Bad Litterbox Habits

Q.: I have three cats and one of my cats has been using our bed as a litter box. We have had this cat for two years and never had a problem. I keep the litter boxes clean so I don't understand why after all this time my cat would start doing this. They are all fixed and have always been indoors and they are all in good health? Is there any way I can keep them off the bed? I don't have a door to block him out and the bed is the only other place he goes! I tried spraying Febreeze on the bed and Lysol but it didn't help.

A.: I'm wondering if anything has happened in your life which might have made your cat feel insecure and/or jealous: have you moved to a new place recently, have you had a baby, have new people moved in next door etc.? If an event like these is the cause, the problem will eventually go away once the cat has adapted to the new situation. I would also suggest, although you write that the cats are healthy, that you have him checked by a vet since a lot of this behavior is caused by a physical ailment frustrating the cat. Not all diseases are easy to spot for the owner. In the meantime, try spraying the criminal spot with Feliway (available at the vet's) which is a remedy originally designed to "persuade" not neutered males not to spray but instead mark by rubbing cheeks against objects. The smell of this remedy imitates that of the smell hormones cats rub off on objects when they rub their heads against things. The smart thing is that human noses don't register this smell (but cat noses do!). You could also try covering the bed with a plastic sheet when you're not home to monitor the situation. Many cats don't like to pee or the like on smooth surfaces like this, and even if yours does, it will be easier to clean off of the plastic than the bedding.

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