new cat urinating on bed!

Question
I contacted you last week regarding our new cat, Bojangles', "lazy" attidue. We've had him almost 3 weeks now and he's becoming more active with us. He will sit beside us and will play more. A new problem has come up. He's peeing on the bed, my husband's side of the bed to be exact. It happened for the first time yesterday and then again today. Never happened before that. Any ideas on what this could be about? He was neutered 6 days ago. The vet proclaimed him healthy in every way. His ears are better and he's parasite free. There's been no change in his apetite. His litter box is cleaned every day. Our gut feeling is this is a dominance or teritory issue. I've been successful in getting the smell out of the linens and mattress but I can't keep up with the other laundry if I have to run 3 loads of blankets a day!! Any suggestions would be appreciated, the obvious is keep him out of the bedroom, but I'm wondering if this is another one of those adjustment things.

Answer
Michelle,

Bojangles may have a bladder infection or he could just be a finicky cat who requires an extra litter box. I would suggest that you have Bojangles' urine screened for infection by your vet. Unfortunately if Bojangles does have a bladder infection you have to treat it promptly or he may decide that the litter box is causing his pain and begin to avoid it entirely. If your bedding can tolerate a little bleach I would wash it again, just to be sure that the smell is removed as cat noses are much more sensitive than human noses. Certainly keeping him out of the bedroom until you can see that he is reliably using his litter pan again will save you the time and energy of doing constant loads of laundry. Another little trick would be to place a dish of food over the spot where he is urinating (obviously when the bed is not in use). The inappropriate urination could be a dominance or territorial issue, but I am more inclined to think that barring any medical issues  it is either an issue of too few litter boxes in his opinion or he is feeling put out by a change in his environment. Did you or your husband suddenly begin to travel more? Work longer hours? If change is the issue love and patience will be needed to convince Bojangles that you still love him and that his place is secure in your family. I hope that I was able to provide helpful information. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me further.