Any ideas why a neutered cat who uses his litter boxes on a daily basis, also pees in someone's bed?

Question

I have a neutered, 7 month old, healthy, well-behaved cat, with one very big vice. I moved in with my parents recently, and he pees in their bed. The door to my room is always open and he has never peed in my bed, but once every couple of weeks when their door is left open by accident, he goes in and pees on their bed. He even did it once when my mom was in it! And last week he pooped (but we think he ate something funny that day b/c he didn't seem to feel well either). He still uses both of his litter boxes on a daily basis (and they are cleaned daily, changed weekly), and he KNOWS he isn't supposed to be doing this. He gets in big trouble, lots of yelling and stomping and scaring and spraying with water, and he gets put in a bathroom for a couple of hours. We wash the sheets in hot water and treat the spot with vinegar and febreeze. But, he keeps coming back. Any ideas why or how to stop him? This is not a problem with his litter box and he gets plenty of attention.

I just want to add that I have no intention of getting rid of him. I still love him and he is still a good cat. We can and do keep the door closed to that bedroom, I just wanted to see if anyone had experience with this and might have an idea as to the cause or a better solution. To be honest, I didn't consider that he was mad, since he is his typical self other than this odd behavior, and he gets along well with everyone in the house. I guess I could have a passive-aggressive cat though :-) I do plan on calling the vet anyway, but don't cats with UTIs avoid their litterbox and have "accidents" more frequently than every couple of weeks?

Answer 1

Hi Ann...sometimes when cats inappropriately soil in areas other than the litterbox it is indicative of a medical problem. If he's constipated or has a urinary infection of one type or another this cause litterbox avoidance. When cats are using the litterbox and experience pain while going to the bathroom they associate the pain with the litterbox thereby believing by going elsewhere will feel better. Consider ringing your vet to discuss an appointment for an evaluation.

It's important to discontinue any type of punishment because cats begin to fear the litterbox if they are punished then locked up in a room with their litterbox. They soon learn to fear the litterbox as they equate it to any type of punishment. The idea is to always make the litterbox and the room it is in a pleasant place to allay any fears of the litterbox or using it. As humans it's our natural reaction to wrongdoings, but with animals they cannot reason therefore just learn bad things happen and then I'm forced to my litterbox. This is just a simple way of explaining this. A vet who is also a behaviourist would be able to confirm this fact.

More on litterbox avoidance problems by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/Housesoiling.html

[edit] litterbox avoidance isn't always the case as each cat is different. We currently have a cat who always used his litterbox with a rare accident even though he was diagnosed with an urinary tract infection.

Answer 2

I think most answers here can be considered. maybe first take him to the vet, tell them everything. if the vet doesnt find anything wrong then you know the cat is just upset.
I heard a friend had this problem with a new cat that she adopted years ago. she had a dog and the dog never bothered the cat but it seems the cat had a problem with another pet in the house. so it kept spraying everywhere although litter box was cleaned regularly and she was healthy.
punishment didn't work with cats, if you really love them and want them to change, punishment will not get you anywhere. what my friend did was get humane society picked the cat up and when the cat found another home with no other cat, it settled down OK with the new family. You may try this option too, humane society will be the best place to go for animal shelter.

Answer 3

Ok so I think that sometimes when animals move from some where they call home. They get a little lost and out of sorts I've seen it happen. He is doing one of two things. Lashing out because you took him away from where he was happy / even tho he is netered he is marking his territory. He now has to do it with pee because you took his spray away. The reason it is still happening is because he still smells his sent and it has become another litter box viniger and water is a great idea but still leaves a sent. Try to use urine be gone it is great and works like a charm. You can get it in any as seen on tv stores and if you don't have one of those where you are maybe look it up and see where you can find it. Good luck!!!!

Answer 4

Cats who pee in inappropriate places are communicating that they are not happy with something. It seems he has taken an issue with the move.
Since moving back for his majesty would be silly, make his going into your folk's room a bad experience for him and the room with the litter box a good experience.
Keep happy things, like his toys, treats, and catnip in the litter box room. If you are there a lot, you can even treat him when he uses the right room, but you will have to be right there when he does his good thing or he won't know why he's getting the extra treat.
Spread aluminum foil across the doorway of your folk's room. Crinkle it a little, so it would crinkle if a cat walks across it. Cat's hate the metallic crinkling feel and noise under their paws. Spray the foil with something that smells nasty to cats, like vinegar or hot pepper sauce.
You can even put squeaky toys under the foil that would add to the unpleasant noises.
You can also try getting a life-like stuffed dog to put on your bed, one with a motion detector that will cause the dog to "bark."

Answer 5

The cat is very upset. Since when does a cat do every little thing that you want it to? You made a change in the animal's life. You'll be very lucky if you get any semblance of the old cat back. Change is not easy on some animals. Your parents house is not your old home. There are now more humans for him to deal with. Not to mention the environmental changes in water and air. Good luck.

Answer 6

He is marking his territory. One suggestion is to get a system known as Invisible Fence or a similar brand available at a pet store. It is pricey though-about $60-$100 for a collar for the cat and a transmitter that is placed under or on top of the bed. The system can be Google searched.

Answer 7

Have them close their door.

They can spray their bed with animal repellent but it smells horrible also.

Best thing is to close the door for a while.

Answer 8

He's pissed at you! Probably stressed and upset over the move. Call your vet and they can likely prescribe him something for awhile that will help him with the transition.

Answer 9

Maybe there is something wrong with him like a kidney infection or something and that's his only way of communicating it to you. Please take him to the vet and rule any of that out before punishing him again. Good-luck

Answer 10

He evidently does not like them or there is a smell of a previous pet that irritates him. Dont know if this is something that can be broken.