Not sure how much she is producing, confirm it within the hour

What this tends to look like

• You have seen her going to the box more often, or straining, but not what came out
• Clumping litter that makes it impossible to tell one clump from three
• Several cats sharing boxes, so you cannot be sure whose clumps are whose
• She may be going somewhere you have not found yet
• Possibly licking under the tail more than usual
• Otherwise eating, drinking and behaving fairly normally, which is reassuring but not conclusive

What is usually going on

Everything about a cat with urinary signs turns on volume. A cat straining and producing normal-sized clumps has cystitis: painful, treatable, not an emergency. A cat straining and producing drops or nothing may have a blocked urethra, and that is one of the few genuine emergencies in cat medicine. A blockage kills within 24 to 48 hours through kidney failure and a rise in blood potassium that stops the heart. The two look almost identical from across the room, and the only difference you can see is how much comes out.

We are not going to route you to an emergency page on a maybe, and we are not going to hand you a supplement while the question is open. Instead, here is how to answer it. Empty the litter box completely and put in a thin layer of fresh litter, or better, non-absorbent litter or clean aquarium gravel if you have any. Shut her in one room with that box, water, and nothing to hide under that you cannot reach. Then watch, and check the box every twenty minutes for an hour. What you are looking for is one thing: does a normal-sized wet patch or clump appear.

If it does, she is passing urine and you have time. Book a routine appointment, and the cystitis patterns on this page apply. If she strains repeatedly and produces nothing or a few drops in an hour, or if she cries while trying, stop reading and go to a vet or an out-of-hours clinic now. A male cat in that situation should be treated as an emergency without any further waiting. This is worth an hour of your evening, and it is worth doing tonight rather than tomorrow.

What people commonly use

Educational information only — not veterinary advice. Check with your vet before starting anything new.

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What you can do at home

• Empty the litter box and put in a thin layer of fresh litter, or non-absorbent litter or clean aquarium gravel
• Shut her in one room with the box and water for an hour, with nowhere unreachable to hide
• Check the box every twenty minutes. You are answering one question: does a normal-sized clump appear
• Count how many times she goes to the box and how long she sits there. Repeated visits producing nothing is the danger sign
• Feel gently under the belly toward the back. A bladder that feels like a firm orange and is painful is an emergency
• In a multi-cat house, separate the cats for the hour. Otherwise you cannot know whose urine you are looking at

What progress should look like

How long to give this before you conclude it is not working.

• Next hourRun the check. This is the entire recommendation on this page and it costs nothing.
• If nothing appears in an hourGo to a vet now, or an out-of-hours clinic. In a male cat treat it as an emergency without further waiting.
• If normal clumps appearYou have time. Book a routine appointment and use the cystitis patterns on this page.
• Either way, within a few daysUrinary signs in a cat warrant a urine test. Straining is never something to simply manage at home.

When to stop and call your vet

• Repeated trips to the box producing nothing or a few drops
• Crying or howling while trying to urinate
• A belly that is tense or painful, or a bladder that feels firm and full
• Vomiting, hiding, lethargy, or refusing food, which means it has already gone further