PLEASE, Desperate for HELP!!!

I have a 3 1/2 year old female cat that has been spayed. She had been peeing in my daughters room, added another litter box to the house, now we have 4 for 3 cats. (She is the baby) We got her when she was 6 weeks old, along with the other 2 cats who are now 4. I bought the Comfort Zone with Feliway Plug-In and she didn't pee in her room the entire year. 2 weeks ago my daughter got a new bed and tonight she peed in her bed. My husband and I as SO angry with her right now and just don't know what to do with her. I am frustrated and at a loss...

 

Let's start off with Welcome to the boards!!

Sorry to hear about your situation that can be very fustrating to say the least. Has anything else changed in the household other than the bed?

She may be trying to estabolish "territory" being that it is a new bed. Did she used to sleep in the old bed? She may be marking it with her scent. What you'll need to do is make sure that you clean the bed linens and the mattress really well! You may need to keep her out of her room for awhile so that she doesn't get into the habbit. Urine is very hard to get it all up so if she still smells it on the bed she may go back there. Is there a new container of feliway in her room?

Do you take her and put her in the litter box that has her scents in it? and when she go's praise her!! you can even go as far as giving her faviorite treat when she is good.

Good luck and hope that helps. There are alot of great people on this board so you should be getting more input.

 

You need to have her checked for a urinary tract infection before trying to deal with this behaviorially. If she has an infection anything you do isn't going to work as she would need antibiotics to get rid of it.
Start with a vet check first. If she's fine (they will need a urine sample) then treat behaviorially.

 

Hi and welcome

I had a similar experience with my male cat, tho i got him as an adult. He was fine for a little while and then began peeing in odd places, area rugs, blankets, scratch mats, etc. It was very frustrating and I too tried the Feliway plug-ins as I figured it was just stress from new environment and my other cat giving him a hard time, didn't even think to have his urine checked, duh! And i work at an animal hospital and outta know better, oops. :roll:

This went on for months and it seemed that he wouldnt pee outside the box except when the Feliway ran out, so I'm thinking, wow this product is really something....then it finally occurred to me to do a urine test.

Turned out that not only did he have a UTI, poor guy, but he was so loaded with struvite crystals, all my co-workers were crackin' on me how lucky I am that he didn't get blocked up, which would have set me back a pretty penny. So, after a diet change and a round of antibiotics, he's good as new and hasn't had an accident in well over a year.

Moral of the story? Definitely have her urine checked before anything else and go from there. If her urine checks out fine, all the behavior modification tricks have been tried, extra litter boxes, cat attract litter, etc, and she is still having accidents, there is always kitty Prozac

Best of Luck :y_the_best: and hang in there! In the meantime, you may consider investing in a plastic sheet for your mattress!

 

Hello and welcome to Auspet. Yes, I agree. Take her to a vet and have her checked for a UTI or other possible medical problems. If she has a UTI it's very painful and she will continue to urinate in the house. Keep us posted.

 

Thank you for the Welcome's. We kept her out of the room until I got the new "plug-ins" So far so good...

The litter boxes are in the basment, NOT near any food or water. We re keeping them clean.

She has always slept with my dd so yes it could be marking, we put old stuff back on the bed, could be helping. I also didn't wash the Quilt before I put it on her bed, also might be something...

I had planned on the vet check BUT, life hasn't worked out as well for us this last week.. Between the ER and a ds with a Concussion, Urgent care and a dd with the croup, 2 front new tires, car broke down, and dog took a HUGE gouge out of his side, I just can't afford it right this minute. So over a $1000.00 later. *UGH* I am thinking it is not a urine problem because she is "selective".. If I leave a towel on the floor she will pee on it, but if I put it in the basket she wont... But Yes I will have her checked anyway...

Thank you and I will get back with any and all ?'s.. I love my girls (3 cats) and would give anything to keep them...

 

My husband got mad when our one cat started peeing on the bed. He threatened to kick him out of house and home, but would never actually do it! :wink:

Our problem was territorial and we solved it with behavior modification. Mostly, we just realized he was feeling left out with the other cat and was “marking” my husband’s side of the bed to show love (why cats need to show love with things like dead mice and urine in the bed is beyond me!). After we made sure there was nothing medically wrong with him and we cleaned all the bedding really well, we just started giving him extra attention. After a week, the behavior stopped completely. Cats are very sensitive animals and any change in their environment can get them all worked up - like even a new bed! I would only worry if she does it over and over again. If you have got the behavior to stop, then I would not worry too much about it.

I also wrote a bit more under the Post "Don't Kill Me... Zoe Question and News on New Dog", if you are interested.

 

Stinks when money is tight like that and it seems like one thing after another.

If you think you may have to wait on having her checked due to financial constraints, there are some very inexpensive things you can do in the meantime...just in case it is a medical problem.

The most common type of urine crystals are struvite, which tend to form in more alkaline urine around a pH of 7 and above. OTC cat foods that are formulated for urinary tract health are made to address this type of crystals. Not as good as Rx diet, but still better than regular IF that is the problem. It's a risk, as oxalate crystals are the opposite and form in acidic urine and are the more serious type, tho not nearly as common. If oxalate crystals are the culprit, an OTC urinary food may make them worse. Crystal makers can also benefit from drinking distilled water as opposed to tap water since it is without the minerals which assist in crystal fomation, and just drinking more water in general is helpful, so you may try adding water to your kitty's food to help dilute the urine.

Also, if you have a good relationship with your vet, and your cat is current with check-ups, they will likely only require you to gather a urine sample for testing and not require a physical exam. Altogether, this shouldn't cost more than $50, but you can always call and ask.