Here’s why your cat is leaking urine

A cat leaking urine or urinary incontinence happens when a well-litter-trained or house-trained cat loses control of its bladder. You may notice the cat has wet hair on the lower abdomen area between the rear legs. You may also step on wet puddles in the house or see wet spots when the cat rises, they could have inflamed skin around the genitals, smell ammonia or stale urine or are constantly licking the area between their hind legs.

Urine leakage in cats is caused by a number of reasons and the main one is Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). If your cat has UTI, they will feel the need to eliminate urine more frequently than usual and the whole repetitive urination process can become difficult for them leading to accidents.

Old cats

Old cats have a higher likelihood of having urinary incontinence. It could be they are suffering from urethra sphincter weakness hence the urine just comes out or it could also be an onset of senility. If a cat is suffering from diseases like diabetes or kidney infection or cancer of the bladder which prevents the sphincter from closing, could also be a cause of urine leaking.

Cats that are overweight may also have frequent urine leakage for two reasons: One, obesity is a determining factor for diseases like diabetes, kidney failure and kidney stones which leads to the cat taking copious amounts of water. Two, obesity can also mess up the hormone levels in a cat’s body, which act as neurotransmitters that communicate when the bladder is full.

Antibiotics or surgery

What to do when your cat starts leaking urine? Your first stop should be at the veterinarian who will carry out a diagnosis and commence the treatment process. Apart from asking you many questions, the vet will run a test on the urine to tell if the cat is suffering from UTI or check for diabetes. The treatment plan may range from antibiotics if it is a casual infection to surgery.

On your own, make sure your cat’s weight is in check. Check their diet and keep them active by having toys that will get them moving and jumping.

If your cat is old and the toilet trips are becoming harder, you can help them out by adding more litter boxes to shorten the distance it needs to cover to relieve itself.

Maryanne is a pet owner. [email protected]