Help: Cat urinating outside litter box

I have a 4 year-old neutered, indoor, male cat, Sir Purr, who has been urinating on our clothes, shoes. And today, we caught him going in a decorative sea-shell. When we caught him, he didn't run off. He looked up as though he was straining or uncomfortable. The urine was dark and smelled "different" than I've noticed. I'm wondering if he has a urinary tract infection, or if he's just marking territory as he did before we got him neutered. He's a very good cat, normally, without behavior issues. Although, as I mentioned before, this behavior with the un-neutered male scent, is why we got him fixed. A bit of background: we have two 6 year-old spayed females (sisters) in the house as well and he was introduced to the household when he was a kitten.
Do I need to take him to the vet to rule out a U.T.I.?

Definitely. If it were my cat, we'd be at the vet's right now. Male cats can get blockages in their urinary tract (specifically the urethra) and they can be life-threatening. Since you've noticed him straining, please take him in immediately, even if it means a trip to the emergency vet. My boyfriend's cat was also straining on a Sunday evening, and if we hadn't gotten him to the emergency vet, he would have died.

Agreed - vet visit immediately. Sounds like kitty is in trouble.

Yes, I agree that ruling out a UTI is the best way to go - you will then find out if it is a health or a behavioral issue.

Is he peeing small amounts and trying often? It could also be the case that he has Cystitis which also needs to be dealt with by a vet!

I hope your vet visit goes well! Please let us know how it goes!

I hope all goes well

Sorry it's taken me so long to post the status of the vet visit. Sir Purr did have a bacterial infection and they found crystals in his urine. He's not drinking enough water so I have to find ways to get him to drink.

Does anybody have any ideas on how to do that? Cats have their own ideas about things and I just don't know how to get him to drink more. I leave fresh water every day in a huge stainless steel bowl. My two females seem to drink plenty.

Any ideas?

Thanks for the advice and concern everyone!!

You may want to invest in a cat water fountain. Often kitties prefer to drink moving water, so this helps encourage them to drink more. Since your kitty has crystals, your vet may have recommended a special food. Some of these foods come in a canned variety, so adding canned food can help get more moisture in their bodies as well. Finally, I've noticed that one of my cats will drink from anything except for her water dish. I've found that if I leave her water in a cup or glass, she is much more likely to drink than if I just give her a bowl of water. Right now, her water is in an old plastic measuring cup (in the past she's had Big Gulp cups and glass jars as watering dishes).

I was going to suggest a water fountain as well. They are fairly inexpensive (less than $30) at Petsmart.

Also, add quality wet food as a daily part of his diet. In the wild, cats get most of their moisture content from their prey and don't really make a point of drinking straight water.

Thank you so much for getting him to the vet right away! You're a good kitty parent!

Fountains are supposed to be a great idea. You never know though. I have one cat who will only drink from the dog bowl. And I remember being told once that cats like to drink out of the toilet bowl because it's "porcelain" LOL.

Actually, I think they like the toilet because it has colder water. I wouldn't recommend letting them drink from that though, because of the potential chemicals and bacteria that live in the toilet. Adding an ice cube to the water bowl might stimulate interest though.

I noticed our 2 have been drinking more water since we got the PetMate water fountain.

Thanks for all the great ideas you guys! I'm going to get a pet fountain this weekend. Sir Purr seems like he's already feeling better with the antibiotics.
But he must still have discomfort as he used the bathroom on my bathroom rug. I hope that behavior will stop once he is better. Thanks again!!

Sometimes they equate the litterbox with the pain they had going there, so they avoid it. You might want to search around and see what people have done - I haven't had that problem lately, myself.

Sir Purr is doing much better. He's been on antibiotics for 7 days and he's enjoying the Hill's Prescription Diet C/D, (as are my girls, Zappa and Sammi). He's also stopped using the bathroom rug and other inappropriate places to use the bathroom. Back to the litterbox, thank goodness!

Also, the last time I washed the bathroom rug and put it back, I put lemon slices on the rug which I think kept him from going there again. I got the idea from someone on the forum (wish I could remember who, to give them credit). But the lemon works...in case anyone is looking for ideas.

Thanks for all the support!

how wonderful that Sir Purr is doing better! Great news!

That's so great to hear. Oh, and oranges work as well - I hear. Haven't used that yet.