One of my cats is spraying/urinating on sofa pillows and throws

Question
Dear Jillian

I have two cats that I love dearly.  They have lived with me for 6-7 years.  A few months age, one of them was urinating on anything that laid on the floor of the washroom.  I took them to the vet and changed their litter boxes and the type of litter I was using.  The problem seemed to be resolved for a bit.  Just recently, one of them is urinating on the pillows and blankets we keep on the sofa.  It only occurs at night and when no one is looking.  I'm not sure how to tell which one is doing this.  I also would like to know if there are reasons, other than a UTI, that would give my cats a reason to do this; I've rearranged my schedule so that I can spend more time with them, in case this was occurring because I wasn't spending enough time with them.  I don't want to give away my cats, they mean a lot to me.  Please let me know what you think.  

Thank You,
Christina

Answer
Hi Christina.  What type of litter are you using?  Most cats prefer a litter that resembles dirt the most... my guys (and girls) use clumping clay - they have been using it for 12 years (in July) and that's the kind that they prefer.  If I switch, they will NOT use the litter box.  I'd suggest trying to switch back to the original litter that you used... that might be the reason.

Other than that, it could be a UTI, in which case you should collect a urine sample, and take it to the vet.  Your vet can give you a little special litter, isolate the kitty that is having the urine issues, and collect the urine sample from the litterbox.  The clumping clay litter will not work for this, because the litter has a chemical compound that will neutralize any of the acids and bacteria inside the urine, that the vet wants to test for.  

Good luck!