skimomma Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 We recently adopted a (now) 4 month old kitten. We have had her for two weeks. We took her after a failed placement in a friend's home and had not planned to get a kitten at this time. We also have a 16 yo cat who is cranky and would really prefer to be an only cat. The introduction has gone as well as we could have hoped for with a kitten annoying a cranky cat. Kitten keeps trying to play with cranky and cranky hisses, mildly growls, and occasionally swats. Kitten found our four litter boxes and took to using them right from the start. Until. Two nights ago, I was getting ready for bed. Kitten had been underfoot so I took her with me to the bedroom and plopped her on our bed. A minute later, I noticed that she was PEEING the bed. I assumed that it was an isolated incident and chalked it up to the possibility that had picked her up with a full bladder and she just couldn't get to the box fast enough. Everything got washed and I made up the bed with different bedding. Last night, I was IN bed but not asleep yet when kitten came into the room, jumped up on the bed, and PEED it again! Concerned this might happen, we had taken kitten to the boxes just a short time before this happened and she used one. The boxes are cleaned daily and had been cleaned just hours beforehand. She was just at the vet for a full check up. She is spayed and has all of her shots. What is going on here?!?! Any ideas and/or suggestions on how to remedy the situation? The room does not have a latching door and cranky cat enjoys the sunbeams in this room so even if I could close it off I'd like to keep anything cranky enjoys in her life now that kitten has upended it. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 Is it possible she’s confused by having SO many litter boxes? Presumably they are all over your house? If you want to keep that many, can you relocate one to your bedroom, if that’s where she’s having trouble? A bit late now, but the advice we got was to take the brand new kitten to her litter box first thing upon bringing her home. From the box as a starting point, she can explore her new surroundings. Supposedly that makes the box ground zero, as it were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachGal Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 The kitten might be stressed or anxious. Maybe Cranky is sending threatening cat signals to the little one. I'm not sure what you can do to ease the anxiety other than extra holding or maybe putting the kitten and his necessities in a separate room at night without Cranky? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Sometimes very soft surfaces can stimulate kittens to pee. I would discourage her from being on the bed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 I agree with @Chris in VA -- It could simply be that kitten finds the bed a desirable surface. But you also want to make sure you have plenty of boxes. The general ideal rule is one for each cat plus one more. So ideally with two cats you have three litter boxes. And preferably in at least a couple of different locations, not clustered together. You could also try feeding her on the bed (the theory being that cats don't eliminate where they eat). Also, you can't assume it's not a UTI. I don't know of any vets who do a urinalysis as part of a regular check up. And even if one was done, if it was more than a few days ago she could have developed one. You may have to do a bit of retraining by isolating her in a small room with a litter box. I'd do it for at least a week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Are all your boxes in the same area? If so, that's a likely cause. If kitten got scared away from the area by cranky cat or even something random like -- she was in there using a box and a big loud noise scared her . . . General principles . . . you need to: + have at least 3 boxes (# cats + 1) + have at least one on each floor of the house + have them in quiet, private spaces + test out varied designs (covered, uncovered, shallow, deep, etc) + test out various litters + Clean boxes at least daily; ideally at least twice a day. Cats like cleanliness! In your situation, you should get a litter box of whatever design she has shown a preference for (if you know) and put it near your bed in a quiet spot. She's likely choosing your bed because she feels safe there. Alternatively, if you really don't want a litter box in your room, address all the above issues and keep your door shut for a few months until the problem is resolved. Choose box designs and litters that the cat(s) show preference for. Also, ask at the vet for them to check her urine for UTI/etc. Describe your situation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 Thanks all. We have five litter boxes for two cats and they are dispersed all over the house and are usually cleaned twice a day but for sure once daily. We have three different styles but kitten has been using them all about equally. It may be the soft spot theory. Or UTI. Cranky cat is much more scared of kitten than kitten of cranky cat. But cranky sleeps on our bed at night so it might be a territory thing too. Sigh. It has not happened again. Yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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