My Cat Is Not Using the Litter Tray
A cat straining in the tray with nothing produced is an emergency in males. How to tell a blocked bladder from constipation, and what never to do.
Is this an emergency?
A male cat that cannot pass urine is an emergency. A blocked urethra leads to kidney failure and death within hours. Do not wait until morning.
There are two very different situations behind this complaint, and telling them apart is urgent.
Cannot pass urine, or will not use the tray
A cat that cannot pass urine goes into the tray repeatedly, strains, produces nothing or a few drops, cries out, and licks at its belly. This is a medical emergency, particularly in male cats, whose urethra is narrow and blocks easily.
A cat that will not use the tray passes normal urine, but somewhere else. That is a different problem, covered further down.
The first is measured in hours. The second is measured in weeks.
Blocked bladder in male cats
When the urethra blocks, urine cannot leave the body. Toxins build up, potassium rises, the heart rhythm becomes unstable and the kidneys fail. Untreated, it is fatal within one to two days, and cats become seriously unwell well before that.
It is very commonly mistaken for constipation, because the cat is straining in the tray. If you are not certain which it is, assume it is the bladder and call.
Do not press on the bladder
There are instructions circulating online telling owners to find the bladder and squeeze it to empty it. Do not do this. In a cat that cannot urinate, the bladder is distended and usually obstructed, and external pressure can rupture it. A ruptured bladder is fatal.
Emptying the bladder is done at the clinic, by catheter or by needle, under control.
Carry the cat in a closed carrier and avoid pressing on the abdomen on the way.
Constipation
If the cat is straining but the urine is normal and it is faeces that are not coming, the problem is constipation. Causes include dehydration, insufficient fibre, hairballs, swallowed objects, pain on posturing, and in older cats reduced gut motility.
Two days without passing faeces should be looked at. Do not give human laxatives.
When the cat urinates outside the tray
Rule out medical causes first: cystitis, crystals and stones all make urinating painful, and the cat associates the pain with the tray and starts avoiding it.
Once medical causes are excluded, look at the tray itself:
- One tray per cat, plus one spare
- Somewhere quiet, not beside food or water, not beside a noisy appliance
- Scooped daily, emptied and washed weekly
- Unscented litter; most cats dislike perfumed litter
- Large enough for the cat to turn round in, and with a low entry for older cats
When to call
Immediately if a cat is straining with no urine produced, crying, or licking at its belly. The same day if there is blood in the urine, or the cat is going very frequently in small amounts. Within a few days for a cat urinating outside the tray with otherwise normal urine.