Cat peeing blood

[burt46]

Hi all,

My cat is peeing blood, I took him in a month ago because he was yowling and licking himself. The vet I went to said it was impacted bowels.

I'm taking him to a new vet because I didn't feel like this vet listened to my concerns, I told her I thought he had a UTI.

He's been going outside the litter box for a while, I thought this was because I needed to scrub the litter box but that hasn't helped. Today he peed on my bedsheets and it's bright red blood. He's been growling/yowling and licking at his bottom. He's sleeping right now.

I have an appointment with the new vet at four. I've had more luck getting advice from you all here, so I was wondering if you had any tips or advice? Tests that I should request?

Thanks all ahead of time for the advice

 

[babiesmom5]

Blood in the urine could be several things.  Vet should definitely do a urine culture. Bloodwork may also be done.

I don't know how old your cat is, but in older cats it could be a bladder tumor.  I have a 15 year old cat who has one.

An X-ray or Ultrasound would detect this.  I hope this new Vet listens to you and is more responsive.  Let us know how you make out.

 

[lildee69]

Better get it checked out. My daughter just lost her cat to cyctitis. He was barely a year old. 

 It was a tough loss for everyone. Esp. his sister. 

 

[burt46]

Thanks all!

Just got back from the pet visit. She said she thinks he has Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC). She recommended de-stressing his environment and changing his food to a food made for cats with urine issues.

She was going to take a urinalysis but he didn't have any urine in his bladder. I'm going to pick up pain meds and antibiotics in a bit.

I'm not sure what to do next. I'm definitely going to switch his food and probably try some feliway. She said because he's male that he most likely doesn't have a UTI.

I feel so frustrated still because I still don't have answers. 

I'm thinking I'll go back and get the urinalysis done and then an x-ray/ultrasound, would I need both?

 

[IndyJones]

Actually I heard males are more prone to uti because of their penus. They are also more prone to obstructions. Obstructions can become fatal if not treated immediately.

 

[burt46]

Actually I heard males are more prone to uti because of their penus. They are also more prone to obstructions.

Really? Well I'm glad I'm getting the pain killers and antibiotics now. I'm hoping he'll just feel better after this, but I'll keep a good eye on him.

He just went to the bathroom and he was licking himself and his "member" was out, does that sound like a UTI? I'm going to get some royal canin pet food after this too, that's what the vet recommended.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

I'm not sure what to do next. I'm definitely going to switch his food and probably try some feliway. She said because he's male that he most likely doesn't have a UTI.

I feel so frustrated still because I still don't have answers. 

I'm thinking I'll go back and get the urinalysis done and then an x-ray/ultrasound, would I need both?

Changing my cat's dry food for urinary dry food Did not work for my cat. Anytime he got stressed, he would end up spending two days at the vet's centre because nothing would work. It was horrible seeing his face when he was looking at me, begging me to make the pain dissapear.
However, wet food (basicaly, when it comes to pee, any wet food is better than the best dry one) made the magic for us. No more problems ever since. I do keep a can of "just in case" urinary disolution prescription wet food, but never had to use it. If you can find these last cans ay the moment, I would try giving your poor little one a couple of them, together with the antibiotics and painkillers your vet told you.

IMG_20170330_013654.jpg

• Alejandra Rico
• Mar 29, 2017

 

[burt46]

Thanks so much! I'll get some wet food instead, that will make it easier to give to him. I've also read that putting water in their dry food helps? Thanks for the pic I'll ask my vet about that one too.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

I'm not sure what to do next. I'm definitely going to switch his food and probably try some feliway. She said because he's male that he most likely doesn't have a UTI.

I feel so frustrated still because I still don't have answers. 

I'm thinking I'll go back and get the urinalysis done and then an x-ray/ultrasound, would I need both?

Changing my cats dry food for urinary dry food Did not work for my Cat. Anytime he got stressed, he would end up spending two days at the vet's centre because nothing would work. It was horrible seeing his face when he was looking at my begging me to make the pain dissapear.
However, wet food (basicaly any wet food is better than the best dry one) made the magic for us. No more problems ever since. I do keep a can of "just in case" cristal disolution prescription wet food, but never had to use it. If you can find these last cans ay the moment, I would try giving your poor little one a couple of them, together with the antibiotics and painkillers your vet told you.http://catinfo.org
I read everything on this site, then made the transition to wet food, because everything seemed quite logical to me.
Good luck and keep us informed!

 

[babiesmom5]

I have a female cat (now 15 years old) with Feline Idiopathic Cystitis.  It is manageable, but you have to make some changes and be vigilant.

First, NO dry food at all!  Feed only wet.  Mine gets Purina U/R or Royal Canin S/O, occasionally Fancy Feast when she burns out of the special diet food.

I simmer chicken bones to make broth, freeze it in small containers and add it to her food.  You want to keep lots of liquid flowing through him!  I also provide

ultra-purified water for her...no minerals or impurities which could contribute to forming crystals/blockages.

Also, keep stress levels to a minimum; any stress can result in a flare-up.  Keep litter box immaculately clean!!!  I can't stress this enough.  With 5 cats,

I have 6 immaculately clean litter boxes from which they can choose.  She has not had a flare-up for over 10 years.

Give the antibiotics and the pain meds as prescribed.  Keep him calm.  Feliway may be of help. 

I would go with the Vet's diagnosis even without the urinary analysis.  You should see improvement soon.  If not, take the cat back and then maybe

then his bladder will be full enough to get urine for urinalysis.  I do not think X-ray or Ultrasound is needed at present time.  However, if no improvement

with medication and diet change, then definitely take cat back for further testing.

 

[burt46]

 
I have a female cat (now 15 years old) with Feline Idiopathic Cystitis.  It is manageable, but you have to make some changes and be vigilant.

First, NO dry food at all!  Feed only wet.  Mine gets Purina U/R or Royal Canin S/O, occasionally Fancy Feast when she burns out of the special diet food.

I simmer chicken bones to make broth, freeze it in small containers and add it to her food.  You want to keep lots of liquid flowing through him!  I also provide

ultra-purified water for her...no minerals or impurities which could contribute to forming crystals/blockages.

Also, keep stress levels to a minimum; any stress can result in a flare-up.  Keep litter box immaculately clean!!!  I can't stress this enough.  With 5 cats,

I have 6 immaculately clean litter boxes from which they can choose.  She has not had a flare-up for over 10 years.

Give the antibiotics and the pain meds as prescribed.  Keep him calm.  Feliway may be of help. 

I would go with the Vet's diagnosis even without the urinary analysis.  You should see improvement soon.  If not, take the cat back and then maybe

then his bladder will be full enough to get urine for urinalysis.  I do not think X-ray or Ultrasound is needed at present time.  However, if no improvement

with medication and diet change, then definitely take cat back for further testing.

Thank you so so much!!!

Do you get the Purina and Royal Canin from the vet or can I buy that from a place like petsmart? I just got the science diet urinary wet food. I'll definitely try the chicken broth. I bet I need to get a water purifier of some kind because I'm in Colorado. I just got the litter boxes where you can take the top layer and put it on the bottom so they'll be easier to clean.

I don't know if it's the pain meds or the feliway plugin but he seems to be doing better. I think my other cat has started to bully him or at the very least invades his space and bothers him. But maybe once he's feeling better he won't bother him as much.

I wish I knew how old they are. I think they're around 12 because the humane society told me they were five when I got them. But I'm guessing they're probably older. They've always had bad teeth and each only have a few left.

Thanks so much for the advice, I'm going to do exactly what you said. I don't know what I'd do without this site!

 

[babiesmom5]

The Royal Canin S/O Urinary and the Purina ProPlan UR are prescription diet urinary foods you get from the Vet.  I have never seen them at Petsmart, Petco etc.  There is Science Diet version and a Hills version also you can get from the Vet.  You will have to try several kinds to see which your cat tolerates best.  None of them are great, but my cat preferred the Purina ProPlan canned UR the best, especially if it was a fresh can.  Unfortunately it only comes in the 5.5 oz can.  I usually warmed it a bit if it had been refrigerated.

There is a Purina Pro Plan Focus Urinary Tract Health Formula (salmon flavor and chicken flavor) in the 3 oz cans that Petsmart carries.  Note, this is NOT the prescription strength  kind you get from the Vet.  When my cat got "burned out" on the prescription UR food, I would occasionally mix a bit of the Purina Pro Plan focus Urinary ( salmon flavor) in with her prescription food to keep things going.  I certainly wouldn't try this now with your cat...maybe down the road and only if very stable.

As for water, we have well water so I buy "Penta" ultra-purified water in 1 liter bottles.  You could look for this till you get a water purifier.

For a while, you might want to consider keeping your two cats separated since the one bullies your FIC cat.  He doesn't need any more stress right now!  I would keep him in a separate room with his own very clean litter box while he heals.  Cats that are bullied or feel intimidated around the litter box(especially if they feel pain) while using the litter box, tend to avoid using the box and go outside of it.  My FIC kitty requires complete privacy.  She has her own covered litter box which she uses exclusively, but if I go in the room or even look in there while she is in the box--out she hops.

A Feliway plug in around the litter box might help also.  Here's wishing your cat a speedy recovery!

 

[burt46]

Hi all,

So Cheese is doing much better after switching to wet food and getting painkillers from antibiotics from the vet. Thanks so much for all your help in this!

I've been keeping his litterbox spotless (I now have four total for two cats), have a feliway plugin and I've been incorporating more play time everyday. My theory is that my other cat is bothering him because he has too much built up energy. It breaks my heart to separate them because that usually means one is alone without anyone. I work from home so I'm doing my best to make sure Cheese isn't getting bullied and is able to relax. My "office" is in my bedroom and they both always sleep on the bed when I'm working (or jump on me continually to get some affection ).

I'm still worried about Cheese's stress level. My plan is to get a bird feeder and create a "kitty" space where they can go to get up high or hide, sunbathe and watch the birds. I have some cat trees now but not a definite space.

Cheese loves soupy wet food so it's easy to put some water in his wet food to keep him hydrated. It has been a struggle to get them both to eat all the wet food, they don't eat it and then cry for the dry food.

I've looked up how to check if his bladder is full and I can tell when he's irritated so I'm hoping all of this over time will help and prevent vet visits. They get so incredibly stressed out when going to the vet.

But anyways, he seems to be doing better, thanks for the tips