Does this sound familiar? This is a real life scenario!
Every night, we have to get up to put the cat on the floor, because she has peed on our bed. I am always really tired and not in the best mood when I wake up because of this. It’s hard for me to get back into a good routine, and it takes me hours before I can get myself going again. Our house is also starting to smell like pet urine, all day long which makes things worse. What should we do?
What to do if your cat pees on your bed?
It’s tough to get up in the middle of the night to change the bedding on a pee-soaked bed. It doesn’t have to be this way!
The first thing to do is to rule out any medical issues, such as a bladder infection or kidney disease. This means a trip to the vet. It is always best to rule out or treat a medical problem first.
Even if the unwanted behavior is not an underlying medical condition, the vet has a wealth of experience and will also be able to offer advice if the problem is behavioral rather than medical.
Assuming the cause is not medical, here are some ideas for you to work through to solve the problem.
Some ideas may not be practical for your situation.
Move on to the next suggestion.
What To Do if Your Cat Peed On The Bed
The very first thing to do if the your cat urinates or pees on your bed is clean the bedding.
Clean the bedding as soon as possible after the deed, the bed will need to be stripped.
Let’s hope that the pee has not soaked through to the mattress. If the cat was right on top of the covers, it is unlikely that the cats pee would have soaked right through to the mattress.
Washing the sheets and mattress protector is simple enough to do in the washing machine.
Any blankets, quilts, or coverlets will need to be washed according to washing recommendations.
Accidents are going to happen.
As a cat owner, you will want to have a cat pee, odor, and stain removal product on hand. You will probably need all three at some point.
Stop The Cat Peeing On The Bed Again!
1.Don’t Allow The Cat On The Bed
The most obvious suggestion is to not allow the cat on the bed. This will probably mean not allowing the cat into the bedroom.
You may only have to do this at night, if that is when the cat is peeing on your bed.
You will need to either close the bedroom door or invest in a pet gate. It will be a nuisance but anything that involves re-training the cat is going to require a bit of the nuisance factor.
2. Litter Box Location
The solution may be as simple as ensuring that there is a litter box for each floor of your home.
Also, try placing a litter box near the bedroom. This is particularly important if your cat is a senior.
Take into consideration that the noise of litter being scratched in the middle of the night, can definitely disturb sleep.
** Now this is a different idea. Try a litter box in your bedroom or alternatively, keep the litter box in an area that is away from where you sleep. These are contrasting suggestions, so decide which method you think will work best. You may have to try both approaches.
3. Have You got Enough Litter Boxes?
If you have more than one cat, ideally, you should have as many litter boxes as cats.
If you are a multi cat household and you don’t have one litter box per cat, this is something worth considering.
4. Litter Box Cleanliness
Make sure the litter box is kept scrupulously clean.
A dirty litter box often leads to litter box avoidance. This often leads to the cat peeing and pooping anywhere but the litter box and this can include your bed. The problem is that this can set up a routine for the cat that is hard to break.
Keeping the litter box clean benefits everyone in the household. Set up a roster for maintaining the cleanliness of the litter box if this is something that gets overlooked in your home. It easily happens.
5. Use Catnip In The Litter Box
Put catnip in the your cat’s litter box.
Catnip in the litterbox, will encourage the cat to use the litter box, while discouraging peeing on bedding or furniture.
Cat litter attractant is a product that works particularly well to attract the cat to the litter box.
It is just sprinkled on top of the litter you are using. No need to change to a different type of litter.
You can get a litter that has attractant in the actual litter, however what I am talking about here is just sprinkled on top of the litter as needed, any litter.
6. The Brand Of Litter
Have you changed the brand of cat litter recently?
Changing the brand of cat litter can deter the cat from using the litter box and seek alternate places to pee and poop.
Go back to the usual brand and see if the problem disappears.
The trouble with this is, that the cat has now established a new habit of peeing on the bed.
7. Is Your Cat Stressed?
Do you suspect that your cat’s behavior might be from stress?
Other pets in the bedroom at night can be extremely stressful for cats. This can lead to jealousy.
Cats mark their territory to show other animals that something belongs to them. This could be your cat’s way of marking his territory.
A new baby can create jealous feelings in some cats.
Just be aware of all possibilities.
8. Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety can also lead to unusual behavior in cats.
If you have been away from home more than usual, the cat may have separation anxiety.
One of our cats definitely had some behaviors that were strictly only obvious when we were away and the cat was being cared for at home.
I hesitate to say attention seeking behavior, but that is what it seemed like at the time. Cats definitely show stress at times like this. You know your cat and perhaps some calming products may help to reduce stress.
Products such as Feliway can help lower the stress levels in cats.
9. Is It Scary For The Cat Getting To The Litter Box?
Is it scary for the cat to get to the litter box? This is another stressor that could cause problems, leading to the cat peeing on the bed.
What about the dog’s bed? Cats sometimes do pee on the bed belonging to the family dog.
Does the cat have to navigate past a sleeping dog or other cats to get to the litter box? If the dog is going to wake up and have a go at the cat, the cat will be spooked.
Make sure that the litter box is readily accessible with a clear and stress free route.
10. Create A Cat Free Zone On The Bed
Create a “cat-free zone” on the bed by covering it with a fabric undesirable to the cat.
Although having to put a cover on the bed is not a long-term solution, it can work by changing the behavior of the cat.
Read how we did this when the cat was scratching the leather couch. After a while, a fair while, the cat gave up on scratching the couch and never touched it with a claw ever again! 🤷♀️
It is possible to alter behavior.
A simple but brilliant solution to stop the cat peeing on the bed, is to use a shower curtain. A shower curtain is inexpensive plus it is lightweight and easy to whip out and fling across the bed, after the bed has been made in the morning.
The cat will not like walking on the plastic and will not stop there to urinate or pee.
Using deterrents such as aluminum foil or double-sided tape on the bed also discourages your cat.
11. Waterproof Blanket
There are some great waterproof blankets for beds that actually look okay, in fact, they look very good and not at all like a waterproof pee protector.
You might be pleasantly surprised and I’m sure there are others equally as stylish.
These two are a decent size, big enough to cover the bed which is a big plus.
12. Use a Cosy Cat Pouch
Think about using a cozy cat pouch on the bed. There are some divine cat pouches, and they are perfect for using on the bed because they are soft.
We know cats like to huddle inside, in the same manner that they love getting into boxes.
This one pictured, is not quite as cute as some however, drum roll, it is waterproof on the outside.
Even if there is an accident, it is a lot easier to clean this sleeping pouch rather than stripping the sheets in the middle of the night, to remake the bed.
Get one of the super cute ones when this problem has been sorted. Please ignore the doggie. He is there for pictorial purposes only!
13. Cat Wall Shelves
Give the cat more vertical space in your bedroom. Cat wall shelves are a perfect solution for a bedroom where space may be limited.
Your cat will be happy to gaze at you from afar and from a high position with a good view.
Have a look at the different choices here. The cat remains in the bedroom, and he can still see you.
14. Play
Spend quality time and play with your cat on the bed.
A wand toy is an easy way to do this.
The cat will see the bed as somewhere to play and have fun.
Give your cat an occasional healthy little treat like these ones for some positive reinforcement and the feeling of security and love when on the bed.
15. Use An Enzymatic Cleaner
Use an enzymatic cleaner to remove urine odors from the bedding.
Clean thoroughly so that the cat doesn’t continue to mark in the same place.
Cats peeing on the bed can be a frustrating and unpleasant experience for pet owners.
However, with patience and persistence, it is possible to train your cat to use the litter box instead.
By identifying the root cause of the behavior, such as a medical issue or stress, and addressing it accordingly, you can effectively prevent your cat from peeing on your bed.
It is important to remember that punishing your cat for peeing on the bed is not an effective solution and can actually make the behavior worse.
Instead, positive reinforcement and consistent training are key to successfully stopping your cat from peeing on the bed.
