3 Reasons Why Is A Cat Leaving Wet Spots Not Urine

Being a cat parent isn’t only about fun and cuddling, but it’s also a great responsibility. This means that you’ll have to deal with potential health and behavioral problems in your furry friend.

One of them might be your cat leaving wet spots, not urine.

What could this be about? As soon as you see a puddle of water in your house, you’ll probably immediately jump to a conclusion that your cat has simply peed outside of her litter box for some reason.

But, it seems that these wet spots are not your cat’s urine. What else could this be? Let’s check out three most probable explanations for this occurrence.

1. Drooling

Drooling is mostly related to dogs, and isn’t something you’ll usually see in felines.

However, some conditions might cause your cat to drool excessively, and even leave wet spots that you might think are her urine. 

You can see how drooling in cats looks like in the video below.

Now, let’s look at the most common causes of hypersalivation in cats.

Relaxation

When your cat is fully relaxed, she might drool. This usually occurs when she's asleep, as these are moments when she's entirely at ease.

If you have found wet spots in the place where your cat usually sleeps or naps, this is probably just her drooling due to relaxation.

Excitement

Some cats might also drool excessively when they’re excited or happy over something.

VetStreet explains how certain cats drool as a response to positive stimulation, and this might also be accompanied by purring, or rubbing their faces against the objects of their excitement.

Seeing wet spots that are not urine behind your cat might be surprising, but it sometimes could be a completely bening reason – such as drooling due to excitement.

Foreign Objects

A wet spot could also happen due to your cat ingesting a foreign object.

Some other symptoms you might notice here, behind the wet spots, are your cat sounding congested but showing no discharge, gagging, and refusing to eat.

Ingesting a foreign object can pose significant risks to your cat's health, so it's crucial to contact a veterinarian as soon as you notice any of these symptoms.

Dental Problems

Dental problems are another potential cause of excess drooling, and, therefore, wet spots in your cat.

According to Spruce Pets, gum disease, infections, or tooth injuries might be the reason why your cat suddenly started to drool a lot.

To determine the exact dental problem in your cat, the veterinarian will need to examine her mouth, teeth, and gums. He might suggest professional dental cleaning, or even tooth extraction.

Heatstroke

Excess salivation might also indicate a heatstroke in cats.

If your cat has spent an extended time outdoors during the hot summer without adequate water, she could develop a heatstroke.

Besides drooling, you might also notice restless behavior and rapid breathing in your cat. As the cat gum color chart suggests, a cat with heat stroke might also have red gums due to experiencing a high temperature.

This condition can be very dangerous, so you need to get your cat to a vet clinic as soon as possible.

2. Vaginal Discharge

If you have a female cat, wet spots behind her, that aren’t urine, could be vaginal discharge. This could be any kind of discharge from your cat’s vagina, such as pus, mucus, or even blood.

There are a couple of different causes for vaginal discharge in felines, such as vaginal infection, trauma, or a foreign object in the vaginal cavity.

With pregnant cats, vaginal discharge could be a sign of a dead kitten inside them. 

As soon as you notice wet spots that might be a vaginal discharge, you need to consult your veterinarian. The most important thigh here is to identify the underlying medical problem that caused this symptom in your cat. She might need to get antibiotics.

The only way to prevent this problem in female cats is by getting them spayed, since sterilization is helpful in reducing the chances of vaginal infections.

3. Anal Glands Issues

Leaving wet spots could also indicate that your cat has anal gland issues.

As PetMD explains, cats have two anal glands, or anal sacs on both sides of the anus, and they’re located under their skin.

Leaving wet spots that are brown or tan in color behind could be caused by several reasons in a cat, such as in situations when she’s stressed or scared, or due to rupture.

Furthermore, wet spots could happen due to anal sac disease in cats. Ronald Jan Corbee and his associates [1] point out how visible or palpable perianal swelling is another common sign of this medical condition in felines.

Of course, these symptoms require an urgent visit to a vet clinic. 

When it comes to prevention, one thing you can do is to keep an eye on your cat’s poop consistency, color, and frequency. 

In severe cases of anal gland issues, surgical removal might be necessary. Fortunately, most cats tolerate this procedure well and recover relatively quickly.

Conclusion

Why is my cat leaving wet spots, not urine?

Seeing this can be very surprising for pet owners. In some cases, you have nothing to worry about, since this might just be your cat drooling when she’s fully relaxed or excited about something.

However, excess drooling could also happen due to foreign body ingestion, dental problems, or even heatstroke.

Furthermore, wet spots could be vaginal discharge, or an indication of anal gland issues in your cat.

In any case, the only right thing to do here is to take your cat to the vet for a detailed examination, and to have him discover the exact cause of this occurrence in your furry friend.

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