Cat pee, and why it makes me angry

[RoJoHen]

Holy shit, I am so pissed off right now.

I don't know if any of you remember, but a little less than a year ago, I started a thread because my cat was peeing in places other than her litter box. In attempts to thwart this behavior, I became extra motivated to keep her litter box as clean as possible so that she wouldn't try to go elsewhere to pee.

For a long time, it worked.

But now she's at it again. Only now she makes a habit of peeing on my bed. It's fucking disgusting. To combat this, I started keeping my bedroom door closed whenever I was gone, thinking that she was doing it because was angry that wasn't around.

For a while, this also worked.

But now she's started peeing on my bed when I'm home! I washed my sheets last night, and this morning I bought a brand new comforter. I was home the whole rest of the day cleaning my apartment. At some point during the day, she decided to pee on my brand new comforter and my newly-cleaned sheets.

I discovered this, of course, by sitting in a damp puddle in the middle of my bed as I got ready to go to sleep.

So now I am forced to wash my sheets for the second time in 24 hours, and it's keeping me awake. I have to work an extra long day tomorrow, and I was really planning to get a good amount of sleep, but now I can't. I am so livid right now, and all I want to do is kick my cat. But I won't.

I just don't know what to do anymore.

 

[SicOne]

Take the cat to the vet. She may have a urinary tract infection or some other medical reason. Don't project that the cat is reflecting human thought characteristics (guilt, anger) and doing it intentionally when there may be a simpler medical explanation. If she routinely spends a lot of time basking atop your bed, that's probably why she pees on the comforter, as opposed to peeing elsewhere in the house.

And how old is the cat? Could she be reaching the age of, I dunno, feline incontinence?

Meanwhile, keep the door to your room closed at all times, don't let the cat sleep with you, etc. See if she pees anywhere else while you're waiting for the vet appointment.

And don't kick the kitty.

 

[RoJoHen]

She's 1.

I just changed her litter box again, and I found lots of poop, but no pee.

I am really annoyed right now.

Before, she would pee on piles of clothes. I bought extra tall laundry baskets to keep her out of the clothes, and she stopped peeing on them.

And I like it when she sleeps with me!

 

[SicOne]

She's 1.

I just changed her litter box again, and I found lots of poop, but no pee.

I am really annoyed right now.

Before, she would pee on piles of clothes. I bought extra tall laundry baskets to keep her out of the clothes, and she stopped peeing on them.

And I like it when she sleeps with me!

More poop than usual? Still get her checked out, though. But if more waste, bring that to the vet's attention as well.

Did she have a urinary tract infection last time, or a medical reason why she peed? Or was it a kitten thing, learning how to control herself and use a litter box?

I know you like to have the kitty sleep with you, and under normal circumstances that's fine. But until you get her checked out and pinpoint the source (if there is a medical basis for it, that is), don't let the kitty sleep with you if you want a dry bed. Just to be sure.

If she's used to getting her own way (and what cat "owner" isn't?), and she's caterwauling (no pun intended)(well, maybe) outside your bedroom door at night while you're trying to sleep, you may have to put her, her litterbox, her food and water dishes, and some entertainment in another room where you can't hear her meowing and close that door while you sleep.

 

[RoJoHen]

No more poop than usual. She just poops a lot. And I haven't actually taken her to the vet. Her first vet visit happened right before I took ownership of her, about a year ago, so she is due for a check-up anyway.

Last time, all I did was make an effort to keep her litter box clean, and I kept the piles of clothes out of reach so she couldn't pee on those. That's all it took, and she behaved for a solid 7-8 months.

I don't know what has changed. She almost never spends time in my bed, except when she's sleeping with me. Otherwise she hangs out on the couch, and she doesn't pee on that. Just the bed.

 

[SicOne]

Hmm. That's peculiar. Most definitely have her checked out, especially if she's overdue.

Hey, cat-related question for you...

(the rest of you can listen in as well)

We have a male cat, brought home from the Humane Society by my teenager, about six months old, not declawed or fixed. He's pretty active, and I kind of like the go-to-hell attitude he has as well as his fascination for investigating any noise in the house and stalking any movement in his vicinity, and I'm concerned if we have him fixed that it would kind of kill his attitude and he'll just sit around and do nothing and gain weight. All of my previous cat experience has been with female cats, where that wasn't a problem. If we get him fixed, will he lose that?

 

[Timewalker]

He will still have his basic personality, but he won't wander away from home in search of female cats, and if you already have female cats, he won't bother them either. I remember when my older cat (now about 5 years old) first came to live with me and wasn't spayed, she would glare at my male cat (long-since neutered) like she was thinking, "You're a guy, DO something!" It really bugged her that he would give her a "WTF is the matter with you?" kind of look while she was caterwauling around the house.

Many male cats become a bit heavier, but if you make sure to adjust his diet and give him lots of opportunities for exercise, weight gain shouldn't be a problem. I like to have at least two cats at any given time, so they have someone to play/fight with.

My Gussy became a loving, furry marshmallow after his neutering, and very good-natured.

And best of all, when you neuter a male cat, they won't spray on your furniture or the rest of your belongings.

 

[The Master of Tarquin Hill]

Holy shit, I am so pissed off right now.

I don't know if any of you remember, but a little less than a year ago, I started a thread because my cat was peeing in places other than her litter box. In attempts to thwart this behavior, I became extra motivated to keep her litter box as clean as possible so that she wouldn't try to go elsewhere to pee.

For a long time, it worked.

But now she's at it again. Only now she makes a habit of peeing on my bed. It's fucking disgusting. To combat this, I started keeping my bedroom door closed whenever I was gone, thinking that she was doing it because was angry that wasn't around.

For a while, this also worked.

But now she's started peeing on my bed when I'm home! I washed my sheets last night, and this morning I bought a brand new comforter. I was home the whole rest of the day cleaning my apartment. At some point during the day, she decided to pee on my brand new comforter and my newly-cleaned sheets.

I discovered this, of course, by sitting in a damp puddle in the middle of my bed as I got ready to go to sleep.

So now I am forced to wash my sheets for the second time in 24 hours, and it's keeping me awake. I have to work an extra long day tomorrow, and I was really planning to get a good amount of sleep, but now I can't. I am so livid right now, and all I want to do is kick my cat. But I won't.

I just don't know what to do anymore.

Your problems remind me of a cat I used to have but who has since passed away.

When she was younger she would piss right in the middle of my bed if I had had female friends over. Jealous bitch.

When she was older, she did start peeing on used clothes that weren't in the hamper, I eventually came to learn (after a couple of vets and many tests) that she had crystals that were small but were essentially the same as gall stones.

#1 religiously give your animals freshwater daily.

#2 x-rays

 

[RevdKathy]

Cats pee in the wrong place when they are stressed. Is your cat left alone a lot? Are there other cats in the neighbourhood terrorising her? Is she shut in too much?

Take a look here at the causes and results of cat stress. Peeing everywhere but the litter is one of the symptoms. They also have a suggestion for a solution (though I believe it's pretty expensive).

 

[bigdaddy]

Did you shove her face in the pee? That's how you train them.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Uh, that's not how you train them. Animals, typically, don't make the connection unless you yell at them the instant they do something.

 

[freak]

I have read to never EVER stick a dog or cat's nose in their urine or waste. They can get deadly fungus infections by doing that and it's not the best thing to do for the animal.
I can relate to the peeing problem..although it's not on my bed. Our cat sprays his urine on the walls sometimes and on the carpet cause he misses his box. It's very aggrivating and I told our vet about it and she says it's normal. I don't have the $ to take him for a second opinion or I would. But cat's urine, especially males, reek of amonia if not cleaned for a certain amount of time. Our house is beginning to smell like a cat box and that is not pleasant at all.

 

[bigdaddy]

I have always done it, but yes you have to do it right away.

My pets have never gotten sick from me doing it, and it works every time. Hell my 18 year old cat could sick so I set up a litter box in my room. She got better I got rid of it and she started using the normal one in the basement. Then I saw her pee on my clothing so I shoved her face in it and went "You know better!" and she stopped.

Yes the cat missing the box is completely normal and very very annoying.

 

[Docbrown777]

Maybe the cat is just marking its' territory? In which case I would suggest you just start peeing on top of their pee. That will show the cat who's the boss in that house.

 

[FordSVT]

Has your cat been fixed yet?

 

[exodus]

Did you shove her face in the pee? That's how you train them.

I heard that only works on dogs, I've been told use a spray bottle w/ water on cats.

Everytime you catch her peeing on your bed spray her with water. It's a way to condition her/him that when they think of doing it, they'll expect to get sprayed and won't do it.

 

[bigdaddy]

Cats are smarter than that, they will just pee on your bed when you aren't around.

My cat used to go on the table, I would spray her with water. She stopped going when I was around, but when I was asleep and got up she would be on the table, and got off as soon I she say me.

 

[Docbrown777]

Everytime you catch her peeing on your bed spray her with water. It's a way to condition her/him that when they think of doing it, they'll expect to get sprayed and won't do it.

I've got a male cat that has had pee problems in the past. I also have a female cat but she never has had bathroom problems.

Anyway, one day the male cat peed on the rug and I caught him right after he did it. I smacked him on the hind quarters and yelled No! as loud as I could. He ran and then I caught up with him by the back door. Picked him up and yelled just a few inches from his face, "NO!" as loud as I could again. You could see as I was doing this he had a "Oh $hit" look on his face.

Long story short it was 24 hours or so before he dared be in the same room as me but he never peed on the rug again.

I would imagine cat pee on a bed to be horrible. With the soaking into the mattress and such.

 

[melancholymecha]

this is why, as much as I love animals, I choose to not have one in my home, Im just too much of a clean freak...

 

[Saturn0660]

Take that cat for a ride.. 60mph out a car window will teach her..