Indoor cat constantly weeing on beds

[Janus]

I’m so upset I just don’t know what to do. Our cat is an indoor cat and is about 18 months old. This weeing thing started when she was about 9 months old, the vet thought initially it was an infection and she had a short course of antibiotics which helped but it started again a week or so after the short course. She then had a longer course, stopped but started again after about a week.
The vets took her in and ran a full wee diagnosis as we couldn’t get a wee sample ourselves. Discovered there was no infection and said she must be stressed in life. I don’t really understand how she can be as she has an adored life!! We have 4 bedrooms she floats between, she spends the night with one of our children so has company. She has cat towers, play toys, we plug in feliway etc.
When she was about one we had her neutered as she was coming into season every 2-3 weeks. Strangely the weeing nearly stopped, she just liked to do the very odd wee on the dog’s bed!!
About a month ago everything got much worse, she has weed on a bed nearly every night. I am constantly washing duvets and bedding and I don’t know how I can carry on. She now sleeps in our biggest bathroom with 2 litter trays. In the day I feel sorry for her so I let her back in the bedrooms but put a plastic sheet on the bed.
She is going to the vets again tomorrow but I think they’ll just tell me again she’s stressed.
I just wondered if anyone else as ever had this and it was something else? If so I could at least get the vets to check if anyone has any other ideas?
Thanks for reading.

Start by letting her out.

Cats aren’t indoor animals.

If that doesn’t work I would rehome her. I wouldn’t put up with that.

Might be an unpopular opinion but I would get a cat flap and let her go out. Ours does this if she is locked in.

Not all cats are happy inside. I say that as the owner of three indoor cars.

Why can't you let her out?

Why are you keeping her in? Id be stressed too if I was locked up and never allowed out.

We have an outdoor cat and she still pees on the same spot in the lounge so it might be nothing to do with being inside.
We've started using puppy pads because the urine has gone through the carpet, underlay and into the floorboards, we tried all sorts of neutralizer and spray but nothing has worked. We have been told once the smell is there the cats will continue to go there. So not much we can do but at least with the puppy pads we can throw them away and not constantly washing the carpet.
It's horrible I feel your pain!

Why is she an indoor cat if she's not house trained?

Sorry, I didn't mean to quote

She is telling you her life isn't great. Imo she needs an outdoor option.. Ime dcats need to be able to escape the inevitable noise dc make.

Which litter is she given?

Definitely try letting her outside, but stay with her while she adjusts and learns the various scents near your house. She will continue to pee wherever she’s peed before because the scent is inviting her back. Try using Urinoff.

Either she is stressed or she has learned that the texture of duvet is an appropriate weeing place.

The latter is very difficult to fix as it's hard to get the smell out and standing on a duvet makes her think 'Hmm, nice place to have a wee' I only sorted my cat when I managed to catch her in the act of weeing instead of 2 seconds after the wee and told her off. Took ages to get lucky though.

Cat behaviourist may be your next call.

She’s an indoor cat because we have a busy road at the front of us so we were all paranoid. We have been having building work downstairs for 3+ months now so it’s not particularly safe for her to be around that as sometimes there’s drilling and doors wide open so if she escapes at this time from being spooked she’d have no experience of being outside. My plan is once the building work has finished in about a month or so to start letting her out and go from there. I was told all cats should spend the first year inside and then start going out but then she was coming into season for weeks on end and so we couldn’t get her spayed and so this took up another 2-3 months before the vets agreed she’d just have to be done regardless of where she was in her cycle.
Strange thing is doors have been left open by mistake and she’s never tried to go outside! She’s a mystery!

Sorry more answers
She was very house trained until something happened at around 9 months, she always used her litter trays.
We use ‘cats best litter’. She does go in her litter tray a lot too - she’s never done a poo anywhere but her litter tray for example but just seems to like the odd wee outside her tray, again she does the majority inside the tray but sometimes it’s like she can’t be bothered to get up to wee!

I would bet good money that it's the building work that's stressing her out and causing her to do this.

One of our indoor girls gets massively stressed when any of our neighbours have any sort of loud, ongoing work done and it ALWAYS results in her peeing in inappropriate places.

Extra litter trays, more Feliway (the regular and the 'friends' version, vet input for uti meds and lots and lots of calm attention and space to get away seem to work.

Plus we now add extra water to every wet food pouch we give her. We've not had any issues since.

Building work and dc and no escape? Your poor dcat.

It’s the building works also there is a dog and she can’t get away?

one of cats improved enormously with weeing on beds when we installed a cat flap. The same cat ran away and stayed out overnight when building works started. She is a bit highly strung.

So she’s locked indoors in either the bathroom or the bedroom, the house is full of dc’s and the dog, there’s major building work going on, but you can’t possibly think of a reason why she might be showing signs of stress?

To be fair we have a big house so she’s in rooms away from the direct noise downstairs. Our children range from 11 to 22 so they are not screaming toddlers. We have put in extra feliway but I will plug in 2 in one room and see if that helps, worth a try!
The dogs are not allowed upstairs so she only sees them when she comes downstairs at night and is supervised and dogs have been very strictly trained, they do not chase her at all, never have.
Comments like ‘your poor cat’ when I have been investing a huge amount of time and effort to try and make her feel secure and better are upsetting too, I am trying my very hardest to sort this out, I am not just neglecting her and hoping for the best.

I wouldn't get a cat that couldn't or I couldn't let out from past experience of trying to keep them in. I can guarantee letting her out would fix the issue. Can you secure your garden?

Do you have a garden??

I cannot alter the fact that we have building work, today they are painting, there’s no noise whatsoever. All the major work has been done it’s just the finishing bits.
I was asking if there could be any medical reason, only because when I go in to her she is usually on her huge cat tower, happy as can be, purring away, she doesn’t ‘look’ stressed, ie clawing at the door to get out or running out when I go in. I was trying to see if it could be something medical I missed that I could raise with the vet. As I said in my first post I am assuming they are going to say she’s stressed and at the moment I can’t stop the building work so will have to hope when that finishes and she can be introduced to outside that will work. I just didn’t want to miss something I hadn’t thought of.

Did you know paint fumes are toxic to dcats?

it may be stress scenting.. try buying a couple of baby blankets that you can use as scent soakers that smell of her, and you, and pop them on the ends of the beds, and furniture where she likes to sit.. and DONT wash them unless you have to.
Sometimes they just need stuff to smell like them and you to help them feel secure.

She needs stimulation and freedom, no amount of cat towers, toys etc can replicate her basic needs. Also the building work must be a nightmare for her, no escape, it is far from ideal.

Try an extra tray and use ultra clumping litter, it’s very soft on indoor paws which aren’t hardened by walking outside.