With how clean our little felines are, it seems strange to say that they urinate around the house, on our clothes or on other personal belongings. More than an act of bad behavior, rudeness or laziness on the part of the cat, as one might think, this sign can respond to pathologies, especially those that affect the lower urinary tract, which usually cause pain and a lot of discomfort when urinating.
This causes cats to urinate in small amounts and outside the tray, as they associate urinating in the litter box with pain. But urinating outside the litter box can also be due to marking due to territoriality, stress, heat or anxiety. Continue reading this article on our site if you wonder why my cat urinates on my clothes, what are its causes and possible solutions.
Cat marking
First of all, we must know that finding pee outside the cat's litter box can be due to the act of urinating or marking. We must distinguish before which case we are. Cats use urine as a signal or mark for themselves and other cats, as this urine contains pheromones. In the cases of marking cats do not need to urinate, but mark with drops of urine the surfaces or objects that interest them for various reasons.
The marking posture clearly differs from that of urinating. While when cats urinate they crouch down and deposit the entire volume of urine that was accumulated in their urinary bladder, when they mark they do in a spray, generally standing up and emitting small volumes of urine in common places, such as carpets, beds, doors, windows, clothes, the sink, or the sofa.
If you have noticed that your cat urinates on clothes when he is in heat, it is a sexual marking, a way to communicate with other cats around by means of sexual pheromones to have more chances of interbreeding.
Also Marking can be territorial, especially if accompanied by scratching at unwanted objects and rubbing of the head by all corners of the house. It can respond to the introduction of a new cat in the house by competition for the territory or alteration of the hierarchy between them.
Why does my cat urinate on the clothes?
Cats are characterized by being very hygienic beings. However, on occasion, they can have accidents or, as we have seen, intentionally mark or urinate around our home, as a result of illness, behavioral problems or stressful situations.
It is important to discover what is happening to our cat so that it urinates on the clothes of its caregivers. Instead of getting angry or punishing him, we should investigate what is happening inside or around him that leads him to perform inappropriate and unwanted behaviors.
So, if our cat has urinated on our clothes, the first thing we should think about is if he had access to his litter box. For example, if there is a draft and the doors have been closed, the cat could have been locked up without being able to go to it. It is also necessary to assess whether the cat has movement difficulties that have prevented it from moving to the litter box. In addition, below we address the main causes that explain why your cat is urinating on your clothes.
Diseases
Inadequate elimination can be a sign of irritative, inflammatory, infectious or painful pathologies, whether or not of the urinary system, such as:
- Infectious cystitis.
- Feline idiopathic cystitis.
- Urinary calculi.
- Mucous plugs in the urethra.
- Hyperthyroidism.
- Osteoarthritis.
- Senile dementia.
- Urinary incontinence.
You can suspect that your cat is sick with any of these pathologies if, in addition to urinating in different places, you see blood in the urine, much more frequent urination and less quantity, pain when urinating, meowing, increased or decreased activity, increased water consumption, or changes in your habits or mood.
Poor litter box hygiene
Cats love that their litter tray is as its name suggests, that is, properly cleaned and sanitized. If caregivers don't clean the litter box daily, it can make cats feel dirty, uncovered, and unsafe, causing them to relieve themselves elsewhere. In addition, this often causes stress and also leads to improper marking and disposal.
Litterbox Problems
It is appropriate that there be a sufficient number of litter boxes so that each cat in the house can always access one. In addition, this sandbox must be suitable, that is, the cat must be able to turn around inside and have a sand that does not irritate or displease them. They also tend to prefer uncovered ones to closed ones.
If your cat doesn't like his litter box, it's another reason for possible urination in unsuitable areas, such as your clothes. Sometimes the problem is in its location, if it is a place with a lot of noise or close to where you eat, drink or rest.
Stress
Our little felines are beings that are very sensitive to stress. Any simple change in routine, the location of their belongings, strange noises, visitors, changes in diet or the stress of their caregivers can trigger anxiety and stress in cats.
Stress has consequences at the level of your he alth, it is responsible for producing immunosuppression, which predisposes you to infections, loss of appetite, nervousness, restlessness and behavioral and elimination problems, such as urinating on your clothing.
Introduction of a new individual at home
The arrival of a new member to the family, especially if it is another cat, greatly alters the stability of the resident cat. In households with more than one individual, it also alters the existing hierarchy, which can lead to marking and inadequate urine elimination.
In addition to the cat urinating in places such as clothes, it can show aggressive behavior towards the new feline. Prevention implies correct ethological management, good environmental management and a sufficient number of toys, beds, scratching posts, high places, feeders and drinkers, to avoid competition, the support of pheromones and the introduction of the new individual little by little.
How to prevent my cat from urinating on my clothes?
If the problem has a pathological basis, that is, it is a disease that is causing your cat to urinate on your clothes, the solution is to treat it. In the case of idiopathic cystitis, the basic problem is stress, so measures must be taken to reduce it, such as applying environmental enrichment, using synthetic feline pheromones, trying to avoid or reduce stressful stimuli, and ensuring that the environment of the house is calm. In general, the main measures to prevent your cat from peeing on your clothes are the following:
- If it is an entire cat, it should be neutered in order to reduce the sexual instinct and urine marking.
- Respect your cat's space, its tranquility, habits and rest. Otherwise, you may become stressed and start urinating in the wrong places.
- Don't punish him because it would only make the situation worse. Instead, focus on finding out the cause of this new behavior.
- Clean the litter box daily, place it in a suitable place and find one that the cat feels comfortable with.
- Make sure that the visits do not seriously affect your peace of mind.
- If possible, avoid subjecting it to loud noises or home renovations.
- Use Feline Synthetic Pheromones to create a calm and peaceful environment to reduce stress.
- If the problem persists, see a specialist in feline ethology.
Home remedies so that the cat does not urinate on the clothes
To prevent your cat from peeing on your clothes you can use some remedies, such as:
- Disinfection with products free of ammonia and bleach. On the contrary, enzymatic cleaners are recommended. It is important that clothes or urination sites are sprayed with these products in order to disinfect them and eliminate odor. The importance of not having ammonia is that the urine of cats has this compound, which is why it attracts them to continue urinating there. If you do not have these products at home, you can prepare a solution with a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water, to which is added lemon juice and a tablespoon of baking soda.
- Hide your clothes, move them or keep the cat away from the places where it is.
- Use of pheromones in home diffusers or sprayed directly on clothes to dissipate residual odors and comfort the feline.
- Use of positive reinforcement, that is, rewarding the desired behavior, for example, giving snacks, caresses or prizes when the cat uses the litter box to urinate. This type of conditioning is very effective and faster than punishments, which only stress the cat more.
- Use of repellents, such as vinegar diluted in water, in areas where we do not want them to urinate.
Keep in mind that if your cat has started urinating on your clothes, it's trying to tell you something, so there's no use trying to prevent it if you don't treat the problem. You would only be covering up the problem, delaying its solution and even making it worse. For this reason, if you have noticed that your cat has begun to urinate in the wrong places, go to a veterinary center to discover the cause and how to solve it.
