Pets, too, must hydrate

Urinary tract problems in pets are easy to miss but the solution is simple: get them to drink enough water 

- Nameeta Nadkarni

Gucci has been urinating outside her litter box. I guess she's doing it to get even with me for leaving her with a sitter last week," a pet parent chuckled as he casually introduced me to his cat. This is when I understood how frequently pet owners tend to misread signs that might indicate an illness. If a cat who regularly uses the litter box starts to urinate outside it, she likely has a urinary tract infection or another illness related to the urinary tract.

Blood in the urine, increased frequency of urination, and straining while urinating are the most visible symptoms of a urinary tract issue. Pet owners typically become aware of a problem at this point. However, some of the signs can be even more subtle, particularly in cats. When cats urinate in the litter and strain to urinate or have blood in their urine, it becomes very difficult to discern. Therefore, one should watch out for even the tiniest signs of something being out of the ordinary in cats.