Hi all! It's great to find a forum with so many Bengal enthusiasts!
I have a beautiful 3 year old Bengal named Samson.
About a month ago Samson developed struvite crystals in his bladder (which I was able to detect from experience from having other cats have the issue) and had him quickly diagnosed and treated for. He had to go through surgery and is now on a special cat food to remedy the development of any crystals. Soon we will be able to start mixing his food back in and get him back on his regular diet.
My issue is this: He naturally associated the litter box with pain after this issue. I have bought special retraining litter, religiously kept the cat boxes clean and bought a kitty water fountain to encourage more frequent water drinking. After bringing Samson home from the vet, we did the necessary monitoring to clear him of any further issues. I noticed Samson would jump on my lap and pee. I'm conscious of the fact that he was having litter box association issues and was looking for a more comforting location so I did not get mad at him and only positively encouraged him when he did go in the litter box, while making sure to immediately clean the spots he was not suppose to urinate.
For a while I had him wear a calming collar as he seemed to be exhibiting unusual stressed behavior from being anxious due to the whole surgery/vet/pain process, but he still "marks" sometimes. I've noticed it is mainly on the bed, the favorite blanket we use together, or on myself. I've had to close him out of the bedroom since he will automatically pee there. I know this causes him stress and it makes me sad as I miss having him sleep between my feet. I somehow feel that since his bladder infection, he feels the need to "mark" whats his due to insecurity and when around my other cat that he dislikes. (I have 5 cats, but he does not get along with only one of them. Bullying and chasing her.)
Any suggestions on how I can reintegrate him into the bedroom and prevent the marking on the bed and favorite blanket? I feel like I've tried every solution, but it's like one step forward and two steps back. He's such a wonderful cat and I completely adore him despite his issues, I'm just trying to fix what seems to have broken since the bladder infection. He never did this before.
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