Your cat’s litter tray habits are probably one of the last things you want to talk about when it comes to cat care. Thinking about how often cats wee and poo isn’t a fun topic, but it’s a crucial marker of feline health.
“It’s essential to monitor the litter tray, as it can give the first indications of illness in your cat,” says Dr Kathryn Dench, veterinarian and owner of The Pets Kingdom.
From understanding what abnormal poop and pee look (and smell) like, to the number of times a healthy cat or kitten uses the litter tray per day, here’s what to be aware of when it comes to this stinky but crucial subject.
How Many Times a Day Does a Cat Pee and Poop?
“A healthy adult cat typically urinates two to four times per day and defecates once or twice per day,” Dr Dench says. For younger cats, healthy kittens wee three to five times a day and poo up to three times daily.
While those numbers are the general rule, Dr Dench adds that how often your cat or kitten visits the litter tray depends on various lifestyle, environmental, and medical factors (more on this below).
How to Track Your Cat’s Health via Litter
The most straightforward way to track if your cat is using the litter tray too often or not enough is by tracking how many times you scoop their box per day. This simple method, however, isn’t precise and can get complicated if you have more than one cat in the house.
While technology has made monitoring multiple cats easier with smart litter trays and indoor pet cameras that detect when and which cat uses the litter tray, Dench advises completely separating the cats if you notice something off.
“In a multi-cat household, I usually recommend monitoring the communal litter trays first,” she says. “If you notice something abnormal, the next step is to temporarily isolate the cats for a day or two in separate rooms with separate litter trays.”
A change in the colour, consistency, and odour of urine clumps and poop could be cause for concern. Here’s what to keep an eye on.
Colour
Healthy cat poo is a light to dark brown colour. Black, tarry stool can indicate internal bleeding (though iron supplements and certain medications like activated charcoal can also make stool dark). Red streaks or blood are common with intestinal inflammation, like colitis or anal irritation. Green poo can be a sign of food allergies, diet changes, and bacterial or viral infections.
Healthy cat urine is light yellow or transparent. Blood in urine is often a sign of urinary tract infections (UTIs), including bladder infections or cystitis. Dark yellow urine can also indicate dehydration. Cloudy urine with particles or “crystals” is often a sign of bladder and urinary tract issues.
Consistency
A normal cat poo clump is smooth, sausage-like, and holds its shape when scooped. Very hard, dry, and small poo can signal dehydration and constipation. Conversely, poop that’s extremely soft, unformed, or runny may indicate food allergies, dietary intolerances, infections, side effects from medication, or parasites. (Some cat parasites like hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms will actually show up in your cat’s poop.)
Mucusy, sticky, or slimy poo can also be a sign of parasites, gastrointestinal problems, digestive tract issues, viral or bacterial infections, or intestinal inflammation.
A healthy adult cat pees out between 18 and 27 millilitres (0.6 and 0.9 ounces) of urine for every 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight, meaning a 4.5-kg (10-lb) cat can wee up to 118 ml of urine every day!
The urine clump size varies from cat to cat, so only you will be able to tell if your cat’s wee clumps are larger or smaller than usual. Unusually large clumps in your cat’s wee can indicate diabetes or kidney disease, says Dr Dench. Smaller clumps can be signs of urinary tract problems, bladder issues, or dehydration.
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Odour
Healthy cat poo has a “natural” odour. Rancid, uncharacteristically strong-smelling poo can signal food allergies, infections, or bacterial imbalances in the gut. A rotten egg smell is a sign of a Giardia infection, one of the most common intestinal parasites in cats.
Metallic-smelling poo can indicate gastrointestinal bleeding, especially if the poo is dark and tarry. Sweet-smelling poo is sometimes a sign of a digestive system issue, such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), in which the pancreas doesn’t produce enough digestive enzymes.
Healthy cat wee has a slight ammonia-like smell because of the natural bacteria breaking down in it. Pee with a strong ammonia-like smell is often an indication of kidney problems or an infection. Sweet-smelling pee is seen in some diabetic cats, while salty, fishy-smelling pee is common in cats suffering from urinary tract or bladder problems.
What Changes Litter Tray Use?
Lifestyle, environmental, and medical changes can influence how often cats pee and poop. Here are seven of the most common factors that affect a cat’s urinary and bowel health.
1. Age
Kittens younger than six months have a faster metabolism and digestive system than adult cats. As such, they’re likely to pee and poop more often. Older cats, especially ones with kidney disease or diabetes, may urinate more. Senior cats prone to arthritis may have difficulties using the litter tray and burying their poop and pee due to pain and might even eliminate next to the litter tray rather than in it.
2. Diet
A change in diet can also affect your cat’s litter tray habits. Cats who eat tinned or wet foods tend to have higher hydration levels and may have softer stool and poop and pee more regularly than cats who primarily eat kibble or a dry food diet.
Food allergies and intolerances can also affect your cat’s poo. Some of the most common symptoms of food sensitivities include stool that’s too soft or has mucus, smelly and frequent gas, chronic diarrhoea, and vomiting.
3. Hydration
As a species, cats tend to actively drink less water. Dehydration in cats can manifest as decreased urination and lead to a host of serious health problems, including urinary tract issues. Running water, like automatic fountains, can entice dehydration-prone kitties to drink.
4. Activity level
Physical fitness and exercise impact your cat’s litter tray habits, too! Active cats tend to have better digestion and more regular bowel movements. Couch potato kitties who live a slower, more sedentary lifestyle are more prone to constipation. This also explains why energetic, feisty kittens hit the litter tray more often than their senior feline friends.
5. Stress and environment
Your cat’s environment is directly tied to their litter tray behaviours, including how often they pee or poop. Sudden changes in the home, like adding a new cat, housemate, or family member to the mix, can affect how often a cat uses their litter tray. The litter tray setup matters, too. The location, style, and litter type all play a significant role in your kitty’s toileting routine.
6. Medical problems
Hormonal problems like hyperthyroidism, metabolic diseases like diabetes, viral and bacterial infections, and internal parasites like roundworms and Giardia can all cause abnormal urine and faeces.
Digestive tract health issues like gut bacteria imbalances, intestinal inflammation, pancreas dysfunction, and irritable bowel syndrome can also lead to poop problems. Kidney disease is also one of the most well-known feline organ problems and can impact feline urinary health.
7. Medication
Medications, especially short-term ones, can temporarily alter a cat’s toilet behaviour. Antibiotics are notorious for causing diarrhoea and soft stool, as are dewormers and anti-parasite treatments. Pain medications like Buprenorphine and Gabapentin can also cause constipation or diarrhoea, and cats who take steroids long-term sometimes have increased urinary tract infections as a side effect.
“If a cat is experiencing drastic changes in urination or defecation while on medication, it’s always best to consult a vet to determine if adjustments are needed,” Dr Dench advises.
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Weeing a Lot Vs Weeing Often
“Excessive urination is called polyuria, and frequent urination is termed pollakiuria,” Dr Dench says. “They’re both what we call non-specific symptoms. They tell us something is wrong, but not exactly what the problem is.”
If your adult cat wees more than four times a day or your kitten pees more than five times a day, Dr Dench says it could be a sign that they have a serious condition, such as:
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Hyperthyroidism
- Bladder inflammation (also known as cystitis)
- Urinary tract infections
How to monitor your cat’s pee
There are several ways to tell if your cat’s pee is concerning. Dr Dench suggests:
- Using pale or white coloured litter since it’s easier to spot discoloured pee and blood.
- Layering pads or litter tray liners under the litter. If you use a darker litter that obscures your cat’s pee colour, putting pads or liners under the litter will absorb the urine and make the colour more visible.
- Switching litter types. Silica-based, non-absorbent litters are ideal for cats with recurring urinary issues. It’s easier to see pee colour and collect samples directly from the litter tray.
- Trying a sifting litter tray. This type of litter tray is usually made of two or three layers and is wide, flat, and uncovered, with high sides. The middle tray collects poo and wee, eliminating the need to scoop the litter tray manually. This is one of the easiest and most effective ways to monitor your cat’s urine and stool and collect samples for your vet.
When To See a Vet
Dr Dench says signs that your cat needs vet help immediately include:
- Blood in urine or stool
- Straining to urinate or defecate
- Crying out in pain while using the litter tray
- Sudden changes in pee or poop frequency, like much more or less
- Eliminating outside the litter tray without an obvious behavioural reason
No peeing at all
“An emergency visit is needed if a cat is unable to urinate at all or is only passing a few drops at a time,” Dr Dench says. This is often seen in male cats and is the most significant sign that they’re dealing with a life-threatening urinary obstruction. “Blockages can cause kidney failure within 24 hours, so immediate veterinary attention is critical,” Dr Dench says.
So, while monitoring your cat’s poo and pee routine isn’t the most glamorous part of being a pet parent, it can quite literally save their life.
