Lily’s Strange Peeing

[Tobermory]

Has anyone seen peeing (or rather the results of peeing) like Lily’s? This strange spreading started just in the past few weeks. I guess I noticed it first in February. Her urine in the past was always the normal rounded clumps. She pees only once a day and there’s a lot of it, but that’s not new. She got upset in the fall (Oct.) when I adopted a new, adult kitty, and she peed outside the box a few times after that. She ended up with struvite crystals in November which we treated. After that, she went outside the box a couple more times, so I took her in again (Dec. 1). The vet did several tests, and the crystals were gone and there were no abnormalities so we figured it was behavioral. She hasn’t peed outside the box again (although she has pooped outside it a couple of times).

I also sometimes find some droplets on the sides of the box. It’s almost as if she’s spraying it. She doesn’t cry when she pees. She doesn’t seem to have trouble urinating. She just pees a large volume, and it’s dispersed across the box. Any ideas?

 

[babiesmom5]

Might Lily have a touch of arthritis in her hips?

The reason I say this is I had a cat who did this on occasion when she did not squat down far enough into the box. She had arthritis in her hips.

 

[Neo_23]

Could it possibly be a bad batch of litter? This happened to me once when I was using wood litter. I received one batch that just wouldn't clump properly and made odd scattered shapes. The next batch I bought was perfectly fine.

 

[Tobermory]

Might Lily have a touch of arthritis in her hips?

The reason I say this is I had a cat who did this on occasion when she did not squat down far enough into the box. She had arthritis in her hips.

That’s not only possible but highly likely and a great suggestion! She has actually become noticeably stiff—including her tail—and limps slightly. I started her on Cosequin two weeks ago and am hoping to see some improvement and more ease of movement. She has also been licking the end of her tail constantly, and I wondered if her tail was hurting and she was trying to ease discomfort. Her sister, Iris, is showing stiffness also, although to a lesser degree. I’ve never had cats show arthritis this young. I was going to give Lily 4-6 weeks on Cosequin, and if she seems to be moving better, I’ll start Iris on it as well. I’ll be on the lookout to see if this “spraying” gets better, too. Thank you!!

 

[Tobermory]

Could it possibly be a bad batch of litter? This happened to me once when I was using wood litter. I received one batch that just wouldn't clump properly and made odd scattered shapes. The next batch I bought was perfectly fine.

That’s a great suggestion, too! My other two cats, however, are producing beautiful round clumps in this very same litter box. Good to know that there can be bad batches of litter. See, that also would never have occurred to me. What a wonderful resource this forum is!

 

[Neo_23]

I think I would do a urinalysis if I were you. They are usually not too expensive. You can just call your vet and tell them the situation and ask if you can drop off a urine sample for them to test, that way you don't actually have to take her in at this point. I wonder if it has anything to do with the acidity of the urine or how dilute it is. Not to scare you, but these could be indicators of other health issues. I think it would ease your mind to just do one.

 

[Tobermory]

I think I would do a urinalysis if I were you. They are usually not too expensive. You can just call your vet and tell them the situation and ask if you can drop off a urine sample for them to test, that way you don't actually have to take her in at this point. I wonder if it has anything to do with the acidity of the urine or how dilute it is. Not to scare you, but these could be indicators of other health issues. I think it would ease your mind to just do one.

Yeah, that’s a good idea given her problems in the fall. I think I’ll take her in and have them draw the urine. My understanding is that the urine you gather at home can sometimes give false readings. Thanks, Neo_23 .

 

[Neo_23]

Yeah, that’s a good idea given her problems in the fall. I think I’ll take her in and have them draw the urine. My understanding is that the urine you gather at home can sometimes give false readings. Thanks, Neo_23 .

You’re right, it is better to take her in if you can, that way they have a fresh and untainted sample (I avoid taking my girl if I can because it stresses her out a lot). Usually you want to make sure she doesn’t eat or drink for 8 hours before they draw the urine too but I’m sure your vet office will tell you everything you need to know.

 

[Tobermory]

I thought I would close the loop on this thread. After six weeks on Cosequin, Lily’s peeing returned to its normal round clumps. It’s been okay since then...probably two months or more. She’s on a maintenance dose of Cosequin now, as is her sister, Iris, whose limping is so much better. So it looks like B babiesmom5 ’s suggestion was on target. Thanks again, everyone!

 

[babiesmom5]

That is great news about Lily... and Iris too...and a big relief for you! No more kitty achy joints!

Thanks for giving us an update. Many times we never know if something suggested works or not. This feedback may help other cat parents facing the same situation.

Give Lily and Iris some extra love strokes from all here.