Little Stinker

[FluentRiddle]

I'm having a problem with my roommate's cat. Ever since the end of the holidays he's started peeing on everything. Specifically my things. The worst part about it is I'm a night owl and generally out of the apartment a lot, so when I do get home. Lately I'm getting greeted by wet spots on my bed, or wet clothing and such.
We're all trying to discipline him more about it, but the problem is we'd like to stop him completely, not just handle the situation when it comes up, you know?
He's roughly 6-9 months old. We got him shortly after he was born. And he has not been neutered yet.
We suspect that the reason why he's acting out now is because he has some sort of separation anxiety. Before the holidays(end of the year) and during them he constantly had people around. I wasn't working at the time, so I was home a lot, and one of my roommates was only going to school and spent a lot of time at home. And then whenever my roommate that actually owns the cat goes to her parent's house she takes him with her.
So he's never really been alone as much as he has since all this peeing business began.
Any suggestions on we(I) can do? I'm getting really tired of the haunting smell of cat urine everywhere and finding my stuff wet.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry you're the recipient of the cat's inappropriate peeing.

Does your roommate plan to get him neutered soon? That could stop his inappropriate peeing. And it should prevent him starting to spray territoriality.

Does he pee normal size clumps in the litter box? Litterbox avoidance can also be a sign of a UTI.

Until other members reply with comments/suggestions, I'll post some TCS articles which may have some helpful suggestions for you.

Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats
When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat?

How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet
How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
How To Remove Cat Urine
How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home

Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
Separation Anxiety In Cats
Inappropriate Peeing, Spraying, Toy Obsession And Leg And Hand Nipping
Spraying: When Your Cat Uses Urine To Mark Territory

 

[duckpond]

I would suggest a vet visit. Its possible he is dealing with a UTI, which is causing him to pee everywhere. Its also possible that it is because he has not been neutered yet. A vet visit should be the first thing to do, rule out any physical problems, and have him neutered. If the problem persist after then you can look at behavior.

 

[Spyro87]

I would echo what others have said about taking him to see a vet to rule out anything nasty that could be causing it. Generally if they've experienced discomfort in a litter box they will try to avoid peeing there! Negative association.

I would avoid "discipline" for peeing in wrong locations and try praising for peeing where he should. Encourage him to use the litterbox by going back to the kitten way of things. Place him in it regularly and praise him when he's used it successfully.
Positive reinforcement does a whole lot more for a cat than discipline.
In the meantime, you might find that if it is stress related, those plug in diffusers might help to reduce that stress. Aside from that, if possible, keep your room "off-limits". At least until you've deep cleaned and made sure the smell of pee is gone, because while he's able to smell pee in those places he's more likely to repeat it.

Good luck and I hope it's not a UTI causing him to pee inappropriately.

 

[Spyro87]

Also, make sure the litter box is still plenty big enough for him to get into. I remember Merlin had a similar funny attitude about peeing in the litter box around that age.. it seems he outgrew his "starter" kitten tray and didn't feel he could get all of himself in it. Plenty of room I thought.. but he seems to think he's bigger than he is lol