So, it finally happened. One of the cats made a mess on the bed while I was out at work today. I'm pretty sure I know who the guilty party was, but I'd like some advice on how to handle this.

Looking at the stain, it doesn't appear to be cat spray at all. Instead it's a line of what appears to be a little bit of runny poo on the bed. They've never had an accident the entire time I've had them so this is a first. Upon checking the litter boxes which I was religiously cleaning every night (every other night at most), the one in the back bedroom seems hardly used while the one in the front had a lot to pick up. The cat that uses the front litter box is the one I suspect made the mess, but I can't be sure.

Yesterday I was feeling a little under the weather so I stayed home and slept most of the day. The cats were on the bed with me and one tried to bite me through the covers. I know who that was too but I shoved the other cat off the bed (the one who I suspect left the mess). I'm washing the comforter and sheets and can smell a slight trace on the mattress so I'll be turning that over tonight before I remake the bed.

1. Are there suggestions for cleaning the mattress?
2. Should I restrict permission into this room now that one of them has established it might be a place to go?

I'm not sure what I did wrong if anything and maybe this was just a mistake. I went to strip the bed this evening and both cats were on the mattress sniffing at it. I promptly removed them from the bed and have the door closed at the moment while I get everything cleaned. Any other suggestions?

It's difficult to know for sure, but just some random ideas:

1. If there is a whole bunch of stuff in one litterbox, and none in another, there may be some reason why the one litterbox is favored over the other, and there may be contention for the "good" box (i.e., another cat was using the "good" litterbox, while another cat had to "go"). You might want to try to get another "good" litterbox (size, style, location etc) if that is the issue.

2. The bed is perhaps the most "socially significant" place in the home, especially for cats privileged enough to sleep with their humans. So it could be a territorial thing, except that it's usually pee I think, not poo, for that. But you can just observe your cats and see if that might be an issue.

3. My best guess is that it was an "accident". The cat may have just "leaked" that out, since it was runny, and that it was in a "straight line" seems to me like your cat wasn't even necessarily trying to "go". The other possibility is if there have been other recent runny poos, it may have been a case of trying the litterbox, having some discomfort going there, and tried somewhere else (litterbox aversion due to medical condition).

In terms of cleaning it, it's probably good news that it's poo, because cat pee is the thing that is almost impossible to clean. Soap and water might just do it. If it were me, I'd not kick them out of the room or anything like that, I'd instead focus on resolving why it happened, making sure you help your cat with the runny poo and make sure there isn't any contention for the "good" litterbox.

That's all I got... good luck, let us know how it goes.

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The little monsters 3

Thanks for the suggestions.. What you've said makes sense. For several weeks they were pretty content with the 2 litterboxes. Maybe I'll try the third. Someone else recommended that since I have 2 cats. Get one like the first one and set it up in the same area to see if that makes a difference.

Jarvis is still pretty shy when he doesn't want to be petted, but I assume that's a personality thing. When his sister comes and lays down beside me, then he usually is not too long to follow. And yes, they both have slept on the bed/ cuddled on the bed when it's time to watch tv, etc. I'll keep an eye out.

They didn't seem to have trouble being in the litterbox at the same time at first, but they are growing... so that also makes sense.

I honestly don't think this was intentional. If one of my boys had runny poo whilst they were kittens, it sometimes went down their legs. I would suspect this may be what happened and your bed was the first stop before cleaning up. I had this a couple of times and I invested in pet blankets for the living room furniture and there is always a thick throw over the bed. All of these are easy to wash in case anything like this (or muddy paws when they come in from outside) happens. I also bought stain and odour remover from the pet shop in case of anything that soap and water wouldn't clean.

The pet blankets I bought are really cheap from Amazon and I always whip them off the furniture when we have people over and then there is no risk of any cat fur getting on visitors either.

I think a lot of multi-Bengal owners, including myself, find that their Bengals will use one litter tray pretty much exclusively for poo and one for wee - could this be what is happening with the two litter trays you have? We have two litter trays (the biggest I could find) in the conservatory, both in the same room and they are fine with this. They know where they are and will use them - as long as they are clean, of course! I clean them out about three times a day - I make sure they are clean before I leave for work, I clean them out again when I get in and then before bed. And of course the trays are totally emptied and washed/disinfected on a regular basis as well - although not daily!

You haven't done anything wrong at all, sometimes these things happen and its about damage limitation and prevention! I wouldn't shut them out of the room either, your main issue is getting to the bottom of the runny poo.

I hope this helps and good luck.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

They make a waterproof mattress cover that has saved me many times with my last cat that had kidney disease for years. They cost around $100 and come with some sort of guarantee. They are worth it in my opinion especially if you have a good mattress.

I had a peeing incident a couple of weeks ago in a new cat bed with a heating pad in the lining, and a second cat bed in another room. I sprung for a second litter box and so far so good, although they are both using the new box which is bigger.

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Cats can have very strong preferences when it comes to litterboxes, and size can definitely be a big deal. No cat likes to scrunch into some tiny litterbox to do his business, so the usual advice is to just get the largest litterboxes you possibly (and reasonably) can, right off the bat when they are kittens. Some forum members have even decided that the largest they sell in pet stores aren't large enough for big male bengal cats, so they make their own larger ones out of large bins or crates. The key word here being LARGE

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The little monsters 3

Yeah, it's funny Brian. When I got them they were so small that they refused to go into the adult sized litter box and held it until I brought a small pan with low sides home. Now they are too big for that adult box I guess. Their new one is the largest I could find and they are still growing. I now have a collection of 4 litter boxes and it looks like I will need an even bigger one soon. At least they have agreed to use the hooded type which contains the mess somewhat.

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For mine, I have 2 boxes upstairs and 2 downstairs. Originally, one downstairs was a large open one, and the other was a large hooded one. The open one was deemed the "good" box by all three cats, and all 3 used it about 95% of the time (5% in the "bad" one). Then I replaced the hooded one with another open one, a new design that wasn't available before, and is slightly bigger than the other one. Now the new one has become the "good" one and is used about 75% of the time by all three cats I'm planning to replace that original open one with another like the newer one pretty soon. Anyone's guess as to which one will be the "good" one now?

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The little monsters 3

Yes, waterproof mattress covers have also saved me in the past - and they make non-crinkly ones now. I would use an enzyme cleaner on the mattress to be sure the smell is gone. Runny poo can be a sign of worms - get some worm medication from your vet.

Cats are quite particular when it comes to litter boxes. Some prefer the open kind and don't like a top or door. They also like a clean litter box. Raiden's is checked constantly and the waste picked up as he uses it. He may use it twice during the time I'm at work, but I always clean it the second I get home. The other thing is if your kitty had a runny poo -- we all know diarrhea is something that when you have to go, you have to go! There is no time to head to a toilet or litter box for some kitties. I'm sure it was an accident. You just have to make sure the stain is cleaned completely and there is no smell left that could entice the cat to go there again.

Many cat owners do not allow cats into their bedrooms. And that's fine. Raiden prefers to sleep with us and he's got the run of the house. I'm not sure our kitty will use your mattress again -- but you never know. You've gotten some terrific advice here. Hope it helps.

You can cut down part of the side of a big storage bin and use that as a litter box. Way bigger and cheaper than what is available as a traditional litter box. With the other sides being so high it helps contain the mess more too!

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Bri

Thanks everyone. It hasn't happened since so im pretty sure it was an accident. I left them at home for two days while I was out of town and they were fine. They did great on their own.

Glad to hear things have solved themselves.