Peeing on my bed

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Lol, I don't have a steamer so haven't tried it. We needed a new mattress anyways so gave us the excuse to go look for one.

Always nice getting a new mattress, especially if you have back problems (or a cat with a penchant for peeing on your old one  )

[Arcanegirl]

Lol, I don't have a steamer so haven't tried it. We needed a new mattress anyways so gave us the excuse to go look for one.

[LouiseJ]

I've got a spray especially for animals which I keep in the fridge and give them all a quick squirt every now and then as it keeps their coat nice but Simba can't/won't/don't clean himself so he gets the occasional spray of that to err help the cleaning process but then purrs and comes back for more     

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

     Wonder if Karcher realise the potential.

(Moray does have a habit of peering at the flex when I'm ironing - the sound of the steam shooshing out doesnt seem to deter him but then it isn't being directed towards his netehr regions....  )

[LouiseJ]

A quick whoosh up the backside works Sue 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Blimey Louise - steaming a visiting piddler - that's a bit harsh! 

[LouiseJ]

Have you tried using a steamer?  We've had a few peeing incidents over the last two weeks (believed to be a visiting cat however) and a steamer has worked a treat.

[Arcanegirl]

Forgot to say, he is allowed in the bedroom at night, whilst we are sleeping in there he doesn't do anything on the bed, we have been taking him off anyways unless keeping a very close eye. New mattress will be here by end of the week so there will definitely be no lingering scent

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Well that's great - I'd definitely count that as a partial success, and really encouraging.  I would say keep that bedroom door shut for a couple of weeks yet, and then maybe only leaving it open whilst you're in the room, to begin with. 

Cats dont mind using litter trays in public - they dont have the same privacy issues we do, lol. 

[Arcanegirl]

We shut the bedroom off on Saturday and tried another litter (which ended up same consistency ad current stuff) and so far no more accidents outside of boxes. I have moved one box slowly from bedroom door into the bathroom so it now has its place and Harvey knows and uses it.
He does have a preference for the other open box,  which oddly is in the busier room but he uses it and I'm happy with that.
II would at some point like to try opening up the bedroom again but could be a while yet, nit sure how long to wait before trying. I've also acquired feliway spray should we need it.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

What sort of luck have you had over the weekend?  Does sound like Harvey is territory marking.

[Arcanegirl]

I have noticed if Bane is inside at night then Harvey will use a box where he is not, also he doesn't cover up afterwards.

[Arcanegirl]

Yep he's insured, only by a couple of weeks though so nit sure if there's a cool down period before we can claim anything

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Do not be defeated its still very early days, there is a thread I saw recently that it took 7 months to sort nthis problem.

Do you have insurance?

[Arcanegirl]

Uses another litter fine, but still pee on a bag and poo in the bathroom floor. I'm nit one for giving up but feeling like he is defeating me.

[Arcanegirl]

Alrigty I'll not try that   Im investigating litter types, see if that helps

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

If you confine him during the day and are sleeping at night, the little lad won't be getting much interaction or exploration time.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Try putting boxes back there again where he's peed, after cleaning the area.

I wouldnt be wild about the idea of confining him during the day

[Arcanegirl]

So second night he uses the box then today he's tried the carpet next to the box and onto my bed again. Admittedly I haven't kept him out of my room because I'm concerned he will start doing it in the kids room. If i shut that off too then we only have a living room, Hall kitchen and bathroom left.
I was thinking, we've never had any issues at night just only daytime. Would it make more sense to do the cage at daytime?

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

This just dropped into my inbox - thought I'd post it - havent watched it myself yet.

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2014/08/18/cat-mojo-why-does-my-cat-pee-outside-the-litter-box/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JacksonGalaxy+%28Jackson+Galaxy%29

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Well that's a really good start.   

[Arcanegirl]

He didn't cry too much, I out him in at 8.30 when I went to bed and hubby let him out 10-11pm for a run about. He hadn't soiled except in the box when I left for work this morning

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

I think I would keep him out of the quiet room to try and keep him away from the area he's been soiling regularly.  How was he overnight? 

[Arcanegirl]

Another question, since we have the crate set up now, when he is roaming daytime. Should I shut off my bedroom now? This was his safe place to go  escape and sleep during the daytime. The concern I have is the crate is in the busier room ad the quieter room is the one we have the problems in.

[Arcanegirl]

Got the cute and it's nice and bug as it housed a springer collie  mixed dog. Having a re read and glad I did, ill need to move a table as the end result I want to put the box under this table.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Yes, his bed, litter tray, food and water.

I would only suggest doing it for three or four days to see how it goes.  If you set up the crate well before bedtime and leave the door open, he will have time to explore it and investigate it without knowing its purpose.     Basically, if he uses the litter tray, that's a positive behavioural step.

Continue to leave the crate door open when he's allowed out during the day time, and he may come to view it as a a safe place to retreat to.  Ultimately, you may find he'll continue to use the tray in the crate during the day too, and then it's simply a question of when to remove the crate and leave the litter tray in its place.   At least, that's the plan.....    Cats frequently have other ideas. 

Got me fingers crossed.   

[Arcanegirl]

I don't get the cage untill tomorrow so not been able to do anything yet. He will be great most of the time and go in the boxes then have a one off pee at the bed again. He did this yesterday evening after using the boxes for the previous couple of days, I came home to another poop on the bed earlier too.

So once i have the cage, put him, the tray, water, food and a bed overnight? How long should I be doing this for? I know you said short term which I would agree with im just not sure how long or what to look for to see a behaviour change.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Hows it been since you got the cage up and running?

Sheila - I've seen cats on TV who have been trained to use a human loo, but didnt realise you could actually teach them how to do that! 

[Arcanegirl]

Lol not quite, the bathroom is the smallest room we have that I can close off. I have been able to get hold of a dog cage.

[sheilarose]

http://www.litterkwitter.com/en/index.php

Is this what you have in mind, Arcanegirl? 

I bought one of these but soon realised you need to dedicate a toilet to the thing whilst they all learn how to use it, it doesn't work in a busy household with multiple cats, people and only one loo  otherwise I think at least two of my gang would have been happy to learn how to use the loo as Sammy and Tuffers are both grid widdlers now

[Arcanegirl]

We tend not to be out for long periods of time mostly so ill just keep it to night time.
Ill see what he does tonight now there's another box in the living room and leave this as a last resort if we still have issues

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

I would give him his own tray, and move Bane's, but make a point of showing Bane where his tray is being placed , just in case he did want to use it.

I'd not be too enthusiastic about leaving any cat confined in a small space for too long during the day, especially if he's confined throughout the night as well, to be honest.  It's a big ask, and kittens have tons of energy they need to burn off.  The advantage of a crate over a bathroom is that they can still keep an eye on most things that are going on if they're in the main body of the house, but with a bathroom that choice is going to be pretty limited I'd have thought.

Some form of bedding would be nice for him.  Cats will sleep on most surfaces, but given a choice, they ike something nice and soft.  There are quite a few bed pads which are machine washable, so if you had a couple to change with, that would help.

[Arcanegirl]

Definatley no harvey sized holes, its all closed up which is good and seat is always down (youngest had a thing of putting toys down there!).
There is banes litter box in the bathroom but he seldom uses it now as he goes outside. Am I okay to move his to another location and put Harveys in its place? Im thinking itll be better to use his own and not Banes?

So we put him in overnight, if we are out for a long time aswell? And is he okay to roam/sleep during the daytime? Should I put a bed in the room aswell with the risk he might toilet on that?

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

It could.  Might be avisable to wear slippers if accessed during the night.  And to make sure anyone using the facilities  remembers to close the loo seat.  And also to make sure there are no items in there which could be harmful if accessed.  Oh - and no Harvey sized holes behind which he could sneak. 

[Arcanegirl]

Would the bathroom work in a similar way? That room is quite small and also has laminate flooring

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

As a short term solution, am wondering if it's worthwhile you buying or borrowing  a crate for him, and keeping him overnight with a litter tray in there - it would need to be one of the larger sized crates, and I wouldnt use it as a long term solution, but it may be worth a go.  If he cries, you would have to be able to put the crate somewhere which will disturb you people or your other cat as little as possible, which may not be easy in a smaller home. 

[Arcanegirl]

I'll try a box with that aswell, im setting up a fourth box to cover another room aswell as hes soiled the carpet in another room overnight.

[sheilarose]

Have you tried just putting a folded newspaper inside one of the litter trays instead of litter? He may not like litter and that's why he gravitates back to your bed. I have one old boy who prefers to pee on laundry/soft furnishings/newspapers/carrier bags etc in fact anything that doesn't get between his toes.  I plonk a newspaper in his tray and he's on it before I've turned my back. May be worth a try?

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

    That's very good news. 

[Arcanegirl]

Vet checked today and Harvey is healthy, no signs of underlying issues causing the peeing. He suspects behavioural and with some work and feliway he should grow out of it.