Cats often try to signal their owners that something is wrong. I´ve had owner tell me their cat started urinating in the sink, in the bathtub, or meowing incessantly for the owner to follow them to the litter box. Often, this is when the owner notices there is blood in the urine, or the cat is digging, sitting and straining in the box way too long, or crying when he is urinating.
He is probably trying to tell you he has a urinary tract problem! This is fairly common in cats and is thought to be associated with the food they are eating. Some commercial cat foods cause the formation of little tiny microscopic crystals in the urine. These little crystals irritate the lining of the bladder and the urethra, which drain the bladder.
This causes extreme discomfort to your cat, he feels like he needs to pee, but doesn´t have much urine in his bladder. So he digs and digs in the litter, then strains to urinate, producing only a few little drops. Sometimes they will let out a terrible little cry because it hurts! They will often get a bacterial infection on top of this, and possibly spike a fever.
Consider feeding your cat a diet that will help acidify his urine. This will help prevent the formation of these crystals and help prevent a secondary bacterial infection. There are a few available at the store, and many professional lines available from Purina Professional line of diets, Waltham⁄IVD and Prescription Diet to name a few.
Male cats can actually have a life–threatening problem with a lower urinary tract disease. They can build up enough of these little crystals and debris to plug up their urethra and cannot pass urine at all. This is an emergency! If your male cat is straining in the box and producing no urine, take him straight to the clinic. Female cats have a larger urethra to pass these crystals and rarely get obstructed.
There are other reasons for cats to urinate in inappropriate places. However, since urinary crystals are so common, when an owner complains about their cat urinating out of the box, the first thing I will check for is lower urinary tract disease with a urinalysis and often will culture the urine for bacteria. Depending on the symptoms, I will often check the kidney function as well.
Sharon E. Anderson, DVM
