Why Do Cats Pee on Clothes?

Why do cats pee on clothes? Almost every cat guardian has asked themselves this question at one point in their ‘cat parenthood’. As much as we love them, our feline companions can sometimes do the strangest things, and getting your clothes cleaned time and again because your cat has peed on them isn’t the most pleasant activity in the world.

In this post, we’ll look at some possible reasons why cats pee on your clothes, how you can prevent it from happening in the future, and also if there might be some medical issue at the root of the problem.

Behavioral management

I’ve decided to start with this because at one point in the past, I had a boyfriend whose male cat always peed on his clothes when he got back from vacation. The cat was left all alone in an apartment with access to food and fresh water, and someone came and checked on him once a day. As you can imagine, that wasn’t nearly enough – and it can’t be.

A cat that was left alone without any reason and all of a sudden doesn’t forget all about it when you get back home. So, some might say that the peeing problem might happen because of revenge. And I say that it might be true, especially if it only happens when you stress your cat. 

You should try to be as consistent as possible in your schedule. If your cat begins to feel just a little neglected, not only will such accidents happen, but he or she might also end up with a medical health problem because of the stress. Also, if you don’t want your feline buddy to pee on your clothes, you should avoid leaving them on the bed or in any other places where your pet can have access to them. 

Why do cats pee on beds and clothes? Wars, wars, wars!

Another possibility would be for the cat to be marking his or her territory. Female cats mark their territory, too, not just males, although I will admit that the scent is less powerful. 

If you are the cat guardian of several cats, they might be competing for territory in your home — so nothing will fix the problem besides neutering or spaying your pets. That should answer your question ‘Why do male cats pee on clothes?’, but you should know that castration is not a solution if the territory marking isn’t also linked with mating behavior. 

Health problems

If you’re looking to fix a cat peeing on bed situation, the first thing to be on the lookout for is your feline friend’s habits in terms of ‘going to the bathroom’. Cats that are suffering from a urinary tract infection, for example, cand have different toilet habits compared to healthy cats.

Although it’s true that most cats that have an UTI will pee outside the litter box, it doesn’t mean that they start thinking that your clothes will have a certain appeal. They will pee in a lot of unusual places just to get your attention — and when this happens, you know that it’s serious. 

Cats usually try to hide illness as best as they can. 

Does the litter box need cleaning?

Why do cats pee on clothes on the floor? While sometimes they might want to get your attention, other times it’s as simple as them not wanting to use the litter box on account of it being too dirty. Try to clean the litter box once every two days, and if you use that type of litter that needs to be changed once a month, avoid doing this so rarely.

I wouldn’t recommend leaving the same litter in the box for 30 whole days. Remove the feces and the urine clumps every single day or at least every two days. When they pee, cats sit with their bottoms really close to the litter, and that means that they can easily contract an infection. 

Besides, a clean litter box eliminates the risk of you contracting a disease from your cat, which is even more important for pregnant women who care for a cat with Toxoplasmosis, for example.

Prevention

So, why do cats pee on clothes? As we have noted, this type of behavior can be a result of anxiety and behavioral problems in general, medical conditions, and the litter box not being clean. Territory marking is another reason.

Here are some things you can do to prevent this mishap in the future:

• Get your cat neutered or spayed as early as possible, especially if you have another cat and you want to adopt a second one
• Keep the litter box as clean as possible
• Go on regular vet checkups, especially if your feline friend is older and might be suffering from incontinence or an UTI
• If your cat develops a ‘passion’ for peeing in a certain spot, whether there are clothes there or not, you can get a special spray that basically makes the scent of that spot unbearable for the cat. 
• When cleaning the spot that has been soiled along with the clothes, avoid using very strong-smelling cleaners as this might make your cat want to over-mark the area even more. 
• Ask your vet whether you shouldn’t consider giving your cat some anxiety medication or at least get an anxiety vest if you suspect that the problem is caused by stress. 

Why do female cats pee on clothes? For the same reason male cats do! They also go in heat and they also want to mark their territory, although they do it less often than their male counterparts. But they can also suffer from urinary tract infections or have dirty litter boxes, both of which can make them pee in different places.