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.  

November is National Pet Diabetes Awareness Month

This article about diabetes in dogs was taken from The Edmund Sun. It is of great interest to all pet owners and makes us all aware of the symptoms of Diabetes in pets.

DR. M. MARGARET KING
The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — Today 50 percent of our pets are overweight or obese, which certainly can predispose them to developing diabetes. Both dogs and cats develop the same two types of diabetes seen in humans. The greater majority of dogs develop Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus where the body simply does not produce any insulin.

Most cats, on the other hand, develop Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. In cats the disease is due either to not producing enough insulin or an inability to utilize the insulin that is produced in the body — the same as Type 2 diabetes in humans. We know the obese cat is certainly more prone to developing diabetes. This type of diabetes also may develop secondary to another disease such as pancreatitis.

With either form of diabetes, and in both cats and dogs, insulin is the primary means of control. Oral hypoglycemic medications may work in a few cats but only in 25 percent to 30 percent of cases. Giving a once or twice daily pill to a cat is way down the list of fun things to do for most cat owners.

It is essential to achieve good control of blood glucose levels as soon as possible and to maintain them by checking on a regular basis. Injectable insulin, professional care and in-home monitoring can help ensure a good maintenance of blood glucose levels. Your veterinarian will want to initially regulate your pet, but easily can teach you how to better maintain your pet’s glucose level at home on a daily basis. This is a disease that will require close contact and an open channel of communication between you and your veterinarian.

Treating and caring for a diabetic pet takes a huge commitment in both time and dollars. Regular administration of insulin is a must, so sacrifices may need to be made to get the pet an injection at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. everyday, or 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., or just once in the morning but on a regular basis. This is another reason that in-home monitoring can be so helpful in that exact insulin needs can be met. There is a new in-home kit made by abbott that is specific for cats and dogs, has a lancet that can be used on the ear vein and does not have to be converted over from the human glucose meters.

Initial symptoms of diabetes are excessive thirst and urination, possible sudden weight loss and frequent urinary tract infections. Lack of energy and listlessness also are on the list. If you are having your pets checked by their veterinarian every six months as is recommended, the odds are you will find out about the disease early and be able to provide for a longer, more comfortable life with great diabetic control. Remember, pets age about seven years for each calendar year, so a once a year examination is like us waiting seven years for a check-up. A lot can happen during this time. As with all diseases or bodily changes, the earlier we detect a problem, the better chance we have of fixing it.

The ounce of prevention applies here also in that you must find ways to keep your pets’ weights down in a normal range. A change in diet to lower calories, fewer treats, a feather on a stick for playing, a laser light to chase or a good walk around the block for your special canine buddies will help a lot. Simple changes in lifestyle can make a huge difference with time and by making it a habit, it is good for you and for your pet. If you need help with any of these preventive measures just ask your veterinarian.

DR. M. MARGARET KING, a longtime Edmond veterinarian, is a guest columnist. If you have any questions for her, send them to 1900 S. Bryant, Edmond, OK 73013.