# Cat keeps peeing on the bed



## lollypops (May 12, 2013)

I'm sure this has been posted many times before but I feel like I have tried everything!

Our 11 month old indoor cat keeps peeing on our bed. This has been going on for about 6 months. She does it at least once a month, if not more. 

At first we thought it was to do with her hormones but she has continued to do it even after being spayed (with a full check up). She has two litter trays (one is hidden away in a small room for her privacy) which are kept clean, we have tried changing her litter, and keeping the same one, doesnt make a difference.
Again, we have tried keeping her on the same food and tried changing it, doesnt make a difference.

We have the duvet washed almost every time it happens as I can't stand the smell especially when I'm sleeping. I've tried a brand new duvet but she still pee's on it. 

We have tried everything from putting her nose in it, giving a light tap on the bum or nose, spraying her with water, nothing at all, shouting no, saying no.

I know that the obvious answer is to shut the door when we are not in there but on more than a few occassions she has done it in the 2 minutes I have left the room to go to the toilet myself. 

We are at our wits end with her, shes such a lovely cat and I wouldn't dream of giving her away but I'm starting to run out of space in my house to dry duvets/sheets/mattress protectors.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi lollypops, welcome to Pet Forum. 

I am sorry to hear of the problem you are having with your young cat, but can I start by saying *please do not punish her* by rubbing her nose in her wee, smacking her or shouting at her. She will not make any connection at all between the fact of her weeing on your bed and you punishing her, and all you will achieve is to make her frightened of you and anxious. Anxiety is something that could make her toiletting habits even worse.

Peeing on soft surfaces such as bedding or furniture can be due to an urinary tract infection, or even just an irritation in the bladder, without any infection present. It can be an intermittent problem, not always easy for a vet to diagnose.

Has your cat been checked by your vet for any bladder-related health problems?

The other reason she could be weeing on your bed is to scent mark her territory. You and your bed (as well as the house) are all part of her territory. 
She scent-marks instinctively if she feels anxious or unsure about the safety of her territory. She is trying to tell you something is worrying her and this is why it is completely wrong to punish her for her behaviour.

You say the problem started about 6 mths ago....can you recall any changes in your household around that time, e.g. a new human moved in, or you acquired a new pet, or a guest stayed several weeks, or work was being done on your house? Something must have happened to make your cat feel her territory was being invaded, and that is why the scent-marking began. Now it has become a habit, and possibly the original trigger for her behaviour is no longer there.

Or it could be that she gets anxious if she is left on her own a lot during the daytime.

Now she is spayed, does she go outdoors? Your cat may be quite emotionally dependent on you, particularly if she is indoors all the time. If she could become a bit more independent by going out (if it is a safe area i.e.) then she might feel no more need to scent mark indoors.

It is very important to clean any soiled bed linens thoroughly, with an enzyme active cleaner, such as Biotex. Duvets need laundering too, as well as sheets and duvet covers.

If urine soaked through to the mattress then that needs dealing with.
Unfortunately it is not always easy to get rid of the smell from a mattress no matter how much you clean it. If the smell is still there to a cat, she will go back there again and again to wee.

Sometimes it's a case of having to bite the bullet and buy a new mattress I'm afraid. If you do have to do that, ensure you put a waterproof mattress cover on the new mattress. There are some discreet ones these days, that you would hardly know were there.

I would give your cat a course of Zylkene, a supplement which calms stressed cats and improves self confidence. It is available on line or from the vets. Comes in capsules which you open and sprinkle the powder on the cat's food. It is palatable to cats.

You could also try some plug in Feliway Diffusers, which emit cat pheromones, calming the cat and making them less inclined to scent mark the house. You'd need to keep them switched on all the time in an area where your cat spends time.

I would try your utmost to keep your cat out of the bedroom all the time, until you are sure she has stopped this habit. I understand she weed on your bed whilst you nipped out to the bathroom, but I am afraid you need to be very diligent at present about shutting her out of the bedroom before she gets a chance to do any damage to your bed.

One experiment -- sleep in an old t-shirt one night, so it has your scent on it, and then put it in your cat's bed for her to sleep on. This may give her some reassurance when she is apart from you.


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## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

I sympathise with you, i really do, i have a bengal whio has done this evert since i got her at 13 weeks old, she is still doing it, or will not use the bed but the settee, i have to watch her like an hawk, she seems to prefer something soft, and like you i have tried everything
As soon as i get something new,she has to wee on it,or try to unless i see her and say NO,in a very loud voice, she knows what no means, because she will then go to her tray, its more a behavioural problem the vet says, 
By the way she is 10 now almost 11, but shes so sweet in other ways, 
I always have a plasic mattress cover on top of my duvet and another cover on top of that


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## lollypops (May 12, 2013)

Thanks for the replies so far.

The only thing we can think of was that we got a new bed in November (upgraded to a king) and we think it started then. When the king duvet is being washed we do have our old double duvet on the bed which we had for a long time and she's never wee'd on that. Infact she has never peed on the double bed at all.

I think I will try leaving a tshirt or something in her bed for during the day when me and my partner are out of the house. She tends to sleep on the bed with us (or on top of us) at night anyway as she's quite a loving cat and loves her cuddles. 

It's just not very nice to get into bed at the end of a very long day and find its damp.


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## cats galore (Jul 17, 2012)

milly does it on my bed and the only answer we found was to keep her out of the room. she sleeps in the dining room now of a night with tiger, bluey and snowbell. we simply could not stop her doing it so we had to ban her from the room


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## Tao2 (Sep 9, 2012)

Haven't got any answers, just wanted to sympathise. It's horrible when a cat has an accident anywhere but on your bed is just the worst place. Really hope you can find something that works for you.


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## bordie (Jan 9, 2012)

well dont let them o


















































dont let them on the bed


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

lollypops said:


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