Why is my 9-month male kitten peeing on beds, even with a litter box?

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 Moon 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. I highly recommend speaking to your vet about having Moon neutered, as this kind of behaviour can happen in male cats as a form of marking behaviour, and sometimes having them neutered can help reduce or eliminate the marking. It is also possible that Moon is exhibiting signs of stress in his home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Moon’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 pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com.

It can sometimes be overwhelming for kittens to go all the way downstairs to find their litter box, especially if the house is fairly large :) I would recommend providing an additional litter box for Jinx upstairs so that there is one available nearby if he has to go to the bathroom while he's up there. Another option would be to confine him to a single room with his food and water bowls and litter box for the next 1-2 weeks to make sure that he is using it every time, then gradually begin to give him more freedom in the house as long as he is not having accidents. Also make sure to thoroughly clean the spots where he has had accidents, ideally using an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle or Urine Off, to make sure that the odor is completely gone - otherwise, it can act as a signpost drawing him back to the same places to use the bathroom in the future.

It sounds like Dexter could have a urinary tract infection. This is common in male cats and can cause them to urinate outside of the litter box. You should def take him into the vet today. Sometimes male cats can get crystals in their bladder secondary to the urinary tract infection and can become blocked (not able to urinate). This condition can be life threatening. So best to get him started on antibiotics ASAP. The vet will probably do a urinalysis to be sure he has a bladder infection.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Axel. He has not gone through puberty being only 9 weeks of age. Therefore, this issue is likely related to not being fully potty trained yet as opposed to marking behavior. You can add another litterbox and make sure it has a very low lip to make it easy for the kitten to get in and out. You can try another litter substrate to see if he has a preference. Finally, wash your bedding and do not allow him access to it. I hope this information helps!

Hello, thank you for your question about Merlin. It is possible that Merlin is exhibiting these behaviors due to the a recent change of environment and new scents. To help further identify and remedy this problem I have provided additional information below. Hope this helps! -Your cat may have an aversion to the litterbox. This can develop due to odors, litter type, other cats or dogs, or an attraction for other substances. Observing your cat using the litterbox can help to determine the cause. Hesitation to enter the box, excessive scratching outside the box, straddling the box, and failure to cover up feces may be indications that your cat has a litterbox aversion. Making your cat’s litterbox more appealing can help. Daily cleaning, as well as changing all the litter out weekly can help. Boxes should be cleaned with a mild, unscented soap. Having the box in a low traffic area of the house may also help to reduce any anxiety surrounding the litterbox. Lastly, finding a litter your cat prefers may be key to making the box more appealing. Using cardboard trays and a few different kinds of litters may aid you in finding your cat’s litter preference. -A multi-pet household is another possible cause of inappropriate elimination. Cats may urinate or defecate outside of the litterbox if there are too few litterboxes present, if the boxes are not cleaned regularly or if inter-pet aggression exists. Owners need to determine if there are an adequate number of litterboxes present in multiple locations; it is recommended that the number of litterboxes total the number of cats plus one. It is very important to clean boxes daily. Non-clumping litter should be completely discarded every day; clumping litter should be scooped daily and completely discarded every 1 to 2 weeks. Owners should observe interactions between cats and other animals in the house to see if any harassment or territorial aggression exists; cats may be aggressive towards one another and dogs may follow cats around in search of a tasty treat. Depending on the case, it may be beneficial to separate cats or place litterboxes in areas where the cat cannot be bothered by canine housemates. Additionally, open litterboxes should be used instead of covered ones, so that the cat can visualize its surroundings and have multiple escape routes. Spraying can be differentiated from the other problems because the cat will still use the litterbox for urination and defecation normally. However they will also target specific areas to spray (usually vertical surfaces though sometimes horizontal), assume a characteristic stance, and stand while urinating. Owners should recognize that spraying is not always an abnormal behavior. Cats spray either due to positive or negative stimuli. Positive stimuli can be normal sexual or predatory behavior. Negative stimuli, which normally results in more frequent and problematic spraying, is usually due to anxiety or inter-cat aggression. Whether positive or negative, the stimuli should be identified and removed. Spay or neuter all intact cats. Clean or remove objects that the cat likes to spray on and make these areas less attractive to the cat. For instance if the cat sprays one spot on a wall, move the cat’s food dishes to that spot. Most cats do not like to soil where they eat. If the cat sprays when it sees another cat outside block the view. If these tactics do not work then room diffusers or spraying with feline pheromones may help reduce spraying. Medication can be prescribed by veterinarians and have been shown to greatly reduce marking behavior. However, since the behavior can return as soon as the drug is withdrawn, drugs should be used only after or in conjunction with the methods mentioned above.

Sometimes, cats will return to the same location where they have had an accident previously and continue to urinate there - this is often because there is still some lingering odor that they can smell, which acts as a signpost saying "pee here!" He may also have learned that the bed was a pleasant place to use the bathroom, so in his mind it's a convenient option when he needs to go. I would recommend closing the door to your bedroom to block his access to the bed for the next month or so - this should be long enough to break the newly-formed habit of urinating on the bed. You should also make sure that all of the bedding has been washed, and the mattress has been treated with a deodorizing product that is made for getting rid of urine odors, such as Nature's Miracle or Urine Off. If he continues to have accidents in other places around the house even with the bedroom door closed, I would be suspicious of an underlying medical issue causing this behavior. In that case, it would be best to take him to the vet for an exam and urinalysis to help determine what's wrong.

Cats can have inappropriate urination for a number of reasons. Urinary infections, bladder inflammation, urinary stones, urinary tumors, as well as behavioral problems. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian to make sure there is not a medical problem. Adding more litter boxes, toys, blocking view of outdoor cats etc can all be helpful. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.