Cat Litter Box Changes: What to Watch For

Cats with medical conditions may not always act sick, as Cornell's Feline Health Center puts it, so the litter box can tell you what your cat won't. Most changes mean booking a vet visit. One means going now: a cat straining to pee, or passing little or nothing.

The change that can't wait

If your cat keeps squatting and straining but little or no urine comes out, treat it as an emergency. This is the classic sign of a urethral blockage, where the tube from the bladder to the outside gets blocked. It happens almost only in male cats, whose urethra is longer and narrower.

Cornell calls a urethral obstruction "an absolute emergency" that needs immediate treatment. It warns that the time from a complete blockage to death may be less than 24 to 48 hours. The Merck Veterinary Manual says a cat with a complete blockage may die within 2 to 3 days without treatment, and International Cat Care gives the same window. On what to do, they agree: contact your vet immediately.

International Cat Care lists these signs of a blockage:

• repeated attempts to pee with nothing passed
• crying or discomfort while straining
• peeing outside the box
• licking around the genitals
• agitation, refusing food, seeming depressed, or vomiting

In the days before, it adds, you may have noticed your cat peeing more often, straining, seeming uncomfortable and possibly passing blood.

Straining is easy to misread. VCA notes that some owners mistake urinary straining for constipation, and International Cat Care says it can be hard to tell which one a cat is doing. If you can't see urine coming out, don't assume it's constipation. Contact your vet immediately.

What each change can point to

Here's what each change can mean, and how soon the sources say to act.

Blood in the urine isn't always visible, International Cat Care says, so a normal-looking clump doesn't rule out a bladder problem. And if your cat is peeing more, it often goes with drinking more water.

Peeing or pooping outside the box

Start with a vet check. Cornell says any condition that gets in the way of normal peeing or pooping can cause litter box problems: an inflamed urinary tract that makes peeing painful, kidney or thyroid disease, diabetes, digestive trouble, or the stiffness of age. A cat that links the box with pain may stop using it.

Stress plays a part too. Cornell says stress seems to be an important factor in feline idiopathic cystitis, and International Cat Care says a common sign of that condition is peeing outside the box. Cornell's examples include changes at home, to feeding times, or to the number of animals in the house.

Then look at the box. Cornell and International Cat Care point to the same culprits:

• a box that isn't clean enough, since some cats won't use a soiled one
• scented litter, or a sudden switch to a new litter
• a busy spot, or food bowls close by
• liners, or high sides that an older cat struggles to climb
• too few boxes: Cornell, VCA and International Cat Care all suggest one per cat, plus one

Urine sprayed on a wall or the back of a chair, with your cat standing and its tail quivering, is spraying. That's a marking behavior, and Cornell says it needs a different approach. Whatever the cause, don't punish your cat. International Cat Care says it only makes a cat fearful and the problem worse.

Scoop daily, and write down what you see

You can only spot a change if you know what normal looks like. Cornell and VCA advise scooping daily, and International Cat Care suggests at least twice a day.

A dated note turns a vague worry into something your vet can use. For diarrhea, International Cat Care suggests noting how often it happens, what it looks like, and any straining, blood or mucus. VCA says your vet may also ask when it started and what changed in your cat's food or home. For peeing more, PDSA suggests a note of how much your cat drinks in 24 hours.

With more than one cat, it can be hard to tell whose clumps are whose. VCA says you'll need to work out which cat has diarrhea, or whether several do. For accidents, Cornell's advice is to find out which cat it is, which may mean separating them for a while.

Tamadoggo has no litter counter. In the cat journal, a dated Health Episode or General Note entry is where a change like this goes, with a photo if it helps your vet. Family sharing lets everyone who scoops add notes, up to 6 people per pet including you, and entries someone else adds carry an "Added by" label.

None of this replaces your vet. The note shows what changed, and your vet works out why.

Sources

• Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, Cornell Feline Health Center
• Feline Behavior Problems: House Soiling, Cornell Feline Health Center
• Chronic Kidney Disease, Cornell Feline Health Center
• Feline Diabetes, Cornell Feline Health Center
• Hyperthyroidism in Cats, Cornell Feline Health Center
• Diarrhea, Cornell Feline Health Center
• Urethral obstruction in cats, International Cat Care
• Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, International Cat Care
• Soiling indoors, International Cat Care
• Diarrhoea in cats, International Cat Care
• Constipation in cats, International Cat Care
• Increased thirst and drinking, International Cat Care
• Cystitis and Lower Urinary Tract Disease in Cats, VCA Animal Hospitals
• Feline Idiopathic Cystitis, VCA Animal Hospitals
• Diarrhea in Cats, VCA Animal Hospitals
• Constipation in Cats, VCA Animal Hospitals
• Noninfectious Diseases of the Urinary System of Cats, Merck Veterinary Manual (Cat Owners)
• Is my cat drinking and weeing too much?, PDSA