At the end of my tether with my cat

[BaronessClothilde]

Please no judgement/unkind words as I'm already really struggling 🙏🙏

One of my cats (10 years old) has always been a bit of a nightmare for peeing where she shouldn't. Always on soft things - the sofa, a pile of clean laundry, our son's bed, and now our bed. She's had several vet check ups and there's nothing wrong with her. We have five litter trays and they're always clean. I've just had to replace our expensive King size mattress for a second time after my son left the bedroom door open and she got in and did a wee all over the bed - soaked through the duvet to the mattress underneath. I cannot use waterproof mattress protectors because they make me sweat so badly.

It's got to the point where she has to be shut out of almost all rooms if we aren't in there with her to watch her. I feel bad for my other cat who hasn't got any peeing issues but ends up being shut out of the bedrooms and living room too.

I had a baby 7 months ago but this is not a new thing - she's done it on and off ever since she was a kitten. There's absolutely nothing we haven't tried - feliway, enzyme cleaners, cat behaviourists, different litter trays. I'm sitting here crying because I just can't cope with the constant cleaning and hypervigilance of making sure she's always shut out of rooms. I feel it's not fair on her and I can't afford to keep replacing furniture she's ruined. It's definitely a stress response - she always does it if we have visitors for instance, or if the cleaner has come, or if builders make loads of noise outside or anything like that.

Has anyone got any advice for something I might not have thought of? At my worst moments I consider rehoming her but I can't bear the thought of doing it. Sometimes though I think she'd be happier in the household of a single person who works from home and has few visitors. She's such a lovely and affectionate cat. I love her dearly. I just don't know what to do.

Hi op, I came across this thread as I was looking on ideas on how to get the wee stains out of my mattress.
I have two cats too, and for a couple of months I suspected the wrong cat. Took him to the vet and he is healthy.
Only when I set up a camera in my bedroom did I find out it was the other one. Took her to the vet as well, only a small infection found and treated, given gabapentin, recommended feliway which I was already using and told the cat was stressed. Not sure by what as she seems to be the one stressing my male cat. A fearless 1 yr old female who will chase a couple of kg off him at a time.
The vet also suggested to put her toys on our bed. Luckily she only goes for the bed, about once a week or every 2 weeks. I have waterproof mattress covers but it happened that I changed it once and put a regular one on and she struck again. She also peed on me while in bed and was preparing to do it while my partner was in bed too. I have a down summer duvet that has been going in the washing machine for years, before I even had cats.
What I can suggest is another mattress cover on top of the waterproof one, and maybe some cool sheets from M&S?
How you wash your bedding after a peeing session is crucial too, as they could still trace the smell even if we don’t.
I noticed for instance that my one did it once when she got upset probably that my male cat went for her food, on another occasion she woke up from her bed in my bedroom, went straight for a wee on our bed despite a clean litter tray being available within 3m.
I’d also feel I failed her if rehoming came into discussion. She has already been brought back by a friend who couldn’t cope with her shyness for more than 3 weeks(she had been rescued from someone’s garden and given proper litter training).
I hope you have managed to solve your problem since you last posted in January. I am on the other hand trying to find a way to remove the stain left by an enzyme cleaner on my mattress. 😀🐾

She's so beautiful. Seconded on the medication. My 16 year old cat peed evrywhere for 4 years she was traumatised I think by too many people and pets in her last home.
I took her on and nothing worked then I got a kitten and the neighbour rehomed her aggressive cat that used to come in our house and she just stopped doing it. There is always a trigger. It's just finding it.

Get a bamboo waterproof protector from My Panda life. It feels like a normal sheet.

This is an old thread so hopefully op is sorted by now.

id get a tarp and put it over the bed every morning when you get up though