This would be an easy question to answer. The laundry is soft and comfy. It is even better if the clothes are clean. This comfortable texture is appealing to the cats and the litter box is less interesting than a pile of clothes.
Do not forget that your clothes smell on you which can be a good attraction and the cats are scent-oriented animals. So, this is not a good habit, but not strange at all.
Medical and Behavioral factors behind this habit
Cats show a variety of strange behaviors. One of those is peeing on laundry and there can be generally speaking two potential causes. Behavioral and Medical. Behavioral factors can be closely connected to their instinct to mark the territory. This habit a cat can develop if there are more cats in the same family and this is the way they compete.
Urinating and marking are mostly common for males but can be noticed in any cat. This kind of urination on clothes can also be caused by rearranging the furniture in the house or bringing a new pet into the family which causes stress in cats. Finally, some of the cats can simply be very fond of soft and absorbing textiles and find it comfortable to pee on laundry.
When taking into consideration the medical concerns there are a few of them which are not to be left unsolved and unexamined. Frequent peeing can be a sign of a Urinary tract infection. In this condition, you can even spot blood in the urine.
Sometimes bladder stones which are similar to urinary infections can cause urinating more than usual and can even cause pain. Kidney issues are leading to increased thirst and that is why the cat urinates more frequently. Anxiety and stress also. In a state of stress, a cat urinates frequently and often out of the litter box.
Arthritis which is connected to a certain age of a cat causes urinating on the laundry since your cat will hardly reach and get into the litter box. The cat is in a position to find the easiest way to empty the bladder and pee on clothes. Believe it or not, hormones can cause frequent urination in cats. If males and females are in the mating period then they can do this and you should consider it as a sign.
This situation when cats urinate uncontrolled and frequently is distressing for the pet owners and they are trying to find a solution whenever the reason may be.
Different solutions and strategies for the problem
As soon as you identify what the problem is you will start redirecting your pet to do this and constantly urinate on laundry instead of the litter box.
All of us start with the litter box, first. What can you do to make the litter box more appealing to your cat:
Clean it daily. If you have more than one cat at home then you should obtain an extra litter box from the number of cats you have. The type of the box can make a big difference. Some cats like open litter boxes, while some are fond of covered.
The litter box needs to be placed in a very quiet and easily accessible place in your house. To figure out what kind of a box is preferred by your cat you should experiment and try different types of boxes. It certainly needs patience, but it will be worth it to solve the problem.
Vet’s advice
In case of inappropriate urination, you should immediately reach your vet. The vet will probably ask and investigate the conditions your cat lives in. Questions about the household are of great importance to conclude if this bad habit has behavioral origins. If any doubt remains the vet will examine the cat to exclude medical issues. Urinalysis, blood tests, or an ultrasound may be suggested.
Once the vet is sure that the medical side is safe there will be a need to lower the anxiety and stress the cat gets from the household. Many different ways can be used to eliminate this, including environmental changes, medications, probiotics, or pheromones.
The vet may advise you on how to make the litter box more desirable for your pet by using a different substrate in the box, relocating the box, or replacing it with a new type of box. But do not forget that whatever the vet suggests you should react step by step because cats do not want many changes to be made at once. The litter box as an important part of a cat’s supplies may become an object of aversion for the cat.
Patience in solving the problem
Solving this issue is time-consuming, may cost money, and takes patience. What you can do in this situation is move the clothes from the floor, so the cat will not be able to urinate on them.
A pet odor eliminatory spray is a well-known enzyme cleaner among cat/pet lovers. It removes the animal stains and smells.
As a conclusion of what we have elaborated so far it may be of great help to simplify this peeing problem. This habit may be taken as a way your cat likes to communicate with you as you use words to communicate with your friends. The cat is maybe sending an SOS signal or wants you to know something that bothers it.
Please keep in mind that cats do not consider their urine smell as a bad odor and they like to mix our smell with theirs. Human testosterone smells “loud” to cats and if they are in mating time it can cause them to pee your clothes if left accessible to them.
This was that can be mentioned, or we might forget something which I doubt, but still be sure that cats are small little wonders and their world although strange to us makes a whole universe and has its language and behavioral issues. Just be patient, access with care and try to understand them, help them, and help yourself to solve whatever the peeing cause may be.
