My senior cat's urine smells sweet or has no odor. Should I worry?

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes it may be normal for a kittens urine to have a stronger odor especially if the urine is very concentrated. You may want to try feeding an all canned diet with water mixed in to help reduce the urine concentration. However, sometimes a UTI can cause a change in urine odor. As long as Beasty is using the litter box normally and not having urinary accidents or going urinating small amounts frequently, I would be less concerned about a UTI. However, if changes in her urination habits occur (like straining to urinate, frequent urination, crying while urinating) or if she stops eating or drinking or becomes lethargic it would be a good idea to schedule a vet visit. Also, if the urine odor persists you may want to bring a sample to your veterinarian to have it evaluated. I hope this is helpful!

Urine is mostly water and urea which is a waste product of protein breakdown. Urea can develop into ammonia NH3 > NH4 which is why your cat litter smells like ammonia. You should empty out the litter completely more frequently (less deep litter with frequent cleaning is preferable for your cat). If your cat is older you should consider taking her in for blood testing to check her kidney function. There is a new test called SDMA which can detect early kidney disease.

As you likely know, cats normally have very concentrated urine which has a very strong smell to it. If Tommy's urine does not have an odor to it, it might be because his urine is no longer as concentrated as normal. (Urine can actually look and smell like water if it is not concentrated.) I would strongly recommend having your veterinarian check Tommy's urine to make sure that it is normal. It might be a sign of something more going on internally, so your veterinarian may also recommend some bloodwork. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

An unusually sweet or fruity smell coming from your cat can be indicative of diabetes. I highly recommend that you have your cat examined by his/her veterinarian ASAP. With proper treatment, diabetes is a managable disease in cats.

Sounds like your cat has something affecting her nervous system and it is pretty severe. He nerves innervate the eyes, influence her stance, her gait and also her mentation (ability to be aware of her surroundings). Several things can affect the nervous system including toxins, chemicals, liver shunts, primary brain stem lesions and tumors, and severe liver disease. I would highly recommend taking her in to your vet for baseline bloodwork and radiographs to start. Her lab work findings will help them pinpoint what is going on with her internally so that you can best help your furry friend. There really isn't much you can do for her at home until you know exactly what is going on with her and then get the vet to prescribe medications to help her condition. I hope she feels better soon.

Poor Gabby! If she seems like she's feeling unwell, is having frequent accidents, or you suspect an issue it would be best to bring her in for a checkup to your local vet. Bringing in a urine sample (if possible) or having the get one is best as they can use it to run a urinalysis to check for issues such as infections, glucose in the urine, etc. Other symptoms you may see that can indicate a urinary issue include increased vocalization, accidents, cloudy or bloody urine, straining to go, dribbling urine, frequent trips to the litter box, changes in weight/appetite, and changes in thirst/water intake. Be sure to let your vet know if you've seen any of these additional signs.

Hello! I'm afraid it sounds like Kit T Kat may have diabetes, but unfortunately there is no home remedy for this! She needs to have some bloodwork done, and, if she has diabetes, may need to be on insulin. Sorry to hear about this! Hope you are able to take her in.