inappropriate urination

Hi and thanks for reading

I have a male cat, he is estimated to be about 11-12 years old. Recently, I took him to the vet and he had a complete senior wellness check done, urine testing and all. Everything came back great but my problem is him peeing on towels. I've been doing my best to make sure none are in reach but he is getting clever. First it was dish towels, so I stopped hanging them on the oven door and put them on the counter but he would jump up and drag them onto the floor. I have to keep them on the fridge now. Then it started with bath towels, clean or not. I made sure not to leave any within reach...but he keeps finding ways to get them in the bathroom. I have the hand drying towel up high, PINNED to the rack but he reaches up and pulls it off and pees on it. My bathroom is tiny and I have no other places to hang it so he can't get it. Sometimes he will go weeks without doing it then start for a week or so, then stop again. I guess closing the bathroom door at all times would be the next option, but sometimes we forget when I go in the middle of the night or something, of if I am in a rush.

I guess it's a stress thing? But nothing I am trying seems to be helping. I am losing my patience since enzyme cleaners aren't cheap and cleaning urine is no picnic either. There have been no major changes around here, just my own stresses in life. Could he be picking up on that? I just don't know what to do. I love my cat but this battle is getting tougher to fight. I just don't want to have to keep rearranging my entire home JUST so he can't pee on a towel. 

Also, feliway diffuser didn't help either. What could I try next?

When you say recently, do you mean after this started?  If you mean recently but before this started then he needs another check.

I am not good with behavior but do you use bleach on your towels?  Kitties often react to the smell of bleach.

I took him to the vet after he started doing it. But the vet couldn't find a thing wrong with him.  And no, I don't use bleach on them at all. I just wish I could figure out WHY he does it. He went his whole life using the box just fine. This just started out of the blue. 

He could be picking up on your stress, as you mentioned in the first post. 

Are there any neighbouring cats that explore in your yard? An outdoor cat could be making your cat stress out..

I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment but there has been a female cat that comes around howling every other day or so.  Could that really upset him enough to make him pee? I don't even know who owns the other cat, so not much I can do about her.

It definitely could be.  Kitties are protective of their territory even when they have been neutered.  The scent of another cat could be causing your kitty to mark territory.  I am going to ask that your thread be moved to behavior.  Many people who know a lot about one thing like behavior often tend to stick with the area that they know the most about.  The extent of what I know comes from watching Jackson Galaxy's series. 

Since he has had a complete checkup since this started I don't believe this is a health issue.

If he is doing it out of stress; a feliway diffuser (or two) are good to look into.  You just need to be sure you have enough going for the size of your home.  I have had luck using calming treats with Noodles; who over-grooms.  My house is semi-open concept and I have small children; so finding outlets for the diffusers was difficult. 

I have tried a diffuser with no success. It calmed him down from his nightly howling and tearing around but no luck with the urination.  Last night I found a binder clip and used it to hold the bathroom towel on the rack, which seems to have worked perfectly. Curious though, if I am able to keep him from doing this behavior by making absolute sure he can't get to towels, will he eventually just stop doing it all together? Or is he likely to do it, even months and months from now, given the opportunity? I'd like to be able to hang towels as usual at some point. 

Also, if is caused by the cat outside, is there really anything I can do? 

 

kittysprinkles said:

 
I have tried a diffuser with no success. It calmed him down from his nightly howling and tearing around but no luck with the urination.  Last night I found a binder clip and used it to hold the bathroom towel on the rack, which seems to have worked perfectly. Curious though, if I am able to keep him from doing this behavior by making absolute sure he can't get to towels, will he eventually just stop doing it all together? Or is he likely to do it, even months and months from now, given the opportunity? I'd like to be able to hang towels as usual at some point. 

Also, if is caused by the cat outside, is there really anything I can do? 

 

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As for the other cat outside, there are safe ways to keep cats away from your place - although living in a 3rd floor apartment might be tricky. I've heard of people leaving jars of moth balls around. The jars should be covered with some sort of screen top, as cats shouldn't be able to lick these, but apparently the smell of them keeps them away...