# How to detect urinary problems in cats **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-detect-urinary-problems-in-cats/623934 "2012-06-03T14:42:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-detect-urinary-problems-in-cats/623934/1 "2012-06-03T14:42:07Z")
I have 3 cats, all aged 14, two males and 1 female. I expect they might run into health problems soon enough, although that isn’t the case presently. I have read that urinary problems are common in cats and since cats lack the ability to communicate verbally, I’d like to be able to detect any urinary problems early. There are 3 litters for 3 cats. As far as I know, they don’t each have exclusive use of a particular litter. So simply looking into each litter and seeing if there’s an absence of urine isn’t an option unless I can get them used to each using a litter exclusively. So, how would I detect if one of my cats has urinary problems? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-detect-urinary-problems-in-cats/623934/2 "2012-06-03T15:05:04Z")
The first symptom we noticed in our cat was repeated licking of the genital area. (Which the technician at our vet’s office misdiagnosed as a blocked anal gland.) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-detect-urinary-problems-in-cats/623934/3 "2012-06-03T15:16:28Z")
Not using the litterbox is most people’s first sign their kitty is having trouble. UTIs can make urination painful, and when the cat associates the litterbox with, “ow, my crotch is on fire!” she starts to avoid it. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-detect-urinary-problems-in-cats/623934/4 "2012-06-03T15:36:26Z")
I had a male cat who would urinate on my feet when he started having problems. That will get your attention. I’m a pet sitter so I deal with lots of animals with issues. Sometimes I will catch a problem before the owner because they see them everyday and don’t notice the subtle changes over time. I will walk in 6 months later and notice the changes right away. Excessive thirst. You know how much water your cats are drinking in a day. If that amount increases there may be a problem. Eating less. Weight loss. Bad breath. Changes to their coat. It may go from sleek and shiny to rough, or it has a different feel to it. More or less clumps in the litter box. You probably have a good idea of what is the ‘normal’ amount to scoop. Not using the litter box. Going just outside the litter box. Using the bathtub or sink as their litter box. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-detect-urinary-problems-in-cats/623934/5 "2012-06-03T15:42:41Z")
[Here’s how I detected urinary problems in a cat.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=597422) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-detect-urinary-problems-in-cats/623934/6 "2012-06-03T20:33:06Z")
When my cat had total urinary blockage, I happened to notice that he had spent a lot of time in the litter box, squatting in his peeing position. If I hadn’t noticed this he would have died. ---
**Author:** ![bot3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@bot3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bot3)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-detect-urinary-problems-in-cats/623934/7 "2012-06-03T23:24:49Z")
Why? ---
**Author:** ![missouri65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@missouri65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missouri65)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-detect-urinary-problems-in-cats/623934/8 "2012-06-04T02:55:11Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > When my cat had total urinary blockage, I happened to notice that he had spent a lot of time in the litter box, squatting in his peeing position. If I hadn’t noticed this he would have died. My cat did something similar. He wasn’t totally blocked, but when I called the vet, he thought it was a total blockage. He would also sit outside the litter box and whine and cry. Then he would go back into the box for a while. Then he’d come out and cry again. It reminded me of a person with a UTI, so I called the vet, and he freaked out. I’m worried now that I won’t notice if it happens again. I was in a one bedroom apartment then, so it was much easier to keep tabs on the cat than now with his litter in the basement. It might be worth asking your vet if you can go ahead and change their diet to prevent blockage. It seems it would be difficult to monitor with multiple cats.