Blood in Cat Urine: what should I do first?

Most blood in cat urine is caused by idiopathic cystitis (from stress or not drinking enough) or urinary stones (struvite or calcium oxalate). In winter, when temperatures drop and cats drink less water, urine becomes concentrated and crystals form more easily. If you can bring fresh urine (liquid) to the visit, the clinic may not need to collect urine with a needle through the belly, which greatly reduces the burden on your cat.

What should I avoid doing?

Bringing only a litter clump that absorbed the bloody urine to the clinic (litter ingredients mix in and an accurate urine test cannot be done, so always collect it as a liquid). / Leaving collected urine in a warm room for hours (bacteria multiply and the nature of the crystals changes).

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Blood in Cat Urine (Hematuria): Causes and How to Collect a Sample

🚨 Check first

If, along with blood in the urine, your cat is passing no urine at all or is vomiting and limp, it is an emergency. See a vet right away.

📌 The answer in 3 seconds

Most blood in cat urine is caused by idiopathic cystitis (from stress or not drinking enough) or urinary stones (struvite or calcium oxalate).
In winter, when temperatures drop and cats drink less water, urine becomes concentrated and crystals form more easily.
If you can bring fresh urine (liquid) to the visit, the clinic may not need to collect urine with a needle through the belly, which greatly reduces the burden on your cat.

📊 Flowchart

Step 1Check that urine is coming out (that your cat is passing enough urine), and take a smartphone photo of the color of the bloody urine (pink, red wine, blood clots, and so on).
Step 2If possible, collect urine at home (lay plastic wrap or an upside-down pet pad under the slatted grate of a two-tier litter box, or catch it from under your cat's bottom with a ladle or a urine collection container).
Step 3Put the collected urine in a dropper or a clean container and bring it to the clinic within 2 to 3 hours of collecting it to prevent drying and bacterial growth (if that is difficult, keep it in the refrigerator).

⭕ Step-by-step fix

Step 1 · What you can do at home right now
Check that urine is coming out (that your cat is passing enough urine), and take a smartphone photo of the color of the bloody urine (pink, red wine, blood clots, and so on).
Step 2
If possible, collect urine at home (lay plastic wrap or an upside-down pet pad under the slatted grate of a two-tier litter box, or catch it from under your cat's bottom with a ladle or a urine collection container).
Step 3
Put the collected urine in a dropper or a clean container and bring it to the clinic within 2 to 3 hours of collecting it to prevent drying and bacterial growth (if that is difficult, keep it in the refrigerator).

❌ Never do this

Bringing only a litter clump that absorbed the bloody urine to the clinic (litter ingredients mix in and an accurate urine test cannot be done, so always collect it as a liquid).
Leaving collected urine in a warm room for hours (bacteria multiply and the nature of the crystals changes).

📋 Make notes for the vet

Your notes save automatically on this device, so they stay even without a signal at the clinic.

Your cat

Since when

Symptoms and things to tell the vet

The time you collected the urine and how you stored it (room temperature or refrigerated).
Changes in daily water intake, and any recent stressful events (visitors, construction noise, temperature swings, a dirty litter box).
Whether your cat urinated frequently (going to the litter box again and again) before or after the blood appeared.

Urine

Stool

Photos and items to bring

Notes (breathing rate, amount eaten, times, etc.)