Q&A

Causes: timid personality (leaks when scared/excited), young age (immature bladder control), old age (declining function), or disease (cystitis, UTI, stones). See a vet if unsure.

This often signals urinary disease - idiopathic cystitis, urethral spasm, stones or obstruction - or stress and low water intake. See a vet to find the cause.

These signs suggest urinary blockage, likely from a urinary tract issue (urethritis, cystitis, stones, kidney disease). This is an emergency — get to a vet quickly, as blockage can cause kidney failure fast.

Yellow, concentrated urine in cats is most often caused by not drinking enough water, but it can also signal urinary tract disease such as urethritis or cystitis, or dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea. If you also notice frequent urination, straining, blood in the urine, or gastrointestinal symptoms, take your cat to a veterinarian promptly.

If not in heat, correct with gentle discipline and rewards for using the litter box. If in heat, it's instinctive - neuter a week after heat ends.

2-3 days before: more drinking and frequent urination. Just before: abdominal pain, licking genitals, pacing, nest-seeking. Prepare a nest with clean bedding and food.

Excited urination is a normal physical reaction - puppies have poor bladder control, so when they're excited, nervous, or scared their bladder muscles contract and they leak involuntarily, usually outgrowing it. Reduce emotional stimulation, keep exercise up to burn energy, and redirect excitement with a sit or shake command.

Bloody urine in cats generally won't resolve on its own. Causes range from poisoning, trauma, urinary tract infection, and bladder stones to reproductive tumors, leukemia, and candidiasis (and in females, vaginitis or pyometra). Apart from mild trauma, most cases are unlikely to self-heal, so have a vet identify the cause and treat it before it worsens.

A dog with a red tissue mass protruding from the urethra, reduced appetite, lethargy, and weight loss may have penile inflammation, a genital tumor, or another growth. Veterinary examination is needed to confirm the cause.

Licking the genitals can be normal grooming, a heat sign, or a symptom of urinary-system disease that needs a vet check.