When you house different four-legged species under one roof, expect a fair bit of competition. Your cats peeing on dog beds is one such annoying occurrence you need to tackle. Cats otherwise do not habitually pee outside their litter boxes, so your kitten displaying this distasteful habit becomes annoying.
You first need to comprehend the reason behind this tendency so you can address it appropriately. Your cat could either be establishing dominance over your canine by contaminating the latter’s territory or trying to communicate a genuine medical condition.
Discouraging Your Cat from Urinating In Forbidden Territory
Once your vet gives your feline a clean health chit, the absence of a medical condition brings relief. Female cats pee on dog beds when on heat and not sprayed. This monthly phenomenon should stop once your kitty cat is neutered. Allow your vet to perform this procedure if not already undertaken.
Enumerated below are five ways that encourage your feline to discontinue the unhealthy practice of peeing on your dog’s bed:
Focus on Litter Box Training
If your cat constantly returns to your dog’s bed to urinate, retrain them to use the litter box exclusively. Punishing your kitten for such repeated behavior contributes to increased anxiety and insecurity levels. If you display aggressive tendencies, it instills more fear in your feline.
Maintain Appropriate Distance and Distinct Appearance
Placing your cat’s litter box far away from your dog’s bed may discourage your kitten from traveling the distance to pee. Also, make sure that both habitats do not resemble each other.
If the litter box is rectangular and grey, pick another color and shape for the dog’s resting space. Alternately, you can add an extra litter box in an area of your home your kitten frequents most often.
Thoroughly Clean the Contaminated Area
Once your cat urinates in a particular spot, their strong marking instinct sees them returning to pee again in the same place. The distinct smell and stain this action creates you cannot eliminate merely with water and soap.
Applying enzyme-based cleaners on the contaminated portion is one effective way to remove the odor and stain. Enzymes capably break down the acid present in cat urine. Alternately, pouring vinegar mixed in warm water on the pee stain and once dry, sprinkling baking soda over it also does the job.
Resort to Odor Neutralizers
Eliminating the scent of overpowering cat urine from your dog’s bed makes it an undesirable location for them to return to pee. Even your canine can sleep peacefully on a bed that does not emit an unappealing odor.
Avoid ammonia-based odor eliminators as they attract felines and result in cats peeing on dog beds. Odor neutralizers or eliminators you can use on most home surfaces are safe for usage around pets and kids.
Assess the Existing Litter Box for Comfort and Hygiene
When doing their business, cats prefer maximum convenience and utmost privacy. Ensure you clean out your kitten’s litter box regularly and cater for a comfortably sized space. Your feline should not outgrow their living accommodation as a cramped space does not suit adult cats.
Read an informative guide compiled by an animal enthusiast who shares tips on creating a happy and safe environment for house pets.
These were great tips to give for any pet owner. My son has had a problem with cats spraying in a certain area.
Using an enzyme cleaner consistently was what finally worked for me when I had this problem and making sure that the litter box was cleaned right away. These are really helpful suggestions to a frustrating problem.
As a pet parent, this was super informative to read and I learned a lot. I had a problem with my cat going in a certain spot in my old living room and nothing I bought worked.