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My cat on Prozac pees infrequently. Is this normal or a concern?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 10 years and 7 months old | 19 lbs

My cat is on royal canin kidney wet food. He had a bad stress cystitis flare up ( no crystals) a few months ago and was put on Prozac. Thing is he now only urinates every other day, and a huge amount. He's acting fine and eating well, but it's very abnormal for him. I read a bunch of reports Prozac can cause urine retention in cats as it cuts off signal to brain they need to use bathroom. Vet said to keep him on the Prozac but I don't like him peeing so infrequently. What do I do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Kevin Sanada, DVM

Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 4th, 2017

Yes, it's true that Prozac can cause changes in elimination. However, infrequent urination can have many other causes and given the history of cystitis, I would want to ensure the kidneys are functioning well prior to looking at other causes.

If your veterinarian has ruled out other causes and it appears that Prozac is the cause, then you do have other options for similar types of drugs. However, switching will be a gradual process and all of these drugs tend to have side-effects, so you would have to weigh the risks versus the benefits.

If your cat is otherwise acting, eating and drinking normal, then it's likely that this urine retention is not impacting Duck's quality of life much. However, if you do feel like it really affects Duck, then you can explore other options with your veterinarian.

I hope this is helpful.
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