A feline UTI, or urinary tract infection, can develop into a more serious condition. If you learn the different signs and symptoms, however, you can help your cat get early care. A UTI can develop in male as well as female cats. There are several symptoms that most often tend to indicate a UTI. It's really helpful if you know your cat's regular urination habits so that you can establish a baseline and know when things are different than usual.
Visiting the Litter Box More Often
If your cat is visiting the litter box more often than usual, he might have a UTI. When a cat has a UTI, there is swelling and pressure on the bladder. Thus, he feels he needs to go more often than usual.
Decreased Urine Output
Despite the more frequent visits to the box, you may notice that less urine is being produced. You may just have less litter waste to scoop out, or you may hear no urine coming out when he's in the box.
Straining During Elimination
A cat with a UTI will have a hard time passing his urine. You'll hear him actually making straining noises in the box. If you observe him in the box, you may see him actually trying to push his urine out and tense his back legs.
Urination Outside the Box
A cat with a UTI will experience pain when he goes to the litterbox. Cats work on association more than logic. The cat will begin to associate pain with the litter box and thus want to avoid it. He'll think that the litter box is the cause of the pain so he'll start to urinate outside the box. Even if your cat is prone to some accidents, it will become more frequent in the event of a uti. Your cat may also start peeing in other places besides the usual accident spots.
Blood in the Urine
As the UTI progresses, blood in the urine may be present. Even just a small amount can indicate some infection in the urine.
Excessive Cleaning of Genitals
A cat with the UTI experiences a lot of irritation in the genital area. He'll want to lick and clean the area in an almost obsessive manner. The genital area might even become wounded from all of the nipping and licking the cat does.
Scooting on a Bare Floor
A cat with a UTI feels inflamed in the area around the genitals. He'll do almost anything to try to cool the area down. He may scoot along on a hard, cold floor to achieve this.
Emergency Symptoms
If your cat is yowling or hiding under furniture in an unusual way, something is really wrong. The bladder can become obstructed which becomes very painful. It's also an immediately life-threatening situation.