Peeing on my clothes

[mykidsandi]

I have or sort of have a black long haired cat. He joined our family 2 years ago. We moved to this house and a month or so after this cat showed up. The previous owners did not have a cat and the people I spoke to in our immediate neighbourhood didn't know who is was.

We live in a small town and there were no posters so, while we didn't encourage him to stay. I assumed he was such a lovely cat that he would go home eventually. He also visits quite a few other families on our block and is fed by all of them and they shower him with affection. He spends the most time here as I think he loves the company of the kids and will often be wherever the kids are but I cant' say for SURE that he doesnt' really belong to someone else in the neighbourhood.

He started darting in the house and then hiding. We would put him back out when we could find him but I have a dayhome and parents are constantly coming and going and my own kids are in school so the door opens and shuts often. He would come back in EVERY opportunity and chasing him got old. So I would allow him to stay during the day, he was a very polite gentleman and would meow at the door to be let out and never peed in the house.

He is ever so gentle and very clean normally but has started peeing in the house in the past year. I have taken him to the vet and he said he has a tarter build up and it will need to be taken care of in the next year or two. But other than that he was 8lb's and approximately 8 years old, neutered and in good health. I have been getting him his shots regularly as I do have a dayhome and if he is going to be in my home, he has to have documented shots and he had a visit to the Vet last summer for an infected ear from a cat fight, which has healed beautifully adding another rugged notch.

While I would like to make him an indoor cat he REFUSES to use a litter box. (he would pee in my sand table that I had for my dayhome kids, or on my carpet or my clothes)I have set up a litter box in 3 different types of boxes and he just won't use it. (but my dirty clothes or even my CLEAN clothes are fair game apparently)

Whiskers has a beautiful thick coat and is quite shiney and looks the picture of health.

BUT I have to say I'm at my wits end with his peeing on my clothing and in my house. I can't stand the smell in my bedroom or in my kids playroom anymore. Our laundry room is a closet next to my room so we keep dirty clothes in a sorting hamper in my room and clean clothes in baskets in my room. I keep the door closed during the day so he has no access but it's at night he is being dirty.

Does anyone have any suggestions.

I've honestly never had a nicer cat, he is practically human the way he looks at you and how he behaves but the peeing is seriously getting on my last nerve. in fact I am so mad at him for peeing I won't allow him inside right now so I dont' have to worry about him peeing on my clean clothes while I'm sleeping.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to stop this dirty behaviour?

[cindyann]

Have you had him checked for a bladder infection? Try confining him to one room with a litter box for a few days to see if he will get used to using it. Make sure you have cleaned the urine smell really well. if he smells urine he will go again in the same area.