• Urinary tract infections can occur in a cat at any time.cat face image by Viktor Korpan from Fotolia.com
  
  A cat's urinary system clears wastes and toxins from the blood. The kidneys filter the toxins out of the blood and concentrate them into urine, which passes to the bladder via the ureters. Once the bladder is half-full, muscle contractions push the urine out of the body through the urethra. Bacteria can infect any part of a cat's urinary tract because of the warm, moist conditions. Cats can hide pain or discomfort, so they might not show symptoms in the earliest stages of a urinary tract infection. But as the infection grows and spreads, telltale early symptoms will emerge.
  
  

Urination

• One of the first signs of a problem with a cat's urinary tract is a change in its urinary habits. Inappropriate elimination, or urinating outside the litter box, indicates your cat is not feeling healthy. Changes in the amount of urine and the frequency of litter box trips usually accompany urinary tract infections. Cats also might strain or make a pained cry while trying to urinate.
  
  

Behavior

• Your cat might avoid the litter box or spend long periods sitting or standing in the box because of pain or discomfort from urination. Your cat might spend more time licking or grooming its genital area. It also might drink more than usual to try to flush the infection from its system. Lethargy also is common in cats with urinary infections.
  
  

Other Changes

• A urinary tract infection can produce sudden incontinence, resulting in your cat's abdomen feeling hard or distended. If your cat is able to urinate, the urine could contain blood or carry a strong smell of ammonia. Vomiting and dribbling of urine from a loss of bladder control also can be symptoms of a growing urinary tract infection.