3 month old kitten keeps weeing on the bed

[melisajayne]

please advise.

one of my 3 months old kittens (i have 2) has started weeing on our bed. we have had them 5 weeks and he did not do it once in the first 2 but since having him he has begun weeing on our duvet cover. He has done it about 4 times now and i have caught him prior to it countless times, I do pick him up and put him on the floor if I catch him but its beginning to be quite a problem. I have read that to prevent a cat weeing where you don't want to try citrus smells or pepper but I don't fancy sleeping with lemon peel or a pepper pot!

They are allowed in the spare room at all times which too has a bed in it and he hasn't messed in there. in fact he hasn't messed anywhere other than the litter tray and our bed.

We have shut them out of the bedroom at night since we got them but now we have to keep them out at all times. he only needs to slip in unaware for 5 mins for him to get in, mark the duvet and run. I hope this will stop when we have him neutered and when they can go outside. In the meantime does anyone have any advice?

[melisajayne]

For anyone who is interested or views my post with a similar problem.

I spoke to the vet and because of the nature of the weeing habits (being only on my bed and no where else at no other time) she said that it was a behavoural problem, which started off because he got excited and then the smell encouraged him to mark his territory every time he entered the room. she suggested that if i catch him i must discourage him from doing it as cats only toilet where they feel comfortable.

I managed to stop him by telling him off with a water spray everytime i caught him weeing on the bed. I caught him twice and after that he didn't do it again. i also encouraged him to sleep on the bed as cats don't toilet where they sleep and for the last 2 weeks we have only had cuddles and no wee! problem solved.

[andtiggertoo]

That's good news. Make sure you have enough litter trays for him as well so he feels comfortable. Some cats won't use a dirty tray, so better to have one tray per cat plus one extra. Long may the wee-free cuddles last!!

[lilynmitz]

Thanks for posting re the solution. Surprisingly, it's a relatively common problem, which can be difficult to fix, but this sounds like really logical thinking. Glad it worked!!

[melisajayne]

Oh dear, we had another accident this morning.. it appears he will only do it if I let them in and I stay in bed. They have full access to our room at any other time and no accidents.

I guess I will just have to be more cautious until they are fully allowed out and we eventually got rid of the litter tray.

Although I did happen to get up and find the litter tray full and I had cleaned it out before i went to bed. Must just be one of those nights where they went a lot and coincidentally I let them in my room before I got up.

Bless him, once emptying his bladder all over my bed, he came running up to me all proud and cute, how can I ever be annoyed with them when they have big cute eyes

[lilynmitz]

The soiled litter tray may have been the tipping point on this occasion. The best thing would be to get a second one, even if it's only temporary. I know lots of cats who won't use a soiled tray (and I can't say I blame them!) For this reason Cats Protection always recommend one tray per cat plus one spare. It's got to be easier than cleaning the quilt!

I wouldn't be too hasty about getting rid of the tray altogether either.

1. it will stop little "accidents" if he doesn't want to toilet outside as the weather's bad, or there's something out there worrying him (dog, children, scents of other cats passing through the garden, other cats bullying him etc), and this in turn will save your floors/bedding/furniture. etc

2. Some nervous cats will keep using a litter tray even when they have 24/7 outdoor access. It's not fair to take away the only safe place they want to toilet - it can often lead to stress issues, and stress-related soiling in the house

2. It's a great way to monitor his health. Changes in litter tray habits or contents are often a first and vital indicator of health issues, as many on here will confirm. I've had a few cats where I didn't provide them with a litter tray so they always had to go outside, but in hindsight I wish I had kept using them, as I would have picked up on some serious health issues much quicker.

[melisajayne]

I do keep the litter tray clean, as I know if it was me I wouldn't want to use a dirty tray. I will definitely think about getting another one, i just need to find a suitable location. I do try to be as cautious as i can with them in the bedroom first thing in the morning if i haven't had a chance to go and check the tray.

Thank you for you advice, I will bare in mind those points when I begin to slowly phase out the tray but it won't be for a while, they're still only babies and with the winter coming up I can appreciate that going outside to toilet won't be pleasant if its freezing. we live in a very quiet area with barely any cats. With confidence I suspect it won't take them long to rule the roost!

Thanks again anyway, I am new to cat chat (recommended by a work colleague) it is has been very useful to read everyone's responses and no doubt I will be back on here when I need more advice on caring for Edgar and Clarence

[elastu]

Please never get rid of the litter tray even if it is not often used, no matter how old the cat and irrespective of the fact that it may go out. If the little one has a problem it would go into the tray frequently so you would be warned, if you keep an eye on what your cat is passing you can spot many problems, e.g. cystitis is very common in cats and needs urgent Veterinary treatment. It is shown up if the cat uses the tray frequently and/or passes blood, I have known cats with other serious problems and it was only the fact that a litter tray was available 24/7 that the symptoms were noticed. Something you would never know if you didn’t have a tray. Ideally one litter tray per cat + 1 extra is the best option in multi cat households.
Some time ago it was necessary to have Trudie a long term CP cat PTS due to bowel cancer. I would like to think that Trudie's untimely death was not in vain and a lesson can be learnt from it and that is the reason why everyone should always provide a litter tray (apart from the litter tray evidence there was no reason to suspect Trudie had a problem, she looked so well)

[busydee]

my first kitten weed on beds a lot to start with, and it drove me mad. Two litter trays helped but also i got very fine clumping litter,, gentler on the paws and she stopped. Good luck