What Are Other Indicators That Something Is Wrong With My Cat
Aside from the frequency of your cats urination, there are other things that you should pay attention to. These include the volume of the urine, the color, and the smell.
- Volume
The volume of your cats urine can tell a lot about your cats health. You can examine this by looking at their litter box after they peed. A sudden increase in your cats urine volume can be due to health problems like diabetes.;
In contrast, if the volume of your cats urine decreases all of a sudden it is a sign that your cat is in distress. It might be that something is blocking the bladder or there is inflammation in the urinary tract. Although these conditions are treatable, it could be fatal if not given immediate attention.
- Color;
The usual color of a cats urine is a pale yellowish color. Any color straying from that is an indication that something might be wrong with your cat. Blood in the urine might be due to a cut in your cats urinary system. A dark-brown color is a possible infection in the bladder or even a failing kidney. If you notice any abnormalities in your cats urine, you can take a sample of the urine to your veterinarian for a quick test to know if something is wrong with your cat.;
- Smell
Provide Enough Litter Boxes For Your Cat
The rule is one per cat plus one. Put one on every floor of the;house, so your cat has no trouble making it to the box.
Consider whether the cat wants to;go all the way down to the basement, Rainbolt said. If your cat is not making it to the box, the box could be in a location where a child, dog, or another cat might be harassing him while in the box or blocking him from the box.
Cat Peeing Small Amounts Frequently
If your kitty urinates just a little at a time but more than five or six times per day, her condition is pollakiuria. Again, consult your vet if your cat has started peeing more often. This is often a telling sign of a urinary tract or bladder infection or urinary tract stones. It can also point to diabetes, renal failure, trauma affecting the urinary tract, certain types of cancer and incontinence. The latter is not uncommon in elderly cats.
There’s also the possibility your kitty is doing some good old-fashioned scent marking. Notice whether your cat is picking out particular places to pee, especially places where people and other animals are prone to intrude.
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How Often Do Older Cats Pee
Older cats are more likely to develop conditions like arthritis, petting-induced aggression, and an overactive thyroid. But as your cat gets older, she may also begin to experience three notable changes to her urinary habits:
- Her body is producing more urine. Older cats are more prone to diabetes, renal failure, and hyperthyroidism, all of which have increased thirst as a primary symptom. The more your cat drinks to quench her thirst, the more pee shell have to output.
- Shes making more trips to the litter box. A cats bladder can hold about 20-50ml of urine at a time. So if your cat is drinking more water than usual, shell have to make more frequent trips to the litter boxsometimes peeing more than five times a day
- She doesnt always make it to the box in time . Painful conditions like arthritis and age-related renal disease can impair your cats ability to make it to the box promptly. Her bladder may leak occasionally, or she may pee elsewhere on the floor.
If your senior cat is without health issues , she may still pee 2-3 times per day. But a cat with diabetes or displaying signs of incontinence may normally pee three or more times daily.
Why Does My Cat Have Dark Urine
Dark urine in cats causes a lot of alarm amongst owners because it usually originates from blood. This is called hematuria. Its difficult for you to know why there is blood in your kittys urine because there are so many reasons.
Idiopathic Cystitis is the most common cause of bloody urine. This is an inflammation of the bladder that particularly affects younger felines.
Urinary tract infection, cancer, trauma, and urinary blockage are other causal conditions. If theres dark cat urine in the litter box, youll want to involve your vet.
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Cat Not Peeing But Acting Normal
Is your cat not peeing but acting normal? Are you worried that your cat my be under a threat or something? Okay, lets deal with it.
A cat may not pee and still act normal for up to 48 hours, even if its drunk enough fluids and eaten adequate meal. However, if a cat doesnt pee for 72 hours, the problem might be related to cats bladder malfunctioning you need to see a vet to save the cat from serious injury or death.
Cat peeing is natural. You dont even get surprised when you see your lovely feline peeing.
For cats, peeing is an indication of how they feels inside, and if it feels anything more, it will only continue to urinate.
To understand the state of your cat when its not peeing, first, you need to understand its body language and what you should do when its acting strange.
Is It Normal For A Cat Not To Pee After Surgery
If you ask a cat owner, Is it normal for a cat not to pee after surgery?you may get a variety of answers.
Some cats may seem fine with not urinating or even showing interest in relieving themselves as soon as they can after a vet has performed a simple procedure, but if they dont make a show of either urinating or not urinating after surgery, that may be a problem.
To answer the question, proper diagnosis must be made. I
f your cat is going through a period of constipation and no obvious other problems are present, chances are good that your cats condition is not quite as serious as it first appears.
Cat owners have to take care of their feline friends health, but sometimes it seems like people think of their cats as just another animal to be plopped in front of the television.
It is important to spend time with them and give them attention. When a cat exhibits normal behavior after a cataract operation, it is usually due to an underlying condition and it is often overlooked.
Cataract surgery can be a risky procedure. The cat may appear fine after the cataract operation but this is not always the case.
A cat that appears fine after surgery may not be fine after a couple of days of recovery from the surgery.
In the event that your cat doesnt seem to make a fuss about having a cataract operation, chances are good that it will be fine after all.
Depending on your cats age and health, the procedure could be fairly simple.
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How Long Can A Cat Go Without Peeing
When we think of internal health, we often only think of the stomach, kidneys, lungs, heart, and even liver but it is very rare for us to think about the bladder. However, bladders do play a significant role in maintaining good health in humans as well as animals.
Most of us already know the basics of how our bladder works, i.e. filtration, but how exactly does this organ ensure a healthy life for your feline? The bladder-related issues can sometimes create severe problems in your cats behavior.
Hence, heres all you need to know about your cats bladder system.
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How To Tell If The Bladder Has Sufficiently Emptied
You can stop and rest a little or let the cat have a minute to walk around at any point in the process. This gives the bladder time to shrink around the remaining urine, and it also gives the cat a break. If the bladder has become smaller and you can still get some urine out , you can let the bladder fall into the palm of your hand and gently squeeze, as if you were making a slow fist. The urine may be released and you may feel the bladder walls touching. At this point, the bladder is usually empty.
It is OK to leave a very small amount of urine if the bladder is about grape-sized and the urine is coming out in drips .
Different cats have different normals when it comes to the size of a full bladder or a bladder that needs expressing, or a bladder thats empty enough. This will become easier to recognize as you gain more experience.
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Why Do Cats Pee On Things
Cats are renowned for their cleanliness. Its thought that they spend at least five hours a day grooming and cleaning their fur!
But no matter how clean and tidy our kitties are, sometimes their toilet habits can be a little unusual! If your cat has started to urinate or spray on the furniture or carpet, it can be confusing and concerning.
So why might your kittys litter tray habits change, especially if they have previously been well housetrained?
Urine Marking In Cats
The most common behavior problem reported by pet parents of cats is inappropriate elimination. Its estimated that 10% of all cats will eliminate outside their litter box at some point in their lives. Quite a few of these cats have issues with some characteristic of their litter box , but approximately 30% dont have litter box problems at all. These cats are urine marking, and urine marking isnt a litter box problemits a communication problem. Urine marking is a form of indirect communication used by cats.
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How Long Can A Cat Hold Its Pee
A cat can hold its pee for up to 48 hours, but I dont suggest pushing your kitty to its limits. The longer your cat holds its bladder, the higher will be its risk of developing urinary problems.
Take note that urine stuck inside the bladder will change its pH level over time. This means that your cat will likely develop kidney stones, especially if forced to hold its pee repeatedly. Take note that cats forced to hold their bladder for long can die.
Your cat should have access to a litter box all the time. If youre traveling with the kitty, you should take short breaks every six hours so the cat can eliminate.
If you have a planned trip with your cat, you can reduce its water intake a few hours before you leave. This will reduce the cats urination frequency. You can still give small amounts of water along the way so the feline will not become dehydrated, especially on a hot day.
Keep Track Of How Much Your Cat Drinks In A Day
If you feel your cat is drinking more than usual or you just want to find out how much it is drinking in 24 hours, pour a cup of water into its bowl in the morning, then measure how much is left in the bowl each night. If the cat drains the bowl before night, measure another cup into the bowl. Note how many times youve had to refill the bowl. ;This would be easy if your cat eats dry food but if it eats canned food it gets a little trickier.
A can of cat food contains about 70 to 80 percent water. So, your cat may get 3.85 to 4.4 ounces of water from a 5.5 ounce can. That makes up about half of their water requirements for the day. Its safe to say if your cat is consistently drinking more than a cup of water per 10 pounds of body weight, youll want to take it to a vet for a checkup.
If your cat is urinating a lot you might feel you should limit your cats water consumption since youre cleaning the box more often.; Never limit water before consulting your vet. If your cat becomes dehydrated it could have serious repercussions. Refill the cat bowl as often as necessary.
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Average Size Of Cat Urination
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Originally Posted by strange_wingsHis wouldn’t alarm me if he was my cat. But I don’t scoop his litter box so I wouldn’t know what is normal day in and day out. But I have to wonder, what else besides this one pee clump is bothering you? We all see an occasional smaller pee and don’t really worry about it. So I have to wonder if somewhere in the back of your mind if you’ve seen some behavior out of him that’s been bothering you a bit. If so, go ahead with the check up. When was his last one, anyways? If one can afford it and the cat is willing, twice a year check ups are not excessive. What’s his age and what does he eat?
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Originally Posted by strange_wingsOh I understand worrying. I thought one of mine had crystals the other day, took some urine with me and it turned out to be off the seeds I was using. Thankfully.If he’s a bit older, 7+, then more than one visit a year isn’t being paranoid. If he’s on a grain-free diet it can cause some urinary issues in some cats. And it’s good that you got the panting checked out. Some people don’t or will wait.ETA: You have a tight clumping litter! That’s what you’re seeing.That and it looks like an afternoon/night pee.
How Frequently Should A Cat Pee Per Day
Adult cats should pee around 2 to 4 times within 24 hours. On average, this is equivalent to half a cup of urine for a 10-pound cat per day.
However, factors like humidity, hydration, and overall health will affect a cats urination frequency. For cats with kidney disease, hormonal imbalances, diabetes, and bladder infections, urination frequency is a sliding scale.
Aside from how often your cat pees, its important to monitor its color and smell. Any sudden and major changes in these indicate a potential health problem that requires veterinary care.
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How Much Pee Is Normal
Healthy cats typically pee between 2 and 4 times each day. But this frequency is also affected by water intake, diet, heat and humidity. Keep tabs on your cats peeing habits. Did it use to pee twice a day but recently started to do so more than usual? And also, is there an increase in urine output? If theres a sudden increase in urine output, it could be a symptom for diseases such as kidney disease, diabetes and hyperthyroidism. But dont panic yet!
What you can do: Take your cat to the vet and explain your observations.
If your cat is peeing less than normal, one possible cause could be that there are crystals in his urethra blocking the flow of pee. The cause of crystals in cats is usually the result of a mainly dry cat food diet.
What you can do: Incorporate more high quality wet foods such as freeze dried cat food or canned cat food into your cats diet to reduce crystals and prevent new crystals from forming. But to be safe, it would be best to take your kitty to the vet. Its possible that the crystals need to be surgically removed.
Getting Rid Of The Odor Is More Important Than Getting Rid Of The Stain
Whether youre cleaning carpet or furniture, if the odor is still there, it will still smell like a bathroom to your cat.;Cats sense of smell is more sensitive than ours. Just because you cant smell it, it doesnt mean they cant, Rainbolt said.
Get a pet-specific carpet cleaner that eliminates odors, and follow the directions. The new generation of oxygen-based cleaners work very quickly. If the stain looks like the size of a quarter, you need;to treat the area the size of a dinner plate. What you see on the surface;is a tiny fraction of the affected area on the pad.
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How To Help Your Cat Drink More Water
Feeding your cat a high-moisture diet is the best and easiest way to get them to drink more water.
The best way to encourage a cat to drink more water is to feed a moist food diet rather than dry food. Moist food is over 80% moisture, so cats that are fed this will drink more without going near their water bowl.
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Alternatively, other options to encourage additional water to be consumed include:
Check That Trays Are Clean Enough
Cleaning the tray regularly is essential! Unsurprisingly, cats dont like to use litter trays that are heavily soiled, so ensure that the tray is spot cleaned daily and the tray itself is cleaned every 2-3 weeks. Cats have sensitive noses, so try to avoid any strong-smelling cleaners as this may deter them from using the tray.
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If Its Not A Medical Condition Or A Message Its Probably The Litter Box
Cats are clean animals who are very particular about where they eliminate. The litter or the box might be unacceptable to your cat. A lot of cats simply dont like scented litter, Rainbolt said.
Some cats might not like the texture;of a litter. But dont change the litter too quickly. Instead, she recommends offering;a second box with the litter you want to try and;see how your cat responds first before changing to that litter.
Box size matters. Cats need to be;able to turn around in their litter box and stretch to bury their waste. Some cats dont like covered litter boxes, because the boxes may trap odors or make your cat feel trapped. For a kitten or an arthritic cat, the sides of the box need to be low.