My 10 year old male cat is having a bout of urninary tract problems. We went to the vet yesterday & got meds. Last night was the third time he's urinated on our duvet & it has to stop! If anyone has any suggestions or advice, it will be greatly appreciated! I'm keeping him out of the bedrooms as much as I can, but I had to sleep on the couch last night. Ugghh - it's very frustrating, luckily today is laundry day. Thank you feline friends.
We had this problem with one of our cats a few years ago... she had bladder stones and in the end associated the litter box (obviously because this was where she peed) with the pain...
We got some medicine from the vets and yes it did take a few days to work. In the mean time she did look to pee in other places (thank god for tiled floors). After mopping up several puddles I went out and got a new litter box and put it in a new place. We even switched to different litter - anything to break the association she had fixed in her mind.
Upshot is it worked for us and the new box combined with medicine (and a switch to a special low ph cat food to stop any re-occurrence) did the trick.
Good luck and keep your bedroom door shut in the mean time
Feline Urological Syndrome does respond well to meds (usually!), and once the pain upon peeing stops they usually go back to the litterbox right away. The problem is that the cat associates the pain with the litterbox - so they find other places (usually soft) because it makes them feel better to go (mentally at least!).
This is a really dangerous illness for cats, so if he doesn't respond quickly, make sure that you get him back to the vet!
In the meantime, you could also ask your vet about Feliway, which helps to ease cats anxiety.
Also, cat urine doesn't come out in normal laundry. You need something to break down the enzymes. In the US, Nature's Mircale is the usual product to get rid of the smell. I'm not sure if it is available here or if there's something similar, but you can ask your vet about that as well, or the local pet store.
Good luck and I hope that kitty feels better soon, and he stops peeing on your bed!
Our cat had this too. It is very dangerous, and can kill that cat if not treated. They definitely need medication, which a normal pet pharmacy will give you provisionally until you get to the vet if you explain the situation. Your cat is in pain, and one thing that will help is a cold smooth surface for them to use temporarily as a bathroom. It sounds gross but the bathtub is the best place and the easiest to clean. Make sure the cat has access. When they start yowling, pick them up and place them in the tub, they will get the point. There are lots of specialty cat foots which are designed to help with this, as the mineral content of Swiss water lends itself to this particular condition. We started mixing in extra water with the cat's wet food, as dehydration exacerbates the problem.
One of our cats started to pee on an upholstered chair a couple of months ago. We tried everything to keep her off that chair. There wasn't anything wrong with her - she still went into the cat toilet for number 2. Obviously she just decided that she prefers peeing on soft material :-/
In the end we had to throw out the chair (for obvious reasons) and changed the cat-litter in one of the toilets to something soft (the recycled paper stuff they sell in Denner). Since then, she hasn't peed anywhere outside the toilet - we're praying that this stays that way.
Thanks for all the supportive comments. I knew there would be a few people who understand our situation. And the tips are much appreciated!
Since we got here in May, I've tried a few varieties of foods & this probably triggered it. The vet suggested I feed wet food to help balance the yin/yang but I've only fed the cats dry. Everything in moderation.
Going to the pet store to pick up new litter & food. And Nature's Miracle is the BEST ! Haven't found it yet but bringing bottles back with me next trip home.
Can only advise on the laundry issue...wash the duvet in the hottest temperature possible, assuming it is washable and will fit in your machine. Otherwise you can wash it in the bathtub, rinse it out as best as you can and spin it in the washing machine. Then hang it outside to dry. No guarantee that you are going to get the smell out. Pet urine is very difficult to remove. Try baking soda in the water.
Otherwise I have a practically brand new very warm duvet that I am selling
Studies have shown that simply changing from a dry food to a wet food can markedly decrease the incidence of feline urinary tract problems. It is vital that the cat has the maximum urine intake possible. Really the only dry foods fed should be special urinary balanced formulations such as Hills c/d or Royal Canin Urinary Diet. Once the meds kick in the response is usually good. If the cat does not respond well to the medication or if the condition recurrs quickly then further investigation is warranted. It worth pointing out that there is often a stress related component so try to think if any changes could have contributed. examples include, building work, changes of furnishing, guests, packing for a holiday, new cats in the area, or even changes in litter placement or product.
Our cat had a urinary tract problem and needed surgery to remove crystals/stones from the bladder. He was in absolute agony, urinating everywhere and howling in pain so obvious there was a problem. Did the vet diagnose a medical problem? If it is behavioural - maybe there have been changes in the household he is not happy about (moving, introducing new cat, baby etc). Needless to say, whatever the reason, punishing the cat has absolutely no effect ...
I hope you sort it out - our cat is now on special dry food from the vet.