The peeing cat

[nataliem]

Why does my cat wee on my bed? At first it was just after i washed the sheets that he would do it, now its when he feels like it, mainly when i am in the bed! especially after he has been fussed. I always put him straight in the litter tray after he has done it but he's not learning, what can i do????

[kaktus]

How old is he?

When my cat was a kitten, he learned very quickly to pee in the litter tray, but when we went to bed he would sleep on my pillow and if he had to pee at night he walked down to the middle of the bed and went, when he grew up a bit he walked all the way the foot of the bed and had a pee, and then finally he was old enough to take the loooong walk to the litter tray. :0)

I think he knew he shouln't do it, he was just too tired to do anything else. 

So what I'm saying is, that if he's a kitten he might grow out of it. But otherwise just keep putting him in tray! I'm sure he'll get tha hang of it.

[tetherend]

All I can suggest is the same that I do if one of my moggies does something which he knows is not acceptable behaviour.  If I catch any of them misbehaving, I just give them a quick squirt of water from a squeezy bottle.  They start to associate bad behaviour with being squirted with water and stop doing it.  It does not hurt the cat and has never failed me.  My moggies still adore me!

[nataliem]

He is now 3 on has only started doing it in the last 12 months, I have 2 other cats aged 6 and wonder if its an attention thing???

[woofgang]

I reckon that he is marking you and the bed as his territory

[Gilli]

It could well be an attention/territory thing - especially as he's an adult and has only started doing this in the last year.

On the rare occasions one of my 3 have an "accident" it's usually 'cos :

a) they're poorly

b) they've just been chased and/or attacked by another cat in the garden and come off worse - I think this is a way or "re-asserting" themselves

c) something "shocking" and strange in their eyes has happened, like when we moved, or when I bought a new baby home !

Unfortunately, it is more likely to happen with male cats too as even if they're neutered, the urge to mark their territory can still be quite strong - particularly when they're stressed.

I'd make an effort to make a lot of fuss of him ..... have the other 2 been picking on him perhaps ? If so, maybe you need to work out a strategy to deal with that (eg: water pistol as suggested above) Also, I think if I were you I'd shut him out of the bedroom .... continued cat wee just isn't pleasant or hygienic!

[ecoyte]

I expect your cat started doing this because he felt threatened by the change in territory ie the new smelling sheets. Cats like to keep territory as it is. But y he continues to do this is uncertain. Have you had anything else new, like a new carpet that could be causing him stress. Or possibly he could be getting hassle from another cat, or even human. If you think he cannot help the urination, do not punish him for something he cannot control. hope this helps xxx

[louise jones]

I think it sounds like a territory marking exercise.  Once he did it the first time, no matter how much you clean it up with detergents or whatever, he still senses that it is his 'toilet'.

I had a similar problem with my cat when he was also about 3, we had a puppy too and the cat started to urinate in exactly the same place every time he was in the house (next to radiator on my daughter's bedroom carpet!). I cleaned and cleaned that carpet until I decided to rip it all up and put laminated flooring down and since then he has never ever done it inside the house (he even sleeps in the bedroom sometimes but always goes outside to urinate). 

Maybe you need to think about buying a new mattress or keep your cat out of your bedroom. 

[fredfuller]

Does your washing agent have an ammonia base? Ammonia can confuse cats into thinking another cat has marked territory.

[Gevs1966]

A really simple solution would be not to let the cat in your bedroom in the first place