It can be hard to know specifics about your cat’s bathroom habits, especially if they tend to do their business outside. For male cats though, it’s important to keep tabs on how much they’re going to pee, especially if you think they’re not peeing at all.
A lesson in anatomy
In some ways, the anatomy of a cat’s genitalia is very similar to a human’s, at least when it comes to urinating. The urethra, which is the tube that urine travels through in order to exit the body, runs through the whole length of the penis in males. Conversely in females, the urethra is very short. Now if you think about it logically, the further something has to travel, the more opportunity there is for something to go wrong during the journey.
Imagine two pipes, both with water running through them. One is short and straight, while the other is long with a U-shaped bend in the middle. If the water is clear, it’ll run through both pipes with no issues.
Now imagine the water is contaminated with tiny rocks and bits of sand – it’s going to be a bit harder for things to flow through the pipes, but it’ll probably be fine, maybe just not as efficient.
The problem starts when those rocks get bigger and the sand sticks together in clumps. For the short, straight pipe, it’s easy enough for water to still flow through, because there’s not much distance to go. It’s not ideal, but it works well enough.
The long, bendy pipe, however, is in trouble. The gritty water needs to travel further, and it also needs to get past the U-shaped part where it essentially doubles back on itself. Like the drainage system in your house, there’s a risk of bits getting stuck and clogging up the flow, leading to the real emergency when the pipes are blocked completely.
Stones and sediment
Bringing all this back to your kitty – the long, U-shaped pipe is essentially a male cat’s urinary tract. The grit in the urine is called sediment, and it’s made up of microscopic crystals that stick together in clumps, much like the sand in the pipes. If the clumps get big enough, you end up with bladder stones, and this is dangerous territory for a male cat.
If urine can’t pass through at all, this is called “blocking”, and it’s a medical emergency. The reason animals urinate is to get rid of harmful chemicals in the body – if a cat is blocked, these chemicals build up, and they quickly start to affect important organs like the heart. Not passing any wee at all in 24 hours is a serious concern. The longer it goes on, the higher the risk of death, even if the cat does eventually get to a vet.
There are different kinds of crystals that can form these problem stones. Some are treatable with a special diet – prescription urinary diets have a specific balance of minerals that reduce the risk of these crystals forming in the first place. Other types of stones need to be removed with surgery.
Stress and spasms
The other common cause of blocking is urethral spasm. This is when the muscles in the urethra contract, squeezing the pipe and making it more narrow. If the spasm is severe enough, the muscles can involuntarily block the whole passage.
The research still isn't clear why spasms affect some cats more than others. Most vets agree that stress is a huge factor – blocking episodes tend to happen more frequently if the cat has an anxious personality, or is going through major changes in its life. When a cat is blocked because of a urethral spasm, it's recommended that they stay in the hospital with a urinary catheter (a plastic tube that opens up the urethra manually).
Stopping the block
Unfortunately, cats that block at least once in their life have a higher risk of repeat episodes in the future. Some things that owners can do to reduce this risk include:
A prescription diet, if recommended by the vet
Reducing stress in the household, such as making sure the cat feels safe and has places to hide, and minimizing changes in routine
Keeping track of the cat's urinating habits
The last one is especially important, because blocking can happen quickly and suddenly, and it can turn into a serious emergency over the course of a day or two. If you have an idea of what "normal" looks like, it will be much easier to notice when things aren't normal. And once you and your vet figure out what the cause is, you'll be able to figure out a plan together on how to prevent it in the future.
Sources
Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board