Why Does My Cat Urinate When Sleeping?

Cats that pee in their sleep usually have an underlying problem causing the incontinence.  Treatments are available for urinary incontinence in cats.

Reasons Why Cats Pee in Their Sleep

Most cats hold their urine during the day but when they fall asleep, urine seeps out when their muscles relax.  This happens most often to aging female cats that were spayed.  According to the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary medicine, the condition is known as “spay incontinence, hormonally-responsive incontinence or urethral sphincter mechanism incompetency”.

Lower urinary tract disease can also cause a cat to urinate in sleep. Overweight cats and middle aged cats that do not get regular exercise are apt to contract urinary tract disease. They urinate often outside the litter box and in their sleep. Veterinarians diagnose urinary tract disease with X-rays, blood tests and an urinalysis. If the tests are positive for urinary tract disease, antibiotics are prescribed to combat the disease.

How to Stop a Cat from Urinating While Asleep

• Veterinarians prescribe hormone therapy to female cats that urinate in their sleep.  The usual prescription calls for phenylpropanolamine and estrogen hormone replacement.  About ½ to ¾ of the treated cats respond positively to the treatment.  
• Many cats that urinate during sleep undergo surgical correction if hormone therapy is not effective.  Surgery is risky and often does not stop the incontinence.
• Veterinarians also perform collagen injections to prevent urinary incontinence in cats.  They inject collagen into the urethra, which cause it to swell.  The swelling puts pressure on the urethra preventing the urine from leaking. Collagen injections are safe and effective but need to be repeated every 18 months.

What to Ask the Vet about Cats Peeing in Their Sleep

• Treatment options available. 
• Risks involved with each procedure and how effective the treatments are.  The veterinarian will often recommend a particular treatment depending upon the cat’s health, whether it is a male or a female, or the age of the cat. C
• Cost of all medical procedures that treat cat incontinence.  If the cat is too old to risk treatment or the cost is prohibitive, try added measures to protect the floor, furniture, and carpeting from cat urine stains. 

How to Protect Furniture and Carpeting from Pet Urine

Cat urine smells and stains are difficult to remove.  Preventing the cat urine from staining furniture and carpets is the best thing to do.  Follow these tips for keeping pet urine stains and odors out of your house.

• Keep a sheet of plastic or a waterproof pad under the cat’s bedding to prevent the floors from absorbing urine.  
• Wash the cat’s bedding daily in an odor fighting enzyme solution that is available at pet stores.  Enzyme cleaners remove urine odors completely while other cleaners only mask the smell.
• Cover furniture with waterproof covers until the cat is treated for incontinence or keep the cat confined to its own area.  It is difficult to contain cats because they jump over gates and high barriers.  It may be necessary to have the cat sleep in a crate during the night rather than risk ruining the furniture.