Effective Tips to Stop Your Cat from Wetting the Bed

How to Distinguish the Causes of Cats Wetting the Bed?

Type 1: Urinating Anywhere

Wetting the bed due to urinating anywhere is often a result of a cat not yet having established a habit of going to a specific spot to defecate, or because of certain reasons that prevent them from doing so.

When a cat urinates normally, it will squat down, and the urine stain is typically a circular spot centered around a point. After urination, the cat will often have a pawscratching motion to cover the area.

Type 2: Stressful Urination

This is commonly referred to as "scared urine." It often affects cats that are not wellexperienced or those that have been specially trained, as they tend to be quite timid. For instance, when you open the door to receive a package, the cat might urinate on your hand, floor, sofa, or bed, depending on where it was startled.

Stressful urination is usually minimal, consisting of a few drops or a small patch, much less than a normal urination or marking. Cats that urinate out of fear do not perform the sandburying action; instead, they will crawl and stick close to the ground as they leave.

Type 3: Marking Spraying

When a cat finds a good spot, it doesn't immediately spray urine to mark. First, it assesses the situation, using its nose to sniff the area to determine if there are other cats that have marked there, whether they are allies or competitors, and if it can withstand them.

If it decides to spray, the cat will position its rear towards the target and perform multiple lifting of the hip actions to ensure the urine is sprayed higher and farther. If it's on a vertical surface, the urine will continuously rise in height. On a horizontal surface, the urine will continuously extend in length, resulting in a streaky pattern on vertical surfaces and a long strip on horizontal ones. After spraying, cats do not cover the urine; there is no sandburying action, as the purpose is to disperse the scent.

It's often difficult to catch the cat in the act, but you can determine whether it's spraying, urinating, or stressed urination by the shape and size of the urine stain on the bedsheet.

How to Deal with Cat Urine on the Bed?

Cleaning the Bedsheet

Promptly clean the bedsheet after the incident. Use baking soda to wash the soiled area, then airdry it on the balcony.

Cat urine contains urea, urobilinogen, urobilin, uric acid, creatinine, electrolytes, felinine, and carboxylesterase. Felinine can be hydrolyzed into the pheromone MMB under the catalysis of carboxylesterase. The presence of MMB prompts cats to decide whether to refresh the scent to avoid its disappearance. It's crucial to clean it thoroughly.

Spraying Repellent

After cleaning, you can spray a cat repellent on the key areas to deter the cat. Repellents usually contain allyl isothiocyanate (mustard extract), peppermint oil, capsaicin, pulegone, thymol, cypress oil, citronella, eucalyptus oil, and more. You can also use these essential oils as alternatives, as cats dislike them but they are pleasant for humans. These sprays can maintain a deterrent effect for about two months.

However, the aforementioned methods are only temporary solutions. While you can control the cat from defecating in key areas, you can't monitor every place. Therefore, it's essential to find the root cause of the cat's wetting the bed and solve the problem at its source.

How to Correct Cat Urination Issues?

Type 1: Urinating Anywhere

There are many reasons why a cat might urinate on the bed instead of the litter box, such as not knowing how to use it, not wanting to use it, or being unable to use it. Specific issues require specific solutions.

Type 2: Stressful Urination

This type of urination is relatively easy to solve. The direct approach is to avoid startling the cat and to prevent it from being exposed to external stimuli. Before strangers come to the house, isolate the cat.

The fundamental solution is to expose the cat to more experiences, making the outside world, such as cars, pedestrians, and dogs, seem ordinary. This way, the fear will no longer be a fear.

Type 3: Marking Spraying

Sterilization cannot eliminate the cat's spraying behavior. Most spraying is not related to sex hormones and is often associated with anxiety and frustration. When addressing the problem, it's important not to overlook the root cause.

For cats that are socially frustrated, we can increase their attention and make them feel more confident and secure.