Hi all,

I hope you can help me, I have two 9 month old bengals and a few months back the boy (Simba) peed in our third bedroom which we cleaned up straight away, a few weeks ago he did a poo in the same place in the third bedroom so ever since we have had to keep the door on the room closed all the time which is a huge inconvenience.

Last night he peed on the bed in the second bedroom so I've spent all of last night washing absolutely everything off the bed. So now that room is out of bounds because of the scent we are worried he will do it again.

Today when we go home he had left a huge present of poop on our sofa therefore the lounge is now also out of bounds. As it stands, all they have left when we are at work is the kitchen, stairs and our bedroom. I can see our bedroom being his next target.

I have two questions;

1.) why is he doing this?

2.) what can I use to remove the smell of cat Wee and poo so that they cannot smell in and I can leave doors open as right now I feel like I'm in a prison! My partner is also at the end of his tether with this as we just don't understand why he is doing it?

Thank you in advance

Jennie

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Jennie

Simba and Nala born 07/04/16

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The little monsters 3

Brian has posted the three reasons .....

First of all, you rule that there is something medical going on. He is doing both outside of the litter box. So, it might not be just a urinary tract infection or crystals in the urine. I'm guessing the poop is solidly formed and appears normal.

Second, add more litterboxes. You honestly cannot have too many. Two is necessary with one cat, but when you have an issue like this, add a box where he is going. You don't want to be "moving" the boxes around as that just confuses him as to where he needs to go. Observe your cat. If you feel he is sniffing out a spot, pick him up and place him in the box and see if he goes.

To clean it, you need an enzyme cleaner. I've used Natures Miracle with great success. If the scent isn't completely gone, the cat will return again and again.

Third, stress can play a huge part in this change in behavior. Cats love routine and schedule. People have moved their furniture around and the poor cat goes crazy! Adding a baby to the mix can cause stress. Know that some cats are fine with change -- but others become traumatized. Also, do you have any neighborhood cats that come around your yard that maybe you can't see or smell but the kitty can. Something has changed for him ... and the key is figuring out what it is.

Do not punish him as cats do not understand punishment. The cat is simply doing what comes naturally, which is eliminating his waste -- and he goes when he has to go. Most cats prefer a litter box, but inappropriate peeing and pooping is the #1 complaint among cat owners. There is a ton of great information if you just Google it.

Observe your cat, observe what is going on around your cat and you may find your answer.

Thank you both for your response, in answer to these...

We have two large cat littler boxes which I clean twice a day (morning and night). One in the kitchen and one in the hall way.

I'm happy to buy a third litter box but when you say place the box where he is going - this is on the bed and the sofa at the moment so I cant really do that?

I don't think its medical as he has done this on an off since we have had him now, I honestly feel like he does it when he wants to.

In terms of stress...we went to Mexico on 8th December and my fiancés parents looked after them at their house, we have been home since 22nd December and he has been fine, but now strangely he has peed on the bed Tuesday evening, pooped on the sofa yesterday whilst we were at worked and just THIS MORNING...my partner has gone into the spare room (where the bed still has no sheets on from Tuesday) and Simba has ran straight in there and within minutes/seconds peed straight on the bed which is obviously straight on the mattress! Honestly I'm just so upset as I don't know why he is doing this? My partner is now saying that if this carries one he will have to go, please help?

We will not punish him or scold him, however there fact that they are now only allowed in the kitchen and stairway whilst I'm at work feels like a punishment to me.

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Jennie

Simba and Nala born 07/04/16

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The little monsters 3

As both Brian and Sherry have said this could be stress. Jagger has pee'd inappropriately before and that is definitely stress related.

If you have been away I think Brian is absolutely spot on. A lot of the time if they are peeing on the bed where you sleep (or sofa where you sit) its because they want to mix their scent with yours. I would say he's definitely feeling insecure and stressed.

Get some Zylkene. Jagger is on this at the moment to keep him calmer and less stressed. And believe me, it works. It is simply a milk protein you add to their food. The vet looks on it as a food additive so its not going to do him any harm.

Also, Jagger will no longer use the litter trays where they were before. I've had to move one into the hall for him. I've also had to change the litter and now with the zylkene and these changes he is using it again regularly. It has to be totally spotless before he uses it. He won't use it if his brother has used it and it hasn't been cleaned out yet. Sometimes I also have to add fresh litter as well - this could be as he likes a certain depth and also it masks his brother's scent.

What litter are you using? I was using Cats Best Oko Plus and I've now switched to Catsan Clumping clay litter. I've kept the other litter in the other trays but now realise a full switch is required as Hendrix prefers the new litter as well. Apparently a sand like substrate is preferred by cats.

If you are in the UK pet supermarket is an excellent place to get Zylkene. I ordered some last week and it was on offer. Get the Zylkene for cats and small dogs - I think its 75g. Jagger needs two per day for his weight so get a good supply. It takes a few days to kick in but it will calm him down. Or you can also get it from Amazon or Pets at Home.

The key thing for you is to keep calm. He is looking to you for help and reassurance. I know how frustrating it is but you need to be patient!

Good luck and let us know how you get on. I'm sure other members will be able to offer you more advice too.

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

to add to the great advice above, I would also think of him being territorially insecure and therefore stressed. With two cats you need two of everything apart from litter boxes where you need more. He may be claiming his territory by pooping and peeing on the bed. Do you have cat trees for each of the cats so they can each claim a territory. As Clare found out dominating and territorial behaviour between two bengals can be extremely subtle and difficult to recognise. When my rescue boy starting peeing in corners of rooms and spraying up curtains, I was at my wits end. Another tip I used was to put a little bowl of biscuits where he has peed/pooped as they don't like to pee where they eat etc. Also this makes the area have a positive feeling as food is obviously a good thing. Try and stay relaxed and calm too so you don't send your stress to the cat.

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Was there an issue with this problem when the kitties were at your fiancé's parents' house? Did they use the litter box okay? If so, then there is a problem at YOUR house. I know it's hard to try and figure this out. We aren't cats. I recall an episode of My Cat From Hell where there was this issue. The owners thought the cats got along just fine, but they installed a camera and discovered things were not. I am so grateful that my bengal has always used his litter box with no issues. Many times this happens in multi-cat households. You need at least three litter boxes in your house, not two. And, while I know you can't place a litter box on the bed or couch, you can place one next to the bed or couch.

I would consider changing the type of litter you use, as well.

Didn't notice that they went to your partners parents. My mum always come to stay at my place if I'm away so I assumed they stayed in your house.

It might have been all too much upheaval for him. I have two bengals too and one copes much better if he's had to stay at the vet overnight for example (he was just really unimpressed with it all), the other was only there five hours and was totally stressed out when he came home. Jagger is way more highly strung than Hendrix. The other thing is, you went away for quite a while, came home and it was Christmas and New Year which is always a busy time with routines blown to pieces, lots of visitors, fireworks etc which will always upset a cat. Not to mention Christmas decorations and this sometimes means furniture being moved, again all of which can upset an already stressed out cat.

I think the inappropriate pee'ing and pooing occurs when the stress can't be contained anymore. I did notice with jagger his activity levels had dropped, his routine changed and he looked depressed, for a good few weeks before he started peeing where he shouldn't. Everyone kept telling me it was because it was hot etc but then he just wee'd in front of me and would be so agitated about it as well. Look on it as a cry for help!

Do you have feliway plugged in? That definitely helps here. The other thing that was suggested to me by the vet when jagger was stressed was to get a clean soft cloth, ie a face flannel, and rub his cheeks gently with it and then rub the cloth in areas he likes to spend time etc. So basically you are marking areas with his pheromones and it will give him a feeling of security.

I can't recommend the zylkene that I mentioned earlier enough. It really does calm them down. If you need a behaviourist, both myself and Melissa (spitspot) used the same one (UK) and I'll pm you her details as she specialises in bengals if you want to to give that a try. Just let me know.

Good luck!

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

I just ordered Zylkene. I am wondering if it will make my kitties stop licking the fur off their bellies. They don't go outside their box but have bald bellies which the vet says is stress related and very common. Maybe they are absorbing my stress because I don't see what they could be stressed over.

hi all,

Well it's one hell of a busy day! After coming home from work, we have both it our mission to get this bed as clean as possible, and the sofa!

Meanwhile, whilst doing this, Simba has weed on the sofa in the kitchen! I'm starting to get very frustrated (don't worry i haven't taken this out on him, mainly my fiancé the poor thing) but WHY has he now done this on another sofa now?

We did have feliway diffusers but they have ran out about 4 weeks ago - i have re-ordered two today along with the natures miracle. We are trying to stay as calm as possible around him. We have given him 1ml of Calmex tonight and i have sprinkled one tablet of Zylkene over his food which he has eaten. He is now upstairs one the landing sleeping on his own whilst myself, my fiancé and Nala are in the kitchen (on the stools) as the sofa is airing at the moment.

We have been out and bought white vinegar, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide as we have researched that this is the best thing to get rid of the smell of urine. The natures miracle will not be delivered until next week.

We have also taken the lids off both cat boxes which they seemed to be quite alarmed at but and haven't gone in yet but its only been an hour.

Its just so strange that he has chosen the sofa in the kitchen to wee on tonight? he is always around this. Its not as if its new territory that he would feel the need to mark?

They were both neutered at the age of 5 months and they get along great. They play fight a lot but they are so funny to watch and neither have ever showed any signs of aggression.

I may get a third littler box the weekend but in all honesty i haven't got a clue where i could put it. Sometimes he will walk up to the box, put his head in and walk off but i haven't seen him do this before he's peeing somewhere. Im not actually seeing him peeing, i just catch him leaving the scene! The litter boxes are cleaned twice a day.

How much does a behaviourist costs? I'm really hoping it doesn't have to come to this. he's had three wees and 1 poo on furniture in 3 days now which we just can't explain?

Tabitha - you mentioned that he may be peeing on the bed because it smells like us - he has done it on our spare bed which we haven't slept in since we moved here in May so surely i can rule that reason out?

We use two different cat litters; catsan and natural cat littler (wood pellets). one in each box and they alternate between the two.

He has always been the scatty one i must admit. He gets a lot more stressed than Nala does. God knows how stressed he feels at the moment as my house has been turned upside down with all this weeing and pooing!

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Jennie

Simba and Nala born 07/04/16

Jennie, you are doing all the right things and I'm sure you will get there. Figuring out what the problem is can be tough. Do you also have the feliway spray? It's worth spraying the area once it's clean, again to make it a happy place.

As Melissa said, putting little bowls of biscuits where he's gone is also very effective. I have a catit treat maze I put where jagger has been, and put treats in it for them once a day to help build positive associations with the area and discourage him from weeing there again.

It's foxes that upset jagger which is going to take a long time to fix as I have to try to make our garden less attractive and less accessible to them. I can't see him coming of zylkene for a good while, but he is using his tray while he's on it, so happy days! As soon as I took him off it, he was back to weeing inappropriately.

The behaviourist cost £40 for a consultation and a months support. It was all by email and telephone and I contacted her when I had really bad fighting between my boys. All is well now so it's worth considering. I had it all wrong about who was being aggressive so it was worth every penny!

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

I know this is so frustrating! But, please add another litter box at least and you might want to try Cat Attract. You also might want to check out Jackson Galaxy's Spirit Essences http://www.spiritessences and see if there is a formula you think might help the situation. Since your baby is going in so many different places, it is hard to block off these areas. The key is getting him back to using the litter boxes again. Most cats want to use a litter box, but something may be turning him off. Either location, type of litter -- something.

Hi all,

Well I must say I'm absolutely baffled!

Since Thursday and we made all the changes, Simba has been fine. I still have the two spare bedrooms blocked off, this is because the bed is still airing from the accidents and the other room is where he went in the floor so I can't trust him to be alone in them.

He's had access to the lounge all day as we have been pottering around the house and the pair of them have been using the litter trays fine since the hoods have been taken away.

SO.... tonight... we decided to go to bed, Simba and Nala are both asleep in the cat towers so we leave them in the lounge. About 10 minutes later, I couldn't settle so I've gone downstairs to fine them both in the kitchen. Nala plods off to the litter tray in the hallway and Simba has sat there in the kitchen for a good five minutes. He then decides to stroll off into the the lounge, I followed. He trots straight over to the sofa (no sniffing or anything) and goes to squat right where he did his business before???? Why????

No smelling for scent around the room or on the sofa, no checking the litter trays to see if they are to his satisfaction, just straight over to the sofa like it's a toilet? I honestly don't get it. I carried him to one litter and he jumped out, then the other which he jumped out of but then straight back in and did a Wee.

I've now had to close the lounge off again to them and I've put the food bowl back on the sofa just incase.

I'm just so confused though? It's like he didn't think twice and just went to squat in front of me whilst I stood over him on the sofa! Good job I went back downstairs!

I feel sorry for Nala who has now lost her scratcher bed for the night and the sofa!

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Jennie

Simba and Nala born 07/04/16

Still awake reading other threads so I've just had the urge to check the sofa in the kitchen and at some point today he has weed on that too again today :(

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Jennie

Simba and Nala born 07/04/16