# Cat urine with no odor? Is it even urine?



## Noc

Recently (as in off and on for a few months now) one of my cats has decided to only occasionally use the litterbox. We have three litterboxes set up and two cats. She will frequently pee in corners, even though we keep the boxes very clean. The weird thing though is that the urine doesn't have an odor... I only know it's there because I've caught her in the act and know where to check. I put my nose right next to it and barely smell a thing, even when it's still wet. She's been to the vet recently because her anal glands were impacted, but I didn't ask about her peeing- I thought she was just being picky or temperamental or it was otherwise behavioral, but should I get it checked now? Is it unusual for urine to not smell? I'm used to it being AWFUL. If this is not unusual, I'd really rather save the vet trip, because I'm sure not made of money recently in this economy (US user here...)

If it's a UTI, wouldn't she have no control over where she peed? Because she's picking the same spots over and over, and when I clean and cover up the spots, she just pees right next to where I covered them up. She does still sometimes use the litterbox, too.


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## laurief

A UTI or urinary crystals is certainly a possibility. If she has a UTI or crystals, it's possible that she's only producing a few drops of urine at a time, so that may account for the lack of odor.

The lack of urine odor also makes me suspicious of kidney failure. Cats in renal failure lose the ability to concentrate urine, so their urine is very diluted. You would almost certainly have noticed a substantial increase in her water consumption, though, if she was in renal failure.

Laurie


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## cjh27

Hi Noc,

if you caught your cat in the act its urine :wink: , though I can't tell you why you can't smell it? Cat urine smells particularly awfull if the cat has not been spayed, could it be that your cat has been spayed recently?

Anyway- YES, you should have your cat checked by a vet, it might be wise to take a urine sample to the vets practice as well.

In generall cats are very clean animals- a cat that is peeing elsewhere is in some distress. If your cat has UTI this is painfull for her and in general cats start associating this pain with their litter box and thus start avoiding it. It is quite characteristic for cats with UTI to avoid their litter box.

Once you've been to the vets you should know if your cat is sick (UTI) or if her distress has another source. Other sources could include a dominant cat that won't let her get to the litter box or generall stress with another (new?) cat in your household.

Best wishes for your cat,

christine


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## Noc

I guess she's off to the vet, then. She's been spayed for a while, so it's not recent (the shelter spayed her before she came home with us- she was only a kitten, maybe five months old). it's certainly not a dominance issue, since she frequently bullies the other cat and definitely calls the shots. 

About the excessive drinking... I don't see her do it often, but when she DOES drink, she'll sit there for a minute or two straight doing nothing but drinking. If I fill the bowl in the morning, it's bone dry by night- but I _do_ have two cats. Does any of that constitute excessive?

Also, um, newbie question... how do I get a urine sample? Do I just pick a litter clump and bring it in? I can't exactly tell her to pee in a cup... :lol: I do know I'll have to isolate her in a room with the box so that I only get her urine and not the other cat's, though.


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## cjh27

:lol: :lol: best call your vet in advance and ask if he'd like one.

So how do you do it? 

Method A) hold a ladle under your cat when she's umm, busy. This can be quite comical but don't give up too easy :wink: 

Method B) Cover the litter tray with plastic foil (leaving it a bit slack) over the pebbles and wait untill your cat uses the box. You should then be able to collect a clean sample.

Store it in your fridge.

But first call the vet and ask how it should be stored :wink: 

Don't worry if this shouldn't work- your vet should be able to collect a urine sample in the vetenary clinic- its just easier on the cat if you can get a sample yourself without much fuss.

Christine


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## laurief

How much water does your bowl hold? If they are drinking it dry, you need to use a larger bowl or provide a second bowl. Cats should NEVER be without water.

Laurie


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## Noc

There is also a larger (never dry) bowl for the dogs that they will drink out of when their normal water bowl is empty. I tend to notice it pretty quickly, usually before it's all the way dried. I'm in the habit now of refilling it two to three times a day, but didn't used to be. Their normal bowl is about the average cat bowl size. I don't know the exacts on how much water it holds. Regardless, they're never all the way out of water- they just only share the bowl with the dogs if there are no better options.

I was reading the symptoms for kidney failure, and one of them is hunching over the water bowl- she does that! She'll fall asleep with her chin resting on the edge of the bowl sometimes, too... ack, I'm so worried now.


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## cjh27

Noc said:


> I was reading the symptoms for kidney failure, and one of them is hunching over the water bowl- she does that! She'll fall asleep with her chin resting on the edge of the bowl sometimes, too... ack, I'm so worried now.


Hi,

first of all- don't panic. Kidney failure is common in older cats (10+) but not really in younger ones. Go to the vet and have her checked out but don't expect the worst :wink: 


Christine


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## laurief

As Christine said, kidney failure is fairly common in elderly cats. It can also occur in younger cats, but not nearly so frequently. Even if your girl does have kidney disease, there is much that can be done to manage the disease, esp. if it's caught early.

Another disease that can cause excessive thirst is diabetes. Is your girl overweight, by any chance? How is her appetite? Again, if she has diabetes, it is a manageable disease. In fact, many cats with diabetes go into spontaneous remission.

When you go to the vet, request a full blood chemistry. That'll tell you about her organ function (including her kidneys) and blood glucose level. A urinalysis will help diagnose UTI, and a quick check under the microscope will tell if she has crystals in her urine.

There is no need to panic. It's still perfectly possible that your girl's inappropriate elimination is strictly behavioral and that she's completely healthy. Just get her checked out and have a blood test and urinalysis run so that you can get some answers.

Laurie


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## cjh27

p.s. if money's a bit of a problem have the urine tested first (Struvite and UTI) as this is more likely to be the cause of her peeing, if this does not result in a diagnosis have the blood chemistry done next :wink: .

As mentioned before- no need to panic just yet. We'll tell you when you should start to panic :crazy 

Christine


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## Noc

Phew, that's good to know... she's definitely not old, only 3 years old. She is overweight, though. She doesn't eat as often as my other (thinner, older) cat does, but when she does eat, it's like her drinking- she doesn't stop eating for a pretty long time. Unfortunately, I have to use one of those automatic food dispensers for them, because the thinner cat will freak out and gorge herself on food until she throws up if it isn't constantly available (she inhales it like a vacuum!), and I can't be around to give her several small meals a day. So it's kind of hard to monitor exactly how much they eat, especially since I'm gone during the day. I can only closely observe them in the evenings, because it's the only time I'm able to be home.

I think I'm just used to worrying about her, she was sick with EVERYTHING when I adopted her. So she's just my sickly little (big) girl  But anyway, good to know it's probably not the kidneys. Of course I'd pay for whatever I needed to, but I was soooo not looking forward to another big vet bill for her!

Now I just need to hope it's not some unabsolvable behavioral issue, because on top of it all, I'm trying to get this house sold... cat pee doesn't do much for a house's value :?


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## OsnobunnieO

the good thing about checking the urine first is that even if there is no infection, it can point to kidney failure or diabetes. 

Hope you get some answers soon!


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