My Cat Is A Bedwetter?

[LuPiZeCo]

A couple of months ago I woke up to a wet patch on my pjs where my cat had been snuggling. She went straight to the vet for a urinalysis and was clear. A month later, it happens again, two nights in a row, then again a couple of days later. It only happens when she is asleep, because that’s the only time she’ll be in the bed with me and it has happened in her cat bed too. Back to the vet and the vet is stumped, she said shes seen spay incontinence in dogs but not cats and it’s odd. She had a shot of antibiotics in case it was an infection that wasn’t picked up. Now 10 days after that, she’s weed in her bed twice in a row. I know that she is not doing it on purpose as she just lays there at night. Does anyone have any experience with this? I will be going back to the vet but she said the next plan would be a drug that’s only licensed for dogs, but has had some success in cats.

Just in case anyone knows/sees that I have had trouble introducing two kittens, this first happened a week before we picked the kittens up, so I know it’s not related to that!

 

[FeebysOwner]

The first thought that came to mind is that if a full urine culture was not done along with the urinalysis, then the antibiotic that was used might not have been the correct one to actually eradicate the infection. The urine culture will test the urine for sensitivities to certain antibiotics to determine which antibiotics would be the best one(s) for that particular strain of infection.

The second thought the came to mind, is have you checked the rest of the house to ensure it is only while she is sleeping that she urinating somewhere other than the litter box? You can by a black light to check all over your home for signs of possible 'pee places'.

Thirdly, how old is this cat? Is she overweight? Did the vet check for conditions related to incontinence, such as diabetes or bladder stones? A complete blood work up and x-rays of the bladder would be a good start to helping eliminate/confirm potential contributors to her issue.

And, is she one of the ones that was involved in the troubled introduction process? How are the cats getting along now? If they don't get along so well, even if she went in your bed before the other cat(s) came along doesn't mean the situation isn't contributing to her 'bedwetting'. Is she the one that is currently hissing and growling at the kittens?

Lastly, what tests, if any, have been performed to see if she is starting to have incontinence issues? Radiography that could look at the anatomical structure of her urinary tract that might give a clue as to what the problem is?

I don't know what the vet is proposing that is a dog-only med, but if it were me I would want to know a whole lot more about it - after other issues have been ruled out.

 

[LuPiZeCo]

My mum mentioned that too so I will ask them, but she’s not showing any other signs of infection, so I’m not sure it would be that?

I’m 99% certain it’s only when she’s asleep, and it’s happened mostly when she’s been in with me. I cannot smell it anywhere else in the house and I’ve crawled around everywhere possible and checked all other beds and soft furnishings, and can’t smell it anywhere else. I am quite sensitive to smell, so I’m fairly sure. She also still uses the trays regularly.

She is 20 months old, and not overweight. No further tests yet, as it was so infrequent and no other symptoms. That is the next step though, I just didn’t want to do anything too invasive yet if it was a simple fix. I can’t remember the name of the drug but I will certainly not be putting her on it unless we have exhausted all other options.

She was the original one with the kitten problem yes, but she had calmed right down and she isn’t the one I have just made a thread about, she wasn’t too happy with the smell when they first got home but is fine this morning, no hissing or growling.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Well, get some other testing done first and see if that helps identify any possible issues. I would certainly ask the vet about how to check for anatomical problems/weak muscles given that this seems to be only happening when she is sleeping.

My Feeby has had a few urinary infections, and she rarely ever showed any signs of an infection until I suspect it had gone on a while before being treated because I didn't see anything to tell me she had one. She also got better on some of the antibiotics the vet gave her, but she did not fully get rid of the infection until they ran a urine culture to identify the best antibiotic - once she got that one, it did get rid of the infection completely!

Maybe some other members will have time soon to log on and read new posts and will have some ideas to offer!! I hope so!

Keep us posted!!