My cat is spending more time in the litterbox, is he having trouble urinating?
Either that or he has learned how to read magazines! Spending more time in the litterbox usually means one of 2 problems, gastrointestinal or urinary. Both are fairly common. Having problems defecating can mean your cat is constipated; more fiber in the diet is needed. Enemas might also be indicated. This can progress to a more serious problem called Megacolon which may require surgery, so just to be safe have your pet seen by a veterinarian. Spending more time trying to poop might also be colitis, inflammation of the colon; it is also seen in cats but causes a diarrhea characterized by mucus and blood streaks. Believe it or not it might be caused by stress (or one of 20-30 other causes). Antibiotics and special diets are used to treat idiopathic colitis (idiopathic means we can’t determine the cause). If your cat is straining to urinate he probably has FLUTD which stands for Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. This is a serious condition and can lead to total obstruction (blockage) of
