cat urination problem

Question
My cat is 10.5 years old.  Up until 2 weeks ago, she always has done a good job of getting to the cat litter box to do her business.  However, now she doesn't like to urinate in litter box.  She has been urinating in a corner of the upstairs.  The surprising thing is though - she will still "poop" in the litter box.  Do you have any idea what is going on?  Also, how many times a day is a cat supposed to urinate?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Mark,

I would say it is time to take her to the vet for a checkup. It sounds like she may have a urinary tract infection or urinary crystals. Both are very painful and the cat associates that pain with the litterbox so she goes elsewhere. They are common and can be treated with medication. She may also have a kidney related problem..

There is no set amount on how often a cat urinates. As they age, they can't hold it as long as a younger cat can so they go more often. If she has a urinary tract infection or crystals then it would cause her to have the urge to urinate even if she really doesn't have much to expel. Also, If she is drinking more water than normal it could be caused by diabetes.

At ten and a half years old your cat is almost 60 years old in human years. At that age things can start giving out. You should have an "older cat checkup" done by a vet that specializes in geriatric cats and their problems...not all vets do. She needs to have her thyroid, liver, and kidney function checked, and blood tests done. As a cat ages this checkup should be done about every 6-8 months. In doing that, a lot of age related problems can be caught early. They can be given treatment or medication that can continue their quality of life and ease any pain, and give you more time together.

Being prepared and knowledgable about elderly cats will make things easier for the cat and for you. I am including some very good links about elderly cats. Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar:

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm

http://www.2ndchance.info/oldcat.htm

I hope this helps.

Tabbi