Conference misery::feline_v1

    Holly was doing this awhile back, when the litter box wasn't
    acceptable to her.  (It turned out that she wanted a litter box
    lined with sheets of newspaper, but it took me awhile to figure
    that out.)  Now, I know this isn't the reason in your case, but
    the reason I mention it is that it took awhile to break Holly of
    the habit of using the bed occasionally even after I figured out
    what was wrong.  What I did was wash everything a million times,
    and then restrict access to the bedroom.  The door was always shut
    when I wasn't actually in the room.  Then after awhile, I'd shut
    the door between when I got up in the morning and when she used
    the litter box, after which I'd open the door.  And so on.  Now
    the door is open all the time.  So, what I'm suggesting is making
    the bedroom offlimits in the evening for awhile.
    

    Crybaby did this when we first got her, though the circum-
    stances were different.  She was a truly wild, stray cat.
    She didn't know anything about a litterbox or people for
    that matter.  She was completely terrified for weeks (and
    only mildly terrfied for months after that) and during
    this time, she urinated on our bed frequently.  She also
    urinated/defecated on various clothes lying around the
    bedroom too.  During this time, she would use the litterbox
    as well, if she happened to be near it when she had to go.
    I don't think she realized that she was supposed to use
    the box all the time.  She just used whatever was desirable/
    convenient in the vicinity.
    
    I believe the peeing on the bed was territorial though and
    related to fear and stress.  Unfortunately I couldn't close
    the room off 'cuz we had no door!  GET YOURSELF A PLASTIC
    MATTRESS PAD TONIGHT!  You will never get the smell out of
    that mattress and your cat may be returning to that.  
    
    The only way I prevented her from peeing on the bed was this.
    I have a rough, scratchy wool blanket that I laid over the
    bed everyday.  She would not pee on this.  
    
    Donna
    

    Hey, My cat Lassie did the same thing once (and only once, thank
    goodness).  This stuff called "OutRight" will remove the odor most
    satisfactorily (much better, in fact, than any other deoderizer
    I've seen).  It is an enzymatic deoderizer, which works by converting
    the feces and pee that bacteria find so yummy (which is why it starts
    to smell after a while even after you hit it with typical deoderizers)
    into something inert that bacteria can't live on.  Once treated,
    the area does not smell at all, even when you put your nose right
    up to it and sniff.  When I first got my cats, they liked to pee
    in plants, but sometimes missed and hit the carpet.  I tried a lot
    of different things, including a steam cleaner with a chemical
    deoderizer recommended by the cleaner, but the ONLY effective means
    I ever used was this enzymatic type cleaner.  The problem with leaving
    even the slightest odor behind is that the cat will smell it and
    do the deed again.  You MUST eliminate the odor before you can hope
    to break the little critter of its nasty habit.  Try this stuff,
    you'll like it (if you're from the Worcester area, they sell it
    at the pet store in the Greendale mall)

    Alternatively, and probably more cheaply, dump a bottle of rubbing
    alcohol over the area.
    

I would suggest you look into making more cat boxes available...I know, it
can be a hassle, but maybe each cat needs one...Also, get rid of the smell,
and make the bedroom off-limits unless you are there and AWAKE..this does
sound like a territorial thing and may go away if no cat feels they have
territorial rights over the bed....

				D

    In addition to protecting the mattress itself with a mattress cover,
    I suggest you put plastic on the top of the covers to discourage
    any urination on top of the bed.
    
    Be careful, though, if you discourage wetting on top of the bed,
    and the conditions that are causing the cat to urinate there do
    not change.  The cat may find another place in the bedroom to mark.
    
    Good luck!  It may take lots of patience and experimentation to
    determine the cause and find a resolution.  I believe there are
    several other notes in this conference about this subject with some
    good suggestions.  You might want to read them, too.

         Thanks for all the suggestions.  Haven't had any more "accidents",
    but want to be prepared for the next one.
    
         Question:  I have one of those electric mattress pad covers.
    It fits between the mattress and the sheets and has little wires
    in it (like an electric blanket, but instead of heating from the
    top, it heats from the bottom).  Can I put a plastic mattress cover
    over this, or will it overheat and melt the plastic or even, *gasp*
    short?  Or should I put the mattress cover between the pad and the
    mattress, and be prepared to launder the pad often (unless I can
    find something nice and waterproof to cover the bed)?
    
         Thanks again!
    
                                   - Andrea
    

    Or might the electric pad short out anyway from the urine.....
    

    You can place the waterproof cover either over or under the electric
    mattress pad.  The plastic mattress covers are awfully uncomfortable.
    For extra comfort, I'd recommend that you get a waterproof mattress
    pad (Jordan Marsh sells them), or go to a hospital supply place
    (or a good pharmacy) and get the waterproof pads that are commonly
    used in hospitals for incontinent patients.  The electric mattress
    pads don't generate enough heat to bother my waterproof mattress
    pad (that I got at Jordan Marsh; it's two layers of fleece-type
    material with a rubberized center).  My electric pad is currently
    over the waterproof one.  I'm one of those wackos that has to have
    a glass of water beside the bed and I cannot count how many times
    I have spilled the entire glass all over the bed (yes, I know....)
    and I have yet to be zapped by my mattress pad!
    
    Mary

    I wouldn't worry about shorting your electric pad, unless the cat
    also has a habit of scratching at the pad too.  Every product sold
    in the United States, that is destined for consumer use, and that
    uses electricity, is UL approved.  This is because wihtout UL approval
    no one in their right mind would be willing to assume liability
    for the product by selling it.  UL (Underwriters Lab) independantly
    (ie not with funding from the manufacturer) tests a product for
    potential safty hazards.  For items such as Toasters or TVs, they
    make sure that you cannot inadvertantly electrocute yourself by
    touching something on or in the device.  They also insure that,
    if left to itself (or even if it has water or something poured into
    it), the "device" won't catch fire.  In the case of electric blankets
    and such, I am sure one of the qualifications UL applies is that
    water added to an operating blanket does not increse the risk of
    fire or shock (some of the people who use electric blankets wet
    thier bed, or in the case of -.1, spill liquids in/on the bed).
    UL also insures that the blanket cannot get hot enough to cause
    serious burns to the user.  If it can't burn you, it won't burn
    plastic (or melt it for that matter).  Plastic is more flammable
    than humans because it is petroleum based, but the temperatures
    needed to do damage to a piece of plastic are well above those needed
    to inflict serious harm to people.   Put the heated pad on the bed,
    cover it with a plastic type liner, and forget about it.