My immediate reaction was “$!%%^!”
GC’s immediate reaction was “Don’t blog about it!”
Of course I have to blog about it. One of the best things about having a blog is that when life hands you a bag of steaming shit, at least you’ve got something to blog about.
Duncan peed on the bed again. Just when I’d started thinking his peeing on the bed was a momentary lapse, an almost-forgotten aberration, an accident even, he peed on the bed again.
After I swore and fretted and did laundry, we contemplated shutting Duncan out of the bedroom as a preventative measure, but decided not to do that.
He joined us in the nice freshly made bed, made himself extra comfy and purred up a storm.
“Poor Dunky,” I said.
GC burst out laughing. “Poor Dunky??”
“Poor Dunky wet the bed,” I said.
You’re probably wondering why GC said “Don’t blog about it.” It’s because he knows Duncan has quite a following of blog readers who think he can do no wrong and who will therefore blame GC for Duncan peeing on the bed, and who will say “Dump GC, keep Duncan!”
But maybe Duncan peed on the bed for reasons completely unrelated to GC.
Duncan likes GC. Oh sure, the time he peed on GC’s clothes, that was probably about GC. But Duncan and GC are good buddies now. They cuddle and snuggle and Duncan likes to hang out with GC when he’s playing the clarinet and he runs to greet him at the door when he comes over.
Maybe Duncan peed on the bed because I switched brands of kitty litter that very morning. PetSmart discontinued his regular brand, so I got the closest thing I could find – both were made by the same company, both were non-scented and clumping. To me, peeing on the bed seems like a huge over-reaction to such a minor change, but maybe it was a big deal to him. He didn’t use his litter box all day. Poor Dunky.
Or maybe it was because I stayed out late that night after going to the Sex Trade Workers rally and dinner afterwards, and poor Duncan could see the bottom of his food dish and was traumatized by the possibility of impending hunger.
In any event, Duncan peed on my bed again, which is worthy not only of a blog post, but a poll too. Go ahead – vote!
TAGS:
I voted for the litter switch. Some cats are super picky about their litter, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Duncan whizzed in your bed the day you switched litter. Hopefully, he’ll adjust.
I hope it’s the litter. Otherwise, you’re just screwed, trying to figure out what’s in his crazy little head. Oy.
I have definitely noticed a correlation between litter issues and these occurrences in my own neurotic cats…
Though I think that Duncan is a very handsome ginger cat, I wished that you had blogged about the Sex Trade Workers rally and dinner. How was it? What are they rallying for? Decriminalization?
deBeauxOs – I did blog about it!
The rest of you: thanks for weighing in – so far almost everybody thinks it’s related to the change of litter.
Have you ever tried introducing a second litter box? I once had a cat that was peeing everywhere and it turned out she didn’t like the location of her current litter box as it was next to washing machine (too noisy). Might be worth a shot.
While all of us are pretty sure it was the litter, I find it interesting that both you and the GC somehow think it might be the GC. I wonder why? Anyway, they do say that cats don’t like to use unfamiliar litter, especially if it smells odd, but then wouldn’t some very slightly different litter in his own litter box still be a more familiar peeing place than your bed? Cats are so complicated.
That’s a lovely photo of the two of them! It sounds like the litter switch is the leading factor. I’ve found when my cats go out of the litter there’s usually a couple of factors combined, not just one, but the litter switch sounds like the main thing, with an added bonus of his feeling neglected by your staying out too late, and perhaps something you’re not even aware of.
“poor Duncan could see the bottom of his food dish and was traumatized by the possibility of impending hunger.” Erik (my ginger fluffball) is like that. We used to have the kibble in this GIANT silo with a dish at the bottom (ones made for ENORMOUS dogs, the bowl itself was large enough to fit 4 fat cats around, and the silo held over 20 lbs of kibble), and whenever Erik noticed that the food level was no longer visible inside the silo, even though the dish was still full up, and there was enough for several days still, he would start acting frantic all the time, until we’d finally fill the silo back up!
Now we only give them a tiny amount of food twice a day, so Erik has stopped acting frantic 24/7, only desperate! 😛
Have you got the feliway plugged in in your room?
Well I want to know why I didn’t know the GC played the clarinet! My DH used to play the clarinet in high school but he hasn’t honked one in over 30 years.
Maybe we are interpreting Duncan’s peeing too much from a human perspective. Maybe in cat communication it is a way of showing approval. Maybe, it is Duncan’s way of doing a “high five” – as in “Zoom, well done, I like this playmate* you’ve brought home!”
*GC
PS Since I moved into my new home, my cat has peed on the same carpet spot every single day… arrgghhh!
That is such an adorable picture.
We have learned that cats can be very particular about their litter. If the kind we use is ever discontinued we will have to set up Feliaway diffusers in every room in the house!!!
Julia: Yes it’s true. My playing the clarinet was a well kept secret amongst us cool cats (me ‘n Duncan ‘n Zoom). If DH still has his tooter we could get together and make some noise, you dig?
Yah… “High five” Woodsy! Duncan and I like your answer best of all.
XUP, it’s because Duncan’s peeing issues started when GC came into the picture, so maybe now we’re just overly sensitive to that possibility.
Arden, that’s hilarious about Poor Erik. (And congratulations on the new blog!)
Julia, I was a high school clarinet player too! Perhaps we could form an all-clarinet band. The world needs more of those.
Woodsy, that’s a lovely explanation. And you know what? I just discovered today that Duncan peed in his own bed awhile ago. (Long enough ago for it to have dried out, anyway). So maybe he believes peeing is a nice thing to do in beds. (Too bad about your carpet though. Have you tried Feliway?)
Re and Arden – I never did buy the Feliway because they were sold out and then Duncan stopped doing it, so I figured I could save myself $38. But maybe I’ll do it now.
GC – I knew you’d be pleased by the poll results, and by Woodsy’s lovely framing of the issue. You dig?
I’m curious about the 8 people so far who voted for “none of the above.” Do you have theories about what else it could be?
Aww, thanks for noticing! I am the master of starting blogs, then after about 3 posts abandoning or deleting them! I ramble a lot, and have trouble getting a coherent thread through my posts, so after a short bit I get really frustrated and don’t want to see my writing anymore! It was the same way with diaries when I was younger! 😛
I used to have feliway for psychocat, and it really did improve her mood a ton, and she peed FAR FAR less, unfortunately I can’t find a single plug in this room that I could fit the diffuser in, as it’s an old house with far too few outlets, with one of them firmly hidden behind a bookcase, and the other two already split into 6 since it’s my computer room, and semi-hobby room. Her recent increase in ruining the hardwood again though is making me think it might be worth at least temporarily unplugging something just to see if it helps reduce the amount of cleanup.
On a related note we started buying puppy-training pads for her main pee spot, and she actually uses them happily since she prefers soft stuff to hardwood anyways. Means most days the only cleanup needed is picking up the pad and putting down a new one! 😛
Whoops, commented in the wrong place. Copied from the poll site:
I’d actually vote litter and going out in combo. He might have dealt with one or the other, but both was just a bit much for his Royal Sensitivity (said in the nicest possible way). Plz2bekeeping 20 bags of extra litter around in future, k? 😛 Either that, or just give up going out all together. After all, what does the world outside have that could ever best Mr. Duncan?
I am not an expert in cats peeing or cat pee in general. But I am an expert in swearing and the symbols you chose to swear with are utterly incorrect.
Seriously? Usually I just say fuck, I don’t try to spell it symbolically. How do you spell it?
Okay. I have three important issues to address, none of them directly related to cat pee:
1. How you depict your profanity by substituting symbols for words as a form of non-specific censorship is ultimately your choice, zoom!, but in the future I suggest including “#” and “@” and refrain from using “%.” Bones, snakes, skulls, and lightning bolts are particularly effective. As for “fuck”: yes, “fuck” does indeed work. There is nothing cartoonish about “fuck.” Perhaps a bit strong for your more gentle readers, though.
2. You gave yourself away. In replies regarding “A Fine Mess” and the ensuing “coffee table mystery,” you claim that Huck Finn (no literal relation to me) “even saw the invisible clarinet.” These were your EXACT words. I’ve always wondered about that because it does look like a clarinet in the photo. Now it turns out that GC DOES play a clarinet. Coincidence? I think not. My conspiracy theory: GC posted a reply under the pseudonym Huck Finn at 1:15 PM, then, when he was finished with the computer, you posted your reply at 1:25 PM. On the SAME computer!
3. I have too much spare time on my hands.
Tom…I’m so confused. I can’t even figure out what I’m being accused of.
(P.S. I actually thought YOU were Huck.)
Weighing in late on this issue: Could Dunc have a bladder infection?
Abby, when he first peed on the bed about 8 weeks ago, I took him to the vet and she ruled out physiological causes.
I’d guess ALL of the above, rather than None. He’s irked because you changed the litter (BAD kitty mom!), then weren’t there to discuss it with him. (Well, listen to him discuss it.) GC, while slightly appreciated, is Not Mom. Besides, peeing on the bed got him some attention once; it’s a good venue to advertise one’s displeasure.
Gwyndolyn also has some questions for Dear Duncan:
Dear Duncan:
Why did my badkittymom hang the flypaper where she knew I would lose my balance while walking on the counter and brush my gorgeous tail against it?
Why didn’t she make the hook stronger so the flypaper wouldn’t break it?
Why did the big nasty mean empty loud plastic bag follow me around the house? (and yard, and undercar and basement and yard and house?)
Why did they put olive oil on my fur? And THEN, just when that wasn’t awful enough, why did they GET me WET and soapy and wet again and the water was too hot and wet and stinky soap and THEN sqeezed me with a towel?
Do you think she hates me?
PS — Yes, I peed on her bed because she’s a meanbadkittymom.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Poor everybody at your house.
Duncan says he will respond thoughtfully to this inquiry but he needs to know the kitty’s name.
The kitty’s name is also Gwyndolyn O’Shaughnessy. Well, actually: Gwyndolyn O’Shaughnessy, Queen of All She Surveys and Empress of Everything Else, Princess of Kitty Doors, Duchess of Dresser Drawers, Marchioness of Mice and Men, Countess of Clocks, Baroness Boxenbag, Mistress Underbed and a host of lesser titles. When she’s tired of that, she sneaks out as Endo Skidmark, Acrocat Extraoridinaire.
We try not to let it go to her head; though most of it’s already there.
(She lets me borrow her name on blogs in exchange for treats.) (Expensive, difficult treats: she’s easy, not cheap!)
Our cat Oscar. also a Norwegian Forest Cat, has urinated on our bed several times, usually when he doesn’t get his way (ie going outside at 3:00 A.M.) Our vet suggested anti anxiety medication and putting a litter box in our bedroom. We tried the litter box solultion first, and it seems to have worked.
Good luck