Does your house smell like cat pee?

Written By Max Clout BVSC, MVM (Dist) Surgery of Tauranga, Te Puna, Katikati and Papamoa Village Vets

As a veterinarian, not a week goes by that I don’t have family or friends asking for advice about their pet. It is what it is. Peculiarly, I’ve had a few recent conversations that involve cats inappropriately urinating in the house for weeks or sometimes months. This has piqued my concern that possibly a lot of cats are not being appropriately treated for something that is actually quite painful and generally straight forward to remedy.

It’s not normal for a cat to urinate inside if they are a cat that is used to toileting outside or in a litter tray. Any change in normal urinary behaviour may be a cause for concern. In a lot of cases, a diagnosis of cystitis or Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) may be the cause. Cystitis is an inflammatory condition of the bladder that’s similar to a urinary tract infection in humans, although almost always, they are sterile and not caused by a bacterial infection. Cystitis typically affects middle age, female cats, however all cats are susceptible. Cat’s that are naturally anxious or fearful, as well as those in multi-cat households are more likely to get cystitis. Often there will be a recent stressor; a new neighbourhood cat, renovations, unfamiliar visitors or guests, or new additions to the family (pets or humans!)

A cat that has cystitis is one that urinates in small amounts, usually in the bathroom, but sometimes on furniture, the carpet, a wardrobe or the bed. Occasionally, you may notice the urine has a blood tinge to it. Your cat may appear to strain to toilet with little or nothing produced. This is not normal cat behaviour, and should warrant a visit to your vet.

As vets, we will examine your cat to assess any underlying illness.

A urine sample may be obtained and evaluated for evidence of blood, inflammation, bacteria, urinary crystals or other abnormalities.

In most cases, treatment for cystitis is simple, effective and not too costly. Treatment may include a few days of medications, a change in diet, urinary supplements, management changes in the house or any combination of the above. If the clinical signs do not improve, or there is frequent recurrence of cystitis, then your vet may want to do further tests to rule out infection, bladder stones, kidney disease or even bladder cancer. If a cat has multiple episodes of cystitis, then it would likely benefit from being placed on an exclusively urinary diet for the rest of its life.

At home, you can instill some easy and effective ways to reduce the likelihood of your cat getting cystitis. These may include;

1. Having free flowing water to increase your cats water intake. Pet water fountains are a great way to achieve this.

2. Making sure the number of litter trays in the house is equal to the number of cats in the house plus one. I.e., if you have two cats, then three litter trays should be available.

3. Consider putting your cat on a high-quality dry food diet; these typically will reduce the risk of crystals forming in the urine.

4. Consider supplements or changes to reduce stress in the house if you have an anxious cat.

5. Consider putting in a microchip cat flap so only your cat is able to come into the house.

You don’t have to put up with a cat inappropriately urinating everywhere. If this sounds like your cat, then please talk to your vet about the best way to diagnose and manage this painful but treatable disease.