Recently, one of my two cats (both “fixed†males, about 3 years old; brothers), Smokey, got a rather nasty UTI complete with urethral blockage. It took five vet trips, two to the ER, two to his RDVM, and one to a surgeon (he almost had a PU surgery), to get him to kick it. He was given a bunch of different medications to help: antibiotics (both liquid and pills), a steroid (to help with inflammation and swelling), a tranquilizer (only for a couple of days, to chill him out), another liquid (vet said it was to “help aid urinationâ€), and a pill that helped his bladder contract. He also is eating a special prescription diet now (at $26 a bag!). Both cats refuse to eat any wet / canned food; they only like the dry stuff. He just finished his last bit of the liquid antibiotic yesterday and the pills have been done for about a week. He is acting like his old self again, but another problem seems to have popped up.
For about two or three days now I have noticed him peeing outside his litter box(es). He still uses the box, but is also going elsewhere. He is not showing any other signs of a UTI besides this (e.g. no excessive licking of his genitals, no frequent trips to the litter box, no signs of pain or strain to urinate and he is leaving large clumps in the little box, no lethargy, his appetite is good and he is drinking plenty of water). He is also being very affectionate and vocal and purring up a storm when I pet him. I would think it would be very strange for him to get another UTI while he was still taking antibiotics.
I had him in seclusion for a week to monitor his food and water intake as well as his output, so to speak. I let him out of seclusion a week ago today and since then my other cat (Bandit) has been in hiding. He wants nothing to do with Smokey and hisses and growls at him almost every time he sees him. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had problems with them not getting along before, but Bandit usually snaps out of it in a couple of days, a week tops.
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve not caught Smokey going outside his box yet, so I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s spraying or peeing. Most, but not all, of the places Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve found urine have been near vertical surfaces, so he could be spraying (though he has never done this before, only mimicked it). He didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even pee outside his litter box before I noticed he was sick, so this just seems odd.
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m hoping itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s stress related as heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s been through a lot over the few weeks: all the vet trips, all the pilling and liquid medicine, his brother avoiding him and hissing / growling at him, my roommates getting ready to go on vacation (leaving today), a couple of litter box moves (though his main box has not been moved at all), and the change to his diet. The litter box moves were to accommodate the hiding cat; since he wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t come out I had to put one of the litter boxes and food / water in the room he is hiding in.
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll be watching him closely and if he shows any other signs of a UTI heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll being going right back to the vet. If he hadnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t been through so much trauma already I probably would have already taken him, but I kind of donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to unless itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s totally necessary as I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to add any more stress (that and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve already spent ~$2500 on vet trips and medicine).
Thoughts, opinions? Any incite as to why he is doing this would be greatly appreciated.
Hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a picture of my cats sleeping together back when they were still buddies:
http://home.comcast.net/~chewurface/...s/Sleeping.JPG
Sorry for using a link but the picture is rather large and I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to embed it in the post and make the forum scroll all crazy. Smokey is the grey cat and Bandit is the tan / white / cream cat.
For about two or three days now I have noticed him peeing outside his litter box(es). He still uses the box, but is also going elsewhere. He is not showing any other signs of a UTI besides this (e.g. no excessive licking of his genitals, no frequent trips to the litter box, no signs of pain or strain to urinate and he is leaving large clumps in the little box, no lethargy, his appetite is good and he is drinking plenty of water). He is also being very affectionate and vocal and purring up a storm when I pet him. I would think it would be very strange for him to get another UTI while he was still taking antibiotics.
I had him in seclusion for a week to monitor his food and water intake as well as his output, so to speak. I let him out of seclusion a week ago today and since then my other cat (Bandit) has been in hiding. He wants nothing to do with Smokey and hisses and growls at him almost every time he sees him. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had problems with them not getting along before, but Bandit usually snaps out of it in a couple of days, a week tops.
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve not caught Smokey going outside his box yet, so I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s spraying or peeing. Most, but not all, of the places Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve found urine have been near vertical surfaces, so he could be spraying (though he has never done this before, only mimicked it). He didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even pee outside his litter box before I noticed he was sick, so this just seems odd.
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m hoping itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s stress related as heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s been through a lot over the few weeks: all the vet trips, all the pilling and liquid medicine, his brother avoiding him and hissing / growling at him, my roommates getting ready to go on vacation (leaving today), a couple of litter box moves (though his main box has not been moved at all), and the change to his diet. The litter box moves were to accommodate the hiding cat; since he wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t come out I had to put one of the litter boxes and food / water in the room he is hiding in.
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll be watching him closely and if he shows any other signs of a UTI heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll being going right back to the vet. If he hadnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t been through so much trauma already I probably would have already taken him, but I kind of donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to unless itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s totally necessary as I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to add any more stress (that and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve already spent ~$2500 on vet trips and medicine).
Thoughts, opinions? Any incite as to why he is doing this would be greatly appreciated.
Hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a picture of my cats sleeping together back when they were still buddies:
http://home.comcast.net/~chewurface/...s/Sleeping.JPG
Sorry for using a link but the picture is rather large and I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to embed it in the post and make the forum scroll all crazy. Smokey is the grey cat and Bandit is the tan / white / cream cat.