Normal urine in cats is yellow with a characteristic odor. Faced with the fact that the urine of a pet has acquired a dark color, breeders sometimes do not attach importance to this. However, this fact should be a cause for concern, because it indicates the health problems of the animal.
The main reason for darkening of urine in cats is the presence of blood and bacteria in it. This is due to the presence of crystals in the urinary tract or due to inflammation. But there may be other reasons as well. In any case, darkening of urine in an animal is a reason for an immediate visit to the veterinarian.
Dark urine may be due to a clotting disorder. In this case, the cat should have pinpoint subcutaneous bleeding, known as petechiae.
Infections and stones in the urinary system
Urinary tract infections respond better to treatment than uric acid crystals. However, the consequences of infection can be quite severe. The bacterial infection most often takes an ascending character and, reaching the kidneys, can cause serious disruptions in their work. Prolonged infection causes the cat to lose weight due to the loss of proteins. Also, due to the fact that bacteria increase the pH of urine, struvite, stones that cause great suffering to the animal, can form in the bladder. In most cases, a genitourinary infection in females is much more dangerous than crystals (for males, a blockage of the urinary tract is characteristic). If the analysis of the urine of the animal shows the presence of both infection and crystals at the same time, then it is difficult to say exactly which problem is primary and which is secondary. Just as infection can lead to the formation of struvites, the crystals themselves, attacking the walls of the bladder, can cause an infection. In any case, veterinarians prescribe antibiotics and recommend special meals.
Dehydration
The urine can turn dark, or rather dark orange, due to dehydration, so make sure your cat is drinking enough fluids. Canned food is preferred over dry food, so if you have problems, consider adding wet food to your pet's diet.
A blood disorder called thrombocytopenia, in which a low level of platelets in the blood is found, can also cause dark urine.
Reproductive system
If we talk about females, then the darkening of urine may be due to diseases of the reproductive system, in which dark, bloody discharge from the genitals of the cat enters the urine. We are talking about such serious diseases as ovarian cancer, neoplasia, as well as inflammatory processes of various etymologies.
Estrus
Heat is a natural process that indicates a cat's readiness to mate. In this case, the animal has menstrual discharge, which can enter the urine and stain it dark. If the cat has all the signs of estrus, then darkening of the urine is not a reason to go to the veterinarian.
