is no longer in pain but alas, the association of the box with pain remains. Other times, the cat returns to the box but doesn't stop peeing on familiar locations.

Has Toby regularly used the litterbox when he started peeing on your things? Or has he stopped using the box for peeing for a while, and then returned (while still peeing out of the box)?

Also, what happens when you block access to your bedroom? Does he use only the box when the bedroom is blocked?

 

[nickytoby]

Thanks for this.

He seems to use the box at all times, whether or not the door is open/closed - so we have little clue what is going on. He also pees on my stuff even when it is not in the bedroom.

 

[Anne]

Interesting. He may be attracted by the smell of his own pee on those items. Have you ever caught him in the act? I want to make sure he's urinating and not spraying. If you're not sure how spraying is different from urinating, take a minute to read this - 

 [article="29684"]Spraying When Your Cat Uses Urine To Mark Territory​[/article]  

Next question is about cleaning. It's really important to get rid of urine scent, to the level that a cat won't be able to smell the residue. It can be quite a challenge. Take a look at this article  -

 [article="29728"]How To Remove Cat Urine​[/article]  

Last, but not least, there's the issue of stress. Regardless of the initial cause, some cats are more likely to go outside the box when they're under too much stress. Again, a couple of articles 

 [article="30307"]Is Your Cat Stressed Out​[/article]  

 [article="30274"]Potential Stressors In Cats The Ultimate Checklist​[/article]  

The thing with litterbox issues is to methodically cover all options and then come up with a plan. I wrote an ebook about this (in my signature) but basically most of it is available here on the site. You can see an overview of the approach here - 

 [article="32366"]How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats The Ultimate Guide​[/article]  

 

[nickytoby]

Thank you for this. Is it significant that he wees on my things, and not my husband's stuff? He even wees on my side of the bedroom.

Yes, we have caught him in the act a couple of times and have in each case guided him to the litter tray. He is soiling rather than spraying.

 

[no1isin]

Thank you for this. Is it significant that he wees on my things, and not my husband's stuff? He even wees on my side of the bedroom.

Yes, we have caught him in the act a couple of times and have in each case guided him to the litter tray. He is soiling rather than spraying.

I have posted a detailed complaint a couple of days ago of my cats recent behavioral change and as you realized its my personal bed he prefers. I have anticpated buying a new mattress in hopes he will change.

 

[Anne]

 
Thank you for this. Is it significant that he wees on my things, and not my husband's stuff? He even wees on my side of the bedroom.

Yes, we have caught him in the act a couple of times and have in each case guided him to the litter tray. He is soiling rather than spraying.

Hard to tell what attracted him to your things and not your husband's. It's possible he felt safer near your scent, so went there to avoid something he didn't like about the box. The important thing now is to entirely and completely get rid of the urine smell. He is likely to return to "the scene of the crime" if he smells traces of urine there. 

 

[nickytoby]

Ok. Thanks for this.

We keep finding new places where he has pee-ed - but always on my stuff!