My cat started peeing on my bed

[Catlover06]

Hello, I need some help. Recently my 1.5yr old cat, Dewey, started peeing on my bed and other pet beds laying around the house. I ended up washing and putting away all the pet beds. I also washed the bedding on my bed really good, but no luck. He peed again on my bed and noticed he peed on the guest bed too. I finally ended up confining him in our study with litter box, food and water. I did some research online and bought DR Elsie's cat attract litter. There are no pet beds in the study. I only have a leather chair and that's what he's been laying on while he's in there. I've had him isolated for almost a week now and he's doing really good in there, no accidents. I'm debating to test him by putting a pet bed in there to see if he pees on it. If he does, I don't know what I'm going to do. I have other cats so is not like I can just close the bedroom doors and put a litter box out for him. I also have dogs that would like their beds back.

More info: I clean the litter boxes fairly frequently, since then I've added another litter box. I did get him checked by my vet and he's fine no health issues. Doctor asked me to put him on Prozac in case he had anxiety issues. I tried that for a week but it was extremely hard to give him the medicine so I stopped, I figured giving him the pill was stressing him out even more if he was already stressed about something. I adopted him when he was 6months old and he's now 1.5yrs old. I hope someone can give me some advice. I can't keep him locked up for ever.

[MarySkater]

Hello, welcome to the forum.

Since he's going for soft things to pee on, I wonder if litter is hurting his paws? (Is he declawed?) If your study has carpet and he hasn't peed on that, then I'm wrong. But if the litter is the softest surface available in the study, then he could be forced to that even if he doesn't like it. You could try puppy pads in the litter box, instead of litter, and see if he'll use that. That would get expensive as a long term solution, but at least it might help diagnose what's bothering him.

Another possible reason is territorial marking. Is he neutered? Has anything happened recently to upset him? You have a lot of other animals; does he generally get along with them? Have you recently brought a new animal into the mix?

Have you actually seen him peeing on the pet beds? Some animals can become incontinent and "leak" while they sleep. But if you've seen him peeing in the wrong place while awake, then clearly it's not that.

I can't offer an immediate solution, but if we could figure out what has caused this behaviour, that would be a good start.

[Catlover06]

Hello MarySkater, thanks so much for the reply. He is not declawed. My study floor is tile, no carpet. He is neutered. I have actually seen him do it. It's a pretty large puddle so I don't think he's leaking. I'm really starting to think it's territorial marking. I've had him for a year and been using the same litter ever since and has not had any issues. There are two changes that could possibly be causing this, let me know what you think.
1. He was being a bully to my female cat, Jill, for a while and I finally started correcting him. I would spray him with a spray bottle and sometimes tap his head and say no. Just a small tap. Before I started correcting him I would only clap my hands but that didn't seem to stop him from chasing after her. Although now that I think about it I think he was just trying to play he's still very young. Jill is a very grumpy cat that will scream bloody murder and hiss and growl when my other cats get near her, but the difference is they back off and Dewey does not. Maybe he got mad because I started correcting him?
2. I adopted another cat which I kept confined in a room that has a lot of shelves, it was the room my cats liked to hang out. Long story short the adopted cat had an illness and I had to return him. I then had to disinfect that room and needed to wait about a month before I could let my cats back in to prevent them from getting the illness. I was extremely careful when I had the cat and would always decontaminate before leaving the room. My cats did hear him and were curious but never saw him or even got to sniff him. Not sure if he could have gotten stressed out from hearing the other cat and not being able to interact or the fact that I took his room away for so long.

What do you think? If you think it's more #1, I've been giving him a lot of love in the room and will never correct him again. I just thought it was time to do something but maybe I should have allowed him to chase her. If #2, that room is back opened and I even added additional play areas in the room for them, I just don't know how to correct the behavior now.

[MarySkater]

Hi Catlover, thanks for the extra info. It certainly looks like it's not a physical problem with the litter, it's behavioural. I won't venture an opinion at the moment, because I've no personal experience of this problem, and I've never had more than 2 cats at a time. But there are some very experienced cat owners on this forum, so we'll see what they say.

Just another thought, but check that whatever you're using to wash the bedding (pet and human) doesn't have a smell that encourages cats to pee. I've heard that bleach does this, but I don't expect you wash your own bedding with bleach. However, a bit of research there might be useful. You mentioned in your first post that you might give him a pet bed in the study to see if he peed on that. Would you consider buying a new pet bed to make the experiment? It would be interesting to know if he felt the urge to put his own scent on something that has never been used by another animal.

[Catlover06]

Thanks again MarySkater! I'm definitely open to trying anything at this point. I will buy a brand new bed today and put in the study for him. Something I noticed when I saw him peeing on a pet bed is that he was sniffing it for a while and then started peeing on it. If he does not pee on the new bed what would that confirm? That he's being territorial? If so I have no idea what else would I be able to do. I already had a lot of pet beds laying around, a lot of cat trees throughout the house, they each have their own eating bowl, multiple drinking fountains, litter boxes throughout the house and many toys.

[Ruth B]

I have to agree with MarySkater, if he has been confined to one room and has behaved well and used his litter tray with out fail then it sounds like the problem in something in the rest of the house rather than something physical. Personally I don't agree with giving cats something like Prozak unless there is really no other option, it just covers the problem up rather than solving it.

Moving forward I have to agree that the new pet bed is a good idea. Put that in the study with him and see if he will use it as a bed, just ignore it (typical cat) or use it as a litter tray. If it is either of the first two then it would back up the theory that the problem lies out in the rest of the house, if it is the latter then it is more likely to be with the litter tray. In which case trying different litters or different trays might help. Mine refuse to use a covered tray they have to be open ones and preferably high sided ones, we have one that seemed enormous which we got when we had our Ragdoll, he was a big cat and struggled in most litter trays, he didn't have enough room to move around or dig properly, however every other cat we have had also loves it, I think they like to have the room to move more than we think. Also thing like litter tray liners can cause some cats to not like a litter tray, if they keep getting there claws caught.

If he still behaves well with the new bed then I would suggest a partial re-integration with the rest of your clan. While they are together you would need to watch them carefully to see just how they interact. I doubt that your correcting him when he was antagonising Jill started the problem, like you say he was wanting to play and she didn't want to. (Sounds so like my young Saturn and my grumpy granny Tiggy, but I didn't need to correct Saturn, Tiggy has a mean right hook and wasn't afraid to use it, claws in fortunately). However with so many animals working out their dynamics and pecking order might take some close observation. Often the problem isn't with obvious aggression it is with passive aggression. If any cat is stopping Dewey getting to a litter tray, food bowl or water fountain that could cause him a lot of stress. While it may seem like Jill and Dewey are the ones at odds it could be he 'picks' on her as the safer option if one of the others is quietly bullying him in more unobtrusive ways.

When you do start letting him out I would suggest only doing it when you can keep a close eye on him. I would also make a suggestion I make many times, get water resistant mattress protectors if you haven't already. We got one as it was supposed to help with my asthma, it just happened to be water proof as well. When Blue our old Ragdoll reached the end of his life and was pts, we found out later that evening that he had spent the day on the bed in the same place and become incontinent, the sheets, bedspreads and duvet were soaked through, the top of the protector was wet but the underside and the mattress was dry. Bedding can be washed, as wet, stained mattress is far more of a problem. You might also want to put plastic covers on the beds, even bin bags taped together can help contain the liquid. It doesn't solve the problem, but it certainly helps on your stress levels if you don't have to worry quite as much about washing the bedding every day. If you get stressed Dewey will pick up on it and that will make him stressed and exacerbate the problem.

I really hope you can get this solved, there is nothing worse than a cat that won't use the tiller tray. Let us know how the experiments get on.

[MarySkater]

If Dewey pees on a new bed, then there's something about beds, and I don't know where to go from there.

If he sleeps on it cleanly (or ignores it, as Ruth suggested he might!) then I'd try him with one of your current cat beds which has been well washed in your usual washing product. It shouldn't smell of cat, so if he pees on that, it would seem to be your detergent or whatever.

If he doesn't pee on a used, clean bed, then I agree with Ruth, try letting him associate with the others, watch him, and use waterproof covers wherever possible. (I once had an elderly cat who slept on my bed and was prone to sudden bouts of vomiting. I covered my whole bed, bedding and all, with a waterproof mattress cover with the elastic edge cut off, so I could spread it out. They are very effective and saved me a lot of washing.) You might want to put Dewey back in the study at times when you can't watch him. He may start to regard that as his "safe" room, if it's other cats that are making him stressed.

Please keep us posted.

[Catlover06]

Ruth B, I really appreciate the detailed response and suggestions. I will definitely give that a try. I too was not a fan of the Prozac. One of my other cats, Leo, does play with Dewey but gets very rough at times and he'll be a bully sometimes. He may be the problem and causing Dewey some stress. I will get the new bed today and will do really slow introductions.
Luckily I did have a mattress cover for my bed but not for the guest bed so it did go through to the mattress. I already ordered a mattress cover for it. I also found these really cool pet waterproof blankets on Amazon. They were expensive but since I can easily lay them over my comforter it saves me from washing all the sheets. Dewey may have picked up on some of my stress since our washer broke and I had all this stinky bedding to wash.

I really hope I can turn him back around. I'll give you all an update once I put the new bed in the study. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm guessing that if he pees on the new bed then it's something about the beds? If he doesn't and he pees on a used clean bed I'm guessing the smell of pee stayed even after washing?

[Mayday21]

Hi Catlover when I bought Harper Home she used my walk in robe for her toiletry Yet she knew how to use a tray. I bought a spray 'Urine Off' & used that. The vet & nurses commented a behavioural issue. No probs now. Keep us posted. Vivian

[Catlover06]

Hello Mayday21, thanks for commenting. If I get "urine off" will I be able to spray it on on my bedding and pet beds? Thanks!

[Mayday21]

Hi Catlover with 'Urine Off' you need to use paper towels to absorb fresh urine, spray & cover for few mins but old for 24 hrs (I used garbage bags). Instructions pretty clear on the spray bottle. I guess you could spray on bedding. I used to put garbage bags down ea night. Did this for around 2-3 weeks. Personally I think the little minx was too lazy to go to the trays or she was scared of the dark. However it was arriving home from work that I discovered some little dumps!

[Catlover06]

Thank you Mayday21 and others for all the replies. I said I would keep you all posted. I bought the new bed a few hours ago and just went to check it, it was wet!
The bed was brand new so it didn't have any another cat or dog smells. Could it be that he marked it to claim it? But why?! And how can I stop him? I'm so confused. Could it actually be the litter, like MarySkater was saying? I've been using the same litter since I adopted him 1 year ago and have not had any issues until now. I took the bed away immediately and threw it in the washer. Should I try another litter? Ugh this is starting to get really really frustrating. Please help.

[emmab]

Hello, welcome to the forum.

Since he's going for soft things to pee on, I wonder if litter is hurting his paws? (Is he declawed?) If your study has carpet and he hasn't peed on that, then I'm wrong. But if the litter is the softest surface available in the study, then he could be forced to that even if he doesn't like it. You could try puppy pads in the litter box, instead of litter, and see if he'll use that. That would get expensive as a long term solution, but at least it might help diagnose what's bothering him.

Another possible reason is territorial marking. Is he neutered? Has anything happened recently to upset him? You have a lot of other animals; does he generally get along with them? Have you recently brought a new animal into the mix?

Have you actually seen him peeing on the pet beds? Some animals can become incontinent and "leak" while they sleep. But if you've seen him peeing in the wrong place while awake, then clearly it's not that.

I can't offer an immediate solution, but if we could figure out what has caused this behaviour, that would be a good start.

This is interesting as we have a new cat of 3 weeks now and once he wet our bed. We notice he catches his claws on everything when he is playing. We are trying to get him to use the scratch post bit he won't. His claws look fine but without using the scratch postbthye must surely be a problem. I cannot cut them as we are still at the stage of trying to catch him! He is happy around the house but is proving a little tricky to tame.

[Ruth B]

In a way him using the bed rather than the litter tray could been seen as a good sign, it means the problem isn't a dominance issue with the other animals. The first pair of cats i had as an adult was a mother and daughter pair, the mother became terminally ill after a few years I adopted a third cat thinking it would give the daughter someone to play with and give the mother a bit of peace. It was a disaster, a full on dominance struggle between the mother cat and the new one and then the daughter started as well. I would get in from work and not know how much cleaning up I would have to do, I was so lucky they never tried marking the bed. I coped for three months with stress levels going through the roof until, feeling a right failure, I gave in, contacted the charity and sent the new girl back. With in hours of her leaving peace reigned and my two originals never put a paw wrong again. I heard from the charity that the other cat had been kept alone for a week during which she behaved impeccably and then was rehomed as an only cat. Part of me was dreading it becoming obvious that you were having a similar problem.

I think the problem is likely to do with the litter or the litter tray. Not knowing what type of tray or litter you use I can make a few suggestions you might want to consider.

At 1.5 years old he is starting to grow into a large cat, if you use one of the pellet style litters it could be as simple as it hurts to stand on it and he is looking for somewhere more comfy to go, (can you imagine having to crouch bare foot on gravel every time you wanted to go to the toilet). He might find one of the more sand like litters comfier to stand on and easier to dig in.

If the litter tray is a bit on the small side it could be that he doesn't feel he has enough room to maneuver and dig and sit properly. In which case a larger litter tray might help.

If it's a covered litter tray it could be he doesn't like being enclosed, if one of the other cats had got into the habit of jumping on top of the cover while he was trying to go I could understand his reluctance. At one point I had three litter trays around the house, two uncovered one covered. I realised that while the uncovered ones had to be emptied twice a day, it had been weeks, if not months since the covered one needed emptying, they just didn't want to use it.

Worst case, if changing litter and box doesn't work, dig out some old towels and put one on a sheet of plastic where the litter tray was, hopefully he will start using that and they could be kept for him and washed easily. Once he is used to going on them, put the towel in the litter tray and see if he will use it in the litter tray. Once he has got use to going on a towel in the litter tray try him with a nice fine grained litter in the tray instead. Hopefully by that time he will have it set in his brain that that is where he is meant to go and will be happy to use the litter.

It might be a matter of weeks to retrain him to use the litter tray but once he is starting to go where you want him to, whether it is on litter or just towels, you could start letting him out to socialise with the others while you are about to supervise and make sure he doesn't return to bad habits.

[Catlover06]

Ruth B, your response definitely gives me some hope and I see your point about it not being an aggression/territorial issues which we kinda all thought at first. To give you some info on the litter tray. All my pans are uncovered and faily large. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008F5QA ... 98850&sr=1
It's a 22x16x11. Long, wide and tall. Although he is still growing a bit he's at about 12 lbs. He does seem to have enough room in the pan. Right now I have him on DR Elsie's cat attract supposed to be softer than what I been using for my other cats and what he was using before which is Dr Elsie's original cat litter. Last night I was doing more research and ended up ordering this litter called OkoCat litter which is made out of natural wood. It supposed to be really soft. Since I already ordered it and will received it on Saturday, I'll give that a try first. If that does not work I will definitely buy the towels and do your suggestion. I'll also order a different litter tray at that time. He might be the special kitty that needs special things. I would be ok with the adjustments and glad is not something worst. I love all my cats, they are my babies. I have no kids so I get to spoil them and buy them all kinds of stuff. Thanks for sharing your story and sorry you had to send your cat back. That's what I was dreading with mine. Although, I was extremely stressed at first and just couldn't figure it it out. I know a dirty litter box is an unflushed toilet so I'm very good about cleaning the trays several times a day. Which made me even more confused on what I was doing wrong or why my cat started peeing on the beds. The more I think about this the more sense it makes. There were times when he would go to the litter boxes jump in one then another and another and I'd hear him cry and look at me. Soon after that I saw the first accident. I did hestitate on taking him to the vet when I heard him cry at the trays only because I know he drinks so much water and when he does go it's a lot of urine. Plus I do have a cat that had a UTI a year ago and he was peeing on the floor. I knew there was something different with Dewey peeing only on really soft things. With your help and others on here I think we narrowed it down pretty good and willing to try all the suggestions. To me retuning him to the rescue would be the last resort. I think I can deal with this a little more than my husband can. He was beyond upset when he saw the first puddle on the bed and I got extremely scared because I know he was not happy. I told him to give me a chance and time to fix things. I'll definitely keep you posted after I get the new litter. Once I get the new litter, I'll probably try putting another bed in the study with him to test him out. Although he might still prefer to go on the bed. Then I will try the towels. I can buy a big pack of terry towels and just wash them daily for him. Will definitely be a big adjustment but we can make it work. Sigh.. More to come but really feeling better about the situation already. Thanks to you all!

[Ruth B]

The size of the litter tray sounds fine, similar to the ones I use and there is plenty of room for even a large cat to circle and choose where to dig in those.

Dr Elsey's cat litter isn't a make I'm familiar with but sounds very similar to the Catsan Clumping litter I use. The description did mention that the Dr Elsey's is medium grained clay (for the Precious variant I couldn't find the size for the cat attract one) where as the Catsan is described as a fine grained clay. From what I have read the finer the grain size the better the cats seem to like it. I also noticed the cat attract variant is herbally scented which is meant to attract the cats. I just wonder if you might have the cat that finds the herbal scent repulsive.

You said that the first week he was separated in the study when he didn't have a pet bed he behaved well and used the litter tray.

You introduce a brand new pet bed and he instantly uses that.

This does seem to indicate he wants to be clean and have somewhere proper to go, but for some reason doesn't like the litter tray and would rather go on something else if something else is provided that he feels he can use. The other possibility that I could think of is that at some point he had a bout of something like cystitis which means he associates the litter tray with pain, but the vet check didn't pick anything up and he has used a litter tray for a week when there was no other option, I would have thought any habit would have been broken.

Having to hand Suzie back to the charity she came from was heartbreaking, and made me feel such a failure at the time. It was after it happened I started reading a lot of cat behaviour books (if you can pick up any of the ones by Vicky Hall they are well worth a read and enjoyable as well) and finally realised that what I had done was the best for all cats concerned. I love every cat I have had and want what is best for them in the end, even if it means emotional pain for myself.

[Catlover06]

Hi Ruth B, today I will be receiving the new litter in the mail. I'll let you know how it works out. It supposed to be soft, but will see. I tried searching for the litter you use, is it sold here in the US? I'm willing to try different soft litters for him to see if that helps him. When I get this new litter, I'll probably let him be for a day or so to see if he uses it fine and if he does, I'll put the bed back in there to see if he still chooses the bed. Do you recommend me mixing some of the old litter with the new? I know that's the way it should be done normally but this is a little different since we know he does not like the exciting litter. I'll probably do all new litter.

[Ruth B]

I don't know if its available in the US, I'm based in the UK, i also know that what can appear the same product by the packaging, can be different in two different countries, which does make giving advise a bit of a mine field.

I think I would go with just the new litter once it arrives. It will be in the same tray and the same place as he has been going. Like you say, mixing litters is the normal practice but as he doesn't like the old one we might as well get him use to the new one and then find out whether it makes a difference.

Hopefully this will prove to be a nice simple solution and solve the problem.

Hope you have a Happy New Year as well.

[Catlover06]

Thank you so much! Happy New Year to you too! I'll keep you posted. This solution is definitely feasible if it works out. Let's keep our fingers crossed. If it does not work out, I'll try one more litter and then I'll try the towels after that so it will take some time to test everything, but I'm willing to do it. Again, I'll be keeping you posted.

[Catlover06]

Hello Ruth B, just a quick update. I received the new litter yesterday. He's using the litter box with no issues in the study. Today I'll be putting his bed back in there. I was able to wash it really good and used this product called Odoban which seems to have taken away the urine smell. Fingers crossed, I'll let you know if he pees on the bed.

[Mayday21]

Hi Catlover paws & fingers x'd that problems solved. Another thought he may not like the beds your buying. Vivian

[Catlover06]

Hmm that's interesting.. why would he pee on my bed too? He seems to be peeing on everything fluffy and soft. He won't pee on the carpet or tile.

[Catlover06]

Hello Ruth B, et al..
I have some fabulous news to share. My cat has not peed on the bed. He used the litter well for a day and then yesterday I placed his bed in there. Its been about 12 hours and no accidents. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am. I keep going in the room to check on the bed and it's been completely dry. I picked my cat up and gave him this great big hug and lots of kisses. I'm guessing there is still a possibility he goes back to using the bed but right now I'm feeling very hopeful. I will be placing at least two litter trays with the new litter he likes throughout the house and will begin slow introduction. I'll also only have him out when I can watch him.

I'd like to thank again and again everyone who replied to my post and gave me advice. I'm so greatful to have joined this amazing chat forum; without it, I don't think the issue would have ever been resolved.

[Catlover06]

I meant to ask, now that we identified the problem. Since my cat had been using the same litter for almost a year with no issues, could it be his paws somehow got sensitive over time? Could this be a medical issue? I checked his paws and they look fine to me, but he doesn't let me touch them. My concern is he is only 1.5 yrs old, so I don't know what could have possibly caused his paws to get more sensitive to the litter to the point of not using the litter tray. I can also run this by my vet too.

[MarySkater]

Since my cat had been using the same litter for almost a year with no issues, could it be his paws somehow got sensitive over time?

As Ruth B pointed out, he is now, at 1.5 years, physically bigger and heavier than when you got him a year ago. So there's more pressure on his paws. Another possibility is that one of your other animals did something to scare him when he was using one of the normal trays, which has made him wary of that litter. It's known that a cat which gets cystitis will start avoiding the litter tray, because he associates the pain of peeing with the tray. I'm sure your cat hasn't had cystitis - you'd know if he had. But it does show that if they have an unpleasant experience in the litter tray, they can associate the experience with the litter, rather than what really caused it.

But certainly discuss it with your vet. Over the last few days, you've done a lot to isolate the real cause and eliminate other possible causes.

[Ruth B]

That is so good to hear and i'll be keeping everything crossed that the good behaviour continues.

Take things slowly, one step at a time, make sure he is happy and using the litter tray properly and not the cat bed before rushing to re integrate him into the household. I would suggest that if the other cats will use the alternative litter then you change onto it fully that way when he is re integrated he can use which ever tray he wants and the others won't be block him and start the problems again.

I don't think we'll ever really know why he decided he didn't like the litter, it could be just that he has grown and found the litter uncomfortable, or it could be that something happened and he had bad associations with that litter. As long as he is alright then it doesn't really matter as long as he keeps behaving himself.

[MarySkater]

An idea which occurred to me was to wonder if it was possible to give him a litter tray for his exclusive use. Maybe you could get something like a crate (pet cage or solid wood) big enough to hold his litter tray, which could have a selective cat flap fitted, that would let him in but nobody else. As Ruth says, you don't want to be in a hurry to re-integrate him. But once you do, anything to keep him comfortable with his litter tray might help. If he learned that nobody could get near him while he's in "his" litter tray, that might reassure him.

My first thought was to make the study his safe room by putting a selective cat flap in the door. But you may not want to go as far as cutting holes in your doors!

[Catlover06]

Ugh.. back to the same thing. This morning when I went to feed him, I checked the bed and it was soaked in urine. To his defense though he had already used the litter tray twice. In the litter tray I saw uncovered poo at the top and after sifting there was a covered pee clump. I guess he had to go 3 times last night? Because then the 3rd time he went on the bed. Could this mean that the litter tray was too dirty for him so he didn't want to use it the 3rd time or maybe he's just barely tolerating the litter since he didn't even cover his poo? Should I try a different litter? Please note that I cleaned the litter tray before going to bed also I had not began reintegrating him yet. Everything was the same it's been for the past few days. The only thing I did do was add a litter tray with the new litter to another room to see if my other cats would use it.

MarySkater, I was going to try to do something similar to your suggestion, but now that he's back I feel almost hopeless.

[MarySkater]

Sorry to hear about your setback. Tonight, you could try leaving 2 or 3 trays with clean litter in his room, in case he doesn't want to go back to a used one. And maybe one with puppy training pads or old towels, which would give him another "soft option," to see if you could entice him away from peeing on his bed.

If the problem turns out to be that he won't go back to a tray that has been used, you can get "automatic" litter trays that comb the lumps out after the cat has left. But all this is adding up to a lot of potential expense. Only you can decide how far you're willing to go, before you start thinking about other options, such as rehoming him to a farm environment or maybe a stables, where he wouldn't need to be house-clean.

[Ruth B]

Dont despair, it is still early days in his retraining. Like you say it could be the litter tray was just too dirty for him and he looked for somewhere else.

If possible it might be worth giving him an extra litter tray at night to try and prevent any further problems. I would also leave the bed out for a few days so he is more used to using the litter trays.

Just as with us humans, a cats brain gets into patterns and habits. It is quite possible for a human to get up in the night go to the bathroom and then back to bed in a half a sleep state, so can a cat act similarly, it could be he woke up needed to go to the litter tray but his brain recalled using the bed and he just went with out really knowing what he was doing.

Take it slow, give him time to rewrite the basic habits in his brain and hopefully we will get there with him.