Mia peed blood this afternoon

Moonlight_wolf

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Well I didn’t see that it was bloody, the vet just told me she had a lot of blood in her urine when I brought her to the vet. She was just using the litter box super frequently and I thought it was weird so I made an appointment with the vet later in the day.

Right now I’m just waiting to see if it’s a UTI or some other thing, feline lower urinary tract disease or something. I sure hope it’s a UTI so it’s something fix-able. She’s on a mild narcotic now for the pain but now it’s just a waiting game

But I have a couple questions if anyone cares to answer.

1. If she does have feline lower urinary tract disease is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening again? She is fed a wet diet and has tons of stuff to play with and climb on and I play with her every day. I just don’t like feeling like there isn’t anything I can do. The vet said it wasn’t her diet and he said that if that is the problem then often stress triggers it. But I don’t know what’s stressing her out so I don’t know how to help her. She doesn’t seem stressed but I know cats hide their feelings well.

2.With either condition is her vitality effected. Is it going to have an effect on how long she lives or how well she lives or will it just be an unfortunate thing that happens every so often? I just don’t want my baby to die or anything bad to happen to her (even though I guess the peeing blood happened to her, but I don’t want anything worse to happen.

3. I hear that when cats are in pain when urinating they will often urinate outside the box. Mia has been very good and hasn’t done that, but is there anything I can do as a preventative measure to encourage her to not urinate outside her box? She’s on some narcotic the vet prescribed so hopefully she isn’t in as much pain anymore but I still used treats to lure her into the litter box just to make sure she knows it can be a good place too. I don’t know if that’s silly or will do anything 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks guys! I’m just really sick with worry. I spent most of the day crying like it was the end of the world but the people at the pet pharmacy were very nice.
 

stephanietx

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FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) covers a broad spectrum of urinary disorders. If she's peeing blood or has a lot of blood in her urine, she could have crystals or just a urinary tract infection. There's a lot you can do to help her. One is to use a calming agent such as Comfort Zone or Feliway, some of the drops from Spirit Essenses, maybe change her to a raw diet, and add supplements such as corn silk, CBD oil, D-Mannose (for bacterial UTI). Many cats will have a UTI and never have one again. Other cats will have recurring infections. There's a lot of information out there for urinary kitties.
 

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She was just using the litter box super frequently and I thought it was weird so I made an appointment with the vet later in the day.
Good for you that you got her in.

The vet will have information for you as well when they give you the test results, and you'll be able to get more definitive answers.
 

Jemima Lucca

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This happened to my son’s cat after she jumped and missed hitting the side of the bathroom cabinet counter. It was an injury to the kidney which wasn’t fatal or anything. She was put on antibiotics in case of infection. She is happy and healthy and this was 2 years ago. Did your cat land wrong in that area? Keep us updated ❤
 
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Moonlight_wolf

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Thanks for the replies guys!

She actually is on a raw diet. Commercial Primal at the moment but I didn’t know if Raw actually helped with that sort of thing, I just know that the fact that her food is moist is supposed to help with urinary stuff.

I might buy some feliway, just to see if it’ll help calm her. Does anyone know if narcotics can cause insomnia in cats? Because I just woke up and Mia is in the same place she was where I left her last night. And she usually doesn’t do her deep sleeping on the floor where she was. 🤔 So i don’t know if she’s uncomfortable because of her urinary symptoms or if it’s a side effect or something. She slept normally the previous night.

She’s 4 and never had any other urinary problems so I’m hoping that means she isn’t super prone to these things cuz this is the first time it has happened. I always convinced myself she wouldn’t have urinary problems cuz she’s on raw and I even add water to it to give her extra moisture and she has a water fountain and everything.

And I mean I don’t think she hit anything that I know of. She’s often getting into shenanigans so I wouldn’t put it past her, but nothing that I’ve seen.
 
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Moonlight_wolf

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And now after some stressful internet searches I am now concerned about what if she has a blockage of her urinary tract?? She only peed one time since coming back from the vet at 6:00pm. It’s now 3:15 AM. And it was only a tiny amount of pee. The vet would have been able to tell if she had a blockage right? And/or she wouldn’t be able to pee at all if she had a blockage right?

She last peed around 6:30pm ish. And as I said, it was a tiny pee. How long can a cat go without peeing before you need to worry. She hasn’t attempted the litter box since (Unless she did during the short time I was sleeping, but the litter is undisturbed and I don’t smell any pee so I don’t think so) so it’s not like she’s straining and nothing is coming out. But I’m still worried.
 
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Moonlight_wolf

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She’s still asking for treats and eating them so she hasn’t lost her appetite so far. Which is good.
 

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Which is good.
That is good! I can't help with you other questions, I'm sorry, but wanted to send lots of prayers!!

The vet would have been able to tell if she had a blockage right? And/or she wouldn’t be able to pee at all if she had a blockage right?
Has the vet gotten back to you yet? What you might do is gather your questions from this thread and email them to your vet. That way you could have the written replies as a reference.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Feeby (15+ yo) had a series of UTIs over the past couple of years, but never once did the vet think she needed pain meds for it. So, I am curious if the pain meds were just a precaution while you wait for the results of the urine testing. And, I am also curious how long you have to wait for the results so you can start antibiotics if needed.

How often did she pee before this all started? You probably ought to go around your house and look for urine elsewhere - although it is not an absolute that she will pee someplace other than the litter box, it is fairly typical. Feeby typically did not pee outside her box, but she did pee over the top of it on a couple of occasions when she had a UTI. I can't say never, but female cats are less inclined to become blocked when there is a urinary issue. However, if you don't find pee anywhere else, you might tell the vet about it since she was originally peeing more than usual and is now not peeing much, if at all.

There isn't a lot you can do to prevent her from peeing outside the box if you find that she is. But, if she would be doing so immediately outside the box, you could buy puppy pee pads and place them in front (or around) the box to catch the urine and make for easier clean up. And, if you should happen to find other locations where she has peed, you need to clean them up with enzyme cleaners to remove the smell and help to discourage her from using those areas again.

If it is FLUTD, stress is almost always the 'default' reason. Stress can be brought on by even the simplest of things that we humans take for granted - out of the ordinary activity in your home, or even outside your house (construction, tree trimming noises, for example), strangers or other people coming into your house, stray cats wandering about outside that are not normally around, etc. So, you might want to consider thinking back to what ever could have been going on in/around your house in the weeks leading up to when she started having problems.

You will know more about how to move forward when you get the results from the urine testing. But, as I said above, if you don't find she is peeing - either in the box, or somewhere outside of it - you need to let the vet know right away!!

Please keep us posted.
 
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Furballsmom

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By the way, my heart goes out to you, this is stressful, no doubt.

Maybe try some chamomile tea, or even meditation or exercise. She is super aware of your emotions, and if you can be more calm and maybe don't look on the internet, and try to just wait for the vet, it would be better for her.
 
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Moonlight_wolf

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I did check around the house to see if she had peed anywhere else. But I couldn’t find anything.
She did pee a little bit in her litter box this morning right before I went to work, which made me feel a little better that she’s less likely to be blocked up if stuff is going through.

I did buy her some feliway while I was at work. The diffuser and the spray. As well as some urinary health supplements. I don’t know if those things work. But I’m willing to try them. Though I might wait to give the urinary supplements to her because I don’t know if there could be any reactions with the narcotic she is taking or something. Probably not, but better safe than sorry. I’ll ask the vet when I call them today at 5:00

And I’m not sure how often she would normally pee. I never really thought to count or pay too close attention especially since I’m not always around when she pees. But I guess I did notice when something changed. She did used to pee a fair amount with each pee though because her food has water in it and often I add more water just to ensure she is hydrated.

I don’t know what could have stressed her out. The only thing that I can think of is that I’ve been bringing her downstairs with me more often. But it is something that she really enjoys so i don’t know if that would be considered stressful. She will ask to go downstairs and so I’ll put her harness on and take her for a ‘walk’ downstairs so that she doesn’t get into any of the plants my mom has. But she really seems to like it so I hope that hasn’t been stressing her out.

Other than that I guess there has been more excitement in the house? But it hasn’t been externally shown to her. Because we are getting a puppy in two weeks. But i don’t know if just excitement would affect her.
 

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So, am I to understand that she is pretty much confined to your bedroom, or a single room/small area - other than when you take her out for walks? Her asking to go downstairs might just be because she is curious about what she cannot have access to all the time. I am not suggesting that she doesn't like the walks, but if she generally is not allowed downstairs unless you take her, she might wonder about the 'life' she is not part of down there. Do other household members interact with her?

Feliway products are a good place to start. Just know that not all calming products work on all cats, so you might have to try some others as an experiment if you don't think the Feliway is working. I am not sure about urinary supplements, but would encourage you to ask the vet about what you bought just to see what they think.

Do you have a cat tree or perches in the area she spends her time in? It could be that she needs more enrichment/entertainment. A cat tree and/or perches where she can see out a window would be even better.

A change in the 'atmosphere' because people are excited about a new puppy could have an effect on her a bit, just because she can sense the differences in them/their demeanor. And, if that is affecting her somehow, I would imagine it will be amplified once the new puppy is actually in the house. Also, if your mother is worried about your cat bothering her plants, she might want to consider 'protecting' them before the puppy gets into them. Puppies can be as bad, if not worse, than cats on items like that!!!

In case there is a plan to introduce her to the puppy - at some point - here is a TCS article on the subject.
How To Safely Introduce A Cat And A Dog – Cat Articles

Please let us know what the vet tells you when you talk to them!!
 
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Moonlight_wolf

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No she has the whole upstairs to wander about so it’s not just my room. It’s about the size of a one bedroom apartment. She has my room, my sisters room, the spare room, the bathroom and the hallway. She does have a lot of things to perch on. I have a ledge above my computer which she often sleeps on, I have a ledge below my lofted bed that she has a cardboard scratcher on and a hammock (that she never Uses). She has a cat tree next to the window in my room. And on my door is one of those door cat tree things. There is also a mini ledge next to my computer. And I wrapped two posts in sizel rope and put one leading up to the spot above my computer and one leading to my lofted bed. But she can get up and down both places without using those to climb. She just for some reason prefers to climb up that way. I guess it’s more fun.

she has two pop up tubes, though I rotate them so it’s not always the same. Two pop up cubes. And for her birthday I just got her the ripple rug.

She has three different cardboard scratchers in various places in my room.
Let’s just say that she has more things in my room than I do.
Also not in my room she has two window perches that look out different sides of the house.

When it’s warmer she has a window box that goes outside the window In my room that her cat tower is

And everyone in the house interacts with her. They all love her. I spend most of my time upstairs with Mia and recently started taking her downstairs more when I am downstairs. I just cat proofed the kitchen the day before yesterday and I let her roam the kitchen while I ate lunch. But if she whined/waited at the gate we have in the kitchen then I would put her leash on and see if she wanted to go back upstairs. I never force her to come down. I get her leash and harness and she knows what it means and runs to the gate.

And yeah my mom is moving some of her plants to prevent the puppy from eating them. But theoretically Mia could just jump on the surfaces and eat them.
 

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It sounds like she has a very nice environment!! I don't wish a UTI on any cat, but I hope that is what Mia has and some antibiotics get rid of it. Then, depending on what the vet says, urinary health supplements might be the way to go!!
 
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Moonlight_wolf

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Just so everyone can get a better picture of her environment I have attached a few pics.
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Moonlight_wolf

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Oh and by the way all those wire cube things near my bed are so she cant get on top of my gecko tank. She can still watch him, I just didn't want her possibly caving in the top.
 
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Moonlight_wolf

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ITS A BACTERIA!!!! I never thought I would be so excited and relieved to hear about the presence of a bacteria!!!! Now they just need to wait till 3:00 tomorrow to determine what kind of bacteria it is so that I can give her the right antibiotic and then she will be on the road to recovery.

I feel sooooo much better. I was feeling so bad and felt like I had been doing something wrong.

I’m so glad that it’s not got to do with stress and such. I’m so beyond glad.

And as for all the feliway that I bought... well it’ll make her less stressed while she’s still in pain from the BACTERIAL infection.
Oh my gosh I am so happy. I almost told the vet I loved him just because I was so happy. That would have been weird.
 
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