Straining to Urinate

Straining to urinate, what vets call dysuria or stranguria, is one of those signs that's easy to underestimate but should never be brushed off, especially in cats. It looks like your pet is trying hard to pee, spending ages crouched over the litter tray or squatting outside, sometimes crying out, with little or nothing coming out. Owners often mistake it for constipation because the posture can look similar, but the two need very different responses.

In dogs, straining is most often linked to bladder inflammation (cystitis), a urinary tract infection, or bladder stones. VCA Animal Hospitals note that dogs with cystitis may spend several minutes squatting and straining to produce only a small amount of urine, and may urinate more frequently than normal. Stones form when minerals in the urine become concentrated enough to crystallise, and Cornell's veterinary college points out that these most commonly form in a dog's bladder or urethra from urinary tract infections and changes in urine pH. Left unchecked, a stone can lodge in the urethra and block urine flow entirely, which is a surgical emergency.

Cats deserve extra caution, particularly males. A male cat's urethra is narrower and more prone to becoming completely blocked by crystals, mucus plugs, or small stones, and International Cat Care explains that in the run-up to a full blockage you might notice your cat urinating more frequently, straining, appearing uncomfortable and possibly passing blood in their urine. Once the urethra is fully blocked, the bladder cannot empty at all. According to PetMD, this is a genuine emergency because life-threatening consequences can occur in as little as 24 hours, and death from untreated obstruction may occur within 24 to 48 hours. The danger comes from toxins and potassium building up in the blood as the kidneys back up, which can affect the heart's rhythm.

The signs worth watching for in either species include:

• Frequent trips to the litter tray or repeated squatting outdoors with little or no urine produced
• Crying, straining, or obvious discomfort while trying to go
• Blood-tinged urine, or urine appearing in unusual spots
• Excessive licking around the genital area
• Lethargy, vomiting, hiding, or going off food if things have progressed

If a cat seems to be straining with nothing coming out, that's not a "wait and see" situation. As the MSPCA-Angell puts it, because the condition can worsen so quickly, any cat that is straining in the litterbox should be brought to a veterinarian for evaluation. For dogs, straining is a bit less immediately dangerous but still merits a same-day or next-day vet visit, since infections, stones, and in older male dogs prostate problems can all look similar and need different treatments. A vet visit typically involves a urine test and sometimes imaging to work out exactly what's behind the straining, so the right fix, whether that's antibiotics, a diet change, or in urgent cases catheter placement to relieve a blockage, can be started quickly.