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6 Early Signs of Urinary Infection in your Cat

6 Early Signs of Urinary Infection in your Cat

Published: March 10, 2016

Updated on
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Cat in Litter Box

Peeing Outside the Litter Box | Vocalizing in the Litter Box | Large Urine Clumps | Hair Loss | Getting in and out of the Litter Box | Obesity

Urinary issues are incredibly common in cats. But many owners are surprised when their cat is diagnosed with conditions like bladder stones or kidney disease.

Luckily, there are a number of clues that can raise our level of suspicion regarding our cat’s urinary health, long before they end up at the vet with a serious problem. Read on to learn the signs that will help you detect urinary disease in your cat.

Litter Box Misuse (Periuria)

One of the reasons that cats are such popular pets is that they seem to just “know” how to urinate in a litter box, whereas dogs need training to learn where to urinate appropriately. While there are a number of reasons that prompt cats to stop using the litter box and urinate elsewhere (known as periuria), probably the most common reason is pain.

Cats are sensitive creatures, and when they experience discomfort urinating, something in their tiny cat brains convinces them that maybe it won’t hurt if they urinate somewhere else. That’s where your boyfriend’s shoes, that pile of dirty laundry you left on the floor, and the Turkish carpet your great aunt left you come in. You might think that your cat is punishing you for leaving her alone at home all weekend, but although a plethora of Internet memes might have us think otherwise, cats don’t have the capacity for spite.

Vocalizing in the Litter Box

Most cats don’t make a lot of noise, except when you’ve forgotten to top off the food bowl, so when you hear your cat making noise in the litter box, you should take notice. Even if he gets out and seems totally normal, become a litter box stalker. Vocalization during urination (or defecation as well, but for today we’re focusing on urinary problems) is a sign of pain during urination.

Large Urine Clumps

Cats are sneaky about their litter box use. They like privacy, so if you’re going to detect problems with urination you have to become sort of a Feline Urinary Forensic Scientist, or F.U.S.S.

Clumping litter has made it measurably easier to clean up the litter box. It forms hard clumps of litter when your cat urinates, which can be simply scooped up and thrown away. Take note of the size of these clumps. As a very general rule of thumb, a normal cat of normal size (say, 10 pounds) will create a urine clump of a size similar to a tennis ball. If you’re seeing significantly larger clumps than that, your cat could have one of a number of problems that cause increased urine production. The most common urinary tract issue causing increased urination is kidney disease.

Hair Loss in Cats

Sometimes cats that have urinary pain will lick the areas over the kidneys and the bladder to the point of hair loss in an attempt to try to relieve the pain. It turns out that licking causes endorphins to be released, and these lessen pain. However in this case it’s unlikely to help, since they can’t lick the offending sites directly.

There are other causes for hair loss, including allergies and parasites, so any hair loss should be investigated thoroughly.

Getting Into and Out of the Litter Box Multiple Times

Cats that are having trouble urinating will get into the litter box, try to urinate, and then get out after having been unsuccessful. Later, they’ll get in, try again, and get out again. This is especially common to see in male cats that are experiencing a full or partial blockage of the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body), so you should be very concerned if you notice your cat coming and going from the litter box area multiple times.

If you see this behavior, investigate. Be a F.U.S.S. Check to see if there is actually any urine in the box, and especially note if very small amounts of urine are there. If you suspect urinary blockage in your cat, seek veterinary care immediately, as this is a life-threatening situation.

Obesity in Cats

Here’s one more problem to add to the list entitled, “Bad Things Caused By Feline Obesity.” It seems that, for reasons that aren’t quite understood, cats that are overweight have more urinary problems than cats that are kept at a normal, healthy weight. Maybe it’s because obesity exacerbates arthritis (which we now know occurs very frequently in cats), and the pain of arthritis keeps them from wanting to use the litter box.

So be scrupulous about measuring the amount of food you put out for your cat, and heed your veterinarian’s recommendations. Consider feeding canned food, which is typically lower in calories and definitely higher in water content, which has been shown to improve many urinary conditions.

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