As a cat parent, it is always a possible cause for concern when you spot something unusual. For instance, we get used to seeing our kitty’s urine a specific color, and when the urine displays an unusual color, it grabs our attention. Always compare yourself to your cat. For instance, what would you think the problem could be if,
- Your urine was orange in color
- Your lower abdomen was tender
- You experience pain during urination
- You had a fever
- You felt lethargic
The first thing you would undoubtedly do is call your doctor to see if you could definitely see them for an appointment ASPS. Your symptoms were enough to alert you that you may be in some health crisis. Now you are saying that your cat has orange urine. Cats can hide an illness until it becomes severe. It is up to you to advocate for your fur baby and practice caution rather than wait too late in getting Fluffy in to see the vet.
I can honestly say that I cannot tell the color of cat urine unless the cat happens to pee outside the litter box or dribble urine elsewhere. Know that a cat’s urine is more concentrated than human urine. And, unless your cat displays other signs and symptoms, you may not notice the orange-colored urine as soon as you should.
Cat urine has a pungent odor that is not easy to eliminate if your cat is peeing outside its litter box. Cats do not pee or poop outside the litter box unless there is a health problem or the cat is older and was never litter box trained.
Most litter is gray-colored, making it difficult to see what color a cat’s urine is after using the litter pan. I have had cats with bladder stones or cancer, and they would start to pee blood in their urine. You can see blood in most brands of litter.
This condition is called hematuria and should be alarming to cat parents unless they know the cat has a disease such as stones or cancer, causing the blood. You can identify the color of red in a litter box. However, trying to see orange pee in gray-colored litter is difficult. Orange is another subject. I do not believe I have seen any cats over the last 30-plus years pee orange urine? I consider myself very fortunate indeed.
Why Does My Cat Have Orange Urine?
Sometimes, humans and cats pee unusually colored urine depending on what they eat. Sometimes the color of medicine plays a part in what color of urine a cat or human pees. Too many foods and medicines contain dyes, which can sometimes pass through the body in urine and turn the urine the same color. As a nurse, I have seen humans pass orange, green, blue, and purple urine, all due to the color of their medicine.
When a human passes dark yellow or orange-colored urine, it can mean that the person is dehydrated, so I wondered if this could be a factor for a cat peeing orange urine. I needed to research this a bit, and according to what the cat professionals say about a cat peeing orange urine. Please monitor the following.
- Note the amount of urine the kitty passes daily.
- How many times during the day does the cat pee in the litter pan?
- Note, if the cat starts to dribble urine or pee outside the litter box.
- Is the cat drinking its usual amount of water?
- Is the cat eating as usual?
- Does the cat seem lethargic?
- Is the cat its usual active self?
- Have there been any changes in the kitty’s litter box routine?
- Does the cat seem in pain or uncomfortable when peeing?
- Has the kitty been ill or had a fever?
- Does the kitty seem in pain or have a tender belly?
- Has your kitty lost or gained weight recently?
- Do your cat’s eyes seem to look yellowish?
- Is your cat urinating more frequently? (a sign of possible UTI)
When cats pass orange urine, I have to wonder if the cat has had access to food sources with the same pigment. The professionals seem to agree on one thing, causing orange urine, a bacterial infection, or kidney infection. Urine with a bacterial infection can have the appearance of being,
- An unusual color, such as orange
- Have a strong odor
- Cloudy urine
- Belly tenderness
- Straining to pee
- Peeing outside the litter box
- Increased grooming of the genital area
- If your cat has white fur, do you notice a yellow tint to the white fur?
When a cat displays bright orange-colored urine, you see an increase in bilirubin, known as bile, which is excreted by the liver. In some circumstances, this bile can spill over into the urine and give the urine a brilliant orange color. The following health problems could trigger the liver in distress such as,
- A bacterial infection
- A virus
- Toxic damage
- Gallbladder obstructions
- A tumor
- Anemia
The vet may want to draw blood to see how high or low the red and white blood cells are, including a platelet count. Orange urine could point to many possibilities, and it takes the expertise of our vet to diagnose and treat. Bladder infections and kidney infections are pretty common in spayed and neutered cats, so the vet will likely do a urinalysis.
What To Do If My Cat Has Orange Urine?
There is not much you can do if you notice your cat peeing orange urine. However, you are responsible for monitoring the signs and symptoms of your cat as listed above and reporting this to the vet is helpful. It is best to practice caution and call your vet to see if you can get an emergency appointment.
- The problem could be simple, such as UTI, being treated with antibiotics and fluids.
- The problem can be complex and complicated, such as liver cirrhosis, the same as humans sometimes get.
Monitoring your cat’s signs and symptoms helps the vet determine why your cat is ill and what needs to be done. Once the vet makes a diagnosis and starts a treatment plan, your cat may be sent home to recover. It is now up to you as your cat’s advocate to make sure you follow your vet’s recommendations and give any medicine to your kitty as prescribed.
Cats are fussy critters about taking medicine, vitamins, or supplements. I have had cats that are a charm to pill, and take medicine well. I have had cats that put up such fights that I had no hope of getting medicine into them.
You are the only one who knows how your cat will adapt to taking medicine. If your cat has a diagnosis that requires medicine, you must make sure that it gets its medicine.
If you do not think you can pill your cat or get it to take medicine, you need to speak to the vet to see if all medicine can be via shot or IV. Your cat may have to spend a few days in the hospital, which can be pricey. However, isn’t your cat worth it to see it well again?
A New Innovation in Cat Litter
I noticed a few months ago that a new, cleaner litter hit the marketplace. This litter is called Pretty Litter. It has white crystals and has no nasty dust to contend with when cleaning the litter pan. This product claims to change color if the kitty has a health issue. I thought that this was really a neat product, although I have never tried it on my six kitties. Perhaps someday.