My foster cat pees in bed. Is it stress or a litter box problem?

Hi, some cats have to adjust to their new surroundings and will hold their urine and feces until they are comfortable. If his bladder is small, I would not worry. I would monitor him for straining to urinate or crying out in the litter box. if he is not doing this, he will probably be okay. I would give him some times in his new home to learn he is safe to eat and use the litter box. You can try to palpate his bladder by using one hand and squeezing gentle on his abdomen while he is standing up. The bladder should feel like a water balloon slipping through your fingers. If you feel something round, large and hard, take him to a vet. If it is soft and smaller than your hand, he should be fine. I would also check around his area to see if he has urinated outside the box. Good luck with your new kitty!

This isn't a behavioural problem, it's probably a bladder inflammation which cats get due to stress, which he obviously had because of the dog. You will need to take him to the vet in rder to get some medications to reduce the bladder inflammation, he will also need to be on a special diet for about a month to help reducing the bladder inflammation.

These types of behaviors can be very frustrating and can be difficult to resolve. The easiest thing to do is to add an additional litter box in that area to see if this helps. A good rule for cats is one litter box per cat plus an additional one. Another option would be trying feliway which is available as a spray or a diffuser to see if this helps with some stress your pet may be experiencing when you leave. Other types of medications for behavior modification would be prescription based so I would recommend reaching out to your family veterinarian regarding those options if necessary. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It may be something frightened him in the new location and he is looking for a safer option. I recommend having a second litter tray in the room he prefers as a back up. Trays should be in a quiet, undisturbed location, not near noisy or unpredictable things such as washing machines. A calming supplement can help also and it is important to encourage frequent, stress free urination by facilitating his preferred options to reduce the risk of urinary tract inflammation and irritation

Causes of urination outside the box can be urinary tract infection, crystals in the urine, stones in the urinary tract, trauma to the area, or difficulty getting into the litterbox due to pain, or other reasons. It is important that you make an appointment to have Jinx seen by your veterinarian as soon as you can to help determine the cause of his behaviour and to start treatment. If you notice his straining to urinate/unable to produce urine, this is a medical emergency and she should be seen by a vet immediately. In an unneutered male cat like Jinx, it may be that he is starting to mark around the house, in which case having him neutered may help. This will also help prevent him from getting your other cat pregnant. It is also possible that Jinx is exhibiting signs of stress in his home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Jinx’s environmental needs are being met: Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 , healthcareforpets.com and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic phisomone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com. Try an enzymatic cleaner like Nature’s Miracle on the areas where he has accidents to help with the smell and staining. Good luck!

It certainly could be another problem with Luna's urinary tract, like feline idiopathic cystitis. Having another cat in the house is stressful, and that can lead to this cystitis. I'd have her seen by a vet to have this diagnosed and treated. I'd also get your male cat neutered. I hope this helps!

Poor Lalu! It sounds like he's quite worried about having to be around your other cat since they don't get along, as well as being a somewhat anxious kitty in general. There are a few things you can do to help. First, I would make sure that you have multiple litter boxes, food and water bowls, resting places, scratching posts, and other resources in different parts of the house so that he doesn't have to go around your other cat - this can help tremendously to reduce stress in multi-cat households. Especially try to make sure that all of these things are available in the areas that he normally likes to spend time in - many anxious cats have accidents outside the litter box, or don't eat well, because they can't get to their litter box or food bowl without crossing the other cat. You can also try Feliway pheromone diffusers throughout the house to help reduce stress and promote more social behavior. Finally, you could also use a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to help with his anxiety - these can be ordered online without a prescription, and are very helpful for some anxious cats.