Last Updated: 03/07/2025
Does your cat suffer from urinary issues? Find out from our vets about the causes signs and tips to prevent future occurences.
Author: Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 28 minutes - medium read
Urinary problems are one of the most common issues that vets see in cats. This is in part due to their tendency to stress easily, and also due to the sensitive nature of their bladder wall. The main complex of issues that affects the urinary system in cats is called FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease). Luckily, there are many ways to prevent urinary tract disease in cats.
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FLUTD can be caused by a number of conditions such as cystitis, crystals in the urine, bladder stones, urinary tract infection, blocked urethra, urinary tract cancer and trauma to the urinary tract. Secondary conditions such as diabetes and an underactive thyroid gland can predispose cats to FLUTD.
In many cases of FLUTD, particularly in young adult cats, often no underlying cause can be found. These cases are called Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC).
FIC is related to the way a cat copes with stress. When some cats experience stress, the protective lining of the bladder wall is weakened. Bladder and urinary tract inflammation (cystitis) then occurs, which can affect the pH of the urine and can lead to increased mucous production and crystal sediment formation. If left without treatment, enough of this mucous and/or sediment can lead to a blockage in the urethra. When a cat's urethra is blocked this means urine cannot pass, so the bladder swells with urine and becomes painful and life-threatening. If the bladder bursts inside the abdomen, it is often fatal.
For more information about the causes of urinary issues in cats, have a read through our guide to FLUTD in Cats.
Signs of urinary disease can present as:
Urinating outside the litter tray
Straining to Urinate
Frequent or prolonged urination
Agitation or vocalisation when trying to urinate
Blood-tinged urine
Passing small amounts of urine, or no urine
Excessive licking of genitals
If you see any of these signs in your cat, seek veterinary attention immediately.
If urinating outside the litter tray is the only symptom your cat is experiencing, there may be other reasons for this behaviour. However, as the first step, it's important to have your cat checked out by your vet to rule out urinary disease, since it can be life threatening. To find out more, take a read through our article on Inappropriate Toileting in Cats.
Your vet will first treat for any emergency conditions, such as a urethral obstruction or trauma to the urinary tract. If your cat has bladder stones, surgery may be required. If other conditions are present, such as cystitis or infection, your cat may receive antibiotics and pain relief.
Once underlying conditions are under control, you can focus on preventing a recurrence. The course of action depends on the cause of the FLUTD in the first place.
Preventing urinary issues will depend on whether your cat has experienced an episode of FLUTD in the past, and if so, the underlying cause. Thankfully there are many ways to prevent urinary tract disease in cats.
For cats that haven't had urinary issues before, you can help to prevent any issues from developing if you stick to super premium cat foods and avoid cheap, low-quality brands. High quality cat food has more ideal levels of magnesium, phosphorus, protein and calcium to help avoid the formation of crystals in the urine. Any cat food from Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin, or Advance is considered super premium and high quality.
It can also help to include wet food in your cat's diet, rather than solely relying on a dry food only diet.
For cats that have suffered from FLUTD in the past, your vet may recommend a prescription diet for life. These include Royal Canin Urinary s/o, or Hill's Prescription Diet c/d. Urinary prescription diets are designed with the right balance of nutrients to promote a healthy bladder in cats. They contain ingredients to control urine pH, minerals and protein to decrease, and in some cases, even dissolve crystal formation.
Some premium non-prescription foods are specifically formulated with balanced levels of minerals to reduce the risk of FLUTD. For cats who have experienced an episode of FLUTD, the prescription veterinary urinary diets are usually indicated, though it is important to check with your vet to ensure that they are appropriate for your cat and their specific condition.
Designed to help lower the risk of urinary issues by lowering urine pH and through controlled levels of minerals.
With controlled magnesium levels and natural fibres, this Hills diet helps to support the health of the urinary tract at the same time as reducing hairball formation.
A urinary prescription diet to be prescribed by your vet, to prevent the recurrence of crystals and and encourage water intake.
A prescription urinary diet to prevent crystal formation, reduce stress and increase water intake.
Obese and overweight cats are far more likely to get urinary issues, particularly a blocked urethra. Obese cats often re-block again after being treated if they don't lose weight.
The best ways to keep your cat's weight down involves, just as with humans, exercise and diet.
To exercise your cat, try to figure out what type of toy they like best. Some people assume their overweight cat is too lazy to play with toys, but then discover that their cat just needed a more interactive toy, or a different type of toy such as one containing feathers.
With regards to diet, your vet will likely recommend a good weight loss food for you with guidelines for amount of food to feed per day. Great vet-prescribed weight loss diets include Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic plus Urinary wet food, or Royal Canin Veterinary Satiety.
For more information, check out our article on How to Help Your Cat Lose Weight.
It can be hard to predict what will stress your cat out. Common causes of stress include moving house, new visitors, introducing a new pet, a trip to the vet or groomer, coping with the loss of family member or pet, new furniture or even rearranging your furniture.
If there is a pet or family member (such as a child) that your cat doesn't like, try to provide adequate hiding areas, so that your cat feels they have somewhere safe to escape to. Things like cat trees, cat cave beds, and high shelf beds such as window beds can all help make your cat feel safe.
If a stressful situation is anticipated (such as visiting family, new furniture, moving house or a trip to the vet), you might like to try a feliway spray or diffuser. This is an odourless pheromone that appeases nervous cats and makes them feel calm. Many vet hospitals use this in their cat consult rooms or wards, to help calm feline patients.
It can be hard to encourage your cat to drink more water.
Just like the saying goes; you can lead a cat to water...
However, many people find they can increase water drinking by providing plenty of bowls, or a water fountain. Cats are naturally drawn to moving, fresh water and will drink more if they have fresh water available. Always make sure you replace water at least once a day.
It also helps to provide cats with wet food.
For more information, check out Ways to Increase Your Cats Water Intake.
It is important to ensure you have enough litter trays throughout your house. A good formula to work off is to provide the same number of litter trays as you have cats, plus one extra. So for example, a one-cat home should have two litter trays, and a three-cat home should have four litter trays.
There are many ways you can help to avoid urinary issues in your cat. By maintaining a good body weight, decreasing stress, encouraging water intake, and providing enough litter trays and toys, you will be giving your cat the best chance at a healthy urinary tract.
Want to read more? Check out our other articles:
How To Stop Cat Litter From Smelling
Want to know more? Check out our Discover Page for more tips from our expert vets on keeping your pets happy and healthy.
