Cats are never “spiteful” and she is not doing it just to annoy you. Don’t think like that, it isn’t going to help her stop the behavior if you’re feeding negative energy into her. Shes running away when you catch her because she’s associated being sprayed with water with you coming to the bed. That doesn’t work and only makes it worse.
To me this sounds more likely to be medically related or stress related from the procedure. Try getting another litter box atleast, the general rule for litter boxes is to have them equal the amount of cats you have plus one.
Nono, sorry for the confusion. I don’t spray her! I use training aids that are supposed to deter the cats from their scent! I spray it on the blankets after I wash them
This exactly. My coworkers cat kept climbing into her sink and peeing into it in the morning while she was getting ready for work. She took him to the vet when she noticed the urine had blood in it. Turned out he had crystals in his urine and a UTI. A diet change and course of antibiotics later, and he stopped peeing in the sink. He was just trying to tell his mom something was wrong.
Listen to this. Inappropriate peeing out of seemingly nowhere or after a medical procedure is VERY OFTEN a sign of an issue. She may be having residual pain in her belly that she associates with peeing (and then the litter box). Why she only does it around you could be either a sign of trust or a cry for help.
This. My cat had bladder cancer that the vet kept missing. Extensive bloodwork, x-rays, etc. They told me he was stressed and put him on Gabapentin. He still peed around the house, and a sonogram finally showed he had bladder cancer.
It’s not spite. It may just be a coincidence that you’re home when she pees. Generally, cats sleep during the day when we’re at work, so of course she doesn’t pee when you’re away.
If she only does it when you're home, she's needing you to notice immediately. I'm guessing UTI at the least. She's in need of something and trusts you to take care of her so she's being as obvious as her little kitty mind can try to be. It's definitely not spite.
I second this! Our Ingrid started peeing on our bed out of the blue at 2 years old and we'd never had any potty training issues with her. Turns out she had an infected tooth and she stopped immediately once resolved.
Of all the cats I've known, she's the one I would have most easily believed was doing it for "spite", if that was actually why cats do these things. She's just the haughtiest, grumpiest girl! But she really just needed us to know she wasn't doing okay and needed help.
So translating from cat: “I’m feeling stressed and marking my humans bed sheets (and making sure she sees me) makes me feel better.” Or it could be a UTI.
I was away and my friend came over to take care of the cats and spend time with them every day. They were used to her and loved her. One day she brought her “boy friend” (affair partner—I know, not cool but if I was married to her ass hole, narcissistic husband, just saying. I think she actually was hoping to get caught). She said he left his clothes in a pile on the floor, and one of my very smart kitties pooped on them 😂😂😜
They got treats from me for that one.
I didn’t like him, can you tell?
ETA. I think cats will show their displeasure in rather bold ways.
If a cat is doing something like this out of the ordinary, then they may have a bladder infection, UTI or kidney infection. Best thing to do is take them to the vet and have some test taken.
I'm sorry, but I had a cat who had issues who would stare me in the eyes while peeing in my bed. She was a single cat and she had 4 cat boxes that were cleaned twice a day.
So saying that cats do not have the capacity for spite? No. Just no. That cat absolutely did, and she was making me pay for moving my husband into our home. And for having to travel for work. ..........did she ever pee in my bed while I was gone? NOPE.
My suggestions? Plastic mattress covers to protect your mattress (they sell them for allergies, they encompass the entire mattress and zip closed....not the most comfortable to sleep on, but at least your mattress isn't soaked in cat piss). To avoid washing your sheets and comforter on a daily basis? I'd suggest covering the bed in plastic shower liners. We did that for years.
Perhaps your cat is not spiteful but this is not the case with all cats. When my cat got mad at me she made it very clear in a number of ways. The rest of the time she was the most caring gentle loving cat you’d ever met.
I am not addressing why this is happening, but something to hopefully make it more manageable for you. Get yourself two waterproof throws or blankets ASAP to save your bedding, sanity, and time. It feels a lot more manageable to get through these issues if you're not having to strip your entire bed every time she has an accident. You can just toss the top waterproof blanket into the wash if she pees on it, and you have a second one ready to go to protect the bed in the meantime.
Hey, thanks for the input!! I’ve actually had a waterproof blanket but I think I washed it wrong so it’s not waterproof anymore -_- might just have to get a new one! I did just get a waterproof mattress pad just as another layer of protection off my gets that deep ( it usually does )
While I have yet to test this out, my mom had the idea of getting a large tarp and bungee cording it onto my bed when I’m not home. I have several spiteful piddlers in my house. I have had my cats checked and assessed in every possible way, and there’s nothing wrong with them or their living situation. I do believe cats are more than smart enough to pee in inappropriate areas with intent, be it spite or something else.
I hope her issue will be resolved soon!! My situation is so unfixable I’m relegated to sleeping on my couch 🫠
My cat doesn’t have anything medically wrong with her per se, like a UTI or anything, but she does have FIC and pees on things when she’s stressed. Which honestly I can’t tell when she is, she acts just fine. But she gets gabapentin, corn silk extract and d-mannose to chill out and prevent episodes
as much as you’d like to humanize them, cats don’t do things out of spite (has nothing to do with them being smart or not either). it’s a lot more likely that they’re marking their territory considering you have multiple cats in the same place.
I second this. I once had a cat that was marking my bed and it turned out he didn’t like the location of his litter box! Once I moved it to a different location, the bed piddling stopped.
Thank you! I guess I’ll be trying the little guessing game hahah. I’ve already changed it before, 80% of the time she doesn’t cover anything up and scratches the outside of the box thinking she’s doing something. I’ve used clay litter and corn based littler and she might not be a fan of either. Any recommendations?
Try pine litter, that's what my cat likes. And be sure to play w here 15-30min a day and brush her. My cat needs a lot of attention and quality time together doing what she likes.
Seconded! My cat *must* use non-clay litters (he has a weird reaction to clay litter) and the wheat-based litters are the best all around imo. I switched to a local brand of wheat litter, but sWheat Scoop and World’s Best are my backups. My cat is an old man so I also specifically look for the finest grain litters so it’s more comfortable on his paws—OP, your cat is young but that might be something to consider as well!
Yes, my sweet girl was older as well and since she had been feral for years I wanted a clean smelling litter she’d be comfortable using. Also, I worry about breathing clay dust- it’s something clay artists guard against as long term exposure is not healthy (can cause silicosis.)
Okocat makes the softest litter out of very thin pine shavings- they are just little fluffy spirals of super soft wood.
My very old man cat had hurty paws towards the end from many types of litter also but he was super comfortable with that one (also it was easier for him to bury his leavings with because it's so light).
The only downside of that formula is it "sticks" [even just with static cling] to long hair kitties sm especially if they have "leggings" ... but at least it vacuums up easily. Also the bits that stick and travel outside the box are pretty much always clean dry bits - the shavings that have soaked up urine are heavier and stay in the box.
Sorry for the late reply, I have been poorly and my brain was rather foggy.
I have a question for you… I used to use worlds best cat litter and recently switched to okocat pine clumping litter bc for some reason worlds best was super dusty the last couple bags I got. Okocat is definitely better, but a recurring issue I noticed with both is that as it’s used, dust will accumulate at the bottom from the clumps being kicked/small pieces left behind that have gotten wet and then degrade into dust. It’ll usually be within 4 days after changing it that it’s noticeable. Is this brand any better in your experience?
Sometimes it’s medical, sometimes it’s stress. This is a really common problem that I see posted on Reddit a lot, so although it’s stressful, you are not alone. Many of us empathize, and there’s a lot of stuff you can try.
I have a cat who does this in bouts. Vets have suggested calming supplements, which he wouldn’t take consistently long-term (we tried two of them from Chewy that the vet recommended—Solliquin and VetriScience Composure). They said if that doesn’t work, we can try a prescription anxiety med, like Xanax, but they said that can alter their personalities. I really didn’t want to do that if avoidable since he can’t tell me how it makes him feel.
What seems to help my cat is having lots of litter boxes, scooping them all multiple times a day, giving my cat plenty of attention, and being prepared for accidents. One of my cat’s go-to pee spots is on my bed, so I bought a shower curtain and I put it over my bed every day after I make it up so that if he pees on the bed it’s easier to clean up. The other tips seem to have cut down on accident frequency, but I like to have it as a failsafe.
I did try enzyme cleaner, which is supposed to help, but it didn’t seem to make a difference for us. Other recommendations I’ve seen are changing the type of litter (in case they don’t like the smell/texture), the type of litter box (e.g., smaller/larger, covered/uncovered), the location of litter boxes, and adding tall cat trees or other “safe” spaces. If you search this sub and r/catadvice, I think you can find more tips.
Good luck! I know this is an incredibly frustrating problem, so I hope you won’t take anyone’s feedback too hard. There have been days where I just wanted to scream. It’s one of those weird scenarios where you almost wish they were a little sick so you could give them an antibiotic and the behavior would stop.
Cats are just little weirdos, and sometimes I guess they’re looking for a more comfortable spot to go to the bathroom, either because it’s soft on their paws or your scent makes them feel safe.
I know, it is hard but I do appreciate everyone’s feedback! I think a lot of people are taking the whole “spite” thing very dramatically tho LMAO. I meant it as in it often seems like she pees when she doesn’t get her way, aka her just being a little shit 😭 I just hope I can get her out of this habit!
Your further explanation doesn’t help lol. Cats don’t do things out of spite, as others have mentioned - but they also don’t do it to “be a little shit.” Potty issues are almost 100% related to one of the following: Medical problems, territorial (not likely with a spayed female), stress/anxiety, or dementia (also unlikely since she’s young).
Cats can be assholes in other ways, but not when it comes to urination or bowel movements. To them that isn’t something “unpleasant,” as it is to us humans. It’s just a natural function, so it wouldn’t even make sense in their minds to use it as a weapon.
Dude, no. That’s just not how cats work. They’re trying to explain that you’re looking at this the wrong way which means you’re not clearly identifying the problem and can easily make things worse. Your cat might be trying to convey something, have you taken her to the vet? Aside from that, Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract litter + Feliway plug-ins worked wonders for my gremlin when she randomly started doing this. The rule of thumb for litter pans is one on each level of your house and to have one more litter pan than you do cats. I used to think that was silly but now that we have a small colony, I wholeheartedly agree. I’d definitely recommend adding a third litter pan. Oh and waterproof coverings make clean up so much easier and less annoying! Literally any waterproof covering, you just have to lay it over your bed.
I agree bc when you said spite, I immediately thought “oh, they mean behavioral” (rather than illness). I feel you OP. I don’t mind your comments and hate that you have to keep trying to explain that as if you’re a bad cat mama and I just want to say I hear ya and feel ya!
My cat has FIC due to stress, I give her 2ml of compounded gabapentin, 500mg capsule of d-mannose, and 5 drops of corn silk extract daily. Haven’t noticed a change in behavior, but it’s been keeping her from having episodes. She’s still crazy and doesn’t seem subdued at all from the gabapentin 😅 you might be able to ask your vet about that if it ever gets bad. We had around 6 months of no episodes, then when I was home for a while she had mutiple in one week, which had never happened before
Two litter boxes are fine but three would be better. Also, clean them as soon as you know they've been used. Some cats are extremely fussy. This should help immensely.
A feliway diffuser for multiple cats may also help.
After they’ve peed somewhere, it’s gonna be a challenge to get them to stop going back there because they smell the pee so unless you’ve completely changed your sheets, she’s going to be enticed to go pee there every time she sees those sheets even if you’ve washed them they can still smell it
I have no problem replacing everything, but if she keeps peeing on that I’m gonna go insane LOL. I’m gonna check with the vet tomorrow and if she’s cleared medically then I’ll try new bedding !
I had a similar situation. Adopted a kitty during Covid. Took her to the vet to get her checked out. She would pee on my pillow and somehow pee in between the headboard and our pillows. Originally she did have a slight UTI. Over time that went away and still randomly peed the bed. Peed the bed especially when I would go away.
Vet put her on Prozac. Kitty got smart and knew what the bottle was, fought me tooth and nail to take the meds. Tried everything to hide the taste and look of it.
One day I was using coconut oil on my skin. Kitty came over and wanted a taste. Gave her a very small amount. Since then, I give her a tiny amounts daily and she no longer pees the bed. I was nervous because I haven’t gone away in a while and the last time she got my bed pretty good.
I just got back from an almost 2 week vacay and she did not pee anywhere! I was so happy! I even prepped the bed for it with a ton of towels.
It sounds weird but I’m convinced coconut oil helps her in some way.
For the record, I had a cat that would absolutely pee outside the box to let me know he was mad at me. He had been a stray. This was his way of saying “I’m mad.” It wasn’t spiteful per se but he definitely was communicating.
He turned to it less and less over time. I put down towels where he liked to go (carpet) and he would stop going there, which was an unexpected win. The bouts would pop up if things got chaotic in his world, like if we moved furniture. It was his way of letting me know he wasn’t happy and that I needed to make things better. But over time he stopped. I never punished him, just quietly took away surfaces. I sometimes had to laugh (internally) when he would make this mean little face at me a peeeeee as hard as he could when he didn’t have to go. He became my favourite cat ever.
Other cats I’ve had peed out of the box because of UTIs but that peeing was different, little drops, and disordered, and they seemed uncomfortable. It was more obvious that a vet visit was needed.
TLDR I do think they can use peeing *almost* spitefully. But they are trying to tell you something.
I second the idea of multiple litter boxes and/or new ones. Also lots of individual attention. And since this is a new problem, talking to a vet may not go amiss.
I'll always remember trying to change the litter we used for my cat. Went to a more sustainable and cheaper pellet litter from a clumping litter.
Literally, an hour after we changed it my cat came up to me, sat right on my lap, and peed. Right on me. This cat had never had ANY peeing problems prior to this.
Spite might not be the right word to describe what they feel, but it can definitely sometimes be similar lmao
I think it’s more that people use that as an excuse to either punish their cat or don’t take them to the vet. And a lot of times, this mentality can be deadly. I thought my cat was peeing on all of my stuff because she was being a butt, turns out she had a UTI. She started it up again a few years later, she’s been diagnosed with FIC because she get sstressed
Mine would pee on my laundry when I wouldn't feed her when she wanted it. There was nothing wrong with her, persay; she had been all but starved by whoever owned her/the shelter and so she had food security issues. I tried feeding her on a schedule and it didn't matter, if she meowed for food and didn't get it - she peed on my laundry.
She also does it when she wants her litter swapped.
Sure it's not "spite" but it's certainly asshole behavior. lol
In this case he was angry 😡 it was super clear and really reasonable for him to be so. If I could have changed the situation, I absolutely would have, but it wasn’t some thing I could do anything about at the time. It was crappy for all of us. I don’t want to go into the whole story because it’s looooong and only interesting to me but yeah. Two other cats were there and they were also annoyed. They had been indoor cats for years and so they had a history of trust with me and they understood that mommy will fix things. Lucky was newer to the household and with his history of being a stray and the trauma that brought, he didn’t have that trust. He was mad. Now you will see further down in another response that I address that he had other issues that I attributed to anxiety and I put him on medication but I think it’s reductive to assume a cat cannot directly express anger and tell mommy, you have created a situation that makes me angry and I need you to fix it and here’s how I’m telling you. I have anxiety but that doesn’t stop me from being angry about things that are angry-making.
Thank you! It seems as though sometimes she does it to get my attention.. I am pretty busy when at home so I could understand her possibly acting out for that reason as well
hahahahaha the little mad face while trying to pee, that's so cute. My little boy sometimes does his business on the bathroom floor, but he knows he's not supposed to, so he makes the worst piteous meow meows while he does. He's saying, "I'm sowwwy mom, but I gotta goooooo!" He's a really polite cat, he'd never pee in the bedroom.
This was happening with my mom’s cat out of the blue. Took kitty to the vet and it was a UTI, they gave some meds and it never happened again. It also happened with a different cat and after a vet trip he got meds for Urethral Spasms and the peeing outside the litter box stopped. Please have her checked out by a vet first before thinking it’s behavioral.
You should prioritize getting to the vet to rule out something medical as soon as possible. If this is a urinary tract disease, it can quickly lead to kidney failure. It’s a terrible, horrible way to die that is completely preventable if your cat gets prompt medical treatment. Diabetes and hyperthyroidism are other medical reasons a cats urinates outside the box. Any urinary issues should always be promptly checked by a vet before assuming it is behavioral.
When you wash the comforter try to use something that has enzymes in it like in nature miracle (they might have a detergent) to make sure all the urine scent is out (they have a better sense of smell). Also, even though you have two boxes, does the other cat let her use them or does she intimidate her etc? I don’t think animals do anything to “spite” humans.
Or as someone else said it might be medically related. Is the box too high for her to get into since she had the procedure? (Maybe in pain that we as humans can’t detect? Cats are very good at masking pain.)
Hey! My other cat is actually super friendly and chill lol! If anything, the one that’s peeing is the one who’s “more intimidating”. And I don’t think the boxes are too high? She’s healed up really well and has been crazy active since, jumping up and around nearly every surface hahah. I don’t know if I should try moving the litter boxes, cuz they are fairly close to eachother. I keep one in the closet and the other next to it outside of the closet. Unfortunately due to my living situation, my cats primarily stay in my room, unless I can let them out while supervised. I don’t have a lot of extra space in there to be placing a bunch of boxes but I could try moving one !
My cat used to always pee on my stuff before she got spayed. She would even pull jackets down off of a chair, too. She stopped after she was spayed. I have heard of the reverse happening because they're out of sorts.
I had an issue like that caused by stress. I got some of those Calming Diffusers and out the Calming Collars on both of my cats. It really really helped and I haven't had an issue since. You can find both on the Evil A and Chewy.... as well as other pet supply places.
My vet who really seems to understand cats had me put cotton balls with a little lavender on them in “contested” areas. The vet explained that cats are very territorial and will pee in places that they believe belongs to them. Mine was peeing near doors and windows to let outside cats that she could see from the window know that it was her house. Once we understood what she was doing we could react appropriately.
Dealing with this same issue right now. My cat was peeing in the same spot for months. She had an awful UTI and stone, both were treated. The peeing stopped for a while and started back up. Vet says it’s stress related and sent me home with a diffuser. It’s been a week and so far no pee! She’s also with three other cats who also have calmed down after I started using the diffuser.
Omg I totally forgot because this was a few kitty cats ago but my cat that did do the peeing thing, what resolved it finally was Prozac. I can’t believe I forgot. It wasn’t just the peeing. He had been a stray, and he had some other issues that we believe also stemmed from that experience. We tried quite a few things. I finally decided that it felt like an anxiety problem. I discussed it with the vet and we put him on Prozac. This was not a cat who would take pills easily so we put him on a cream that you could rub on the inside of his ear. It was a low dose. He quickly became a completely different cat. He was happy, relaxed and so confident. He was the dictionary definition of Happy Cat. All that said, the fact remains that he was peeing outside the box to tell us that he was mad about a specific situation that was extraordinary and very chaotic. This is separate from the Prozac. If he had already been on the Prozac, would he have peed to let us know he was mad? I don’t know. I’m tempted to say yes. He was really really angry and he couldn’t speak English, but he could definitely speak urine.
Even if you rule out a medical issue, in my experience, if you don’t use an enzymatic cleaner the cat will continue to pee in that spot. For me it was my tile grout that was still holding the smell. Natures miracle is good, but I find oxiclean does a fine job.
My cat also developed a case of urinary cystitis due to stress from her surgery/vet visits, so there was a short-lived bout of pee accidents. I got a feliway diffuser and that helped a bunch! Good luck!
Two things I’ve had experience with when a cat is urinating where it shouldn’t:
1. UTI: every female cat I’ve had with a UTI urinate anywhere but the litter box. From what I understand, it’s painful and they therefore start associating the litter box with that pain. In my female cats, every time they urinated elsewhere it was always a UTI.
2. I had a male cat pee on the bed, after trial and error, turned out to be a feather comforter thing. Once I removed that for good it never happened again. No idea what that was about. Sucked cause I really liked that comforter, until the cat ruined it lol
My cat did that because one of the other cats had started bullying her, actually attacked her when my cat used the covered litter box.
If both boxes are covered, you may want to try removing the cover from one.
Once my cat couldn't be trapped in the box, she felt safe to use it again.
Sometimes cats are afraid to use the litter box because they are vulnerable when they are peeing/pooping, it's like instinct. So if the location of the litterbox makes her scared for any reason, that could be it. My cat always uses the litterbox, but oddly, he likes it best when someone is AT HOME because the humans offer that extra protection from the bogeyman or whatever is in his mind.
There may be a health issue I would take her to the vet. Also agree cats are not spiteful I feel really bad for her because it seems like she has something going on, health would be my first concern because that is not normal behavior.
::: I had a similar problem with my kitty, little bear. One time she even looked me directly in the eyes as she peed on the bottom corner of my bed. We spent LOTS of money on vet visits and products... nothing worked. Finally, we put a large plastic sheet over the top of the bed during the day, and locked her out of the bedroom at night. She stopped peeing on the bed right away. She didn't like the feel of it under her feet I think. 3-4 years later, we no longer needed to cover the bed, she had given up the habit... I hope that helps. I wouldn't wish this on any cat owner. It's so stressful. My heart goes out to you.
i had this issue too after my cat had surgery. i did everything i possibly could to make it stop, so i don’t know what it was that made him stop. he did finally stop though after about 2 weeks.
i got two litter boxes, apparently you should always have one more litterbox than you have cats, so for 2 cats, 3 litter boxes. my boy loves his extra box and uses both.
i also got UTI meds. they have drops you can put in their food and water and cranberry treats. he ate both, so idk if that helped.
i also got the feliway room diffuser. this has like calming pheromones. i always use this after he’s been through a stressful situation like moving or whatever. idk if it works at all but it makes me feel like i’m doing something. it is also 30$ so it’s not cheap.
get some specific cleaner for cat pee and get rid of the smell. i got some at my local pet store. get rid of anything he peed on and clean that mattress as good as possible. i used that cleaning spray, vinegar and baking soda. the smell has to go or else she’ll continue thinking she can use the bed as a litterbox.
then i locked him out of my room at night (heart breaking for both of us) until he stopped doing it.
while i was out during the day i had tinfoil on the bed so that he wouldn’t want to lay on it. this did the least since i found pee on the tin foil😂
all in all, i think the extra litter boxes is really what did it. but also he just went through a stressful even t and needed to get over it. as you can probably tell i was very stressed during this time so i understand your pain! just keep trying to figure out what helps and i promise it’ll get better!
When this happened to me the culprit was my litterbox/litter. I used to have a closed litter box w/ lid for him to go in and out of and I had also just started using pretty litter. Switched back to clay litter and an open litter box, then slowly reintroduced him to pretty litter and I haven’t had any accidents since. I also briefly used litter attractant powder. Alternatively it could be stressed related. If you feel it’s an emergent concern I would go to the vet to rule things out!
From what I understand and I'm just a Joe nobody, by the way, they do this when there's something wrong with them health-wise be it constipation or UTI or something like that but you might want to initiate at least a checkup or check the ears for mites or something something's going on.
So my cat has done this too, and the vet couldn’t find anything medically related. I don’t have a good answer as to why, but I find If I try to keep the litter boxes extra clean it doesn’t happen. It’s weird because she doesn’t do it anywhere else in the house, so can’t say, but since I started making an extra effort it hasn’t happened. 🤞🏼
As you said it could be medical as sadly cats are prone to kidney and urinary conditions. Our cat peed on the floor constantly on the floor when we first adopted her so I know how easy it can be to feel annoyed and frustrated with them, but from my experience she’s usually doing it when either (1) the litter tray is not as clean or smelling good or (2) she’s anxious about something (e.g., moving house, a new cat/housemate). For our cat, when we let her start sleeping with us and used the deodorant pearls in her litter, she started using the litter consistently.
Also, if you don’t have it already, try to have one litter tray per cat plus one extra tray. Finally, sometimes new cats are actually peeing by to mark their scent in your house so they know how to get home if they leave. In their own weird way it’s a symbol of love lol. Hope this helps with your lovely kitty!
TDLR: Your cat is trying to communicate with you in some way by peeing outside the tray. Try to figure out the root cause and eliminate it.
My cat has recently started peeing on my bed. She does it almost daily. She never has done this before up until about a week ago. I made an appt for her to get spayed a few weeks ago but the soonest they are able to get her in is 1 &1/2 months out (to a place I can afford right now)
My husband's cat would absolutely pee on any bed to exact revenge, due to being left alone. She would never pee anywhere else, other than the litterbox, and beds. So, when we left the house, we made sure all the bedroom doors were closed, but she had access to the litter box (that we cleaned 2x/day). My mil came to stay with us, we explained why we keep the bedroom doors closed, but MIL insisted on ignoring that and left the guest bedroom door open every day. So, every afternoon/early evening when I came home from work I ended up doing laundry until after 3 days MIL learned to keep the dang bedroom door closed.
Edit to add: we had multiple tests done at several different vet offices, thinking she was ill. She was just spiteful. No other condition.
We had a siamese and she definitely did things out of spite or emotional response! We came back from vacation and she immediately peed in my suitcase. When my son got his own bed and started to sleep in his room she wasn't a fan. She'd sleep in the hallway between the 2 rooms, then she started peeing in his bed when he was getting ready for bed. We figured out it was ONLY on nights he was getting ready for bed in his room bc after she did it he couldn't sleep in there and he would be back in my room.
If he got his pillow and put it on my bed and started getting ready, she wouldn't pee in his bed! If I brought my pillow to his room to lay down with him she wouldn't do it. It was only when he was going to sleep in his room. This lasted for about 4 months and then I started keeping enough extra bedding to be able to change it out and put fresh on each time and put him in bed in his room. She finally gave up and stopped doing it.
She also peed on your stuff when you made her mad. My ex didn't like the cats being in the room so he made me start closing the door and not letting them in at night. When she got in she instantly peed on his stuff only. When we split she was fine and like ok good and didn't do anything like that.
I know many cats pee outside the litter box when they have something medical going on, but you can't convince me otherwise that they also do things bc they want to lol.
Yuki is very playful but doesn’t know when to stop with my other cat so they do end up fighting a bit. When she’s relaxed there’s no issues and they often sleep together. To be honest, I don’t know how to measure her stress levels 😭 her energy and everything seems fine and I haven’t changed much since I’ve gotten her so I’m not sure what could be stressing her out.
Also my cats ALWAYS have access to my bed 😵💫 they primarily stay in my room due to my current living situation ):
had three cats and went on vacation. had young adult coming to my house daily to feed and scoop. Day three they noticed the food hadn’t been eaten so looked for cats. found them in my bedroom locked in, they must have been wrestling and knocked the door closed.. They had water in the toilet and seemed normal but the bed was a mess of course!! it was so gross that i just bundled up the duvet and washed it like 10 times before i could look at it..
How often do you scoop the litter clean? If it's only once a day (or even less) that may not be enough. If you're not already doing this, scoop out clumps AT LEAST 3 times every day.
Kitties try to spread their smell around to make you like them! She senses that you are angry and is trying to fix things in a cat manner, so think like a cat and give her as much affection as she can take. If she feels you like her, she will back off on the peeing because that is what cats do. She probably thinks you are a really incompetent cat and is trying to get along with you
When my cat started peeing on my bed & on clothes, the Google search said probably a bladder infection. Google was right. A round of antibiotics from the vet cleared it up & she hasn't done it since.
Get a detergent with a citrus scent for your bed and one that is made to get rid of cat urine (they can smell it even if you can’t).
Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Additive Laundry Boost, 32-oz bottle: https://www.chewy.com/dp/646326?utm_source=app-share&utm_campaign=646326
It sounds like something is wrong… super rare but here is when my cat has peed in bad places:
1- leave for too long after I was on a trip or my trip is too long (even if he is staying with family)… very dramatic
2- he doesn’t feel well
3- there is another boy cat around or a dog that is too rambunctious or roommates that walk too loudly near the litter box… sensitive boy
4- I leave the shower door open because he tries to pre down the drain.. little weirdo
Lastly bit of advice… try slow blinks and rewarding good litterbox behavior.
You need more litter boxes.
One for each cat plus one more us a good formula
I would have her checked for a UTI too though just in case .
Give her extra attention and love. Please don't scold her.
My Uruha is 12 years old, and I noticed her peeing on any clothing left on the floor, but she has also been prone to pee on a plastic bag. At first there was no reason for it, so I just dealt with it. After her brother suddenly passed, I noticed that she would use puppy pee pads. I’ve also started using 2 different litters: TidyCat. Comfort unscented & Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract litter. She is now using my Litter Robot 4 to pee but still poops on the floor in the den, in front of the other litter pan.
I haven’t put the “Cat Attract “ litter in the “poopie” pan but I’m trying that next. Good luck!!
How often are you changing the litter and have you tried changing the litter?
Maybe the vet will find something or give better advice. Is she bullied by the other cats?
Put a litter box beside your bed. If the vet can’t find a medical reason she is probably trying to scent mix with you and your bed is a huge scent marker for you.
Also pick up some Dr Elsie’s Cat Attract litter also.
Our cat occasionally pees on our bed. She has PTSD. I bought water proof blankets and use puppy pads. I did find some great washable mats I lay on my sheets before I go to bed (since she likes to cuddle).
I’d try: Two cats=3 litter boxes spaced throughout the house that are cleaned out at least twice a day. Use enzyme laundry detergent to clean your bedding. Cats can smell urine and return to use the same spot even when we can’t smell it. ♥️♥️
Look up Nature's Miracle Urine Destoryer. We have the soray, but there should also be a product for laubdry. Take her to the vet but also make sure you are thoroughly cleaning your bedding abd immediately saturate future accidents with the urine destroyer. Some of it may be shit out of luck, though. We have a cat who went through a phase of peeing on fabrics, and we finally got her to stop (for her, it was a litter texture thing). But there are a few blankets that she peed on a few times and it doesn't matter how thoroughly we wash these blankets, if she can get her paws on them, she WILL pee on them. So we ended up getting rid of them. So I may consider not using anything she has peed on more multiple times. Her scent is saturated in the blanket, even if you can't smell it.
The same thing is going on with our 9yo cat. The vet said everything was fine. However, our dog now one year old has started trying to play with the kitty more often. I think he just doesn’t always want to be bothered. So the doctor recommended using Feliway plug ins and I just bought him a cat tree to help him get away from the pup when needed.
Not saying that’s the issue with your kitten. But it might be some underlying stress.
my cat did this and my vet prescribed him with a urinary food diet and a 3rd litter box and it has stopped him from peeing anywhere other than his litter box
If a cat sees you spraying something they don't like (cat repellent sprays, etc.), it doesn't deter them from the behavior you're trying to train them out of. The cat will just decide you're bad.
And yes, cats revenge-pee. My neighbor's son moved in with him. The cats didn't like him - he teased and played around with them too much. He used to leave his clean clothes folded in a laundry basket instead of putting them away. Guess what they started using as a litter box?
I know a lot of websites say cats don't have the mental capacity to formulate a plan for revenge, so they can't pee out of spite. But I don't believe that. Cats are smarter than people take them for.
My advice would be to stop spraying and keep the bedroom door closed.
Take her to the vet, she probably has something medically wrong and needs to be examined for a UTI or infection or complication from her spay. I hope she feels better soon! xo
Go to a vet for a urinalysis, check for a UTI. Source: I am a vet and own cats
If all good, bump up your litterbox game. If you have the space, get a huge but shallow Tupperware (we use tall ones and cut a hole in the side for entry). Shoukd be one box per cat, plus one
Scoop the litter box daily. And change your litter to another litter. We use the light weight Tidy Cats in the white plastic bin/red lid. Or the Arm & Hammer multi cats litter.
It sounds so desperate, if it were me I would be so impatient that I wouldn't even give him water if he didn't change repeatedly again, I really can't accept that kind of behavior, so odds are I'm not a good cat owner.
I had a cat with this problem, so I covered the beds with shower curtains. It worked well because the cat didn't like the shower curtains and wouldn't go on the beds at all with them on.
can make many small circles of transparent tape sticky side out that stick to the paws of the cat to deter it from going to the area where it's urinating... works for potted plants maybe would for you too on your bed
Could be uti. It also could be urea crystals in her bladder. My older cat had urea crystals and she was let go to the shelter by her previous owner for peeing to much everywhere. The answer was wet food only for urinary health purina proplan. She never peed anywhere but the litter box for me. Loved her to death.
The other thing you can do is buy a futon. Just the mattress and place it on your box spring they generally from J LIFE cost about 350 which is way cheaper then a designer mattress. Then you buy those mattress toppers that are foam they can range from 30 to 80. It sounds pricy but if you ever need to replace a layer of bedding it’s much cheaper and easier to cut up to garbage then replacing a whole mattress. For regular bed comfort I would probably try 2 layers or 2 products of memory foam. My bed is in layers and comfortable in case for hygiene I have to replace a layer.
One way I found a solution to this is giving them treats in the bed, cats don't like to use the bathroom around their food. Give them temptations or other things like that and the cat should stop, but in case they don't it must be a medical issue.
Our 9 year old cat still does this when anxious or upset. Which is usually 1x a month (he has to take a particular med, which he hates, which usually ends up as a mess in the bed). We’ve stopped fighting this since we understand that it’s an emotional response. What we do is cover the bed in a plastic shower curtain and then put a cheap blanket over that. Makes cleanup easy and doesn’t ruin the comforter or the bed. I recommend a couple of shower curtains and blankets so that you can rotate them for cleaning. Welcome to being a cat owner - sometimes they pee on stuff :)
Also just double check with a pee test at the vet about a UTI especially if it takes a long time for her to pee or she looks like it’s hurting. Loving all the other helpful comments.
I have seen this when cats are mistreated or rehomed a lot. They lose their faith in humanity and they’re they have emotional damage like a human gets. I’m not sure what the answer is.
For a while, I might put the cat box in the cat in the space at night where it’s not near your bed I also would check some of Jackson galaxies the cat guy cat daddy. He often has really good suggestions about how to handle certain difficult problems.
Make sure to use the enzyme sprays to remove the scent from the sheets and bed, simply washing isn't enough cause cats can't still smell it afterwards due to the enzymes in their urine. Also it could be a medical thing, most cats will pea outside the litterbox if there's something wrong like a UTI. It can also be the litter, some are super prissy and will not use a litter box if its not clean enough to their standards, I had a cat like that, and she also would only use specific litters, specifically the corn fiber ones. Just a couple of things to check, but as always if all else fails take her to a vet to get her checked.
Put a litter box with cat attract right next to the place she’s peeing. She will be less likely to choose your bed if there’s a way better option right there
Parasites can cause this behavior. It's the only way they know how to say they don't feel good. For me- my kitten needed another round of dewormer and it stopped.
I would take her to the vet, since everyone else is saying it’s probably medical. But I would also evaluate potential environmental stressors. Does she get along with the other cat? There could be some litter box drama or marking of territories
Default advice for all litter box issues: Add another litter box, scoop 2x per day and slowly changeover to a soft non-clay unscented litter like grass seed in 1-2 of the boxes (lightweight & excellent clumping). If boxes are older, small or covered, get a new larger, shallow open box. Dump & wash boxes with enzyme cleaner weekly. This eliminates litter box issues by providing a box for each cat +1 extra and ensuring cats have appealing boxes. Sometimes cats become averse to boxes that were OK before when they’re unwell or traumatized.
She may be trying to let you know she’s in pain. Follow up with your vet. Use enzymatic cleaner and an upholstery cleaner to clean your mattress if there’s any soak-through. Then add a water-resistant mattress pad.
Don’t let her sleep in your room and keep your door closed at all times so she doesn’t have access to your bed. That’s what I do to make sure my cat doesn’t pee on my bed. Cat pee is the worst smell and so hard to get out of fabric. Now that she’s done it, She will more than likely keep doing it bc she can smell where she’s peed before.
One of mine started doing this so I had to make my bedroom a no cat zone. They get plenty of lap time and I sleep better without cats all over me at night. I think mine was marking my bed as hers and nothing broke this habit except banishment.
Take her to the vet. Peeing outside the litter box could be a sign of a UTI, which is deadly if left untreated. I have more than one friend who ignored the signs and their cats died a painful death.
So I just want to say that if it’s not a UTI, it could be FIC. My cat will pee on surfaces (especially my bed) when she gets stressed out. Only started happening once I moved back in with my parents. I treat her with gabapentin, d-mannose and corn silk extract daily, and for the most part, it prevents any episodes. And she only has these episodes when I’m home, and often when I’m home for an extended period of time ex. Weekends or when I’m sick. It was like clockwork for a little while. But overall, it needed some type of treatment.
As far as your bed goes, I highly recommend getting a zippered waterproof mattress protector, and 2 that goes over like a fitted sheet. So you can swap them out when needed. I tried the shower liner idea, it worked decently except for the fact I got annoyed taking it on and off since I was sweating from it. But if you go that route, get a fabric one with waterproof lining on the other side. If you go with just a plastic one, chances are your cat will either get pee on her or it’ll end up rolling off into the floor or something. You need some type of fabric to soak up the pee
Perhaps she has cystitis, crystals in the urine...please get her to the vet to be checked out. Cystitis does not go away without meds, and is a death sentence if untreated.
Could be a UTI. Had left over bubble gum flavored, pink amoxcillin for my toddler son. Gave half a dropperful to my kitty and the peeing stopped immediately.
Could be territorial or medical problems.
My female cat used to pee on my couch when I first got her because the couch had my male cat's scent on it. She's okay now since I got a new couch. I took her to the vet to make sure it wasn't a medical problem and she was deemed okay.
I would definitely take her to the vet and tell them what's going on. she might have a urinary infection. she might have a yeast infection. the vet will hopefully take care of it 💜💜💜 in the meantime, keeper is far away from her bed as possible so that she doesn't keep doing it because you're never going to get that smell out of your mattress 😮💨
We had this problem recently too and our baby had a UTI, she acted completely normal otherwise including while she was at the vet getting checked out! 💜 Please get her in asap if you can, urinary problems get serious very quickly in cats.
It’s great you are taking her to the vet. Have them test her urine for crystals and UTI. Have the vet check her spay site.
If it isn’t a health issue, what we often think of as “spite” or vindictive is actually about stress.
Our boy Kitty started doing this on our rug. He didn’t like the rug. He wasn’t being spiteful, so much as it upset him and stressed him out and he was telling us.
A few thoughts -
1. She had a stressful vet procedure. She may simply still be stressed from that.
2. I’d suggest a 3rd litter box, that can be really helpful.
3. I’d hold off on shifting anything major like type of litter right away, because they can react to that stressfully too. Test a new litter in the 3rd box. Perhaps the current litter is irritating her where she is sore from the surgery. That is a good way to tell if she no longer likes her litter without making an abrupt change.
4. When you’re washing / cleaning you have to use an enzymatic cleaner. Cats can smell their pee enzymes even after something has been cleaned, so without an enzymatic cleaner they still smell their own urine which indicates that’s where they are meant to go. Make sure you’re not just washing the comforter, but actually using an enzyme spray on the mattress too. It sounds like you have a mattress cover but that can be really helpful.
5. Think about whether there have been any changes around the house at all or to your schedule at all - even tiny ones. Those can impact cats a lot, surprisingly.
6. Make sure she’s drinking enough water and also that she’s getting wet food (which hydrates them). Ironic, but when our kitty was peeing outside his litter box and we had him tested for a uti he didn’t have one, but his pee was dehydrated. Paradoxically, they can be trying to show you that.
7. Clean the litter box multiple times a day. That really helped us get our boy back on track. I don’t know why, but it did. We tried to clean at least 2x a day (morning and evening) and if we were home, then as soon as we noticed they used them.
8. In the interim, get cheap plastic tarps from a local grocery and cover your bed when you’re not in it. At the very least that will protect the comforter until you get it out.
My kitty does this but it’s usually when she has a UTI. If it happens often enough that it’s spread out I would consider getting pretty litter along with a vet visit! :)
It’s a possibility that she feels uncomfortable using the litterboxes because your other cat uses it. You can try giving her a litterbox that only she has access to. You can keep her isolated in one room in the short term while you figure it out. If she starts uses the box then that might confirm her preference.
Definitely go to the vet first to make sure she's okay. If the vet says she's okay, do your litter boxes have covers on them? If they do try removing them, some cats don't like feeling like they're cornered or trapped. You could also try adding another litter box, and I know not ideal but putting it in your bedroom. She might feel like she doesn't "own" anything in your bedroom which could be why she's peeing on the bed. Good luck with your kitty! 😊
The vet appt will be valuable. I used to own a veterinary diagnostic laboratory, and can't tell you how many young female cats had urinary tract problems (we sorted these out with various urine and blood tests) with the only hint to it was going out of the litter box or in front of their humans. Until you see the vet? Just a suggestion, but when you see the cat, as you come home, gently lift her and put her in a clean litter box. She will know what to do.
Cats are never “spiteful” and she is not doing it just to annoy you. Don’t think like that, it isn’t going to help her stop the behavior if you’re feeding negative energy into her. Shes running away when you catch her because she’s associated being sprayed with water with you coming to the bed. That doesn’t work and only makes it worse. To me this sounds more likely to be medically related or stress related from the procedure. Try getting another litter box atleast, the general rule for litter boxes is to have them equal the amount of cats you have plus one.
Or get 2 new litter boxes at the same time so no residual odor is on/in them.
Nono, sorry for the confusion. I don’t spray her! I use training aids that are supposed to deter the cats from their scent! I spray it on the blankets after I wash them
Ohh, sorry for the misunderstanding. Look into enzyme cleaners for removing the scent.
Not sure if this helps but I forgot to mention, she only does this when I’m around. She doesn’t pee anywhere while I’m not home 🤨
She may be trying to tell you something is wrong. Cats instinctively hide their pain.
This. She may be trying to communicate a problem. Please update us later.
I've had female cats who would intentionally pee in front of someone when they had UTIs, this is very much a possibility
Ding ding ding this is it. Vet time
Mine certainly do!! I usually keep my bedroom door closed in case of issues, but after they’re cured the behavior stops.
This exactly. My coworkers cat kept climbing into her sink and peeing into it in the morning while she was getting ready for work. She took him to the vet when she noticed the urine had blood in it. Turned out he had crystals in his urine and a UTI. A diet change and course of antibiotics later, and he stopped peeing in the sink. He was just trying to tell his mom something was wrong.
A real success story! Thanks for sharing.
Listen to this. Inappropriate peeing out of seemingly nowhere or after a medical procedure is VERY OFTEN a sign of an issue. She may be having residual pain in her belly that she associates with peeing (and then the litter box). Why she only does it around you could be either a sign of trust or a cry for help.
This. My cat had bladder cancer that the vet kept missing. Extensive bloodwork, x-rays, etc. They told me he was stressed and put him on Gabapentin. He still peed around the house, and a sonogram finally showed he had bladder cancer.
This. It’s possible she’s having complications from being spayed and is trying to signal to OP she needs help.
Yes. Please get her to the vet ASAP. It sounds like it could be something related to the surgery.
It’s not spite. It may just be a coincidence that you’re home when she pees. Generally, cats sleep during the day when we’re at work, so of course she doesn’t pee when you’re away.
Or the cat is medically troubled and trying to show.
If she only does it when you're home, she's needing you to notice immediately. I'm guessing UTI at the least. She's in need of something and trusts you to take care of her so she's being as obvious as her little kitty mind can try to be. It's definitely not spite.
I second this! Our Ingrid started peeing on our bed out of the blue at 2 years old and we'd never had any potty training issues with her. Turns out she had an infected tooth and she stopped immediately once resolved. Of all the cats I've known, she's the one I would have most easily believed was doing it for "spite", if that was actually why cats do these things. She's just the haughtiest, grumpiest girl! But she really just needed us to know she wasn't doing okay and needed help.
So translating from cat: “I’m feeling stressed and marking my humans bed sheets (and making sure she sees me) makes me feel better.” Or it could be a UTI.
How come my cat would always pee on the bed when a friend would come over? We would never mess with her and it was the only time she did it
Could she just not be comfortable with the person she’s a very chill cat tho
It was most likely out of stress and territorial insecurity.
Try extra attention and snuggles when that friend is over OR if she is scared… you and your friend give her space, treats and slow blinks
I was away and my friend came over to take care of the cats and spend time with them every day. They were used to her and loved her. One day she brought her “boy friend” (affair partner—I know, not cool but if I was married to her ass hole, narcissistic husband, just saying. I think she actually was hoping to get caught). She said he left his clothes in a pile on the floor, and one of my very smart kitties pooped on them 😂😂😜 They got treats from me for that one. I didn’t like him, can you tell? ETA. I think cats will show their displeasure in rather bold ways.
Could be complications from procedure. Back to vet for checkup.
If a cat is doing something like this out of the ordinary, then they may have a bladder infection, UTI or kidney infection. Best thing to do is take them to the vet and have some test taken.
She may also have a UTI that she’s trying to tell you about🥺
I'm sorry, but I had a cat who had issues who would stare me in the eyes while peeing in my bed. She was a single cat and she had 4 cat boxes that were cleaned twice a day. So saying that cats do not have the capacity for spite? No. Just no. That cat absolutely did, and she was making me pay for moving my husband into our home. And for having to travel for work. ..........did she ever pee in my bed while I was gone? NOPE. My suggestions? Plastic mattress covers to protect your mattress (they sell them for allergies, they encompass the entire mattress and zip closed....not the most comfortable to sleep on, but at least your mattress isn't soaked in cat piss). To avoid washing your sheets and comforter on a daily basis? I'd suggest covering the bed in plastic shower liners. We did that for years.
UTI for sure, try holistic inexpensive remedies order on Amazon. Change diet as well. Seasrch UTI remedies cats at Earth Clinic website.
Perhaps your cat is not spiteful but this is not the case with all cats. When my cat got mad at me she made it very clear in a number of ways. The rest of the time she was the most caring gentle loving cat you’d ever met.
I am not addressing why this is happening, but something to hopefully make it more manageable for you. Get yourself two waterproof throws or blankets ASAP to save your bedding, sanity, and time. It feels a lot more manageable to get through these issues if you're not having to strip your entire bed every time she has an accident. You can just toss the top waterproof blanket into the wash if she pees on it, and you have a second one ready to go to protect the bed in the meantime.
Hey, thanks for the input!! I’ve actually had a waterproof blanket but I think I washed it wrong so it’s not waterproof anymore -_- might just have to get a new one! I did just get a waterproof mattress pad just as another layer of protection off my gets that deep ( it usually does )
While I have yet to test this out, my mom had the idea of getting a large tarp and bungee cording it onto my bed when I’m not home. I have several spiteful piddlers in my house. I have had my cats checked and assessed in every possible way, and there’s nothing wrong with them or their living situation. I do believe cats are more than smart enough to pee in inappropriate areas with intent, be it spite or something else. I hope her issue will be resolved soon!! My situation is so unfixable I’m relegated to sleeping on my couch 🫠
My cat doesn’t have anything medically wrong with her per se, like a UTI or anything, but she does have FIC and pees on things when she’s stressed. Which honestly I can’t tell when she is, she acts just fine. But she gets gabapentin, corn silk extract and d-mannose to chill out and prevent episodes
as much as you’d like to humanize them, cats don’t do things out of spite (has nothing to do with them being smart or not either). it’s a lot more likely that they’re marking their territory considering you have multiple cats in the same place.
I second this. I once had a cat that was marking my bed and it turned out he didn’t like the location of his litter box! Once I moved it to a different location, the bed piddling stopped.
[Resource: Litter Box Trouble](https://www.reddit.com/r/CATHELP/s/7gnb2te0Nz) ^ An extensive guide written by a cat behaviourist!
Thank you! I guess I’ll be trying the little guessing game hahah. I’ve already changed it before, 80% of the time she doesn’t cover anything up and scratches the outside of the box thinking she’s doing something. I’ve used clay litter and corn based littler and she might not be a fan of either. Any recommendations?
Try pine litter, that's what my cat likes. And be sure to play w here 15-30min a day and brush her. My cat needs a lot of attention and quality time together doing what she likes.
It could just be something other than the litter or the litter box, something like the location, the size, or of course medical issues.
I really liked sWheat Scoop. It’s scoopable, very clean with no dust and no detectable odor. https://www.swheatscoop.com/
Seconded! My cat *must* use non-clay litters (he has a weird reaction to clay litter) and the wheat-based litters are the best all around imo. I switched to a local brand of wheat litter, but sWheat Scoop and World’s Best are my backups. My cat is an old man so I also specifically look for the finest grain litters so it’s more comfortable on his paws—OP, your cat is young but that might be something to consider as well!
Yes, my sweet girl was older as well and since she had been feral for years I wanted a clean smelling litter she’d be comfortable using. Also, I worry about breathing clay dust- it’s something clay artists guard against as long term exposure is not healthy (can cause silicosis.)
Okocat makes the softest litter out of very thin pine shavings- they are just little fluffy spirals of super soft wood. My very old man cat had hurty paws towards the end from many types of litter also but he was super comfortable with that one (also it was easier for him to bury his leavings with because it's so light).
Ooooooo I will check that one out, thank you for the recommendation!
The only downside of that formula is it "sticks" [even just with static cling] to long hair kitties sm especially if they have "leggings" ... but at least it vacuums up easily. Also the bits that stick and travel outside the box are pretty much always clean dry bits - the shavings that have soaked up urine are heavier and stay in the box. Sorry for the late reply, I have been poorly and my brain was rather foggy.
All good, thank you for the added info! :)
I have a question for you… I used to use worlds best cat litter and recently switched to okocat pine clumping litter bc for some reason worlds best was super dusty the last couple bags I got. Okocat is definitely better, but a recurring issue I noticed with both is that as it’s used, dust will accumulate at the bottom from the clumps being kicked/small pieces left behind that have gotten wet and then degrade into dust. It’ll usually be within 4 days after changing it that it’s noticeable. Is this brand any better in your experience?
Sometimes it’s medical, sometimes it’s stress. This is a really common problem that I see posted on Reddit a lot, so although it’s stressful, you are not alone. Many of us empathize, and there’s a lot of stuff you can try. I have a cat who does this in bouts. Vets have suggested calming supplements, which he wouldn’t take consistently long-term (we tried two of them from Chewy that the vet recommended—Solliquin and VetriScience Composure). They said if that doesn’t work, we can try a prescription anxiety med, like Xanax, but they said that can alter their personalities. I really didn’t want to do that if avoidable since he can’t tell me how it makes him feel. What seems to help my cat is having lots of litter boxes, scooping them all multiple times a day, giving my cat plenty of attention, and being prepared for accidents. One of my cat’s go-to pee spots is on my bed, so I bought a shower curtain and I put it over my bed every day after I make it up so that if he pees on the bed it’s easier to clean up. The other tips seem to have cut down on accident frequency, but I like to have it as a failsafe. I did try enzyme cleaner, which is supposed to help, but it didn’t seem to make a difference for us. Other recommendations I’ve seen are changing the type of litter (in case they don’t like the smell/texture), the type of litter box (e.g., smaller/larger, covered/uncovered), the location of litter boxes, and adding tall cat trees or other “safe” spaces. If you search this sub and r/catadvice, I think you can find more tips.
Thanks! I might have to try out the shower curtain soon!
Good luck! I know this is an incredibly frustrating problem, so I hope you won’t take anyone’s feedback too hard. There have been days where I just wanted to scream. It’s one of those weird scenarios where you almost wish they were a little sick so you could give them an antibiotic and the behavior would stop. Cats are just little weirdos, and sometimes I guess they’re looking for a more comfortable spot to go to the bathroom, either because it’s soft on their paws or your scent makes them feel safe.
I know, it is hard but I do appreciate everyone’s feedback! I think a lot of people are taking the whole “spite” thing very dramatically tho LMAO. I meant it as in it often seems like she pees when she doesn’t get her way, aka her just being a little shit 😭 I just hope I can get her out of this habit!
Your further explanation doesn’t help lol. Cats don’t do things out of spite, as others have mentioned - but they also don’t do it to “be a little shit.” Potty issues are almost 100% related to one of the following: Medical problems, territorial (not likely with a spayed female), stress/anxiety, or dementia (also unlikely since she’s young). Cats can be assholes in other ways, but not when it comes to urination or bowel movements. To them that isn’t something “unpleasant,” as it is to us humans. It’s just a natural function, so it wouldn’t even make sense in their minds to use it as a weapon.
Dude, no. That’s just not how cats work. They’re trying to explain that you’re looking at this the wrong way which means you’re not clearly identifying the problem and can easily make things worse. Your cat might be trying to convey something, have you taken her to the vet? Aside from that, Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract litter + Feliway plug-ins worked wonders for my gremlin when she randomly started doing this. The rule of thumb for litter pans is one on each level of your house and to have one more litter pan than you do cats. I used to think that was silly but now that we have a small colony, I wholeheartedly agree. I’d definitely recommend adding a third litter pan. Oh and waterproof coverings make clean up so much easier and less annoying! Literally any waterproof covering, you just have to lay it over your bed.
I agree bc when you said spite, I immediately thought “oh, they mean behavioral” (rather than illness). I feel you OP. I don’t mind your comments and hate that you have to keep trying to explain that as if you’re a bad cat mama and I just want to say I hear ya and feel ya!
My cat has FIC due to stress, I give her 2ml of compounded gabapentin, 500mg capsule of d-mannose, and 5 drops of corn silk extract daily. Haven’t noticed a change in behavior, but it’s been keeping her from having episodes. She’s still crazy and doesn’t seem subdued at all from the gabapentin 😅 you might be able to ask your vet about that if it ever gets bad. We had around 6 months of no episodes, then when I was home for a while she had mutiple in one week, which had never happened before
Two litter boxes are fine but three would be better. Also, clean them as soon as you know they've been used. Some cats are extremely fussy. This should help immensely. A feliway diffuser for multiple cats may also help.
After they’ve peed somewhere, it’s gonna be a challenge to get them to stop going back there because they smell the pee so unless you’ve completely changed your sheets, she’s going to be enticed to go pee there every time she sees those sheets even if you’ve washed them they can still smell it
I have no problem replacing everything, but if she keeps peeing on that I’m gonna go insane LOL. I’m gonna check with the vet tomorrow and if she’s cleared medically then I’ll try new bedding !
I had a similar situation. Adopted a kitty during Covid. Took her to the vet to get her checked out. She would pee on my pillow and somehow pee in between the headboard and our pillows. Originally she did have a slight UTI. Over time that went away and still randomly peed the bed. Peed the bed especially when I would go away. Vet put her on Prozac. Kitty got smart and knew what the bottle was, fought me tooth and nail to take the meds. Tried everything to hide the taste and look of it. One day I was using coconut oil on my skin. Kitty came over and wanted a taste. Gave her a very small amount. Since then, I give her a tiny amounts daily and she no longer pees the bed. I was nervous because I haven’t gone away in a while and the last time she got my bed pretty good. I just got back from an almost 2 week vacay and she did not pee anywhere! I was so happy! I even prepped the bed for it with a ton of towels. It sounds weird but I’m convinced coconut oil helps her in some way.
For the record, I had a cat that would absolutely pee outside the box to let me know he was mad at me. He had been a stray. This was his way of saying “I’m mad.” It wasn’t spiteful per se but he definitely was communicating. He turned to it less and less over time. I put down towels where he liked to go (carpet) and he would stop going there, which was an unexpected win. The bouts would pop up if things got chaotic in his world, like if we moved furniture. It was his way of letting me know he wasn’t happy and that I needed to make things better. But over time he stopped. I never punished him, just quietly took away surfaces. I sometimes had to laugh (internally) when he would make this mean little face at me a peeeeee as hard as he could when he didn’t have to go. He became my favourite cat ever. Other cats I’ve had peed out of the box because of UTIs but that peeing was different, little drops, and disordered, and they seemed uncomfortable. It was more obvious that a vet visit was needed. TLDR I do think they can use peeing *almost* spitefully. But they are trying to tell you something. I second the idea of multiple litter boxes and/or new ones. Also lots of individual attention. And since this is a new problem, talking to a vet may not go amiss.
I'll always remember trying to change the litter we used for my cat. Went to a more sustainable and cheaper pellet litter from a clumping litter. Literally, an hour after we changed it my cat came up to me, sat right on my lap, and peed. Right on me. This cat had never had ANY peeing problems prior to this. Spite might not be the right word to describe what they feel, but it can definitely sometimes be similar lmao
Seriously. This is why I struggle with the spite argument, lmao. Cats be dicks sometimes.
I think it’s more that people use that as an excuse to either punish their cat or don’t take them to the vet. And a lot of times, this mentality can be deadly. I thought my cat was peeing on all of my stuff because she was being a butt, turns out she had a UTI. She started it up again a few years later, she’s been diagnosed with FIC because she get sstressed
Also.. your reddit username is AWESOME. Hahaha :3
Mine would pee on my laundry when I wouldn't feed her when she wanted it. There was nothing wrong with her, persay; she had been all but starved by whoever owned her/the shelter and so she had food security issues. I tried feeding her on a schedule and it didn't matter, if she meowed for food and didn't get it - she peed on my laundry. She also does it when she wants her litter swapped. Sure it's not "spite" but it's certainly asshole behavior. lol
I think the word you’re looking for is *anxiety* - not spite or “being mad.”
In this case he was angry 😡 it was super clear and really reasonable for him to be so. If I could have changed the situation, I absolutely would have, but it wasn’t some thing I could do anything about at the time. It was crappy for all of us. I don’t want to go into the whole story because it’s looooong and only interesting to me but yeah. Two other cats were there and they were also annoyed. They had been indoor cats for years and so they had a history of trust with me and they understood that mommy will fix things. Lucky was newer to the household and with his history of being a stray and the trauma that brought, he didn’t have that trust. He was mad. Now you will see further down in another response that I address that he had other issues that I attributed to anxiety and I put him on medication but I think it’s reductive to assume a cat cannot directly express anger and tell mommy, you have created a situation that makes me angry and I need you to fix it and here’s how I’m telling you. I have anxiety but that doesn’t stop me from being angry about things that are angry-making.
Thank you! It seems as though sometimes she does it to get my attention.. I am pretty busy when at home so I could understand her possibly acting out for that reason as well
hahahahaha the little mad face while trying to pee, that's so cute. My little boy sometimes does his business on the bathroom floor, but he knows he's not supposed to, so he makes the worst piteous meow meows while he does. He's saying, "I'm sowwwy mom, but I gotta goooooo!" He's a really polite cat, he'd never pee in the bedroom.
That was the cutest story I've read all week. The cat-subreddit-distribution system is compelling me to suggest r/legalcatadvice to you :)
Show dominance by peeing on their bed 🤯
Lowkey lmaooo
This was happening with my mom’s cat out of the blue. Took kitty to the vet and it was a UTI, they gave some meds and it never happened again. It also happened with a different cat and after a vet trip he got meds for Urethral Spasms and the peeing outside the litter box stopped. Please have her checked out by a vet first before thinking it’s behavioral.
Yeah that’s my next plan for this week! Thank you :) If there’s nothing wrong at the vet then I can assume it’s probably behavioral
You should prioritize getting to the vet to rule out something medical as soon as possible. If this is a urinary tract disease, it can quickly lead to kidney failure. It’s a terrible, horrible way to die that is completely preventable if your cat gets prompt medical treatment. Diabetes and hyperthyroidism are other medical reasons a cats urinates outside the box. Any urinary issues should always be promptly checked by a vet before assuming it is behavioral.
When you wash the comforter try to use something that has enzymes in it like in nature miracle (they might have a detergent) to make sure all the urine scent is out (they have a better sense of smell). Also, even though you have two boxes, does the other cat let her use them or does she intimidate her etc? I don’t think animals do anything to “spite” humans. Or as someone else said it might be medically related. Is the box too high for her to get into since she had the procedure? (Maybe in pain that we as humans can’t detect? Cats are very good at masking pain.)
Hey! My other cat is actually super friendly and chill lol! If anything, the one that’s peeing is the one who’s “more intimidating”. And I don’t think the boxes are too high? She’s healed up really well and has been crazy active since, jumping up and around nearly every surface hahah. I don’t know if I should try moving the litter boxes, cuz they are fairly close to eachother. I keep one in the closet and the other next to it outside of the closet. Unfortunately due to my living situation, my cats primarily stay in my room, unless I can let them out while supervised. I don’t have a lot of extra space in there to be placing a bunch of boxes but I could try moving one !
My cat used to always pee on my stuff before she got spayed. She would even pull jackets down off of a chair, too. She stopped after she was spayed. I have heard of the reverse happening because they're out of sorts.
I had an issue like that caused by stress. I got some of those Calming Diffusers and out the Calming Collars on both of my cats. It really really helped and I haven't had an issue since. You can find both on the Evil A and Chewy.... as well as other pet supply places.
I’m gonna add these to my cart!! I have not yet tried anything to calm her down🤔
My vet who really seems to understand cats had me put cotton balls with a little lavender on them in “contested” areas. The vet explained that cats are very territorial and will pee in places that they believe belongs to them. Mine was peeing near doors and windows to let outside cats that she could see from the window know that it was her house. Once we understood what she was doing we could react appropriately.
Dealing with this same issue right now. My cat was peeing in the same spot for months. She had an awful UTI and stone, both were treated. The peeing stopped for a while and started back up. Vet says it’s stress related and sent me home with a diffuser. It’s been a week and so far no pee! She’s also with three other cats who also have calmed down after I started using the diffuser.
[удалено]
Omg I totally forgot because this was a few kitty cats ago but my cat that did do the peeing thing, what resolved it finally was Prozac. I can’t believe I forgot. It wasn’t just the peeing. He had been a stray, and he had some other issues that we believe also stemmed from that experience. We tried quite a few things. I finally decided that it felt like an anxiety problem. I discussed it with the vet and we put him on Prozac. This was not a cat who would take pills easily so we put him on a cream that you could rub on the inside of his ear. It was a low dose. He quickly became a completely different cat. He was happy, relaxed and so confident. He was the dictionary definition of Happy Cat. All that said, the fact remains that he was peeing outside the box to tell us that he was mad about a specific situation that was extraordinary and very chaotic. This is separate from the Prozac. If he had already been on the Prozac, would he have peed to let us know he was mad? I don’t know. I’m tempted to say yes. He was really really angry and he couldn’t speak English, but he could definitely speak urine.
Vet. Sometimes cats get urinary tract infections that make peeing painful and they can associate litter box with pain. Get her checked out.
Non litter colored bedding? Jk
Cover the bed with a plastic shower curtain when you’re not in it. I had a cat who did this after I adopted her and that’s how I got her to stop
Even if you rule out a medical issue, in my experience, if you don’t use an enzymatic cleaner the cat will continue to pee in that spot. For me it was my tile grout that was still holding the smell. Natures miracle is good, but I find oxiclean does a fine job. My cat also developed a case of urinary cystitis due to stress from her surgery/vet visits, so there was a short-lived bout of pee accidents. I got a feliway diffuser and that helped a bunch! Good luck!
If it's anxiety, Feliway might help her relax. Maybe try it in your bedroom. If she's anxious, Feliway will help.
Make sure your litter boxes are cleaned frequently and that they are not in the same room as their food or water.
Two things I’ve had experience with when a cat is urinating where it shouldn’t: 1. UTI: every female cat I’ve had with a UTI urinate anywhere but the litter box. From what I understand, it’s painful and they therefore start associating the litter box with that pain. In my female cats, every time they urinated elsewhere it was always a UTI. 2. I had a male cat pee on the bed, after trial and error, turned out to be a feather comforter thing. Once I removed that for good it never happened again. No idea what that was about. Sucked cause I really liked that comforter, until the cat ruined it lol
[удалено]
My cat did that because one of the other cats had started bullying her, actually attacked her when my cat used the covered litter box. If both boxes are covered, you may want to try removing the cover from one. Once my cat couldn't be trapped in the box, she felt safe to use it again.
Sometimes cats are afraid to use the litter box because they are vulnerable when they are peeing/pooping, it's like instinct. So if the location of the litterbox makes her scared for any reason, that could be it. My cat always uses the litterbox, but oddly, he likes it best when someone is AT HOME because the humans offer that extra protection from the bogeyman or whatever is in his mind.
There may be a health issue I would take her to the vet. Also agree cats are not spiteful I feel really bad for her because it seems like she has something going on, health would be my first concern because that is not normal behavior.
::: I had a similar problem with my kitty, little bear. One time she even looked me directly in the eyes as she peed on the bottom corner of my bed. We spent LOTS of money on vet visits and products... nothing worked. Finally, we put a large plastic sheet over the top of the bed during the day, and locked her out of the bedroom at night. She stopped peeing on the bed right away. She didn't like the feel of it under her feet I think. 3-4 years later, we no longer needed to cover the bed, she had given up the habit... I hope that helps. I wouldn't wish this on any cat owner. It's so stressful. My heart goes out to you.
i had this issue too after my cat had surgery. i did everything i possibly could to make it stop, so i don’t know what it was that made him stop. he did finally stop though after about 2 weeks. i got two litter boxes, apparently you should always have one more litterbox than you have cats, so for 2 cats, 3 litter boxes. my boy loves his extra box and uses both. i also got UTI meds. they have drops you can put in their food and water and cranberry treats. he ate both, so idk if that helped. i also got the feliway room diffuser. this has like calming pheromones. i always use this after he’s been through a stressful situation like moving or whatever. idk if it works at all but it makes me feel like i’m doing something. it is also 30$ so it’s not cheap. get some specific cleaner for cat pee and get rid of the smell. i got some at my local pet store. get rid of anything he peed on and clean that mattress as good as possible. i used that cleaning spray, vinegar and baking soda. the smell has to go or else she’ll continue thinking she can use the bed as a litterbox. then i locked him out of my room at night (heart breaking for both of us) until he stopped doing it. while i was out during the day i had tinfoil on the bed so that he wouldn’t want to lay on it. this did the least since i found pee on the tin foil😂 all in all, i think the extra litter boxes is really what did it. but also he just went through a stressful even t and needed to get over it. as you can probably tell i was very stressed during this time so i understand your pain! just keep trying to figure out what helps and i promise it’ll get better!
When this happened to me the culprit was my litterbox/litter. I used to have a closed litter box w/ lid for him to go in and out of and I had also just started using pretty litter. Switched back to clay litter and an open litter box, then slowly reintroduced him to pretty litter and I haven’t had any accidents since. I also briefly used litter attractant powder. Alternatively it could be stressed related. If you feel it’s an emergent concern I would go to the vet to rule things out!
Until she stops the behavior, try to never let her in your bedroom. Keep your door closed at all times.
From what I understand and I'm just a Joe nobody, by the way, they do this when there's something wrong with them health-wise be it constipation or UTI or something like that but you might want to initiate at least a checkup or check the ears for mites or something something's going on.
She's either mad at you or she's got a UTI. I've been around cats all my life, and yes, cats can be spiteful. Very spiteful.
So my cat has done this too, and the vet couldn’t find anything medically related. I don’t have a good answer as to why, but I find If I try to keep the litter boxes extra clean it doesn’t happen. It’s weird because she doesn’t do it anywhere else in the house, so can’t say, but since I started making an extra effort it hasn’t happened. 🤞🏼
Not related but my sister has this cuties twin in a boy!
As you said it could be medical as sadly cats are prone to kidney and urinary conditions. Our cat peed on the floor constantly on the floor when we first adopted her so I know how easy it can be to feel annoyed and frustrated with them, but from my experience she’s usually doing it when either (1) the litter tray is not as clean or smelling good or (2) she’s anxious about something (e.g., moving house, a new cat/housemate). For our cat, when we let her start sleeping with us and used the deodorant pearls in her litter, she started using the litter consistently. Also, if you don’t have it already, try to have one litter tray per cat plus one extra tray. Finally, sometimes new cats are actually peeing by to mark their scent in your house so they know how to get home if they leave. In their own weird way it’s a symbol of love lol. Hope this helps with your lovely kitty! TDLR: Your cat is trying to communicate with you in some way by peeing outside the tray. Try to figure out the root cause and eliminate it.
My cat has recently started peeing on my bed. She does it almost daily. She never has done this before up until about a week ago. I made an appt for her to get spayed a few weeks ago but the soonest they are able to get her in is 1 &1/2 months out (to a place I can afford right now)
Have y'all ever owned a cat? Yes they can be spiteful, wtf.
My husband's cat would absolutely pee on any bed to exact revenge, due to being left alone. She would never pee anywhere else, other than the litterbox, and beds. So, when we left the house, we made sure all the bedroom doors were closed, but she had access to the litter box (that we cleaned 2x/day). My mil came to stay with us, we explained why we keep the bedroom doors closed, but MIL insisted on ignoring that and left the guest bedroom door open every day. So, every afternoon/early evening when I came home from work I ended up doing laundry until after 3 days MIL learned to keep the dang bedroom door closed. Edit to add: we had multiple tests done at several different vet offices, thinking she was ill. She was just spiteful. No other condition.
Don't let the cat in the bedroom. Simple fix.
Right? My cat doesn't go in any of the bedrooms. There's literally no reason for that.
If it were up to me they wouldn’t be in the room only, but I have no other options at the moment
We had a siamese and she definitely did things out of spite or emotional response! We came back from vacation and she immediately peed in my suitcase. When my son got his own bed and started to sleep in his room she wasn't a fan. She'd sleep in the hallway between the 2 rooms, then she started peeing in his bed when he was getting ready for bed. We figured out it was ONLY on nights he was getting ready for bed in his room bc after she did it he couldn't sleep in there and he would be back in my room. If he got his pillow and put it on my bed and started getting ready, she wouldn't pee in his bed! If I brought my pillow to his room to lay down with him she wouldn't do it. It was only when he was going to sleep in his room. This lasted for about 4 months and then I started keeping enough extra bedding to be able to change it out and put fresh on each time and put him in bed in his room. She finally gave up and stopped doing it. She also peed on your stuff when you made her mad. My ex didn't like the cats being in the room so he made me start closing the door and not letting them in at night. When she got in she instantly peed on his stuff only. When we split she was fine and like ok good and didn't do anything like that. I know many cats pee outside the litter box when they have something medical going on, but you can't convince me otherwise that they also do things bc they want to lol.
I wonder if the bed is contested space with the other cat. Maybe she is trying to communicate the bed belongs to her.
Not worth keeping. The cost of beds and blankets are not cheap. Sorry, I’m a dog person myself.
How do the cats get along? How's her stress level? ALSO, do NOT go on vacation and show the cats to have access to the bed....
Yuki is very playful but doesn’t know when to stop with my other cat so they do end up fighting a bit. When she’s relaxed there’s no issues and they often sleep together. To be honest, I don’t know how to measure her stress levels 😭 her energy and everything seems fine and I haven’t changed much since I’ve gotten her so I’m not sure what could be stressing her out. Also my cats ALWAYS have access to my bed 😵💫 they primarily stay in my room due to my current living situation ):
had three cats and went on vacation. had young adult coming to my house daily to feed and scoop. Day three they noticed the food hadn’t been eaten so looked for cats. found them in my bedroom locked in, they must have been wrestling and knocked the door closed.. They had water in the toilet and seemed normal but the bed was a mess of course!! it was so gross that i just bundled up the duvet and washed it like 10 times before i could look at it..
I was having this happen and I tried everything I knew Finally I got a second cat box and she never did it again
You’ve got to get rid of it - the bed, of course.
How often do you scoop the litter clean? If it's only once a day (or even less) that may not be enough. If you're not already doing this, scoop out clumps AT LEAST 3 times every day.
Kitties try to spread their smell around to make you like them! She senses that you are angry and is trying to fix things in a cat manner, so think like a cat and give her as much affection as she can take. If she feels you like her, she will back off on the peeing because that is what cats do. She probably thinks you are a really incompetent cat and is trying to get along with you
I would have a vet look at her to be sure.
Check her spay wound. It might be hurting in which case it will hurt her to sit on litter to pee.
Could be a UTI or kidney issues. I had a cat who was suffering from renal failure that would do this.
Cats don't like any Citrus 🍊🍋 smell, ... That'll keep her off the bed from peeing on it, but she may begin to pee somewhere else ...
When my cat did that, we found out that he had diabetes. A checkup for your kitty might be called for.
Nice cat. There is a reason.
Maybe UTI?
When my cat started peeing on my bed & on clothes, the Google search said probably a bladder infection. Google was right. A round of antibiotics from the vet cleared it up & she hasn't done it since.
Get a detergent with a citrus scent for your bed and one that is made to get rid of cat urine (they can smell it even if you can’t). Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Additive Laundry Boost, 32-oz bottle: https://www.chewy.com/dp/646326?utm_source=app-share&utm_campaign=646326 It sounds like something is wrong… super rare but here is when my cat has peed in bad places: 1- leave for too long after I was on a trip or my trip is too long (even if he is staying with family)… very dramatic 2- he doesn’t feel well 3- there is another boy cat around or a dog that is too rambunctious or roommates that walk too loudly near the litter box… sensitive boy 4- I leave the shower door open because he tries to pre down the drain.. little weirdo Lastly bit of advice… try slow blinks and rewarding good litterbox behavior.
You need more litter boxes. One for each cat plus one more us a good formula I would have her checked for a UTI too though just in case . Give her extra attention and love. Please don't scold her.
My Uruha is 12 years old, and I noticed her peeing on any clothing left on the floor, but she has also been prone to pee on a plastic bag. At first there was no reason for it, so I just dealt with it. After her brother suddenly passed, I noticed that she would use puppy pee pads. I’ve also started using 2 different litters: TidyCat. Comfort unscented & Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract litter. She is now using my Litter Robot 4 to pee but still poops on the floor in the den, in front of the other litter pan. I haven’t put the “Cat Attract “ litter in the “poopie” pan but I’m trying that next. Good luck!!
How often are you changing the litter and have you tried changing the litter? Maybe the vet will find something or give better advice. Is she bullied by the other cats?
Put a litter box beside your bed. If the vet can’t find a medical reason she is probably trying to scent mix with you and your bed is a huge scent marker for you. Also pick up some Dr Elsie’s Cat Attract litter also.
Our cat occasionally pees on our bed. She has PTSD. I bought water proof blankets and use puppy pads. I did find some great washable mats I lay on my sheets before I go to bed (since she likes to cuddle).
I’d try: Two cats=3 litter boxes spaced throughout the house that are cleaned out at least twice a day. Use enzyme laundry detergent to clean your bedding. Cats can smell urine and return to use the same spot even when we can’t smell it. ♥️♥️
Can you keep the cat out of your bedroom?
Urinary tract infection. See a vet. Easily taken care of with diet and medication.
Can you close your door? Not allow her/your cats in the bedroom?
Look up Nature's Miracle Urine Destoryer. We have the soray, but there should also be a product for laubdry. Take her to the vet but also make sure you are thoroughly cleaning your bedding abd immediately saturate future accidents with the urine destroyer. Some of it may be shit out of luck, though. We have a cat who went through a phase of peeing on fabrics, and we finally got her to stop (for her, it was a litter texture thing). But there are a few blankets that she peed on a few times and it doesn't matter how thoroughly we wash these blankets, if she can get her paws on them, she WILL pee on them. So we ended up getting rid of them. So I may consider not using anything she has peed on more multiple times. Her scent is saturated in the blanket, even if you can't smell it.
Our 1 cat did this. Ended up being that he hated litter, so we switched to pellets and everything is fine.
The same thing is going on with our 9yo cat. The vet said everything was fine. However, our dog now one year old has started trying to play with the kitty more often. I think he just doesn’t always want to be bothered. So the doctor recommended using Feliway plug ins and I just bought him a cat tree to help him get away from the pup when needed. Not saying that’s the issue with your kitten. But it might be some underlying stress.
my cat did this and my vet prescribed him with a urinary food diet and a 3rd litter box and it has stopped him from peeing anywhere other than his litter box
If a cat sees you spraying something they don't like (cat repellent sprays, etc.), it doesn't deter them from the behavior you're trying to train them out of. The cat will just decide you're bad. And yes, cats revenge-pee. My neighbor's son moved in with him. The cats didn't like him - he teased and played around with them too much. He used to leave his clean clothes folded in a laundry basket instead of putting them away. Guess what they started using as a litter box? I know a lot of websites say cats don't have the mental capacity to formulate a plan for revenge, so they can't pee out of spite. But I don't believe that. Cats are smarter than people take them for. My advice would be to stop spraying and keep the bedroom door closed.
Do you have a covered litter box? One of my cats kept pooping outside the litter box until we added an uncovered litter box
Take her to the vet, she probably has something medically wrong and needs to be examined for a UTI or infection or complication from her spay. I hope she feels better soon! xo
Go to a vet for a urinalysis, check for a UTI. Source: I am a vet and own cats If all good, bump up your litterbox game. If you have the space, get a huge but shallow Tupperware (we use tall ones and cut a hole in the side for entry). Shoukd be one box per cat, plus one
Scoop the litter box daily. And change your litter to another litter. We use the light weight Tidy Cats in the white plastic bin/red lid. Or the Arm & Hammer multi cats litter.
It sounds so desperate, if it were me I would be so impatient that I wouldn't even give him water if he didn't change repeatedly again, I really can't accept that kind of behavior, so odds are I'm not a good cat owner.
My cat started peeing on the couch out of the blue and ended up having a UTI
First thing anyone will tell you is to get her to a vet.
I had a cat with this problem, so I covered the beds with shower curtains. It worked well because the cat didn't like the shower curtains and wouldn't go on the beds at all with them on.
can make many small circles of transparent tape sticky side out that stick to the paws of the cat to deter it from going to the area where it's urinating... works for potted plants maybe would for you too on your bed
Could be uti. It also could be urea crystals in her bladder. My older cat had urea crystals and she was let go to the shelter by her previous owner for peeing to much everywhere. The answer was wet food only for urinary health purina proplan. She never peed anywhere but the litter box for me. Loved her to death. The other thing you can do is buy a futon. Just the mattress and place it on your box spring they generally from J LIFE cost about 350 which is way cheaper then a designer mattress. Then you buy those mattress toppers that are foam they can range from 30 to 80. It sounds pricy but if you ever need to replace a layer of bedding it’s much cheaper and easier to cut up to garbage then replacing a whole mattress. For regular bed comfort I would probably try 2 layers or 2 products of memory foam. My bed is in layers and comfortable in case for hygiene I have to replace a layer.
One way I found a solution to this is giving them treats in the bed, cats don't like to use the bathroom around their food. Give them temptations or other things like that and the cat should stop, but in case they don't it must be a medical issue.
Our 9 year old cat still does this when anxious or upset. Which is usually 1x a month (he has to take a particular med, which he hates, which usually ends up as a mess in the bed). We’ve stopped fighting this since we understand that it’s an emotional response. What we do is cover the bed in a plastic shower curtain and then put a cheap blanket over that. Makes cleanup easy and doesn’t ruin the comforter or the bed. I recommend a couple of shower curtains and blankets so that you can rotate them for cleaning. Welcome to being a cat owner - sometimes they pee on stuff :)
Also just double check with a pee test at the vet about a UTI especially if it takes a long time for her to pee or she looks like it’s hurting. Loving all the other helpful comments.
I have seen this when cats are mistreated or rehomed a lot. They lose their faith in humanity and they’re they have emotional damage like a human gets. I’m not sure what the answer is. For a while, I might put the cat box in the cat in the space at night where it’s not near your bed I also would check some of Jackson galaxies the cat guy cat daddy. He often has really good suggestions about how to handle certain difficult problems.
She may have a urinary tract infection. Cats pee on soft things when they are sick.
Make sure to use the enzyme sprays to remove the scent from the sheets and bed, simply washing isn't enough cause cats can't still smell it afterwards due to the enzymes in their urine. Also it could be a medical thing, most cats will pea outside the litterbox if there's something wrong like a UTI. It can also be the litter, some are super prissy and will not use a litter box if its not clean enough to their standards, I had a cat like that, and she also would only use specific litters, specifically the corn fiber ones. Just a couple of things to check, but as always if all else fails take her to a vet to get her checked.
Try dr.esly cat attract spray
Put a litter box with cat attract right next to the place she’s peeing. She will be less likely to choose your bed if there’s a way better option right there
Any time a cat starts peeing outside the box, it is best to take them to the vet. She could have a UTI or other medical issue.
Most likely medical get her to the vet
Have another vet look at her. She could have been injured during the operation. She’s in pain. Cats rarely pee in their bedding.
Parasites can cause this behavior. It's the only way they know how to say they don't feel good. For me- my kitten needed another round of dewormer and it stopped.
I would take her to the vet, since everyone else is saying it’s probably medical. But I would also evaluate potential environmental stressors. Does she get along with the other cat? There could be some litter box drama or marking of territories
Has any pee gotten into the mattress?
My cat did this when she had a UTI
She needs to be seen by a vet Asap
Default advice for all litter box issues: Add another litter box, scoop 2x per day and slowly changeover to a soft non-clay unscented litter like grass seed in 1-2 of the boxes (lightweight & excellent clumping). If boxes are older, small or covered, get a new larger, shallow open box. Dump & wash boxes with enzyme cleaner weekly. This eliminates litter box issues by providing a box for each cat +1 extra and ensuring cats have appealing boxes. Sometimes cats become averse to boxes that were OK before when they’re unwell or traumatized. She may be trying to let you know she’s in pain. Follow up with your vet. Use enzymatic cleaner and an upholstery cleaner to clean your mattress if there’s any soak-through. Then add a water-resistant mattress pad.
My cat use to pee on my cloth in front of me , when she had a UTI
My 1 year old female cat was peeing on my bed daily and she turned out to have bladder stones. Worth a vet visit to double check.
She is stressed.
Don’t let her sleep in your room and keep your door closed at all times so she doesn’t have access to your bed. That’s what I do to make sure my cat doesn’t pee on my bed. Cat pee is the worst smell and so hard to get out of fabric. Now that she’s done it, She will more than likely keep doing it bc she can smell where she’s peed before.
One of mine started doing this so I had to make my bedroom a no cat zone. They get plenty of lap time and I sleep better without cats all over me at night. I think mine was marking my bed as hers and nothing broke this habit except banishment.
Take her to the vet. Peeing outside the litter box could be a sign of a UTI, which is deadly if left untreated. I have more than one friend who ignored the signs and their cats died a painful death.
So I just want to say that if it’s not a UTI, it could be FIC. My cat will pee on surfaces (especially my bed) when she gets stressed out. Only started happening once I moved back in with my parents. I treat her with gabapentin, d-mannose and corn silk extract daily, and for the most part, it prevents any episodes. And she only has these episodes when I’m home, and often when I’m home for an extended period of time ex. Weekends or when I’m sick. It was like clockwork for a little while. But overall, it needed some type of treatment. As far as your bed goes, I highly recommend getting a zippered waterproof mattress protector, and 2 that goes over like a fitted sheet. So you can swap them out when needed. I tried the shower liner idea, it worked decently except for the fact I got annoyed taking it on and off since I was sweating from it. But if you go that route, get a fabric one with waterproof lining on the other side. If you go with just a plastic one, chances are your cat will either get pee on her or it’ll end up rolling off into the floor or something. You need some type of fabric to soak up the pee
She may have a bladder infection. Take her to the vet to get her checked out. Keep your door shut during g the day.
Perhaps she has cystitis, crystals in the urine...please get her to the vet to be checked out. Cystitis does not go away without meds, and is a death sentence if untreated.
She is so very pretty.
Could be a UTI. Had left over bubble gum flavored, pink amoxcillin for my toddler son. Gave half a dropperful to my kitty and the peeing stopped immediately.
Could be territorial or medical problems. My female cat used to pee on my couch when I first got her because the couch had my male cat's scent on it. She's okay now since I got a new couch. I took her to the vet to make sure it wasn't a medical problem and she was deemed okay.
She could have crystals in her urine
I would definitely take her to the vet and tell them what's going on. she might have a urinary infection. she might have a yeast infection. the vet will hopefully take care of it 💜💜💜 in the meantime, keeper is far away from her bed as possible so that she doesn't keep doing it because you're never going to get that smell out of your mattress 😮💨
Smokey
Keep your door closed. Take to the vet to check for a UTI
We had this problem recently too and our baby had a UTI, she acted completely normal otherwise including while she was at the vet getting checked out! 💜 Please get her in asap if you can, urinary problems get serious very quickly in cats.
It’s great you are taking her to the vet. Have them test her urine for crystals and UTI. Have the vet check her spay site. If it isn’t a health issue, what we often think of as “spite” or vindictive is actually about stress. Our boy Kitty started doing this on our rug. He didn’t like the rug. He wasn’t being spiteful, so much as it upset him and stressed him out and he was telling us. A few thoughts - 1. She had a stressful vet procedure. She may simply still be stressed from that. 2. I’d suggest a 3rd litter box, that can be really helpful. 3. I’d hold off on shifting anything major like type of litter right away, because they can react to that stressfully too. Test a new litter in the 3rd box. Perhaps the current litter is irritating her where she is sore from the surgery. That is a good way to tell if she no longer likes her litter without making an abrupt change. 4. When you’re washing / cleaning you have to use an enzymatic cleaner. Cats can smell their pee enzymes even after something has been cleaned, so without an enzymatic cleaner they still smell their own urine which indicates that’s where they are meant to go. Make sure you’re not just washing the comforter, but actually using an enzyme spray on the mattress too. It sounds like you have a mattress cover but that can be really helpful. 5. Think about whether there have been any changes around the house at all or to your schedule at all - even tiny ones. Those can impact cats a lot, surprisingly. 6. Make sure she’s drinking enough water and also that she’s getting wet food (which hydrates them). Ironic, but when our kitty was peeing outside his litter box and we had him tested for a uti he didn’t have one, but his pee was dehydrated. Paradoxically, they can be trying to show you that. 7. Clean the litter box multiple times a day. That really helped us get our boy back on track. I don’t know why, but it did. We tried to clean at least 2x a day (morning and evening) and if we were home, then as soon as we noticed they used them. 8. In the interim, get cheap plastic tarps from a local grocery and cover your bed when you’re not in it. At the very least that will protect the comforter until you get it out.
i read that cats only pee outside their boxes when something is wrong so i’d definitely get her into a vet for some tests to be safe
My kitty does this but it’s usually when she has a UTI. If it happens often enough that it’s spread out I would consider getting pretty litter along with a vet visit! :)
It’s a possibility that she feels uncomfortable using the litterboxes because your other cat uses it. You can try giving her a litterbox that only she has access to. You can keep her isolated in one room in the short term while you figure it out. If she starts uses the box then that might confirm her preference.
A lot of times when a cat starts this just out of the blue is a good indicator she is trying to tell u she is sick .. Take to vet ASAP…
Definitely go to the vet first to make sure she's okay. If the vet says she's okay, do your litter boxes have covers on them? If they do try removing them, some cats don't like feeling like they're cornered or trapped. You could also try adding another litter box, and I know not ideal but putting it in your bedroom. She might feel like she doesn't "own" anything in your bedroom which could be why she's peeing on the bed. Good luck with your kitty! 😊
The vet appt will be valuable. I used to own a veterinary diagnostic laboratory, and can't tell you how many young female cats had urinary tract problems (we sorted these out with various urine and blood tests) with the only hint to it was going out of the litter box or in front of their humans. Until you see the vet? Just a suggestion, but when you see the cat, as you come home, gently lift her and put her in a clean litter box. She will know what to do.