Feline Inappropriate Urination

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Dear Dr. Hannon,  

We just found out that our cat has been using the bathroom (number one) in our bedroom closet.  And then today, he urinated in the middle of our bed!  My husband is about to kill him.  We had him neutered when he was six months old, and he is almost four now.  Why would he start spraying now?

- I. P. Freeley

Dear I. P.,

It doesn’t sound like your cat is spraying.  When male cats spray (and females, too), they usually direct their urine stream on a vertical surface to mark their scent. 

A neutered male no longer has the hormonal influence to do this, especially if he was neutered young, before he was sexually mature.  Some tomcats that are neutered older may continue to spray as a learned behavior. 

What your cat is doing is called inappropriate urination, and it is usually associated with a primary urinary disorder, such as an infection or bladder stones.  I would recommend that you take him to your veterinarian and have a urinalysis performed.  This will tell you if a urinary problem is the cause or not. 

If his urine is normal, than this might be a behavioral issue.  If this is the case, your veterinarian can discuss other options to help modify his behavior, such as changing the kind of litter that you use, moving or adding new litter boxes, or using pheromone sprays, just to name a few.  They will also probably have a cleaner to help you get the urine (and its smell) out of your carpet and bedspread.  And for what it’s worth, Febreeze and lavender oil both work well in removing cat urine odors. 

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