Cat has shit the bed twice now, peed thrice.

mrt144

We got a cat, 5 year old male orange tabby about a month ago and for the most part he's been very good - no biting, scratching, etc etc but today, while my wife and I were in the shower (and the door to the bathroom where his litter box is was closed) he pooped on the bed. The first time was when I came back from a business trip and we were getting ready for bed. What can we do to prevent this from becoming a continuing and disgusting problem? I already clean his litter once a day and my wife and I show him tons of attention and play with him.

Djeet

I can't tell whether or not this is actually a pattern. My cat's pooped where she shouldn't, but it's always been either: (A) she couldn't access the litter box or (B) during or right after a longish vacation, and I took it to mean she was pissed at me.

bowen

Here's the issue, the door to his litter box was closed. Never close it, or move it to an easier to access location if you must close the door, so this isn't an issue.

Second, he's associated it with bathroom time now. Chances are there's still some funk letting him know to go there. They sell enzyme destroyers that really do help with this. Use them. Washer/dryer only gets you so far if the funk has past onto deeper shit.

Usagi

Is he fixed?

Also, what bowen said.

mts

well pooping the bed the first time was a stress response to you being gone on the trip. its a home response basically, that is the spot where its the "last stand of home" so to speak since thats where it smells the most like you

that and move the box to an area that isn't shut off at times or cut a hole in the door

mrt144

Hmmmmmmm, I will get that enzyme destroyer/vinegar when I do the laundry tonight. And we will leave the door open.

BTW he is fixed.

How do you know when you have a real problem.

Tox

You know you have a real problem when you can clearly trace his action back to nothing other than himself.

If a cat has a reason to not use the litter box, you have an environmental issue (door closed, cat is sick, doesn't like the litter, etc)

If the cat has no reason not to use a litter box, and still doesn't, you have a behavior problem (read: asshole cat)

bowen

Yeah we've got one of those asshole cats. Fresh litter? Nope, shit on your floor, thanks. I loved it when he had diarrhea though!

LadyM

Don't let him have access to the bed when you're not actually in the room to correct him, and have a spray bottle of water on hand by the bed for when he is around it. You want to get him in the habit of thinking the litterbox is the right place to go. Also praise him for using the litterbox.

Also, you need to thoroughly clean the bed/sheets/etc with an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle to get rid of any trace of pee smell. (Even if you can't smell anything, your cat may be able to.)

Take heart . . . one of my kittens was into peeing on the bed, but after retraining him he turned out totally reliable. (Hasn't gone where he shouldn't in five years.)

mrt144

LadyM wrote:

Don't let him have access to the bed when you're not actually in the room to correct him, and have a spray bottle of water on hand by the bed for when he is around it. You want to get him in the habit of thinking the litterbox is the right place to go. Also praise him for using the litterbox.

Also, you need to thoroughly clean the bed/sheets/etc with an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle to get rid of any trace of pee smell. (Even if you can't smell anything, your cat may be able to.)

Take heart . . . one of my kittens was into peeing on the bed, but after retraining him he turned out totally reliable. (Hasn't gone where he shouldn't in five years.)

The thing is, he doesn't ever go to the bed unless we're in there. The first time he shit the bed we were in bed getting ready to sleep.

I've done all teh laundry and we've cleaned and flipped the mattress so we're hoping for the best.

DBReed

We're dealing with a similar problem. Try a product called Urine Off, I personally think it works better than Nature's Miracle. Use a black light to make sure the stains are actually gone.

You might also consider taking the cat to the vet, since inappropriate urination could be a sign of a health problem like a urinary tract infection.

Kuroi Ookami

I'd also like to point out that a urinary tract infection can be caused by/lead to crystals that form, and cause blockages. My cat when he was around a year old started hissing and growling in the litterbox while clearly straining. I thought maybe he was constipated, got him some gel for that, went about my life. Then one day he did the same thing only outside of the litterbox, onto my white bathrobe. there was a bit of blood. I grabbed him and we headed to the vet. I was told he had a day, maybe two before he had died from that. I also know 2 people who've lost their male cats to this problem because they didn't notice the signs. "Fixed" males seem more likely to get this issue compared to females.

So, the pooping, I don't have much advice. Move the litterbox, he may not like where it is, perhaps it's inconvenient for him. Have two litterboxes just in case. My cat sometimes has problems making it to the box on time depending on how he reacts to his food, or various medications, or when he's lazy/possibly suffering joint pain (my male cat is old). Try another brand of litter, some cats are super picky about the litter they will use. Is there any way you can ask the people you got the cat from what litter they were using? Also, is the litterbox too small for his size? I have two litterboxes and have noticed there is a bit of a size difference between them, and sometimes when the male cat goes in the slightly smaller one, he's pooping over the edge.

Tox

Yes I had a problem with a UTI as well. It was maybe a week after he'd gotten fixed (which apparently is a rather common thing). I'd noticed him going to the box often, but not really doing anything, and that was my biggest sign.

Also he peed in my shower, which pretty much told me something was wrong.

mrt144

I think the biggest problem I face right now is that I'm constantly tense at night now because he hops up on the bed to sleep with us. I wake up now whenever I feel him move or hop on or hop off.

mrt144

So last night, while we were asleep, the cat peed on the side of the bed where my wife keeps some of her clothing. Does he just think soft places are for him to do his business or what?

He hasn't been irregularly peeing, I get maybe 1-2 large clumps in his litter each day, and I'm cleaning it at least once a day if not more.

Esh

mrt144 wrote:

So last night, while we were asleep, the cat peed on the side of the bed where my wife keeps some of her clothing. Does he just think soft places are for him to do his business or what?

He hasn't been irregularly peeing, I get maybe 1-2 large clumps in his litter each day, and I'm cleaning it at least once a day if not more.

Take him into the vet. He might have a urinary tract problem. Seriously.

mts

yea, crystals will cause that too