Blood in Your Cat's Urine: What to Do Now

What to do right now

First, watch your cat in the litter box. If it squats and strains for a long time, goes back again and again, and you see little or no urine in the box, treat it as an emergency and go now. Cornell Feline Health Center calls a blocked urethra an absolute emergency: it causes dangerous changes in the blood chemistry, and death can occur within about one to two days without treatment. Males are far more likely to block because their urethra is longer and narrower.

Phone the clinic on the way so the team can prepare, and put your cat in a carrier rather than letting it roam the car. Do not give any medicine, painkiller, cranberry product or home remedy, and do not try to press on the belly. If your cat is passing good amounts of pink or red urine and otherwise eating and acting normally, call your vet for an urgent appointment today.

Signs that mean go immediately

Go to an emergency vet now if you see straining with little or no urine, repeated trips to the box with nothing produced, crying or growling while trying to pee, constant licking of the genital area, vomiting, drooling, hiding, weakness, collapse, or a belly that seems painful. A blocked cat may also stop eating and become very quiet.

Do not wait overnight to see whether a male cat improves. Cornell notes that a blockage is relieved with a catheter and intravenous fluids, and the sooner that happens, the less time the blood chemistry has to become dangerous. If you are unsure whether any urine is coming out, put out a clean, empty litter box and check it.

Common causes of blood in cat urine

Most bloody urine in cats comes from the lower urinary tract, the bladder and urethra. Cornell reports that feline idiopathic cystitis, bladder inflammation with no identifiable cause that is strongly linked to stress, is the most common diagnosis. Crystals and bladder stones, most often struvite or calcium oxalate, and soft plugs of mineral and mucus that can block the urethra are the other common causes.

True bacterial infections are less common in young cats. VCA Animal Hospitals describes primary bacterial infections as rare in cats and more common in cats over ten, and the Merck Veterinary Manual lists diabetes, thyroid disease, FeLV, FIV and long-term steroid use among the risk factors. Merck notes blood is often seen at the end of the stream. Because these causes look the same at home, only testing can tell them apart.

What the vet will do

Your vet will examine your cat, gently check the belly and bladder, and test a urine sample. Merck explains that a urine culture confirms whether bacteria are present, and VCA notes that blood tests, X-rays or ultrasound may be needed to look for stones or check the kidneys, particularly if signs keep returning.

A blocked cat is sedated or anesthetized so a catheter can clear the urethra, and stays in the hospital on intravenous fluids while the blood chemistry recovers, according to Cornell. Other causes are treated individually: antibiotics for a confirmed infection, a prescription diet to dissolve struvite stones, removal of calcium oxalate stones, and stress reduction and diet for idiopathic cystitis.

Preventing it from happening again

Cornell recommends fresh, clean water at all times, small, frequent meals, a consistent diet and a healthy weight. Provide one more litter box than the number of cats, in quiet places, kept clean, and keep routines predictable with climbing posts and toys to reduce stress. Cats that have had stones or crystals may need a long-term therapeutic diet from your vet.

If your cat has had a blockage before, learn its early signs and act at once if they return. Recurrent problems are common, and quick treatment makes the difference.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.