I adopted my cat Loki more than 2 years ago when he was a little over 1 1/2 years old. He is going to turn 4 on October 9 (in just over one week from now). He is neutered, and vet records show he was neutered as a tiny kitten. His only medical issue is a viral infection in his sinuses which requires daily Lysine doses in his food and he does very well. He is not de-clawed. He has always been very good about using the litter box for the 2+ years I have had him.

Just last week he peed in a laundry basket of clean clothes on my bedroom floor. While cleaning that up I noticed he had earlier peed on a pile of dirty clothes about 6ft from that basket. I’m embarrassed to say I left my laundry get out of control and my room was a disaster area, so I thought it was possible he peed on the items as a call to action for me to clean up my mess. Since then I have been sleeping on the couch so he doesn’t claw at the door while I’m keeping him out of my bedroom for a while. I though it was an isolated incident and we were over it. Now it’s 2:30am and I smell urine on my couch right next to where Loki and I were sleeping. It’s not wet and does not smell like ammonia- just a minimal amount of urine. He has never, EVER marked anything or demlnstrated anything similar to marking behavior before.

I live alone in a 600 square foot apartment with one immediate neighbor who makes almost no noise. I do not have any other pets. The only major change that has happen recently I went from working 60-hour workweeks (November through July) to a 4pm-1am(ish) 4day/week schedule (July-August) and started a 9-5 in the second week of October, where I leave at 8:30 and return by 6:00.

The litter box is kept clean and he does use it daily. No sign of straining and the pee clumps are the same size as usual. He is eating and drinking normally and shows no sign of irritation, pain, discomfort, disinterest or fatigue.

What could the problem be? How can I get him to stop? It is so sudden and I am worried about him!