Cat straining to pee? This is an emergency
A cat with a urinary blockage can become seriously ill within hours. Come straight in, and call on the way so we are ready.
Right now
Monday – Saturday, 9 AM – 8:30 PM · Tue to 6 PM Mon–Sat 9 AM–8:30 PM · Tue to 6 PM · Sunday closed
Call now
(714) 274-9305 One tap from any phone
Where we are
6937 Warner Avenue Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Why it cannot wait
A urinary blockage is an emergency
When the urethra — the tube that carries urine out of the bladder — becomes blocked, your cat cannot urinate normally. Potassium and waste products can rapidly build up in the blood, affecting the heart and kidneys. This can become life-threatening and requires immediate veterinary treatment.
Watch for:
- Repeated trips to the litter box with little or no urine produced
- Straining or crying while trying to urinate
- Frequent licking around the urinary opening
- Blood in the urine or urinating outside the litter box
- Vomiting, hiding, weakness, or refusing food
- A painful or firm abdomen, or a cat who cannot get comfortable
If your male cat is straining and producing little or no urine, come in immediately.
If you are unsure, call (714) 274-9305 and tell us what you are seeing. We would rather evaluate the situation early than have you wait.
What we do here
Clear the blockage, then find out why
The first job is to get urine flowing again and get the bloodwork results. Both happen here, in the same visit.
- Bloodwork run in our in-house laboratory, so kidney values and potassium are known quickly
- Clearing the blockage under sedation or anesthesia
- Ultrasound and digital X-ray to look for stones, crystals and bladder changes
- Intravenous fluids and pain relief
- An ICU with close monitoring for the cats who need it; most hospitalized patients are monitored overnight by a veterinary technician, with a veterinarian on call
What to expect
Cat-friendly handling and hospital care
Animal Republic is a Gold-level Cat Friendly Practice®, certified by the AAFP and ISFM. Those standards cover handling and hospital design, and they apply to emergencies as much as wellness visits — a frightened cat is genuinely harder to examine accurately.
Most hospitalized patients are monitored overnight by a veterinary technician, with a veterinarian on call; only critically ill patients needing continuous veterinarian supervision are transferred. You hear what we found and what it costs first, and we talk about diet and prevention before your cat goes home, because the blockage can happen again.
Which visit is this?
Choose the Right Care for Your Pet
From routine wellness to urgent and emergency care, it all happens under one roof at 6937 Warner Avenue. The difference is how quickly your pet needs to be seen.
Emergency Care
Open now · until 8:30 PM
Come in now — call on the way if you can.
For potentially life-threatening conditions. No appointment needed.
Difficulty breathing · collapse · severe bleeding · suspected poisoning · a swollen or bloated abdomen · seizures · inability to urinate
Calling on the way allows our veterinary team to prepare for your pet’s arrival.
Urgent Care
Same-day care · Walk-ins welcome
When your pet needs to be seen today.
For problems that should not wait for a routine appointment but are not immediately life-threatening.
Vomiting or diarrhea · limping or pain · ear or eye problems · wounds · decreased appetite · sudden changes in behavior or energy
Wellness & Preventive Care
Appointments available
Keeping healthy pets healthy.
Preventive care and planned medical visits, including wellness exams, vaccinations, dental care, surgery consultations, dermatology, and routine diagnostics.
Not sure which type of care your pet needs? Call us. Tell us what you’re seeing, and our veterinary team can help you determine how quickly your pet should be evaluated.
Common questions
Questions we are asked
Is it the same for female cats?
Female cats block far less often, but they get the same painful bladder inflammation and infections, and they can become blocked. Straining with little output is worth a call in any cat, male or female.
Could it just be a urinary infection?
It might be, and that still needs treating. The problem is that an infection, bladder stones, crystals and a complete blockage all look the same from the outside. Bloodwork and imaging, done here during the visit, tell them apart.
Can I wait until the morning?
If your cat is producing no urine at all, no. We are open Monday through Saturday, 9 AM to 8:30 PM, and until 6 PM on Tuesday. When we are closed, new emergencies are referred to a 24-hour emergency facility.
Come in, or call us on the way
If your pet needs to be seen, call and tell us what is happening. We will tell you what to do next and get ready for you before you arrive.
- Address
- 6937 Warner Avenue
Huntington Beach, CA 92647 - Hours
- Monday – Saturday, 9 AM – 8:30 PM · Tue to 6 PMSunday: closed.
- Phone
- (714) 274-9305