Other health problems

Cat not Peeing Or Pooping - Causes And Treatment

Cat not Peeing Or Pooping - Causes And Treatment
Cats

See files for Cats

If your cat cannot pee or poo you should go to a veterinarian immediately. In order to maintain an adequate health status, a cat needs to eliminate urine and feces. If a cat can’t pee or poop, toxic substances will accumulate in its body and can result in serious feline health problems. If you notice that your cat is experiencing difficulty urinating, contact your veterinarian so that a professional can work out the cause and treat the problem accordingly.

If your cat or kitten can’t pee or poop, we here at AnimalWised want to help you figure out why. For more on difficult urinating in cats or difficulty defecating in cats, keep reading here!

Contents

  1. Cat not peeing or pooping: kitten
  2. My cat can’t pee or poop: adult cat
  3. My cat can’t pee: what can i do?
  4. Urinary tract infection in cats: home remedies

Cat not peeing or pooping: kitten

Is your kitten having trouble peeing or pooping? First, it is important to know that kittens younger than 3-4 weeks do not know how to feed themselves. Additionally, kittens often cannot urinate or defecate without help. Therefore, as a kitten owner you will be the one responsible for offering the necessary maternal care. So, besides feeding your kitten with a bottle, after each feeding you will have to rub the kittens genitals with a damp cloth or cotton pad. This motion imitates the mothers liking movements. This massage will help the kitten pee or poop. For more, we recommend taking a look at our article where we discuss how to help a kitten defecate.

How long can a kitten go without peeing or pooping?

If you notice that after several tries at helping your kitten defecate or helping your kitten urinate it doesn’t, then there’s a problem. When it comes to kittens, any problems, especially when it comes to not peeing or pooping, can be fatal!

Cat not Peeing Or Pooping - Causes And Treatment - Cat not peeing or pooping: kitten

My cat can’t pee or poop: adult cat

If an adult cat is not urinating or defecating there is a big chance that it is also not eating or drinking. If your cat doesn’t pee or poo for more than a day, this is a sign of a serious health problem.

There are many pathologies that occur which can result in anorexia, dehydration and/or apathy in felines. A cat will not urinate when they suffer from urinary problems. Common urinary problems in cats could be a symptom of:

  • Urine infection in cats
  • Kidney failure in cats
  • Kidney stones in cats

These such obstructions can cause a cat to stop peeing or pooing. There are also some psychological problems that can explain why your cat is not peeing or pooing. For example, stress can inhibit elimination in cats. Therefore, if you have just adopted a cat and notice that it may be scared or stressed, expect that it may struggle to pee or poo. For more, we recommend taking a look at our article where we cover the 5 symptoms of stress in cats.

How long can a cat go without peeing or pooping?

A cat should pass no longer than 24 hours without peeing or pooping. If your cat has not pooped or peed in over two days, take it to the veterinarian.

My cat can’t pee: what can i do?

An adult cat pees about 2- 3 times a day and will defecate 1-2 times. If you suddenly observe that your cat is peeing less than usual take note of whether or not they are eating and drinking as they normally do. If your cat is peeing less than usual or if your cat is pooping less, take a look at these following points regarding urinary problems in cats:

  • If your cat is drinking less than normal, there are ways you can encourage your cat to drink more. For example, try using large cat drinking troughs. Water in motion is often more attractive to cats and will offer them fresher and cleaner water. For more, we recommend reading our article where we tell you why your cat isn’t drinking water.
  • Offering your cat wet food can help the cat consume more fluid.
  • Ask a veterinarian for a blood test to check for any infections or diseases.
  • Make sure you feed your cat a high quality diet with a sufficient amount of fiber which favors intestinal transit.
  • Constipation in cats cannot be ignored. If your cat is constipated, offer it malt or olive oil. This, however, should only be done once approved by a veterinarian. For more, take a look at our article where we tell you everything you need to know about intestinal blockage in cats.
  • If your cat’s elimination is altered by stress, the first thing to do is find out what the primary cause of the stress is. For example, if you have just brought home a new cat, make sure to approach it calmly, offering it a quiet, calm and warm environment. If you notice that a day or two have passed and your cat is still not eating, drinking, peeing or pooping we recommend consulting a veterinarian or speaking to an expert in feline behavior.
Cat not Peeing Or Pooping - Causes And Treatment - My cat can’t pee: what can i do?

Urinary tract infection in cats: home remedies

If your cat is suffering from a urinary tract infection it is usually not advised to treat it at home. However, in order to ease the discomfort until you reach a veterinarian, there are some options. Blood in cat urine home remedies include:

  • Offering your cat Uva Ursi leaf
  • Juniper berry.
  • Offer your cat one or two doses of Echinacea.
  • Nettle herb.
  • Blueberries.

As with medications and all home remedies for cats, you should always consult your veterinarian before offering your cat anything new or changing your cat’s diet. In addition, all herbs or natural remedies should be offered to your cat in appropriate quantities to avoid side effects. For more, take a look at our article where answer ‘‘Why is my cat urinating blood?’’

This article is purely informative. AnimalWised does not have the authority to prescribe any veterinary treatment or create a diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian if they are suffering from any condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to Cat not Peeing Or Pooping - Causes And Treatment, we recommend you visit our Other health problems category.

Write a comment

Add an image
Click to attach a photo related to your comment
What did you think of this article?
3 comments
Rating:
Sox
She is an adult cat and I noticed she hasn't pooped in a few days is there anything I can do for her besides taking her to the vet today
Rating:
tina Fredette
Our cat is 14 yrs/ old, she recently started pacing around the house, and yesterday and today so far she is not peeing or defecating. We are unable to go out because of the virus going around, so have not been able to get her to our vet. Any help from you would be greatly appreciated.
Administrador AnimalWised
Hi Tina,

It will depend on your location, but veterinary surgeries should still be open. Give them a call, detail the symptoms and heed their advice.
Becky Nelson
My seven year old female cat seems to be having a hard time pooping. Wondering what the causes are. Thanks.
Administrador AnimalWised
Hi Becky,
As the article mentions, if your cat can't poo for more than a day, this is a sign of a serious health problem. It is best to go to the vet and get a professional diagnosis.
Good luck!
1 of 3
Cat not Peeing Or Pooping - Causes And Treatment