What You Need to Know about Cat Urination

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Unless your cat pees around your home, your cat’s urination habits are something that you think about very little. Most cats will either urinate outside or in their litter tray. In the wild, a cat will bury its waste to cover their scent and to avoid attracting predators. Therefore, urinating in the garden or a litter tray are the closest things for domestic cats. Usually, a kitten will very quickly adapt to using a litter tray. Although your cat’s urine is something you will not think about often, it is sometimes an indicator that something is wrong with your cat, especially if they start urinating outside their litter tray for no apparent reason. Here is what you need to know about cat’s urination.

1. Daily Urination

A cat will usually urinate several times a day. If your cat does not urinate for a full day, then this is a sign that something is wrong. Some possible causes of reduced urination or a cat not urinating at all are urinary blockages, urinary tract infections, and renal failure. Therefore, if you notice that your cat is not urinating, they need to see the vet.

2. Changes in Urine Output

Another sign of illness to look out for is changes in urine output. Dehydration is a common cause of urine output changes, so makes sure your cat is getting plenty of water, especially if they are on a dry food diet. An increase in urine output can indicate diabetes, kidney disease, or hyperthyroidism. These are health conditions that need treatment from the vet.

3. Urinating Outside the Litter Box

If a cat is suffering from pain when urinating, they can associate the litter box with pain. Therefore, if your cat suddenly starts peeing outside the box, you should consider a medical cause. One example is arthritis as the cat may find it painful to get in and out of the box.

4. Communicating with Urine

While humans urinate simply to eradicate toxins and fluid from their body, a cat uses its urine as a form of communication. Urine contains pheromones that other cats can smell. A cat will urinate to mark their territory and warn away other cats.

5. Stress

A cat will often urinate outside their litter box if they are stressed by a situation. For example, if they are in a new place or introduced to a new cat, they may find it stressful. This can then cause them to urinate. This is a sign of anxiety and you can help your cat by not putting them in stressful situations.

6. Problems with the Litter Box

The litter box can also impact on your cat’s urination habits and may even prevent them from using the litter tray altogether. If you are not cleaning out the box regularly, they will not use it as they are instinctively clean animals. You must change the litter daily. Another problem that your cat may have with the litter tray is the size. Cat’s like to have room to turn when they urinate or defecate. If the litter tray is too small, they will not use it. Finally, it may be the litter itself that they do not like. If you think that your cat doesn’t like the litter, then you should not change it straight away. Instead, put another litter tray with different litter next to the one you already have. If they use the new tray, the problem is the original litter.

7. Cat Urine Smell

Once a cat has urinated somewhere, they have marked it with a smell and will use the same place again. Therefore, if your cat has urinated outside their litter box, it is essential to get rid of the smell. A cat’s sense of smell is more sensitive than a human’s, so just because you can no longer smell it does not mean they can’t. you should use a carpet cleaner that contains an odor eliminator to make sure you completely rid the area of any scent. You should also clean the surrounding area. Even if the stain left by the urine is small, you should clean a large area as the scent will usually spread. This will prevent your cat from using the same place to urinate in the future.