Cat-what's wrong with him?

[LisaL]

He is four years old and has always been good using a litter box. Now he pooped on the bed twice and today peed on the cat bed.
What's wrong with him?

[Flaxbee]

1. any change in routine? Did you buy a new cat litter?

Change his food drastically? Anything could be wrong - check to see if his environment has changed (people visiting, new pet, different litter, whatever). If nothing comes to mind, call your vet.

[emilyg]

2. Urinary infection? Talk to your vet.

[Withywindle]

3. Check with the vet first.

If there's nothing physically wrong, then something is stressing him out or making him angry.

[1]

4. he is pissed at you over some perceived slight. and i am not even joking.

review the events over the last 24hrs. that might give you an idea.

good luck...

[LisaL]

5. Well I did give him a bath.

Can he be mad over that?

[Flaxbee]

6. yes. you really don't need to bathe cats...

they do a damn fine job keeping themselves clean, and if you've never done it before, that could have triggered a pissed-off reaction. Just brush him, gently; he might like that a whole lot better... unless he's gotten into something where he just HAS to have a bath.

[LisaL]

8. He is longhair.

[Flaxbee]

9. I have two Maine Coons, and I've never bathed either one -

just helped them with fur issues by brushing.

But anyway - have you bathed him before? Or is this something new that might have freaked him out?

[LisaL]

13. It might have freaked him out but I bathed him like a week ago.

How can he still be holding a grudge?

[1]

11. i am no expert. but from my experience, a cat with a "uti" problem has mistakes here and there...

a cat that craps on your bed (or on your pillow or in your shoes) is sending a message.

again, in my limited experience... that is a pissed off kitty.

try a little quality-time, petting and bonding for a bit. go overboard. extra loving. treats. if the behavior continues after that, then i would definitely go to a vet.

good luck.

[petronius]

7. He could just be angry, but if it continues I'd check with a vet

We left one of our cats alone for several weeks once (with a sitter checking in to feed/scoop/etc.) The whole time we were gone he used the box, but as soon as we got back he started pooping all over the house. It culminated with me waking up one morning to catch him in the act of pooping on me - and trust me, the feline barking spider is not what you want to open your eyes to first thing in the morning...

After that crescendo, he was right back to the box without a hitch. Apparently, he felt he'd made his point.

[jobycom]

10. I'd check for a urinary infection or illness before assuming he's angry.

A urinary tract infection for a cat is very painful, especially a male. And it is a life-threatening emergency, so watch him, and if you see him trying to urinate and not succeeding, or if you see him sniffing around, squatting without anything happening, and then doing it soon after in another spot, take him to a vet or an emergency clinic. They are painful and can easily be fatal.

Also, just watch for any signs that he is trying to go and failing, or that he is trying not to go and failing. Look for unusually small or large feces, or smelly feces or urine, or clear urine.

I've had a lot of cats--a lot--and while now and then I'll get a very moody cat who seems to be pissed at something and therefore breaking the litter box routine, almost every single time, if not every time, I ultimately find out it's a health issue. And I've bathed cats and left them alone and changed food and litter many times. I had one cat who was very finicky about everything, and she did pee a few times out of revenge (although she had a lot of health issues, too, so even there I'm not sure), but most of them aren't that moody.

Especially if he's peeing on his own bed. That sounds more like a health issue. Cats are clean, they don't pee where they sleep unless they are too sick to get somewhere else.

One exception--I've had problems with covered litter boxes a couple of times. One cat just hated the thing, so he'd stand on top of it and pee on the cover. Another cat grew too large to fit easily, so she started seeking out corners and piles of laundry--that seemed like a behavior change, but it was explainable by her growth.

Just my distant observations. If you see him squatting to pee repeatedly with no effect, get him to a vet immediately, or soon you will have a cat howling in pain. You won't like that sound.

[LisaL]

12. Oh he had peed a lot ( I mean a large amount) on his cat

bed so when he tries to go he goes.
Yikes. My poor apartment.

[Dangerously Amused]

14. Seconded. Well-stated.