While owning a kitten can be a rewarding experience, it can also be quite tough. As a kitten owner, you will no doubt be on the lookout for changes in their behavior, and you will also be trying to come up with reasons why this change in behavior has happened. A lot of kitten owners seem to focus heavily on how often their kitten pees. On this page, we want to talk a little bit about the peeing habits of kittens, and whether your cat is peeing too much or too little. This information is based upon a lot of research and years of kitten ownership.
How much a kitten pees depends on their activity levels and the amount of liquid that they consume will have a huge impact on how often they are peeing. However, you can expect it to be somewhere between 2 and 5 times per day.
If you read on, we are going to be going into a bit more depth on how often kittens should be peeing. We will also give you a bit of an idea about how you can work out whether there are any issues with their peeing habits.
How Often Do Kittens Pee?
On average, a kitten older than 3 to 4 weeks old should be peeing between 2 to 5 times per day.
Active kittens will tend to pee toward the upper end of this spectrum. This is because active kittens tend to take in a lot more fluid, and an increase of fluid will require more frequent urination.
If your kitten spends most of the time just hanging around the home, not really doing anything, then we would expect their peeing habits to be far below 5-times per day. In fact, it is probably going to be closer to 1-2 times per day.
Up to 3-weeks old, kittens will not have the ability to pee themselves. Instead, their mother will stimulate their peeing and pooping habits by licking around the bladder area. Because of this, it is going to be tough to tell how often your kitten is peeing until they are old enough to walk around and have full control over their own bladder habits. This will happen between 3-4 weeks old.
For the most part, you do not have to worry if your kitten is slightly out of the average range of 2 to 5 times per day. The only time you should be concerned is if the kitten has a drastic change in its peeing habits. So, if they tend to average 5 times per day and then they are down to 1 time per day, then this could be a cause for concern.
Do You Have to Train a Kitten to Pee In Its Litterbox?
Cats rely a lot on their instincts and as a result, you will rarely have to train your cat to pee in a litterbox.. A cat has a natural instinct to pee and poop somewhere that they can bury it. In the wild, this would be to ensure that they can hide their tracks from other animals. Obviously, this is an instinct that has managed to pass onto domestic cats. Chances are that they will naturally discover the litterbox and they will automatically do their business here. Although, do bear in mind that they may also end up doing it in soil and the like around your home until they are pointed in the right direction.
That being said, most kittens are not going to be making the mistake of not using the litterbox. When the kitten is old enough to move about on their own, their mother will show them the litter box. The kitten will then copy what its mother does. This is something that will continue even if the kitten is separated from its mother later on. The kitten will always be looking for a litter box to pee in.
What Does it Mean if a Cat is Peeing Too Much?
First off, it may not mean much. Do not worry right away. If you have noticed that your cat has started to become a lot more active, then you will probably have noticed that they are drinking more. This is, of course, going to lead to them peeing a lot more. They are also likely going to be peeing a lot more if it is very humid. This is because they will also be drinking more, even if their activity levels do not seem to rise.
Keep on eye out for the following
- Urinating outside of the litter box
- Visible discomfort in the cat
- Change in the smell of their urine
- Lethargy
Then their increased peeing may be a cause for concern. This is because it could indicate that your cat is suffering from a urinary tract infection or UTI for short. While this is a problem that could potentially clear up on its own, we suggest that you head to the vet to have them look over the cat. They may be able to prescribe them some antibiotics which will help to deal with the problem a little bit quicker. Plus, it means that your cat will not be uncomfortable for too long.
What Does it Mean if a Kitten Isn’t Peeing Enough?
If your cat suddenly decreases the amount that it is peeing, then you do have a problem. A cat suddenly peeing far less often means that the cat likely has a condition called Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, or a bladder infection.
One of the first signs of this occurring is if your cat is straining a lot when they try to pee. If you spot your cat heading to the litterbox and not peeing, then there is a chance that they are struggling to pee and this indicates a serious problem. This is because there is a blockage somewhere in the system. It may be due to a kidney stone, or something much worse. This is also an indicator of diabetes.
Over time, the cat may start to avoid peeing. It may also start to show signs of an infection. This may mean vomiting and the like.
This is a problem that needs to be solved as soon as possible. You won’t be able to fix it at home. Your cat needs to get to the vet immediately, particularly if they are a male cat. The vet will need to get to the bottom of the urination problem. This may mean starting to clear up the infection, or removing the blockage.
What Happens if There is Increased Urine Volume?
Increase urination volume in cats is normal as they get older. In overweight cats, it can indicate that the cat may be suffering from diabetes. In kittens, it is going to be a cause for concern.
A lot of people seem to believe that if their kitten is peeing 2-5 times per day, then everything is fine. However, it does not necessarily mean that everything is fine. You also need to pay attention to the amount of urine the kitten is producing each time it pees.
This condition is known as polyuria, and if you notice an increase in the volume of pee that your kitten is producing, then you need to deal with it quickly. This is because polyuria can often be a sign that your cat has an inability to process the water it consumes properly. This may be down to kidney disease, diabetes, or a problem with their thyroid.
Again, this is not really a problem that you can solve on your own. Most of the reasons behind polyuria are tied to long-term illness. This means conditions that your cat may be dealing with for the rest of its life i.e. diabetes or hyperthyroidism. This means that you do need the assistance of the vet in order to ensure that life is as comfortable as possible for your kitten.
How Long Can a Kitten Hold Their Pee In?
Cats are great at being able to hold their pee in if they really need to. A kitten could easily avoid peeing for 24-hours, and an adult cat could avoid peeing for 48-hours.
The problem is that while cats can do this, they shouldn’t be doing this. While a cat will likely have a reason not to pee for this long out there in the wild, they have no reason to be doing it in your home. So, while the internet may say that it is fine for a cat not to pee for 48-hours, it isn’t. It indicates that there is a problem that needs to be resolved.
How Often Do Kittens Pee Final Thoughts
Kittens should be peeing 2-5 times per day. If they are going over or under this, then it could indicate that there is an issue with the kitten. As a result, you will want to keep a close eye on them. This way you can be sure that there are no underlying issues that you will need to deal with. Thankfully, most of the problems can be solved by the vet.
Did you have to train your kitten to use the litterbox or did he/she go on their own? let us know in the comment section below! As always feel free to checkout more interesting cat articles here.