One day I drove two hours with my cat to a new home on a rough road; the cat cried the whole way. At the new home it drank less, had blood in its urine, and low volume—sometimes normal, sometimes bloody.

Severe stress in cats can trigger blood in the urine. If this happens, take the cat to a vet promptly for ultrasound and blood tests to rule out bacterial infection. Generally, if crystals are found in the urine, it is most likely feline idiopathic cystitis.

This condition requires following the vet’s advice—give soothing medication, encourage more water intake, and keep the environment stable to reduce the cat’s stress. If the cat becomes unable to urinate (blocked), seek immediate veterinary catheterization to avoid urethritis and kidney failure.