If you have a pet cat, you must understand everything about the cat. When you understand everything about your cat, you can relate to it well and understand its habits and daily life. Every animal pees, including humans; however, the number of times a cat pees in a day is different from that of other pets.
An average cat pees about 2 to 4 times a day; however, the number of times a cat pees varies depending on several factors. The cat’s diet, water intake, humidity, and heat determine the normal amount the cat should pee. Different cats have a different number of times they pee.
As a pet cat owner, you must understand the logic of how a cat pees and how often it should pee. You should also study your cat well so that you know when it needs to pee and let it out of its carrier.
How Long Can A Cat Hold Their Pee?
Cats are small animals that you can take with you on a road trip or traveling, especially if you do not have a cat sitter. However, when you take your cat on a journey, one of the biggest fears you will have is if the cat should pee in your car. It might be a problem getting cat’s pee off your car seat and getting rid of the scent.
In scenarios like this, the main question on your mind will be how long a cat can hold its pee. Most cats can hold their pee for about 24 to 48 hours without any problems. However, if a cat should hold its pee longer than 48 hours, it might be suffering from an infection or health issues.
The period a cat can hold its pee differs for different cats depending on their age, medical conditions, how much they eat, supplements they use, what they eat, and their metabolism rate. A healthy young adult cat can hold its pee longer than a kitten or an elderly cat.
When a cat has not peed for more than 24 hours, some factors can cause this. Addressing those factors is important as a cat holding its pee for too long can damage its bladder. One of the main factors is stress; you might think that a cat cannot suffer from stress because it is not a human, but that is not true.
Another thing that prevents a cat from peeing when it should is if it has a bacterial infection. During travels with a cat, it might develop a urinary tract infection, preventing it from peeing when it should. In cases like this, you should visit a veterinarian to help cure this infection.
A cat’s urinary tract might also be obstructed, which will prevent the cat from peeing. In cases like this, you should immediately take the cat to the veterinarian because such an issue can lead to the cat’s death if it is not treated on time. When a cat has a blockage in its urinary tract, it will cause pain if it is trying to pee, so it might avoid peeing.
A male cat is more likely to have a urinary tract blockage than a female cat. When a cat is suffering from this health issue, its urine might contain blood. As a pet cat owner, you should watch out for these symptoms and not let your cat go too long without peeing so that you do not cause kidney malfunction in the cat.
How Often Should Cats Pee And Poop?
Cats are said to have evolved from the arid, dry regions of Mesopotamia, where water was very scarce, so they developed ingenious systems to preserve water in their body. A healthy, adult indoor cat will pee at least twice a day.
The frequency a cat will pee and poop depends on various factors, including humidity and heat, water consumption, liver problems, bladder infections, hormonal imbalances, etc. So, it is essential to know if your cat has any health issues because they will affect how often it pees and poops.
Some cats will pee five times daily, this is also perfectly normal, but that would be a significant increase for other cats. So, if your cat pees only once or twice daily and suddenly starts peeing four times a day, that should give you the signal that there is a problem.
Also, if you have a cat that pees four times a day but begins to urinate less, there is a health issue. If you notice any change in the frequency your cat pees, you need to take the cat to the veterinarian for a medical checkup.
Now, the average time a cat goes to poop is once a day, and it should be without discomfort or difficulty. Factors that affect how often a cat will poop are; age, feeding habits, exercise frequency, underlying medical conditions, medications, and supplements.
Kittens will poop more frequently than adult cats because they regularly suffer mild digestive issues and are still developing. However, this occurs when the cat has just been weaned and is adjusting to kitten food. Nevertheless, if there is a significant change in the number of times your cat poops, you should take it to the vet for a checkup.
More like this: Cat Is Pooping Outside The Litter Box
How Often Do Cats Go To The Toilet?
Even if your cat goes to the toilet without you getting involved, it is imperative to know how often it is supposed to go, so you can monitor it to identify if there are any health issues. On average, a healthy adult cat will go to the toilet about three to five times daily.
When cats go to the toilet, instinct will make them dig a hole and bury it up when they go to the toilet. This habit starts when the cats are about seven weeks old, although some cats will leave it bare. The habit varies according to different breeds of cats.
Instead of your cat having to dip up a hole when it needs to go to the toilet, you can train it to use a litter tray or a litter box. A litter box is a container or receptacle with a material known as cat litter inside; the cat uses it as a toilet. It is best to introduce litter boxes to your cat when it is still a kitten.
Litter boxes are perfect for indoor use, especially when your cat cannot go outside because the weather is very cold or the ground is wet, or your cat is too lazy to go out. Cats can sense danger and fear, so this can also be a reason your cat does not want to go out to use the toilet.
What A Cat’s Pee Says About The Cat
The color of your cat’s urine says a lot about your cat’s health; the color of a healthy cat’s urine can vary from dark brown to clear. It is also normal for a cat’s urine to be amber or yellow; any other color is a sign of health issues. Green or blue color can signify bacteria growth, and milky, white color signifies inflammation.
Dark urine, also called hematuria or bloody urine, is a cause of alarm. It can result from Idiopathic Cystitis, an inflammation of the bladder, and usually affects younger cats. Trauma, cancer, urinary tract infection, and urinary blockage are also causes of dark urine.
Final Thoughts
There is no specific number of times a cat must go to the toilet; it varies among different breeds. The best you can do is study how often your healthy cat goes to the toilet normally, so you can know when there is an increase or decrease in the frequency and take the appropriate action.
Further Reading:
- Blood In Cat Urine: Home Remedies
- What Do Cats Like To Eat? Cat’s Favorite Foods
- How Long Do Calico Cats Live? Do Female Calico Live Longer?
- Can Cats Eat Chicken? What To Consider And How Much Is OK?
- At What Age Do Cats Stop Growing? How Big Will Your Cat Get?

Shawn Manaher is a serial entrepreneur but when he isn’t working, he loves dogs. He’s owned different pets over the years, and always gives a part of his heart to each pet.