# Smaller-sized pee clumps in litter box?



## sgtpeppersmom (Jul 23, 2012)

Hi friends!

So my 4-year-old has been very good about eliminating inside his box - no problems there - but I have noticed that the clumps of urine have been smaller than usual for the past couple of weeks. His water intake looks unchanged, he doesn't display any signs of pain or discomfort when he pees, and he's active and playful. Should I be worried? He is exactly the same except for the clumps. I just thought I'd ask since I know males are more prone to urinary issues.

Thanks so much!!
Christina


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I would definitely be concerned. What kind of a diet is he on? The best way to get more water into him is if he is eating a wet food diet, then you can be sure he is taking in much more water.


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## sgtpeppersmom (Jul 23, 2012)

He gets 1/4 cup of dry food twice a day, then I give him 1/3 of a can of wet food over a fews days' time (refrigerating the leftovers), and he's got a Drinkwell fountain for water. He doesn't seem to be drinking more or less than usual, just judging from my daily monitoring of the fountain levels..


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I'm sure you have heard the debates on here about what food is best. I am a firm believer in wet food only, because I have had a male cat with major urinary issues, and it was when he was on a dry food diet. I changed him to wet food 5 years ago, and we have not had any more problems. Now, I know that some cats still have issues even when they are on wet food, and it is not always a cure all, but I do know that for many cats, a simple diet change such as feeding all wet food, and them getting more water, does make all the difference. It did in my cat, which is why I'm so passionate about this topic. I think the fountains are great......I am actually looking into buying one of them, but I don't think it's enough. Dry food has very little moisture content at all, and wet food is about 78% water. Cats on dry food diets more often suffer from constipation ( just like humans who don't get enough water) and urinary problems. So I'm not sure if putting your cat on all wet food, or at least predominately feed wet food, will solve everything, but it could, because you really don't know what is going on with your cat. I think if there is very little urine output in the litter box, that is a sign that something is going on, crystals, blockage, UTI, something, and it is very good that he is still able to go and doesn't seem to be in pain, but he should be going way more than just leaving tiny pee clumps. That is a sign to watch for.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

So, that's half a cup of dry daily and 1/3 of a can wet daily? I hope you mean 1/3rd of a 5.5 oz can, since otherwise that's _a lot _of food... that said, more wet food than dry is important, cats do not drink enough to make up for the difference in wet food intake vs dry, and in the wild they do eat moist (raw meat) foods, and don't have a strong thirst drive because of it.

I would for sure be concerned. How many pees, what size?

We can only speculate, but it could be a lot of things, including crystals, which are very serious and can be life threatening.

I recently had Jasper in because he was doing about nickle sized pees over 10 times every day, I took him in as soon as I noticed... turns out he was stressed, anxiety was making him pee a lot more. The urinalysis came back normal. Even though he acts like a normal cat, when he's off the drugs I notice he's back to doing more pees... not quite as many as he was when I rushed him to vet, but not the normal daily numbers... I'll take him having some extra pees due to anxiety over the drugs however, and work on helping him be as unstressed as possible.

Cats should normally have 2-4 pees daily.


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## sgtpeppersmom (Jul 23, 2012)

howsefrau32: i've definitely heard both sides of the debate, and have decided that sarge should totally get more wet food into his diet. his vet believes that the dry food is good for his teeth, but i don't see why that means he shouldn't get wet food more often than once every few weeks. and he does suffer from constipation!! i've got more to think about..

carmel: yes, 1/3 of a 5.5 oz can, sorry! and this is all so good to learn about the importance of wet food. i'll have to pick some more up tomorrow and start him on a modified diet right away. and i hadn't thought about anxiety/stress at all, but that is actually HUGE - two weeks ago (when his clumps started to shrink), he had a stressful interaction with a stray cat while we were out of town visiting my parents for the 4th of july weekend. he wasn't the same for the rest of the trip and was very sad. now that we're back home, he's gotten much better, and his behavior is all back to normal except for literally just the clump size. he's playing and everything. he's peeing about twice a day, which is his usual, and i'd say they're about the size of a golf ball (two golf balls when it clumps)? 

i hadn't thought about stress at all but that makes an INCREDIBLE amount of sense.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Ugh, if I hear one more vet give the "dry food is better for the teeth" debate. My vet does not agree with this, and totally supports the beliefs of Lisa Pierson, Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health , and says if that were the truth about dry food, then why does all of the cats that he sees in his practice that only eat have dry food have the worst teeth? He's not saying wet food is BETTER for the teeth, he's just not buying into the whole "dry food will keep them with clean shiny teeth", that is bogus. And for the ones that do believe that it is helpful, then let them have a small amount of dry food per day, while feeding a wet food diet. Hopefully with that additional wet food....and mix some water in the food also, to get even a little more water in the diet, you will start seeing a lot more peeing.


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## artiesmom (Jul 4, 2012)

Hello, I may be late to reply but I have found out a lot of things lately about pee clumps.

It could be related to stress. The stress could cause a bladder issue. Very common in males. It is called FLUTD. It is painful to cats.
Or it could be vice versa. Stress does bring it on. When it is not a bladder infection, it is called iFlutd. 
Small clumps of pee can also be from stones or crystals. A Vet visit is required; especially if the small pee clumps occur

A Wet diet is better for cats. 
Also add some water to their wet food and try a water fountain. Most cats do not drink water. One Vet told me that there is a theory that cats are always in a somewhat dehydrated state because they really are not water drinkers..Also found out from another Vet that iFLUTD and FLUTED are much more common in males and more common in orange males.

I found all this info the hard way--over the past 6 weeks....Good Luck..

:cat3


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

artiesmom said:


> Hello, I may be late to reply but I have found out a lot of things lately about pee clumps.
> 
> It could be related to stress. The stress could cause a bladder issue. Very common in males. It is called FLUTD. It is painful to cats.
> Or it could be vice versa. Stress does bring it on. When it is not a bladder infection, it is called iFlutd.
> ...


Sorry that you found this out the hard way.....I did too. At least you now know, and you have a vet who is giving you good info. And that's why we are all here, cat people helping other cat people out, trying to help them avoid these sad situations down the road, that sometimes can be avoided. After you go through it with your own cat, you can't help but try to inform others. I still remember sitting in the waiting room with Taffy, him in his carrier, and me just quietly sobbing, and one of the techs coming up to me asking me what was going on, and I was barely able to choke out the words "he can't pee".....in this very melodramatic way that is just the person that I am :razz:, I can't help it. But I hated it, and I wanted to do whatever I could to try to prevent that from happening. And we were lucky, the diet change so far (knock on wood) has been enough and he has never had any more problems in that area. It makes me so sad when I hear of other people's cats having these problems, it takes me right back to that waiting room and how I felt.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

sgtpeppersmom said:


> his vet believes that the dry food is good for his teeth, but i don't see why that means he shouldn't get wet food more often than once every few weeks. and he does suffer from constipation!! i've got more to think about..


Oy...it doesn't matter if the cat develops urinary issues, kidney disease, diabtes etc. He'll have pearly whites. Gotta love some of these vets! (not that he really will have good teeth) Lack of water also contributes to constipation. 

The hot weather may be contributing to the smaller clumps (even if you have A/C). The body uses more water when it's warm. So even though his intake hasn't increased (cats have a low thirst drive) his body may be using it, so he's not excreting as much.

Definitely increase his wet food...you'll be doing him a favor.


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## Busterboy (Apr 6, 2013)

Get him on wet food before you get stuck with a $500 bill for a blockage that could also turn into a 2500 bill for pu surgery if it's bad enough. Ask me how I know. 

Not sure if it applies, but if it's a money issue put him on friskies special diet.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Your cat's kibble diet is ABSOLUTELY the cause of his constipation. Constipation is the result of insufficient water in the digestive tract to soften the stool as it forms. Canned cat food (and a cat's natural prey diet) is close to 80% water. Most kibbles are around 7% water. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that kibble diets are dehydrating and don't come even remotely close to meeting a cat's hydration requirement. Cats can't make up that sort of fluid deficit by drinking water. They just don't have enough thirst drive to do so. So, kibble fed cats are chronically dehydrated. Dehydration = hard stool.

The moral to this story is, ditch the kibble and feed your cat canned food exclusively. Make the dietary switch gradually to give his digestive system time to adjust. Your cat will be MUCH healthier both over the short and long terms.

Laurie


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## sgtpeppersmom (Jul 23, 2012)

doodlebug: ahh, the hot weather! why have i not thought of this?? i live in DC and we're currently in the middle of our biggest heatwave so far this season. it's 1030 am right now and already 90 degrees! i've kept the A/C on all day and haven't been opening the blinds to my apartment too much, just to make sure he stays cool. that makes sense too! i'm starting to feel a lot better about all this, thanks to all of you!

busterboy: while of course having to pay for an expensive procedure would be hard financially right now, it's not the reason i haven't taken him to the vet yet. i haven't taken him because he is not behaving differently at all except for the size of the pee clumps changing. he and i played a lot this morning, and whenever i've watched him pee (which has been often over the past two weeks), he never exhibits any signs of pain or discomfort. i've been waiting to have something more to work with before taking him to the vet, since he literally hasn't changed personality-wise and seems very comfortable and content.

i'm going to buy some more wet food today on my lunch break!!


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

If he's eating and drinking fine, being playful, urinating golf ball sized clumps comfortably, I see no reason to take him to the vet. When a cat develops a urinary problem, he will pee small amounts VERY frequently and often outside of the litterbox. He will usually lose his appetite, may go into hiding, and may exhibit pain while urinating. There may also be blood in the urine (but not always). Anyway, in the absence of all of those symptoms, I wouldn't be concerned about his current condition.

Laurie


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## Busterboy (Apr 6, 2013)

sgtpeppersmom said:


> doodlebug: ahh, the hot weather! why have i not thought of this?? i live in DC and we're currently in the middle of our biggest heatwave so far this season. it's 1030 am right now and already 90 degrees! i've kept the A/C on all day and haven't been opening the blinds to my apartment too much, just to make sure he stays cool. that makes sense too! i'm starting to feel a lot better about all this, thanks to all of you!
> 
> busterboy: while of course having to pay for an expensive procedure would be hard financially right now, it's not the reason i haven't taken him to the vet yet. i haven't taken him because he is not behaving differently at all except for the size of the pee clumps changing. he and i played a lot this morning, and whenever i've watched him pee (which has been often over the past two weeks), he never exhibits any signs of pain or discomfort. i've been waiting to have something more to work with before taking him to the vet, since he literally hasn't changed personality-wise and seems very comfortable and content.
> 
> i'm going to buy some more wet food today on my lunch break!!


I think I came off wrong. Wasn't suggesting taking him top the vet, I was just trying to reinforce the fact that wet food is crucial, esp for a male. That is all. 



laurief said:


> If he's eating and drinking fine, being playful, urinating golf ball sized clumps comfortably, I see no reason to take him to the vet. When a cat develops a urinary problem, he will pee small amounts VERY frequently and often outside of the litterbox. He will usually lose his appetite, may go into hiding, and may exhibit pain while urinating. There may also be blood in the urine (but not always). Anyway, in the absence of all of those symptoms, I wouldn't be concerned about his current condition.
> 
> Laurie


This. Mine was throwing up, hiding, going to the box w/ little to no output very frequently, no appitite, ect ect. As long as you know what to look for you'll know when somethings wrong.


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## sgtpeppersmom (Jul 23, 2012)

busterboy: you didn't come off wrong at all! all the wet food advice is super helpful - especially since there have been a couple of instances when he's had trouble eliminating, but then once he's had wet food, he's regular again in the blink of an eye. and honestly, i feel like a pretty paranoid kitty mama most of the time, and usually start considering the vet before, y'know, critical thinking 

laurief: thank you so much for your words of reassurance! it's really helpful to have a list of symptoms to look out for if urinary issues ever become a problem. and with an increase of wet food in his diet, sarge will think i'm the awesomest mommy ever!!


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

artiesmom said:


> Also found out from another Vet that iFLUTD and FLUTED are much more common in males and more common in orange males


It's because of their anatomy that males get it more often/more seriously. It would be found more often in orange males simply because between orange and black, they are really the two main genetic colors of cats, and orange cats due to genetics are 75% likely to be male instead of female. In reality it feels like the percentage is even higher.


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## artiesmom (Jul 4, 2012)

Just wanted to comment. I was feeding Artie both wet and dry food because I was out of the house for long hours. He stopped eating the dry food on his own and has been eating exclusively wet for months now. He had a bad attack of iFLUTD recently. Five Vet visits, including and E-Vet withing a 2 week period. I honestly think it was his food. long story
Bottom line, Artie is now in very early kidney failure, but we think the entire episode was increased by stress and the iFLUTD. He is now on urinary prescription food (he hates it), fancy feast, reg royal canin, and some nutro. It is better he is eating than not. I mix the prescription food with the others. 
Each time I gave him a specific food, his health backslide and he was back in the Vets. That is why I am convinced it was the brand of food. 
I did learn that stress is a key factor in iFLUTD. 
The importance of small pee clumps is enormous. It means a urinary tract issue..and pain for the kitty.

I hope the original poster has taken his cat to the Vet. It is a very painful medical problem.


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## sgtpeppersmom (Jul 23, 2012)

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to give an update since you all have been so awesome with helping me figure this out - I've slowly been modifying Sarge's diet so that he gets more wet food every day, and he's doing GREAT!! His pee clumps are roughly back to the same size they were, and all his other behavior is just like always. He seems very happy and comfy 

Thank you all SO much for your help and insight - this forum is seriously the best. I don't know what I did before it


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