How often do cats go to the bathroom?

Life is all about routine for many cats and poop is no different. If you’re a cat carer, you might know your cat’s bathroom routine, so you’ll notice when something changes. In this article, we’ll answer the question: ‘how often do cats go to the bathroom?’, and what’s normal?

Key points:

1. Your cat’s age, diet, water intake, environment, and health status will affect how often they pee and poop.
2. Kittens poop more often than adult cats.
3. A change in the appearance or frequency of your cat's pee and poop could indicate a problem.

How often should cats poop?

Answering ‘how many times a day should cats poop?’ isn’t a simple question to answer, because every cat is different. However, most cats poop at least once per day. Cats may poop more or less often due to their age, diet, and environment, so it’s not always something to be concerned about. However, if you’re thinking ‘well, my cat poops 5 times a day’,  this is a little more than the expected norm, so it’s worth getting them a check-up at the vet. If your cat poops a lot and it’s a loose consistency, they might have cat diarrhea caused by worms, an infection, or another health issue.

But what if your cat poops less often? If your cat poops every other day and always has, this is likely normal for them, as long as they’re not straining and their poop looks normal. If they used to poop daily, and now they don’t, or if there’s straining or something else abnormal about how the cat poop looks, it’s best to seek veterinary advice. The vet may recommend increasing their water intake, changing their cat food, or giving a laxative.

But what if you’ve got a kitten? Do kittens poop more than cats? Well, yes, they usually do. In fact, if you’ve recently welcomed a kitten into your home, you might be thinking ‘why does my kitten poop so much?’. Again, answering ‘how many times should a kitten poop?’ is a little bit tricky, because it depends on how old they are, whether they’re weaned, and how often they’re fed. We’ll cover more on how often should kittens poop later in the article.

Characteristics of healthy and unhealthy cat poop

A cat poop can say a lot about your cat’s health. Normal cat poop is usually brown, formed, and easy for your cat to pass without too much effort. On the other hand, abnormal kitty poop is a different color or consistency to your cat’s normal poop, and may contain blood, mucus, or worms.

How to tell when something’s wrong with your cat’s poop

A change in the color, consistency, or frequency of your cat’s poop could indicate a health problem. For example, a cat pooping a lot could be a sign of a health issue like worms or an infection, especially if they have cat diarrhea or other symptoms. However, if they’ve always pooped a lot, or you’ve recently changed their cat food, it might not be anything to worry about. Similarly, your kitten may seem to poop all the time, but that can be quite normal for young kittens, as long as the poop is normal and they are well.

How often should cats urinate?

So, we’ve talked about pooping, but how often should a cat urinate in 24 hours? Again, this can be quite variable and will depend on your cat’s age, diet, water intake, and lifestyle. However, cats should pass urine at least twice a day. If you don’t think your cat pees that frequently but they seem healthy, consider whether they’re peeing outside or elsewhere.

Characteristics of healthy and unhealthy cat urine

Healthy cat pee should be yellowish in color, with no signs of blood, and your cat should pee easily without straining or signs of discomfort. If you notice that the urine looks a strange color, contains blood, or that your cat is in pain, can’t urinate, or is passing urine frequently, they need a vet check as soon as possible.

Factors that can affect a cat’s bathroom habits

How often cats poop is affected by the following factors:

Age

Often cats poop less per day than kittens.

Water intake

Cats and kittens who drink less water may poop less.

Diet

Cats and kittens who eat only dry cat food may poop less often.

Health problems

Infections and inflammation, parasites, constipation, a gut blockage, nerve and spinal problems, and megacolon can all affect how often your cat poops and what their poop looks like.

Activity level

Cats who are more active are more likely to pass urine and feces more frequently.

Environmental factors

The type and cleanliness of your cat’s litter box and cat litter and whether they have outdoor access can affect whether they hold their urine and feces.

How to get your cat to pass stools or urine

If your cat can’t pass urine, this is an emergency as a blocked bladder can be life-threatening. Therefore, it’s important to get help from a vet as soon as possible. It’s also important to get your cat checked by a vet if they seem constipated. Alongside any treatment that might be necessary, increasing your cat’s water intake with a water fountain or adding water to their cat food will help to keep them hydrated, helping them pass urine and feces more frequently. You should also make sure you provide a litter box and cat litter style that suits their preferences and keep their litter box clean.

It’s really important to get an appointment with the vet if your cat’s bathroom habits change without an obvious cause (like a change in cat food) or if they seem unwell. Symptoms like being unable to pass urine or feces can be really serious, and blood in the urine or feces, diarrhea, or frequent urination also often require medical treatment.

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Meet our veterinary expert, Hannah

This article has been written by veterinarian Dr Hannah Godfrey BVetMed MRCV. Hannah graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2011 and worked in mixed practice for a few years before focusing on small animal work. Clinically, she worked in a busy, multi-center hospital practice until 2018, where she underwent training in advanced canine and feline dentistry and began working towards a Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice. She then moved to a local independent practice to care for the pets nearby, allowing more time to focus on other career avenues, which include writing for a diverse range of pet websites, vet practices, drug companies, journals, and veterinary educators.