Help! My Cat Pees On My Bed!!??!

[mpoier]

Hello everyone,

My Bailey (9 months old) has this issue lately with peeing on my bed. I actually woke up this morning and was MORTIFIED of what he had done...then I got up, tried to find him, and he ran away as if he knew that what he had done was wrong...

Anyway, we have another cat and a dog and we all sleep in the same room together, everyone has their own spot.

Is it possible that he is "marking" his territory? My husband seems to think that he and our other cat Libby play so hard that he just "goes" and doesn't make it downstairs to his box.....should I move a box upstairs for convenience?

I guess another option would be to call my Vet and see if its a physical problem...but it only happens about once every 2-3 weeks...

Any help or advice would be great!
Michelle

[K & L]

Before you can treat this as a behavioral problem, he needs to be checked to make sure he doesn't have a medical problem such as an urinary tract infection. When a cat has a UTI, they will not go in the litter box because they associate this with pain that they're having when they try and urinate. If he gets a clean bill of health, then it could be a territorial thing. Please have a vet check soon. If he would have a blockage it could be fatal.

[mpoier]

I just made an appt for today, thanks for the advice!

[K & L]

Oh good! Let us know how it goes.

[wolflady]

Yikes! I'm glad to hear that you made an appointment. If everything comes out ok, meaning...no health issues...then we'll have to try and figure out why he would be displaying this behavior. Has anything changed recently in your home? Was another animal added? If your cat fixed? These will be some of the things to think about if there are no health problems.

Let us know how the appointment goes! I hope everything's ok!
**hugs**
Karen

[Barbara]

9 months -is he neutered? If not I think it's time. Filou also peed in some corners -one day in my laundry basket at that time of his life.

[mpoier]

Yes, he has been neutered - about 4 months ago.

If its not a medical problem, then I have a feeling he is having a tough time adjusting to our new puppy (got him 5 months ago). Our other cat Libby and the puppy seem to be doing fine, they are both pretty independent.

I will give Bailey some extra attention. And, we'll see what the vet has to say...

I'm hoping for the best (and trying not to be too worried!)



Michelle

[NoahsMommy]

We have a new cat and we bought one of those Feliway room diffusers. If it is behavioral, I would suggest that. It calms the nerves of cats...and deters spraying/marking.

Good luck!

[jenluckenbach]

There are other medical reasons for this than just a UTI. My diabetic cat did this because he had to go so often that sometimes he could not hold it. Also, you may want to have more than one littler box. first reason, more than one cat, and second reason, it should be convienient for them. Sometimes it is just too far away. I have boxes on every floor and every room in my house (of course I have 13 cat. but still) Best of luck with the vet visit.

[Barbara]

Originally posted by mpoier
If its not a medical problem, then I have a feeling he is having a tough time adjusting to our new puppy (got him 5 months ago). Our other cat Libby and the puppy seem to be doing fine, they are both pretty independent.

I will give Bailey some extra attention. And, we'll see what the vet has to say...

Yes that's very likely too. Filou took up his bad habit of peeing on the hall carpet after a time Tigris bullied him went he went to the litterbox. I had covered litterboxes and some times Tigris cornered Filou there. Now I have open boxes which means more litter on the bathroom tiles but never again any problem (now for several years).

[emily_the_spoiled]

I have also found that you must thoroughly clean any area that has been "marked". Depending on the type of bedding you use, you might want to consider dry cleaning them (it does help). If you can wash it separately and put some enzymatic cleaner in with the wash. (I use OxyClean and it works like a charm.)

You might also consider steam cleaning the carpet in the bedroom, maybe he is picking up on a scent and trying to mask it

Good luck, I had the same problem with one of my cats and it took me months before we finally resolved it.

[Russian Blue]

I agree that there should be a litterbox on each level of your house (one upstairs one downstairs). As long as he gets a clean check from your vet first, I would add another litterbox.

As emily_the_spoiled said, make sure you clean the areas that he urinated very well with enzyme cleaner. Also, he may have done it somewhere else when you haven't seen him. If you buy a black light, this will pick up any areas that you missed.

Good Luck!

[mpoier]

Hello everyone,

I just want to thank every member who took the time to reply to my post.....

The vet said that Bailey is suffering from a mild case of a urinary infection, he is now being treated with antibiotics (which tastes terrible, from what Bailey says! ), but he seems to be doing better.

I rushed him to the vet again this morning because last night all he would do is just "sit" in his box and nothing would come out...thank god they said he wasn't "blocked" or he would have had to go to the kitty hospital for at least 2 days...

So, at this point, he's okay....I'm taking him in again tomorrow to get his bladder checked - just to be safe.

Thanks again for the advice, I could have lost him without it.

Michelle

[HayleyRosie]

I am glad you have found out what was causing Bailey's troubles. I hope the meds work quickly and Bailey returns back to normal. Good Luck at the vet's tomorrow.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I'm so glad you asked about it and didn't just assume it was a behavior problem. You'll have to keep an eye on him because neutered males can sometimes develop problems where they are always getting "crystals." I'm not too familiar with this, but Fister and Boots have had quite the ordeals with it. I'll try and find those threads for you to read, just in case this develops into more than just a simple UTI.

Good luck with the "biotics" as Boots called them. And let us know how Bailey is doing.