Cat Peeing On Blankets And Clothes

There are many reasons why your cat may pee on your clothes and blankets, including a medical condition, an unclean litter tray, or behavioral problems. But this doesn’t mean that the issue cannot be solved.

 

Introduction to Cat Peeing On Blankets And Clothes

 

Cat owners have long been plagued by unusual behaviors from their precious puss but what many of them don’t realize is that their cat isn’t being naughty. Far too often, we hear of pet parents who scold their cats when they urinate in an inappropriate place, but for the cat, this telling off is confusing and stressful.

Cats do not behave, react or understand things the way that humans do and whilst a cat peeing on blankets and clothes can be super frustrating for pet owners, for the cat, there was a very viable reason for doing this.

Understanding your pet and finding out the reason behind certain behaviors can go a long way in helping them to overcome these acts.

It is essential that if you notice that your kitty has been urinating on your laundry that you first eliminate any medical conditions by taking a trip to see your vet.

Health concerns aside, there are many other reasons why your cat may be behaving in this way, and in this article, we will be exploring these in a little more depth. We are also going to take a look at some of the ways in which you can deter your cat from continuing to do this.

 

Why Is My Cat Peeing On Blankets And Clothes?

 

One of the primary reasons that your cat may be displaying this type of behavior is as a result of a medical condition. As we have already mentioned, you must get your pet seen by a vet to rule out anything that could be detrimental to the animal’s health.

There is a large variety of health conditions that could cause your cat to behave in this way. Many of these are easily treatable, and even those that are a little more serious can be effectively managed with treatment from a qualified vet.

Some of the things that you may expect your cat to be diagnosed with are:

• Kidney disease
• Hyperthyroidism
• Bladder stones
• Inflammation of the bladder
• Diabetes
• Urinary tract infections
• Crystals in the urine

Crystals in the urine could be a potentially serious and even life-threatening condition for male cats, so your vet must address this.

 

Marking Territory

 

If you live in a household with multiple cats, there is a high chance that your pet will use urine to mark their territory. This is normal behavior for felines and is particularly common among male cats; however, it is not unheard of for females to behave in the same way.

Marking their territory, or spraying as it is commonly called, can be discouraged, but since this is almost a natural reaction for a cat, this may take some work and patience on your part.

You might differentiate between marking and merely urinating if you see the cat in action. When moggies mark, they will lift their tail and back end, and move back towards a surface before spraying urine over it. Often, the cat will tremor as he does this, particularly the tail.

If you have noticed puddles of urine, it is unlikely the marking is the cause of the problem.

 

Behavioral Problems

 

There are a lot of ways that cats will let us know how they are feeling, most commonly, this will come out in their behaviors.

Pet parents need to keep in mind that their animals cannot communicate in the same way that we can, and they need to find more creative ways to express themselves. This is where often unwanted behaviors can take place. One of which is urinating on blankets and clothes.

However, this isn’t to say that your cat is naughty or doing this out of malice. Cat owners must take a look at the bigger picture and try to discover if their puss might be feeling a particular way.

Some of the most common reasons for a cat to start behaving in unusual ways could be:

• Boredom. If you leave your cat for long periods of time while you go to work, socialize or are out of the house for another reason, your pet may become bored. All too frequently, people associated cats with independence and for this reason, people will adopt them, thinking that they don’t require a lot of attention. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Your cat does need you to play with him, and when you aren’t around, providing him with some form of entertainment may reduce his unwanted behaviors.
• Loneliness. Similarly to the last point, if your cat feels lonely, she may try to attract your attention in ways that you find less than desirable. Peeing on your freshly washed clothes and blankets could be one of them. If you think that your kitty may be struggling with loneliness, there are several things that you can do such as spending more time with her, getting her a friend or simply leaving on a radio or TV when you aren’t at home.
• Stress and anxiety. It may come as a surprise to learn that cats can experience very similar emotions to humans, and stress and anxiety in these animals are not uncommon. What is causing these feelings may be difficult to determine, but this is something that a vet can help with. They may be able to ask you questions about your cat and determine a viable reason for their heightened emotional state.

Litter Box Issues

 

Another common reason that your cat may have taken to eliminating on your blankets and clothes could be down to their litter box.

Some pet parents will place the litter tray in a location that is difficult for their cat to access, this can put them off trying, and they will find somewhere else to do their business.

This problem is particularly common in younger cats who aren’t able to reach higher locations or elderly cats whose strength and stamina is lacking. If the litter tray is somewhere hard to reach, they likely won’t even bother trying.

Furthermore, if the litter box is not well-maintained, your cat won’t want to use it. Think about when we have to use a toilet that is not clean; it can often put us off. We have all found ourselves in a situation where a poorly kept public toilet has meant we have had to cross our legs until we get home, and your cat may be just as repulsed by an unclean litter tray.

One of the great responsibilities of cat owners is to ensure that their kitty has somewhere clean and comfortable to do their business. It’s not a pleasant job, but it is an essential part of your cat’s care.

If the litter tray is clean, it may also be that another cat is preventing the animal from using the litter tray. In households with more than one feline, some dominant cats may shoo their inferiors away and prevent them from being able to enter the litter tray. Of course, the cat needs to go, and so he will find somewhere else to do this. Unfortunately, a soft, clean pile of laundry can be attractive for this.

 

How To Stop Your Cat Peeing On Blankets And Clothes

 

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There are several things you can do to help improve this type of behavior in a cat – the most obvious being finding out the reason as to why your cat is peeing on the clothes in the first place.

If this behavior begins out of nowhere, one of the first things you should do is to call your vet and arrange a consultation. If there is a medical issue, you can work with the veterinarian to treat the problem and hopefully eliminate the associated behavior.

However, if there is no underlying condition, you may find that a little more work is required to stop your cat from peeing on your clothes and blankets.

• If you have more than one cat in the home, consider investing in more litter boxes. The cats will likely choose their own and stick with this, which will solve the problem of competition and bullying between animals.
• Additionally, homes with multiple cats may wish to look into how to stop the animals from marking their territory. This can include thoroughly cleaning the area and removing the cat’s scent, making attractive marking places unavailable, and changing the activities that occur in the area that the cat is marking.
• It is commonly recognized that male cats spray in relation to mating. Many cat owners will have their pets neutered, and this can be an effective way to prevent them from marking in the future. However, it is important to remember that this isn’t a guarantee, it will simply sate the cat’s desire to spray, and when they do, the odor will be different due to them not producing the same hormones.
• One of the most obvious ways to prevent clothes and blankets from becoming soiled is to lock them away. If your cat cannot access the items, she will be unable to urinate on them. Keeping clothes and blankets stored away in cupboards and drawers rather than leaving them on the floor or in open baskets and boxes can improve the situation.
• Set a strict schedule for cleaning and maintaining the litter box; this will make it far more attractive to your cat.
• Ensure that your cat lives as stress-free a life as possible. If there are aspects of your cat’s life that could be causing stress or anxiety, you must address these immediately. Oftentimes, this can be all it takes to stop unwanted behaviors such as inappropriate urination in their tracks.
• If you feel that you have tried everything, there are cat behavior specialists who are trained to work with you and your pet to eliminate bad behaviors. Whilst this is a last resort, it is a good option to have in your toolbelt.

Conclusion

 

Most cat owners will experience their pets urinating in places outside of the litter box, and this can be challenging to deal with. One of the most common places for your cat to do this is on clothes and blankets, which will then require a lot of cleaning, only for the cat to come back and do it again.

Whilst this can feel like a vicious cycle, there are things that you can do to stop your cat from behaving in this way. Much of this involves a little detective work to determine why your puss is peeing where she shouldn’t. Once you have eliminated a medical condition, you can work on changing the cat’s behavior and putting peeing on your clothes in the past.