A cat's healthy urine is fundamentally no different from yours and should offer the same color range of yellow to amber. Any change in color, frequency or texture typically indicates an underlying medical problem and merits a visit to the vet for diagnosis and care.
Healthy Kidneys
Your cat's kidneys keep him healthy by flushing toxins out through his urine. Every drop of blood in your cat's body is pumped through the kidneys for filtering to prevent the buildup of toxic substances that result from the normal metabolite process. These two built-in filters also regulate the salt and electrolyte balance in the body, control blood pressure, and stimulate bone marrow to produce red blood cells.
Kidney Problems
Because your cat's kidneys do so much for his overall health, and because there are two of them, evidence of kidney problems can sneak up on you or look like a completely different health condition. One common symptom of a medical problem is inappropriate elimination, which essentially means your cat starts peeing or pooping outside the litter box. Urine that's brown or red contains blood and could point to a problem with his kidneys. He could have kidney stones or an infection, or he could suffer from kidney disease. In you notice any change in your cat's urine or litter box usage, call your vet.
Overall Urinary Tract Health
Kidneys are just the starting point of your cat's urinary tract. Filtered and concentrated urine must flow from the kidneys into the bladder, where it collects until Mr. Snippy decides to go to the litter box. Any one of these organs, as well as the tubes that connect everything, can become injured, damaged or infected. That would cause your cat pain, discomfort and the inability to go potty normally. Crystals or stones might appear in his urine if his kidneys aren't filtering properly, and it could appear cloudy. Obstructions can completely block him from going to the bathroom at all.
Treatment
Your cat's urinary tract problem can cause big problems if not corrected. Unless you know that his inappropriate elimination is caused by other stresses or by just orneriness, have your vet perform a checkup to rule out any hidden medical conditions. In most cases a round of antibiotics takes care of any underlying infections. But more intensive care or even surgery may be necessary to correct your kitty's potty problems.
Always check with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet, medication, or physical activity routines. This information is not a substitute for a vet’s opinion.
References
Writer Bio
Jane Williams began her writing career in 2000 as the writer and editor of a nationwide marketing company. Her articles have appeared on various websites. Williams briefly attended college for a degree in administration before embarking on her writing career.