cat peeing on clothes

Nature's Miracle laundry additive works great for getting rid of smells in laundry--it's only for laundry, as it lathers--but they make Nature's Miracle for carpets/etc also. 

I learned that with my cat now that I can never leave any rumpled up clothes around, or even stacks of folded clothes, and it has actually cure me of my former tendency to leave clothes lying around and to put off putting away clean clothes. Not helpful, but it seems somewhat common at least. 

Also Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract cat litter, and also the litter additive for some people is like a miracle product (when used as directed).  It was only somewhat effective for my cat, but it's a cheap enough option that if it does work, then it's amazing (plus it's a good cat litter regardless).  

I always find it interesting that when cats show this behavior the first advice that everyone leans towards is there must be something wrong with the cat so you need to take better care of them. Give cats a little more intelligence. If the cat is peeing on everything, not just clothing and not just one persons things, either the cat has a physical illness or he was never box trained, or if you have multiple cats, one (likely the alpha cat) may be guarding the litter box. I've had all of these situations.

In the realm of animals that roam in groups or in the case of cats, a clowder, there is an alpha and in an ideal situation, YOU are the alpha. Cats pee on things or spray them really to make a statement and mark them. So if he is choosing someone's clothing or possessions he is making a statement to that person since things like clothing smell the most like you, laundry soap won't hide the smell of you from a cat.

Here, unfortunately, is where my knowledge drys up, I have no idea what my cat is trying to tell me when he pees on my backpack, or shirt, or the spot where I was sitting on the couch. I'm not sure if he claiming me and saying you are mine so love me only, or if he is saying, I'm tired of you being alpha, it's my turn. Any theories?

The number one reason cats pee on things as you are describing is because the cat is ill. Take him to the vet. Urinary tract disorders hurt, and in males can turn fatal quickly.

i find that oxy clean is the only thing i found to take out cat pee smell

I don't think peeing on a pile of crumpled up clothes is indicative of a UTI, and in fact is pretty normal as my coworkers cat would do that and she had no health issues per the vet.   Its nice and soft, its clean, its convenient, and you can paw at it and "bury" the pee just like you would loose litter.    After all, cats are willing to pee on yesterday's news pellet litter, sand litter, pine litter, crystal litter, all kinds of different things.    If I were a cat that didn't know better, that's where I'd pee!  

IMO the easiest fix is behavior modification... don't leave anything on the floor, use tall clothes hampers for dirty clothes, and clean clothes are best folded straight out of the drier to avoid getting wrinkles anyway and then should go in the closet.  Voila!   Now if the cat is peeing all over the place, and in small amounts, or there's blood, that's another matter.   My kitty was just diagnosed with a UTI for that reason, and we did a dietary change along with 10mg of amitriptyline, and he retested as fine now.  The drug initially had side effect of really weird behavior (either that or he was still hurting from the UTI), but then normalized within a week.  

When I had two cats, my older one also liked to pee on clothes or towels if they were left on the floor.  Problem solved simply:  I made sure none were left on the floor, and bought one of those tall, pop-up laundry hampers so he couldn't get into them!  He didn't pee on anything else.

One thing my vet reccomended, which has worked for years ( now I have a new issue but I will post that separately ) is A. to get kitty seen by vet, to rule out UTI, for starters. Then, if it is purely behavioral, like ours was, we got a 3 level kitty condo ( like a tall cage ) bottom level had litter box, second level had food and water, and top level a cuddle cup or bed.) We put this in front of a window, and let Felina live in there during the day while we were at work, and only let her out when we could watch her. He also put her on Xanax, for anxiety. It worked like a charm. At first I felt guilty, but, as cats sleep 75% of the time, I would leave the condo open ( still closed in that bedroom though to keep her away from her stressors) and I would go in there and find her curled up in there snoozing anyway! She loves it, and it makes her feel safe. It is her own space- and that is what she wanted all along.

Now, we can put her in there to eat ( so that our other cats don't bully her and try to take her food) and also to sleep so she feels safe- the rest of the time she is out in that room, lounging and playing, with no problems. here is a link to the condo, and if you are low on money you can post for one on craigslist, or contact local rescues, they may have one to lend you till  you see if it works for you or not!


Good luck!

Catlady1954 said:

How did you get rid of the smell after your cat sprayed all over??

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Hi,I have two cats and they both pee everywhere. To get the smell out instead of taking the items to the dry cleaners i usually get dishwasher pods (souds weird but it works) and open with a knife to get all the crystals out of it and empty the crystals onto the item. Then I get some washing up liquid and put if on the item,once you've done that rub it all in with and old sponge. Then soak it in hot water and then I put vanish gel over it and follow the instructions on the bottle (im from the uk so if your in the US google vanish gel and try find something identical)Then place it the washing machine on rinse. It works for me gets any stains on white clothes out plus takes the smell away

Can you please help me with my cat, she has this problem.

she is 3 years old

she is neutered

she is inside only
 

I have another female cat, they get along very well

she eats Meow Mix
 

they have tested her for a urinary tract infection

we have two litter boxes for one for each cat

we use tightly cats 

we don't really scoop it that often, maybe once a week.
 

My cat is a 15 year old male cat. He never peed on things before. Now he pees on anything he is laying on. It is like he is to lazy to go to the litter box. Sometimes he gets made when you don't jump up immediately to see what he wants. He will just go and pee all over wherever you are. He peed on my husband's computer, on me while I was watching t.v. and on my bed. I do not know what to do with that cat!

If a cat develops sudden litter box issues like this it could be a medical problem.  Has your cat been to the vet to rule out a medical issue?  If you cat is in pain from a medical issue he could have stopped using the litter box because he has associated it with the pain. Also sometimes cats will seek out soft things to pee on instead of the litter box if they are in pain.

Also how many floor is your home and how many litter boxes do you have?.  When I had seniors I added an extra litter box to my upstairs bathroom to make it easier for them to get to. I also have litter boxes in my basement.  One of my seniors was not making it to the litter box on time if he was upstairs.

The first step is to take this cat to a vet to make sure this is not a medical issue.  There are medical issues that can cause this behavior that are very easy to treat.

bluebayo said:

 
Can you please help me with my cat, she has this problem.

she is 3 years old

she is neutered

she is inside only
 

I have another female cat, they get along very well

she eats Meow Mix
 

they have tested her for a urinary tract infection

we have two litter boxes for one for each cat

we use tightly cats 

we don't really scoop it that often, maybe once a week.

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Is this a sudden issue or has this been happening for the past 3 years?   If this is a sudden issue I would recommend that you scoop out the litter boxes more often.  I have 4 cats and 4 litter boxes at a minimum mine are all scooped every other day. When one of my seniors got a tummy ache and had runny poops the litter boxes were scooped out at least daily.

Has the vet definitely ruled out a UTI?  Has she been checked for other issues?  

Also how many floors is your home?  In a multi-level home you might want to add another litter box on a different level.

Have there been any recent changes to your household that your cat may be re-acting to?  An example would be moving, renovations, new appliances, company.

I had the same issue with my old cat (now deceased) although she would get on top of the hamper (it had a lid) and pee on the top of it!  It took some time to figure out she disliked the litter we were using! We changed kept trying different litters til we used wood pellets, then she was fine, no peeing anywhere but her box. I should point out we took her to the vet and got her checked over as well. Also scooping out dirty litter daily helps, I have 2 kittens and do a thorough scoop 3 or 4 times a day in each tray. Time consuming but cats don't usually like to use a box if it's 'well used'!

It is really unhelpful to keep telling people to take their cat to a vet or that the cat has a UTI.  My cats have neither but have never been able to walk past cloth on the floor without stopping to pee on it.  We have a new dog that the cat like a lot but they pee i her kennel, they pee on her bed, they pee on towel I dry her with.  The peeing on guests bags and suitcases was resolved by putting them into the closet and giving dire warnings.  The pee on my floor mat was cured by picking it up  BUT THIS HAS ME SO FRUSTRATED!!!  Even the dog is getting frustrated. 

Weadvise people to take the cat to the vet if there is random peeing because much of the time there is a medical problem behind this behaviour. Cats often avoid the litter box because they think it is the box that is causing them pain and they go for something that is soft and comforting (like their owner's clothes) instead. So it is wise to rule out a UTI before tackling it as a behavioural issue.

Once you are sure through a urinalysis that there is no medical issue, then you need to think like a cat about why this is happening and set about retraining. You have started well by removing all materials and objects that they might pee on. Sometimes it is a territorial problem - both cats want to mark their territory and all objects belonging to their human as theirs. That can extend to strange objects in the house, like guests' suitcases. Or it can be a dominance issue - one cat re-marking where another cat has peed to claim dominance in the household. Is there any stress between the cats? Do they have enough food bowls, water dishes, sleeping places, toys etc for them to feel independent when they want to be? Is there generally enough space? Sometimes you have to confine a cat to a large crate or a bathroom for a while with all they need and get him totally into the habit using only the box. Try different litters - some cats like clay or crystals, others prefer corn or pine. Some people find using 'CAt Attract' litter works wonders. And always keep the litter boxes spotlessly clean - many cats will just not use a dirty tray, they are fastidious animals normally. Many cats prefer to poo in one box and pee in another, so make sure they have the facilities to do that.

Just a few suggestions, I hope you find the answer.

T

I had a cat that peed on things when I was gone or he was stressed. This kitty still has obvious anxiety (he licks a specific spot on his fur and panics if something is different or he can see the bottom of his bowl) and always pees on clothes if he's left alone. I would take it to the vet to rule out any physical issues and if they can't find anything find a way to ease any stress on kitty. That said I quickly learned how to get the smell out, wash it with lots of vinegar and oxy clean at least twice... a good soaking in vinegar if its bad... I would also mix water and vinegar in a spray bottle and spray wherever kitty has had an accident, it may also have a smell. Then sprinkle with lightly baking soda and let dry. Then vacuum good.

We have a 5 year old spayed cat. since she was a kitten she has peed on the furniture, carpet, clothes you name it. she also has no issue using her kitty pan. She was spayed at 3 1/2 but it did not change the peeing issue. she has ruined 2 matresses of mine, at least 2 couches of my parents and countless cloths. We have tried unscented, scented, fine grain and pelleted cat litter. she will use them all and yet still pee everywhere.  she now lives in my room (partially because of the peeing but also because our other cat has an unhealthy obsession with her. he will sit outside the door for 2-3 hours waiting to get at her. and when he dose he attacks her to the point she was bloodied and peed everywhere during the fight. 

I switched my old car who had a brain tumor (and went blind) to the Breeze cat litter system. Sookie (problem cat) started using that over her other kitty pan, abandoning it altogether. once my other cat passed we got a medium cat tree for sookie and she was as happy as a clam. She did not have any incidents for about a month.  Now she has started peeing on everything with force. she peed on the bed two days in a row, on the floor near the a sock that half fell out of a shoe. in my dirty cloths bin. she is on a roll. i dont have it in my budget to buy a gallon of nature's miracle a week. last time she was at the vet they said she was healthy. 

so im at a loss here. i love this cat but she is about to find herself living in a bathroom at this rate.

Inomay said:

We have a 5 year old spayed cat. since she was a kitten she has peed on the furniture, carpet, clothes you name it. she also has no issue using her kitty pan. She was spayed at 3 1/2 but it did not change the peeing issue. she has ruined 2 matresses of mine, at least 2 couches of my parents and countless cloths. We have tried unscented, scented, fine grain and pelleted cat litter. she will use them all and yet still pee everywhere.  she now lives in my room (partially because of the peeing but also because our other cat has an unhealthy obsession with her. he will sit outside the door for 2-3 hours waiting to get at her. and when he dose he attacks her to the point she was bloodied and peed everywhere during the fight. 

I switched my old car who had a brain tumor (and went blind) to the Breeze cat litter system. Sookie (problem cat) started using that over her other kitty pan, abandoning it altogether. once my other cat passed we got a medium cat tree for sookie and she was as happy as a clam. She did not have any incidents for about a month.  Now she has started peeing on everything with force. she peed on the bed two days in a row, on the floor near the a sock that half fell out of a shoe. in my dirty cloths bin. she is on a roll. i dont have it in my budget to buy a gallon of nature's miracle a week. last time she was at the vet they said she was healthy. 


so im at a loss here. i love this cat but she is about to find herself living in a bathroom at this rate.

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The stress from the other cat could really be contributing to her litter box issues. Cats pee to leave their smell and make themselves feel safe. If the other cat is stalking her, she is trying to mark out her territory. Can you play with the other cat more so he is tired out and not bothering her so much? Add a feliway diffuser to help them both calm down? I would even consider medication for the one with the litter box issues. It could help to reset the problem.

this has only been the past year (we have only had him a year). since he has been fixed in the past 6 months he no longer stalks the door. some times they even play under the door, but we found out that he will still try to go after her. this peeing issue has been since she was a kitten. so for the past 4 years and 7 months. Salem (antagonistic male) is only a little over a year old and we got him at about 6 months old. i dont doupt that he has not helped but the issues have been preexisting him.