4 month old kittens using beds as litter tray

[redpandaalert]

We have two oriental kittens. The rescue centre dropped them off at 10 weeks and then let me know they weren’t quite litter trained. Their mother wasn’t very motherly so they were separated from her early.

We have 5 litter trays in the house. About once a week they use the beds as a litter tray especially in our bedroom. Only one of the litter trays is upstairs. We’ve locked them out of the bedrooms for a while unless one of us was in them. Recently we left the doors open hoping familiarity could help so they were less excited and stressed. Late last night we found they had done it again. What should we do - add another litter tray? Keep them out? Would Feliway help we tried the spray didn’t seem to do much but could get a plug in. Any ideas? Both are guilty, one more so than the other.

The beds might have traces of wee smell in which case they'll keep on weeing there every so often! Honestly I'd get rid of the beds for now but my cat will sleep anywhere 😃

Ah just realised maybe you meant your own beds rather than cat beds? Better not get rid of those! I'd keep them downstairs overnight.

Yes, it’s very difficult to get the smell of cat wee out and if any of it lingers they will keep doing it in the same place. I would lock them out and keep them confined somewhere with a cat tray available so they get the idea. Could take a while so that it’s really embedded in them. I would probably get rid of the bedding too or wash thoroughly in biological washing powder, that breaks down the enzymes in the urine.

Are you using big rough litter? You need kitten litter for little paws. If the litters like walking on Lego blocks they’ll make their own arrangements.

We were using the litter the rescue centre used but we are trying out smaller litter to see if that helps this weeks we’ve sprayed everything with enzyme cleaner can’t really get rid of the mattress and feather duvets. We will lock them out and hope they get better. It’s hard when the kids are remote learning in their bedrooms all day and the cats are quite cross they are locked out!

They had slept earlier in the day in the same spot one of them soiled the bed which is quite odd

Did the rescue use wood chip litter by any chance?.

Possibly get them checked over? Could be a missed urinary tract infection?

I had the same issue with our girl cat. I ended up getting a new duvet and on advice of the vets put down a big sheet of oil cloth (the vet said anything that won't soak up the urine) theory was when she peed on the bed, it would make her feet wet. She did it once and we havent had an issue since. I also kept lifting her and putting her in her tray to remind her.

Mine go in their litter but seem to have a thing about beds.
All bedroom doors are kept closed now though. I have covers on my mattresses etc just in case though.