Peeing on wet towels

Question
I have 2 cats, a male and a female. Both cats are fixed. Recently my wife and I started noticing that one of them will pee on wet towels and clothes if we leave them on the floor for more than a few minutes. Also, one of them is peeing on the bath mat outside the shower. We don't know if it is one cat or both cats that are doing this. Is there anything we can do to stop this?

Answer
Jason,

The most common reason for this behavior is a urinary tract infection or urinary crystals. It is painful to pee and the cats associate that pain with the litter box and go elsewhere. You may want to get the cats checked by a vet, because if one or both have one of ailments they need to be treated with antibiotics and a change in diet. Urinary crystals can cause a complete blockage, and it is almost always fatal to a male cat if that happens.

When you are sure it is not a medical reason then the behavior may caused by the male reacting a stray cats he can see outside and can't get to to defend his territory, or possibly because of a female in heat somewhere in the neighborhood. Even though they are fixed, a lot of male cats will respond to the stimulation of females in heat.

Tabbi