It’s bad enough when a cat pees anywhere besides in the litter box, but the bed has got to be the worst! In this article, we’ll talk about three things you can do to stop a cat from urinating on the bed.
WATCH MY VIDEO
How to Stop a Cat from Urinating on the Bed
Your first step should be to take your cat to the vet. Honestly, this could be serious and it’s imperative you seek medical attention immediately. Your vet will likely do a urinalysis to see if your cat has a urinary tract infection. This is extremely common in cats, and it’s often why they won’t pee in the litter box. I had a cat who suddenly, after 14 years, started peeing on the bathmat instead of in her litter box. It turned out she had “bladder crystals” and she needed surgery!
My vet said the reason she stopped peeing in the litter box was because it hurt to pee (because of the bladder crystals), and she thought it had something to do with the litter box! So, she was peeing other places, hoping to find a place to pee where it didn’t hurt. Their little kitty brains are very simple! The bottom line is, you have to first determine whether there’s a medical issue that’s causing this. If your cat does, in fact, have a medical condition, then addressing that condition and getting your cat feeling better should get them back to appropriate urination behaviors.
Your Bedding Has to Go
If your cat doesn’t have a medical condition that’s causing the problem, then your next step is to treat it as a behavioral issue. The first thing to do is to get rid of any blankets, sheets, etc. that your cat has peed on. I know this sounds drastic, but they are replaceable, and it’s best to just get rid of them. Eliminating the pee stains and their odor is very important – it’s triggering your cat to keep peeing on the bed!
Clean Your Mattress
Best Urine Stain Remover. If you can get rid of your mattress, or if you needed a new one anyway, then obviously it’s best to get rid of the mattress your cat peed on. But if that’s not possible for you, then I suggest cleaning the mattress with a product called, Nature’s Miracle.
This product is considered an “enzymatic cleaner.” That means it breaks down the compounds in cat urine that cause the smell. You can read more about this product in my article, Best Way to Remove Cat Urine from Carpet.
Use a Steam Cleaner. You can also steam clean your mattress (you can purchase a steam cleaner HERE which you can use on the rest of your furniture too!) – but I would suggest using Nature’s Miracle as the cleaning agent in the cleaner when you clean the mattress.
Do it Right
Make sure you do these steps, because even though you might think the smell is gone, even a tiny trace still detectable by your cat will keep triggering him to pee in that spot again.
Why Does My Cat Pee on My Bed?
Why Does My Cat Pee on My Bed?In order to eliminate this problem, you need to find out why your cat is urinating on the bed to begin with. You can start by reading my article, How to Get a Cat to Use the Litter Box. This article explains the reasons why cats refuse to pee in the litter box, everything from the location of the box, the kind of litter you use, to sharing the box with other cats. You’ll get a lot of useful information that will help you to determine what the problem is.
Reasons Why Your Cat is Urinating on the Bed
Cats sometimes will urinate on your bed, clothing or furniture because they’re anxious or afraid. For information on this, read my article, Cat Stress Relievers – 10 Things That Stress Your Cat Out (includes video). Also, check out this article from PetMd, discussing 5 reasons why your cats urinate on the bed. You’ll also find more help understanding possible emotional reasons your cat is urinating on the bed in this article about managing your cat’s anxiety.
I Hope This Helps!
I Hope This Helps!If you rule out a medical problem, correctly clean the areas where your cat peed, and read my article about determining what the problem was to begin with, you should be well on your way to stopping this problem!
Please Do Take Action
Your cat peeing on the bed is frustrating (and gross!) to say the least. But more important is the fact that it could be a medical problem. So please take my advice and have your cat checked by the vet. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but it honestly could be fatal to your cat if you don’t.
Need More Help?
If you need more help with your cat’s behavior, I recommend a cat training program called UltimateCatSecrets. They cover all cat training issues and much more. The cost is only $37 and it comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. You can check them out HERE.
I Donate to Animal Charities
Thank you for visiting my website. I donate 10% of my earnings to animal charities. You can see a list of the charities I donate to here. If you like this website, please share it with your friends and family who have pets. Thank you! Debra
I have only had one cat in my life and it never urinated on my bed thankfully. I could see why most people would take short cuts though and just wash the sheets and blanket and if it was a behavioral issue like you suggested, that would not solve the problem. Do you have any articles on how to puppy train puppies? I will be getting one soon again and I never have luck pad training or getting them to let me know when they need to go outside.
Yes, there’s a whole section on Puppy Training – click HERE. 🙂
eeeurgh. My cat just loves peeing on my bed. It has to be one of the worse things to come back to after a long day out. Its like you walk in back home and see your cat and it has a smile on its face like it knows what its done. Will be putting your advice into action hope it works
I hope it helps you – please come back to let me know!
Hello,
I really like your website. You seem like a very nice person, and it’s obvious that you really want to help people.
I have two cats but fortunately, none of them are urinating on my bed or elsewhere, except the litter box of course. I can only imagine that It can be really unpleasant. You’ve made some great points here. It’s really important to eliminate the smell to prevent this from happening.
Julius
Thank you for the comment, Julius! 🙂
I personally have two cats. I have not been able to get one of the spayed and yes she pees on everything. My vet told me that even when she is spayed she may still pee on things. I am just grateful it has not been my bed. I am getting her spayed soon, and it can not come quick enough. Do I need to expect the behavior to stop or will it just lessen overtime?
Hopefully it will lessen once she is spayed. If it doesn’t, come back to this website and click on “Cat Training” and you’ll see more articles about cats peeing in not-so-great places!
Thanks so much for your very informative article. My cat presently does not have a problem – knock on wood, but at least I know what I can do should he begin this behavior.
Also, have you considered Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract cat litter? It’s specifically formulated for cats having difficulty using the litter box. It’ basically “attracts” them to the litter. I’ve had a few friends that have cats with this behavioral issue and the cat now uses the litter box.
Very nice website and article, is cats urinating on your bed common, I never owned any cats I have dogs as pets and they never urinated on my bed.
Why does a urine infection cause cats to go on your bed, why do they avoid the little box when they have this type of infection?
I had a cat once who started peeing everywhere but in the litter box – especially on the rugs in the bathroom. The vet said that when they have a urinary tract infection, it hurts when they pee. They think it has something to do with the litter box! So they are literally looking for someplace to pee that doesn’t hurt. Poor babies. 🙁 That’s why it’s so important to take your cat to the vet immediately if they start avoiding the litter box.
I have only had tow cats in my life and they never urinated on their bed or my bed unless one time. she was sick.
I can only imagine that It can be really upset. You’ve made some great points on this article, because the smell is really really the most important reason behind most of the cats actions.
Hi Debra
Thank you for this great, informative and interesting article.
What you say in this post makes a lot of sense.
Best wishes.
Delroy M
I’m glad you found this helpful!