Cat Pee

Help! Have a one year old male neutered cat. He pees on clothing and the dog bed all the time. I have read that they are attracted to the smell of bleach, but the clothes he is peeing on are not bleached. They are usually colored clothing sitting in the laundry basket. He is a good cat, but I am at my wit's end.

Please take your cat to the vet ASAP to be tested for a urinary tract infection. The vet will need to take a urine sample and then examine it for signs of infection or crystals. Inappropriate urination is the number one symptom of urinary tract problems.

Please do follow through with this. Unfortunately, the majority of people we tell to take the cat to the vet for this problem insist that their cat is healthy and are peeing on their belongings out of spite. Then after weeks of arguing that their cat is fine, they finally are convinced to take the cat to the vet only to find that the cat does indeed have an infection or illness. Of course, if the inappropriate urination is due to illness, it will not stop until the illness is cured.

If the vet does not find signs of infection or blockage, please let us know and we will tell you things to do to improve the situation.

I'd take him to the vet to rule out any UTI first.

If that's all ok, then check the litter trays -

Have you got more than one?
Are they in locations where kittie feels safe?
Any loud noises that may have scared him away from the box?
Are they in a quiet, secluded area away from passing human traffic?
Are they clean enough?
Are they big enough?
Have they got enough litter in them?
Have you changed litter recently?
Maybe he doesn't like the litter you're already using?
Is the dog able to get to him whilst in the tray? Cats need to feel safe when the use the toilet, it's when they are most vulnerable.

Hope something here helps!

I have 2 trays which are cleaned daily. They are on a cabinet in the basement, 4 feet off the ground. The other cat does not urinate inappropriately.
He seems to only pee on clothing. No furniture, no carpet, no floor. Only clothing.
And he has been seen by the vet. This problem has gone on for about 5 months...maybe once every couple of weeks or so.
And he and the dog are friends. Never fight or chase each other.

Originally Posted by Purity

I'd take him to the vet to rule out any UTI first.

If that's all ok, then check the litter trays -

Have you got more than one?
Are they in locations where kittie feels safe?
Any loud noises that may have scared him away from the box?
Are they in a quiet, secluded area away from passing human traffic?
Are they clean enough?
Are they big enough?
Have they got enough litter in them?
Have you changed litter recently?
Maybe he doesn't like the litter you're already using?
Is the dog able to get to him whilst in the tray? Cats need to feel safe when the use the toilet, it's when they are most vulnerable.

Hope something here helps!

Click to expand...

At least if it's clothing it can be washed

Has the vet taken a urine sample and tested specifically for a UTI? I know my vet wouldn't do a urine test as standard, I'd have to actually ask him to do it. If it's only happening every couple of weeks then it sounds more like a medical problem than a behavioural problem to me

Please click here to read about how to stop inappropriate urination. You will see that one of the first posts has an excellent explanation for why some cats select clothing to pee on.

I did read that, but I would be more interested in stopping the behavior. Does this mean I have to cover all my clothes with lemon soaked sheets? lol

Did the vet specifically check the cat's urine when he/she examined the cat?

Yes. No problems.

This link may be helpful:

The litterbox from your cat's point of view (click here)

It may also be necessary to keep all of your dirty clothes out of reach in an enclosed hamper, and put away all clean clothes right away or put them in a bin with a lid, so there aren't any piles or baskets of clothing left out - remove the temptation. For the dog bed, use an enzyme cleaner specifically designed to remove cat urine, to remove all residual odor that may inspire him to pee there again.

If you think it may be stress, it's definitely worthwhile to try using a Feliway Comfort Zone plug-in. It helped stop my oldest cat from peeing on the bed when she was stressed out.

Well, I bought my dog a new dog bed yesterday. I put it down on the floor, and literally within seconds, Walter walked on it, sniffed, and squatted to begin urinating on it. I pushed him off and hid the dog bed out of sight. I also covered the dog bed with a lemon juice soaked t-shirt. Any ideas on how to stop this behavior?