Cat Behavior - Cystitis and Peeing in the Bath!

by Ted
(UK)

My cat behavior question is about my 15 year old cat. She has just been diagnosed with cystitis.

The way this was noticed was that she urinated in the bath tub, and I could see all the blood.

Why would she urinate in the tub? She has never done this before.


Reply from Liz (Editor): This is a really good cat behavior question, and is something that totaly mystifies many cat owners. There is, however, a logical explanation (logical to the cat that is!)

When a cat has cystitis (in other words, a cat urinary tract infection), it really stings when they pee.

One of the first signs of cystitis in cats is that they'll sudenly start to pee in the bath or the sink. Many owners mistake this for naughty / bad / attention seeking behavior, but the reality is very different.

Because peeing is so painful, I think there are a couple of possible reasons why they switch their toilet from the litter box to the bath. They may well believe that it's the litter box that's biting them on the butt when they're peeing, so they decide to avoid the nasty, vicious thing and find somewhere more comfortable to pee... And where better than a cool, ceramic bath tub that they can cool their hot butt on?!

Whenever a cat starts to suddenly pee in the bath or the sink, they should get taken to the vet without delay. In the early stages of the disease, blood may not be visible in the urine, but the cat should go to the vet whether blood is present or not.

If cystitis is treated early with antibiotics, it's easily cured, and Kitty will start to use his litter box again once he's better.