Cat Suddenly Peeing on Clothes

Hi, I have 2 cats that are both around 4 yrs old. My one cat is definitely the dominant one, but they really don't have much problems together. I adopted my cat Suri, the more submissive one, when she was about 1 yr. old. She has a lot of behavioral issues but has never done anything like this. I'll describe the problem and then mention the "issues" she has in case that helps.
Suri has begun to pee on my clothes. If there is a piece of clothing, or even a pillow case, that falls to the floor she will find it and pee on it. This has been going on for over a month now. About a month and a half ago my room mate adopted a dog (a 8 month old mutt) but they get along wonderfully. I'm not sure if she is peeing due to the stress of the dog or what. Like I said Suri and the dog love each other, frequently groom each other etc.
I did take her to the vet when she first peed on a tank top of mine in the closet (the door to the closet is now kept closed.) She is not sick in any way apparently.
I tried using Cat Attract in their litter. Didn't help.
I changed their litter boxes back to the ones I used about a year ago and that didn't seem to have an effect. Although they both use the 2 old ones more than the 1 "new" one I still have left out.
I'm at a loss and NEED to find a solution. I can't have a cat constantly peeing on my things.
*She did pee in my boyfriend's gym bag that was left on the floor last night.

Please please help. Thank you so much!

Suri's other behavioral quirks include:
Very nervous around hands, but has let people pet her starting about a year ago.
She "squeaks" as opposed to meowing. I don't think she really can meow. But I think that's a cute quirk and not a real problem.
She is very easily frightened. She frankly is terrified about being picked up. I have no idea what kind of life she had before I adopted her, but she was a mess when I took her home. I still have to trick her or chase her in order to administer any meds or take her to the vet etc. So I try not to do those things if there's any other option.
At night she does this howl/meow noise as she walks around the apartment. She has always done this and I have discovered that she's not distressed but she does seem to be calling for something. I have no idea.

Again thanks for your help!

Hello and welcome! did your vet do a urinalysis on Suri? The only way to diagnose a UTI or crystal problem is to to take a urine sample and check it for bacteria and crystals.

Inappropriate peeing is almost always due to illness. UTIs hurt, and kitty blames the box, so pees elsewhere (often on soft things like clothes or rugs)

Even though she seems to be getting along with the new dog, yes it could cause stress. Stress can, and often does, cause illness in cats.

Once illness has been treated or ruled out, other factors have to be looked into.

Even if she is not sick, something is obviously wrong with her world, and she is telling you about it in the only way she can, by peeing on things.

Keeping things picked up off the floor is a start. If you are sure illness has been ruled out get a few feliway plug in diffusers to help her feel more calm and secure.

Be sure she gets plenty of one on one time with you, lots of interactive play and loving time.

She may have to be retrained if things don't improve as she gets more used to the dog. Retraining involves keeping her in a very small place (dog crate or small bathroom) for a couple of weeks with just her litter box and food (and toys of course) cats won't pee where they eat, so she wil be forced to use the box.

But do try the feliway plug ins, and some rescue remedy might help, too.

Please keep us posted.

Otto has given you great advice. The only thing I would add is that you should also consider trying Cat Attract litter.

But please get kitty to a vet! ...and do keep stuff off the floor until you get this sorted out.

Sometimes I wonder if the people who reply actually read the post...


Seti pees on my clothes too. He can be territorial about me and doesn't like my stuff if it smells strange to him. Case in point, I had my hair colored on Saturday and even though I knew better I left my clothes on the floor. He peed on my shirt. I suspect that was because he smelled both me and the chemicals on it.

Honestly, the best thing that I've found to do is to thoroughly clean the places where he's peed and remove the smell. I find vinegar works best and is very affordable but there are several different things you could use. Then I make sure not to leave things on the floor. That seems to do the trick.

In your case, I would add Feliway diffusers to your house. Since the peeing began a month ago and the dog arrived a month and a half ago it seems that the presence of the dog may be triggering this behavior. Even though they're getting along that's a big shake up for a cat. The Feliway will help calm both your cats and that alone may be enough to stop the peeing.

Yes,, I read the post. Your advice is very good, and quite similar to mine, though I forgot to mention about using a special enzymatic cleaner (or, as you say, vinegar) to remove all traces of urine smell.

I think we're all on the same page here.

But the first thing that should be done is to rule out illness, by taking the cat to the vet. The peeing may be caused by stress, but stress causes illness in cats. One of the most common illnesses due to stress in cats, is UTI.

I know the OP said Suri was taken when the symptoms first started, but didn't mention what was done, so I asked for clarification. "apparently she doesn't have a UTI" is a very vague statement. If a urinalysis wasn't done, I advise taking a cat back to the vet (be sure she has a full bladder!) and having the urine tested.

I think Jennifer was referring to the OPs comment that she took Suri to the vet when she originally peed on a t-shirt. ...but we don't know when that was. If it was more than a month or so ago, I still believe she needs to go back to the vet - and potentially a different one. Was her urine tested? Was her poop tested? Did she have a full blood work up? Where her teeth checked?

One of our kitties went to the vet - a heath problem was ruled out. He began eating litter. Original vet said it means nothing. So we waited. Finally (six weeks later?) we went to get a second opinion. Turns out we almost killed him.

So yes, cats can be sick even after having recently seen a vet. The issue, I guess, is how long ago was Suri at the vet, and was complete testing done?