Why Does My Cat Pee On My Gym Bag? (Can I Stop It?)
If your cat keeps peeing on your gym bag you may be getting frustrated and trying to understand why and what you can do to stop it from happening in the future (Click here to see my best solution for prevention, on Amazon #Ad)
Why does my cat pee on my gym bag?
Your cat may pee in your gym bag for several reasons. But, ultimately it is either a health issue or a behavioral problem. These behavioral problems can be triggered by psychological issues such as anxiety. And, common health issues can be urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Use these to prevent your cat from peeing on your bag
Description | Image | My Rating |
01. Self-cleaning litter box (My Best) Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad |
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02. Mesh gym bag Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad |
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03. Bitter Lemon Cat Spray Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad |
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So, now you know. But, what can you do to clean up the mess once it’s done? Do cats do this out of spite? Should you discipline your cat for this? Keep reading for these answers, and much more…
How can I stop my cat peeing on my gym bag?

A blue gym bag open with a protein shaker bottle.
So, now you have an idea why this may be happening. Therefore, in this section I will give you some suggestions of how you can stop it from happening:
01. Hide your gym bag
One of the simplest options is to hide your gym bag. This is the most effective but does have some issues. What are these issues? Well, let’s be honest, it is easy to forget and leave your bag out, right?
So, to make this work you need to have some real discipline and never forget. This is because your cat has not been trained or will ever learn not to pee on it this way you are just removing the option.
02. Provide multiple, clean, litter trays
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Sometimes your cat may rebel against your litter trays. For example, it is unclean or in a bad location. Therefore it is a good idea to offer more than one and keep on top of the cleaning.
Regarding the latter, if you are finding it hard to keep it clean you can use a self-cleaning litter tray (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad) to make life easier.
03. Get a bag with a new texture
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There are occasions that cats get fixated on one particular texture or material that your gym bag uses. And, if this is the case simply switching the bag to a different material can help. For example, let’s say you are using a faux leather gym bag, try this breathable mesh gym bag (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad) and see if that works.
04. Train them using repellent spray
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Another option is to use a repellent spray to keep your cat away from the bag. Cats are known to dislike citrus so you can use lemon sprays (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad), or other citrus-type repellent sprays to fend them off.
How do I get rid of the pee smell in my gym bag?
To get rid of the smell on your gym bag you can try baking soda or vinegar with a soft cloth to see if that works for your type of bag. However, it’s worth checking the label on your bag first to make sure the material will not be affected by this.
Understanding how to stop your cat from doing is fine going forward is great going forward but if it has already soiled your bag you need a solution for right now. So, hopefully, this will help with that.
Do cats pee on things for attention?
Cats can pee on things for attention this is often done in random locations purposely to get your attention. Other times you may notice that your cat will spray not just for attention but also to claim it as their territory.
Regarding the latter, this can be caused by many things such as anxiety from a new addition to your family home, a new local cat causing it stress, etc.
Do cats pee on things out of spite?
Cats are not known to pee out of spite. They typically pee in random places due to a health issue or behavioral problem. Doing things out of spite is a more complex human emotion that cats cannot appreciate.
It is more likely that your cat is stressed about something or has a health issue like an infection that is causing it to do this. So, the challenge is working out why it did this so you can work out how to help it.
Can the washing machine remove the cat pee from the gym bag?
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A good washing machine (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad) can help to get rid of cat pee. Some cat pee such as unneutered male cats can be quite potent and difficult to get rid of but the washing machine can help.
How can separation anxiety cause cat pee in your gym bag?
When a cat becomes anxious or stressed it can pee outside the litter box and potentially in your gym bag. One of these known triggers is missing a person they were attached to. This can cause them to do things like this.
Basically, your cat is sad and missing that person. Unfortunately, your bag has felt the repercussions. You will need to look at some of my solutions above, such as hiding the bag or repellent spray (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad).
What medical issues can cause cat pee in your bag?
Several medical conditions can cause a cat to pee in your bag. For example, UTIs, crystals can get logged in their bladder, bladder infections, etc.
Regarding the crystals in the bladder, if you have not heard of this before one of the known causes for this, according to this site, is a cat that mainly eats dry food. Not to say dry food is not fine, it is just an observation from this site.
Should you discipline your cat for peeing in your bag?

A lady with her gym bag open.
If your cat pees in your gym bag you should avoid disciplining it. It can feel like an automatic response to shout, lash out, or get physical but this is never the answer.
Why? Well, in most cases your cat won’t “get it”. Meaning, they will just see you acting up and assume you have a problem or attacking them for no reason. Which could lead to further frustration, because they may do the same thing again in a few days.
Can cat pee ruin your gym bag?
Cat pee can ruin some gym bags. It depends on the color and type of material. For example, if you have a white or very light-colored gym bag with a very delicate material it could happen.
Usually, these gym bags are for show but not that practical, especially when living with kids or pets. And, if this is the case you are best to keep them hidden away to keep them safe.