Cat peeing on the bed... again... only this time, I'm sleeping in it.

Cats will do anything and trying to understand them is hard so if their behaviour matters you should strernly adress them or move them away from your bed when you see them get near it. All they probably need is some indication the bed is off limits.

Also, in house training cats it seems very effective to let them smell their mess and show them where they SHOULD do it immidiately after. Worked on our cat when he was still a kitten after only one try.

These two are 5½ years old… and the bed hasn’t been off limits ever. At 5½, I’m not teaching them anything :\

Great Caesar’s Ghost! Ahhhhhhh…….I am not the only one. Having this problem right now with 2 kittens I am not sure why they get in this mood to pee the bed, never crap in it but pee surly. I have taken measures to deter them from doing so by getting some spray deterrent from PetSmart and applying it to some chucks, or wee wee pads in animal cases. Then put them on the area of the bed they want to pee on. If I enter the room and there is a fresh spot on the bed I rub their nose in it, squirt them with a spray bottle then put them in the litter box and rub their head. Hopefully they will associate the bed with a blast of water between the eyes and the box with a comforting rub on the head and go to the box and away from the bed; but it is frustrating……

I have a tone of voice I use exclusively to correct my cat and he’s picked up on it since he’s been about a year old. So it is possible to learn my adult cat new tricks.

@poofandmook You say you’re not teaching them anything but peeing on the bed seems to be learned behaviour. And if you’re not looking to stop them (ew) then you’re just wondering why they started doing it. Cats like fabric to pee on for the same reason we sleep on fabric. It’s soft, absorbs moisture and unlike a litterbox it offers a strong surface to put their claws in. They might even view the fact you’re there as a bonus.

Just to be safe, I’d recommend that you have a urinalysis done on both of them to check for a UTI. Sometimes inappropriate urination is the only sign you see, and it would suck to be blaming them for bad behavior if there’s a medical problem. (If you have a good relationship with your vet, they should be able to just get a quick sample with a cysto, minimal fuss and expense.) I had a cat pee on the bed right in front of me, on top of the unwrapped Christmas presents, and the only thing that saved his life was that he had crystalluria.

There’s a small chance that they’re picking up on the scent, even though you replaced the sheets and comforter. Is there any chance that it soaked in to the mattress level? If so, you may need to treat with an enzymatic cleaner to get rid of that faint signal.

If it’s behavioral, you’re going to need to do some behavior modification. You can try to train them to stay off of the bed altogether (a squirt bottle works wonders). If there’s a particular place on the bed that it’s happening, you can try placing something there that they dislike (two sided tape, foil, bubble wrap), but they may just move to a new area.

I have heard that cats will urinate in odd places if they have a urinary infection. D’oh! I agree with @syz.

And, as wise-ass as it sounds, if you pee on your bed they may stop since you’re the dominate animal in the house. It’s wholly understandable (to me) if you don’t do this, though.

If your cat pees on your bed or any other “personal” lounging area, she is basically telling you she is really mad at you. So many times people have asked me, “Why does my cat pee on my bed the day I get home from vacation”? The answer is she is mad, she was lonely all the time you were gone. If you have a visitor, she might pee on the bed they are sleeping in. I’m telling you it is how they tell us not to leave them alone. Be sure to give her LOADS of affection when you return, don’t let her out of your sight and take the few minutes to really show her you missed her. To be safe, curtail this by placing a shower curtain liner on the bed, with an old comforter or blanket over the plastic (important, cats like to pee on plastic) before you leave. It will save you from having to strip the entire bed before you can retire from your long day of travel.

Unknown source.

@syz: I noticed that the urine isn’t really concentrated… the smell is there but not overpowering and not dark. Should I be worried about that too? I know they both drink better now because I bought the fountain and they love it. But not too much… I keep an eye on that.

@poofandmook They’re young, but diabetes and renal disease are some other rule outs.

Rule out the health issues first, then it’s just likely they found a place they prefer over their litter box. Have you ever watched a cat walk over a bed or sofa. They like to stretch and flex on them. Which would you choose to pee on if you were in their place. I think you’ll need to make the surface unattractive to them somehow.

edited by me

Once my cat started peeing on my bed I couldn’t get him to stop no matter what. Finally I had to just ban him from my bedroom.

My wife’s cat took to pissing on me when we first started sleeping together. Little bastard…

Anyway, turns out it was hyper-territorial behaviour due to his not having had his cojones removed combined with hyperthyroidism.

Consult a vet at the very least.

My guess is your cats don’t like the new bf who stays in your house, they don’t like his energy, his smell, whatever and so they mark over his smell on your things and a territory thing that you belong to them first or more.

My mom has had cats all her life and the little darlings hated my stepdad when she was married. They would pee specifically on his things though, his side of the bed, his car tires, his clothes, etc. In 15 years together then various cats never did take to him.

Get it together and take a stand… Don’t let the cat in the bed. It is an animal. You do not have to live that way so fight through the ideas that are making you think you do, and cut it out of your life. Someday get a new cat…

People don’t let people get peed on by anyone.

@Ltryptophan: May not make sense to you, but for me, they’re like my kids. I raised them from tiny babies and they’ve been with me all the time for 5½ years. They’ve slept with me their entire lives, and I like the comforting feeling when one of them curls up on my leg.

No, “it” is not just an animal.

@Neizvestnaya: But they love him when he’s at the house. They roll all over him and sleep on him and lick him and cuddle with him.

I think I’ve determined it’s Mookie. The last time she did it, I had the door open for them less than an hour, I was sitting on the bed the entire time, and neither one of them squatted. Mookie was lying on that spot and she was being wild-eyed and rambunctious… I can only assume that’s when she did it.

I started giving her the antibiotics from when the Poof may have had a UI (she didn’t), and I’ve given her insane amounts of attention, and so far I’ve had two pee-free nights.

upon later thought, I realized that when I accidentally shut them out of the litter box closet is probably when Mookie developed the infection. The Poof is a snotbag diva and will pee wherever and not hesitate if she can’t get to the litter. But Mookie will walk around and whine and meow and hold it. Problem is, she’s always walking around and whining and meowing for attention, so I couldn’t tell the difference. But I’ve seen her hold it before once when I emptied the litterbox and realized I had no litter to put in it, she was going nuts outside the box howling, but holding it until I put litter in. It all made sense after that. If I have three pee-free nights, I will consider it solved.

3 pee-free nights!