Hello Christine

I’m sorry to hear about the issues between the Tortie and Maine Coon, as well as the damage to your home.

I highly recommend having an in-home behavioral consultation with a veterinarian or feline behaviorist (https://iaabc.org/en/certs/members). Urine spraying is a normal marking behaviour in chemical feline communication. It appears to be particularly relevant to the sprayer as a means of reducing arousal in areas where there is a perceived threat to resources or risk of social conflict. The mark also aims to reassure the individual as they attempt to reduce the likelihood of physical confrontation.

An in-home assessment is necessary since a multi-modality treatment approach consists of environmental modification, pheromone therapy and possibly psychopharmacology.

Additionally, here are 8 Tips To Stop a Cat From Spraying: https://cats.com/how-to-stop-a-cat-from-spraying

Sending love & healing to you all
Melina

Hi Christine,

Congratulations on your new adoption.

I have also recently adopted a 3-month-old kitten who had peed on the bed. In my instance, it was due to a stressful event that day. Could you observe her for the next few weeks to see the trigger that caused the peeing accident?

Meanwhile, I recommend reading our article How to Litter Train a Kitten in 3 Simple Steps: https://cats.com/how-to-litter-train-a-kitten and following the same litter training principle in the bedroom, which I had to apply daily while supervised in the bedroom for four weeks. Placing a litter tray within isn’t ideal, but it’s temporary. I also changed to a larger tray, added extra litter boxes in the house and praised her every time she visited the box. My kitten Sienna is now four months and hasn’t had any accidents.

I hope this helps.
Melina

I have a 3 month old kitten who uses the litter box regularly however when she was about 6 weeks old she peed on our bed and has now done it again twice. All bedding was washed and bleached. Aside from keeping the bedroom door closed what other options should I do to prevent this from happening again? Thank you.

Hi Sarah,

Losing a pet is tragic; it’s often difficult on the entire family, including a cat attached to the deceased pet or carer.

Sadness, depression, low mood and increased dependency on an owner can cause your cat to urinate or defecate on high-value areas like a bed, clothes or the shower mat where the scent of the missing pet remains.

Pet deterrent spray will not be sufficient in your case. It is vital to increase the desirability of the area you want your cat to use and reduce the attractiveness of the place your cat likes to use to combat house-soiling issues.

Ultimately, most cases are treated successfully with environmental and behavioural modification. Please ask your vet for a referral to a Feline Veterinary Behaviorist in your area after a medical check-up.

I hope this helps.
Melina

Is there a way to break her habit of going outside the litter box? As much as she forces us to be tidier, she’ll go on our blankets sometimes on our beds, frustrating all of my family. Even pet deterrent spray doesn’t work. Any ideas?

Thomas,
Are you giving them water from the tap? I had the same problem and found the hard tap water was aggravating his urinal track. I now give him bottled water and after 4 weeks he no longer pees outside the litter box.