Case summary A proximal urethral stricture was diagnosed by retrograde urethrogram in a 2-year-old female neutered cat, which was referred following a 2-month history of stranguria, pollakiuria and urinary incontinence. Cystoscopic examination confirmed the presence of a severe narrowing of the proximal urethra near to the bladder neck, consisting of a membrane arising from the urethral mucosa. Fluoroscopy-guided balloon dilation was performed. Twelve months after the procedure, the cat did not show any recurrence of clinical signs. Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, this is the first report of a proximal urethral stricture in a cat. Management by fluoroscopy-guided balloon dilation proved to be a successful and minimally invasive option with an excellent outcome.