Cat crapping on my bed GRRR

[Ubik1]

OK so one of our rescue cats has started pissing and shitting on our bed and I am going demented with the washing and have already had to bin one winterweight kingsize duvet.

I have explained to the little minx that she is bloody well going back if she doesn't stop only joking, sort of

Anyway

How can I tackle this? Litter tray is cleaned regularly, she has been using it fine. She doesn't seem unwell, just seems to prefer shitting on our lovely soft clean bed. We do have 2 litter trays as we have two cats, but we live in a flat with 3 children and don't have room for another tray. she also has access to a big wide world in which she can crap to her heart's content.

I had the same problem about 2 years ago. And I feel for you, it is a complete nightmare.

Our vet first suggested it might be psychological (as a new cat had moved in 2 doors up) and we tried a calming plug thing. I think it was called Feliway. I'm not sure that did much.
I also tried spraying around the room with a citronella oil solution, and putting drops of citronella oil on a muslin which I left next to the bed.
I also shut the bedrooms during the day for quite a while (prob 6 months). I think she'd decided the bed was her litter tray so I had to get that thought out her head.

Subsequently she was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease - she is an older cat. So it may have been that all along. But I did get her to stop it!

I hope you find a solution!

We took in a stray who did this too - he and our older cat (also male) do not get on, and although they co-exist peaceably enough now, this was during the adjustment period. Worse, our new cat would pee on the bed whilst we were in it. Awful though this was, I've read that it's better to shout at the cat immediately it happens (so he gets to associate peeing on the bed with being shouted at), rather than saying 'bad cat' ineffectually later on. After being shouted at a couple of times, he stopped. And, obviously, we kept the door closed during the day. (Feliway had no effect whatsoever.)

Is it possible that she was never properly litter trained to begin with though?

I would keep the door shut, add another tray in case she's a two trays kinda gal & try an ultra clumping litter. It's got smaller grains so its softer on paws.

Empty the trays as soon as she uses them, some of them are so fussy about clean trays.

sorry but the ultimate way of stopping your cat pissing and shitting on beds is to shut the bedroom doors and keep them out of the bedroom, i have 8 cats here at the moment with the fosters and non of mine are allowed in the bedrooms and never have been

I will try emptying trays every day after use and see if it improves.

It's hard to keep bedroom doors shut, i have three young children and the computer lives in our bedroom at the moment, although we try and keep the cats out, inevitably the doors get left open.

Hopefully if we manage not to let her piss on the bed for the next 6 months she will forget all about it. She doesn't go on anyone elses bed.

sorry didnt mean to sound harsh i have one who pees on the hall carpet in the same spot and no matter what i do she still does it so know the pain could you move the computer to another room and remind the children to close bedroom doors or if you are on the computer shut her in say the kitchen or bathroom with the litter tray at least if she pees or craps its easier to clean up,

Yuck Ubik - this must be really horrible for you. I am certain that she's doing it because she is feeling seriously threatened by something or someone. She's scared and worried and is "marking" your bed to show that it's her territory.

Is she frightened of the other cat?

Well that's certainly one explanation, Tamzin, although I have to say that most of the accidents I've had from my boys (other than Seniorboy's arthritis accidents) have been eg protest pees from annoyance - a sort of 'Take that, then!'.

Yes Cozie, but it's not the odd accident from this little cat is it - it's a regular occurrence so she is obviously marking.

Hmmm

Well she seems to be the dominant one TBH. She has started exploring the great outdoors recently (the other one is too scared)so maybe that is stressful. I think they were both seriously neglected before we got them, abandoned in a house with litters of kittens, half starved. They are funny things, happy to be stroked but will not allow picking up, will not sit on your lap.

I suppose she is living with three children so it can get pretty noisy but it's quiet during the day and in the evening. They have their own beds which they like and use.

If she can smell her urine on the sheets will she just want to keep doing it in the same place? I have boiled sheets and duvet on the hottest wash to try to eradicate any odour - do you think that works?

True Tamzin but then the protests from my lot were regular - until I fixed whatever it was they were annoyed about.

Well it could just as easily be something that she's come across outdoors that's upsetting her - maybe a neighbouring cat? Also it sounds like she's had a traumatic past which she hasn't got over yet.

It certainly won't be anything to do with your children I'm sure.

She just needs to feel safe and secure and loved, which I'm sure you're all working towards. As soon as she feels confident she will then stop soiling your bed.

Meanwhile have a think about what could be upsetting her. I'm willing to bet that it will be a cat that she's bumped into outside, and can possibly see through the window.?

She obviously regards your bed as her Safe Place which is why she's marking it. She'll stop eventually but until then I'm afraid that you are just going to have to keep the door shut.

Good Luck. You sound like a lovely cat servant owner.

I think if you use biological washing powder/liquid it should be ok without having to do a boil wash. I've had this intermittently over the years in spite of having multiple litter trays - fairly recently it was because my elderly cat was unwell (thyroid problems & poor eyesight which meant that he was caught short and ended up weeing repeatedly on DS2's duvet - he has the bottom bunk so it was the easy option for the cat)

I thought we'd cracked it but last week my lovely adopted stray kitten climbed the bunkbed ladder and weed on DS1's duvet while he was asleep in bed! No idea what that was all about but it must have been either dominance or stress-related. I've washed the duvet in bio powder and will see what happens - all has been calm since then - we already have several feliway plugins in various locations...