Why does my unspayed cat pee on dog beds? Hormones? Breed or spay?

Unfortunately this could be related to her heat cycle (hormones), a bladder infection or a behavioral issue. Since she can’t talk and tell you what’s going on, I recommend to have her checked by the veterinarian for a bladder infection. You may also discuss having her spayed which will eliminate that factor as well. If the veterinarian suspect this is behavioral, there are many things you can do to help encourage her to use a litter box. Just post again. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That must be so frustrating for you! I recommend taking her into your vet if you haven't already to rule out a medical cause behind this behavior. Cats with a UTI will urinate everywhere, and she will need antibiotics to treat it if she does have one. Once a medical cause is ruled out, I would recommend spaying her. Female cats will mark to attract a male, and spaying her will help decrease this behavior. Even if it is a UTI causing this, I would still recommend spaying her. She may continue to mark to attract a male, and spaying will have many health benefits for her, including prevention of a pyometra ( a life threatening infection of the uterus) in addition to decreasing the marking behavior.

This sounds behavioral to me based on your description. I typically recommend having multiple litter boxes around and wherever she is urinating, place a litter box right there and see if that helps. Spaying may also help reduce this behavior. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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.

I’m sorry to hear you are dealing with that, I know how frustrating it is. She might have a health issue, such as a urinary tract infection, bladder stone, or an endocrine disease, or it may just be behavioral. Take her to your vet to have her examined, and have some lab work run to rule out a medical cause. If it is behavioral, there are things you can do to try to help. You may find this article helpful: https://www.petcoach.co/article/inappropriate-elimination-urination-defecation-spraying-in/ Before we call it behavioral, a medical condition should be ruled out. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. A cat can be "healthy" and still have urination issues as you have described because the problem is behavioral and not medical. If it has been ruled out that she does not have any underlying medical conditions (kidney issues, bladder problems, UTI, etc) then you should try the behavioral modification medication. The medications work well and cats rarely have any side effects with their use. Please talk to your vet about this. This problem is not only stressful for you but also for Prune. And typically what happens is, if you rehome her, she will do the same behavior at the new person's house. Inevitably they get frustrated and they will rehome her and the cycle continues as she is passed from home to home. She may even end up at a shelter as unadaptable which in some shelters means euthanasia. Please don't do that to her and speak to your vet about medication. I can tell you love her very much and someone else may not feel the same about her. The medication is not expensive and typically is easy to administer. The medication does not usually change their attitude towards you or change their personality in any drastic way. It is an easy solution. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

First, let's determine if he is spraying (on vertical surfaces while standing) or urinating inappropriately because the treatment will be different. You didn't mention how old Dante is. If he is young and neutered before sexual maturity, it would be unlikely that he is spraying. I am attaching a description of spraying below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951285 There are a large number of reasons that a cat will inappropriately urinate (urinate outside the litter box). I am attaching a handout below which discusses this in detail. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951508 The first step in figuring out why a cat is urinating outside the litter box is to have your veterinarian do an examination and get a urine sample to evaluate for a medical reason. If that is normal, then we need to look at other possibilities. The handout above discusses litter box issues that can play a role. Make sure you have at least 2 litter boxes (if Dante is the only cat), they are not covered or lined, and are cleaned daily. You may also want to try products like Cat Attract Litter (https://www.drelseys.com/shop/cat-attract/). Even though Dante usually gets along with the dog, you should also look at decreasing stress in case that is playing a role. One option for decreasing stress is to add a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com ) to your house. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water. You could also consider calming music specifically for cats ( http://throughadogsear.com/tace/through-a-cats-ear-1-music-for-calming/ ). If your veterinarian cannot find a medical reason, all litter box issues have been dealt with, and stress reduction techniques have not helped, then it may be time to discuss anti-anxiety medication with your veterinarian. Medications are also discussed in the handout. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that you can figure out why Dante is urinating on the dog bed. Thanks for using PetCoach.