Possible UTI

Shalenarh

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Today I noticed red drops on my senior(18/19yo) cat’s pee pad. Honestly I didn’t think much of it as it looked like he stepped in something. Until tonight I witnessed him acting strange, his tail was down which is never down. Feeling something wrong I went to his pee pad and saw more droplets of red, it’s blood. I rush to tell my mom and we both witness him going back to the pee pad and squatting as if to pee but just a few drips of blood comes out. We sent a message to my vet but its Saturday night, she has an automated message for an emergency vet in another town listed and we call. The ER vet advised us to feel his belly for any pain or other signs. He sat there letting my mom feel around and apply pressure on his stomach. No pain or reaction. Vet says it’s could be a UTI.

He is eating fine, drinking water, acting normally aside from this. He did pee at least 2/3 times today but was accompanied by drops of blood afterwards. He is not crying in pain and takes off after.

Vet said to give him on a wet food or soak his hard food in water. I went out and bought Purina Fancy Feast Broth (chicken). I’m not even sure that’s the best to be giving him. He slurped that up and is now sleeping. We are going to start giving him 2 packets of this broth food a day until we can get him into the vet.

Planning to take him to the vet on Monday. But is there anything more I can do or what to keep an eye out for? He’s also been on Purina Probiotic’s for cats due to puking for over a year now which has helped greatly. Should I still give this to him if I want him to have the moisture of wet food?
 

di and bob

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if you felt around on his abdomen, you did not feel a hard, enlarged mass in the lower part by pressing lightly in, did you? a large mass means he is blocked and that is a medical emergency. If you felt nothing, and he IS peeing small amounts and going more frequently, it most likely is a UTI. This is taken care of with an antibiotic. I give my antibiotics in a small amount of Hartz Delectable Lickables a gel like treat that cats can't resist. You can get it at Walmart in the treat section or online, Target has 2 day shipping. It is important for him to eat. You can also give liquid antibiotics in a small amount of tuna juice, and saving the rest in the fridge to be warmed later. Feed him what he will eat. You can set small bowls of water around to make him curious and check them out, he might drink more. Offer him water often, or food with gravy or a broth. There are also supplements available that help with a cat's urinary system. They are online or at farm supply stores like Tractor Supply. good luck, and keep us posted!
 

Grayson’s Mummy Julia

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As long as the pee is coming out, even if it does have blood in there it sounds like standard UTI. But from the owner of a cat who has suffered with this his whole life if he is squatting and the pee won’t come out then like di and bob di and bob said this is an absolute emergency and he will need to see a vet immediately.
This happened to my friend’s cat and thank goodness she took him to the vet that day or he wouldn’t have made it.
Good luck and keep us posted 😿❤
 
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Shalenarh

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Thanks for the advice!
There is no pain when we apply light pressure to his abdomen. I also noticed last night while keeping watch, his pee looks normal but just as he gets done going some blood drops. It’s more like a washed out red. Today, he is peeing and so far I have not seen any blood on his pee mat. He does want to continue eating hard food but currently we are only giving him wet food. We’ve been keeping him hydrated, adding extra water into his wet food.

Apologies for anyone having to see their furbaby go through this. It is not fun.
 

Grayson’s Mummy Julia

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Thanks for the advice!
There is no pain when we apply light pressure to his abdomen. I also noticed last night while keeping watch, his pee looks normal but just as he gets done going some blood drops. It’s more like a washed out red. Today, he is peeing and so far I have not seen any blood on his pee mat. He does want to continue eating hard food but currently we are only giving him wet food. We’ve been keeping him hydrated, adding extra water into his wet food.

Apologies for anyone having to see their furbaby go through this. It is not fun.
It is v sad to see and wishing u all the luck in the world with this ❤❤
Grayson now has prescription urinary food and has been fine ever since he started this.
But not all cats need this, can be a one off infection. Grayson just had so many back to back infections that he will have this special food for life now.
UTI’s are so common in cats unfortunately 😿❤
 
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Shalenarh

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Update on Oreo!
Got him into the vet but had to get them a urine sample first. Which I didn’t think would have been so easy to do. The vet said there were no crystals in his urine but small amounts of white blood cells in there. She says he does have some kind of infection and prescribed amoxicillin and metacam for inflammation. Also told us if it gets worse in the next 2/3 days to take him back in.

Hopefully everything goes smoothly! Once more thanks everyone for the support it really did help lower my anxiety.
 

Grayson’s Mummy Julia

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Update on Oreo!
Got him into the vet but had to get them a urine sample first. Which I didn’t think would have been so easy to do. The vet said there were no crystals in his urine but small amounts of white blood cells in there. She says he does have some kind of infection and prescribed amoxicillin and metacam for inflammation. Also told us if it gets worse in the next 2/3 days to take him back in.

Hopefully everything goes smoothly! Once more thanks everyone for the support it really did help lower my anxiety.
Aww Oreo we are sending positive vibes your way and hope u get well soooooon 😽❤
Keep us posted 😊
 
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Shalenarh

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Update.
Oreo did good taking his meds and finished them on Oct. 26. From what we could see he was no longer straining and didn't drip blood. But tonight he started up again. I want to take him to the vet again but my family thinks he's just old.
He is still eating, acting and drinking water normally.
 

Grayson’s Mummy Julia

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Aww Oreo you sweet boy we are sending positive vibes!
If the blood is back I personally would take him. Ask your vet to recommend a prescription UTI food. I’m not sure whereabouts you are in the world but the one I use in the U.K. is called Hills Urinary.
It has changed Grayson’s life as he was always getting UTI.
He never gets infections now and he’s been eating that for nearly 5 years now xx
 

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Update. Oreo did good taking his meds and finished them on Oct. 26. From what we could see he was no longer straining and didn't drip blood. But tonight he started up again. I want to take him to the vet again but my family thinks he's just old. He is still eating, acting and drinking water normally.
Sometimes, the wrong antibiotic is given and doesn't completely clear a UTI. So, when a urinalysis is done, it is always best to have a urine culture done as well. The culture will identify which antibiotics would be the most effective on the infection. And, a 7 day regimen of antibiotics is not always enough. That also applies to the anti-inflammatory meds as well. It could be that he needs to be on both for a longer period of time.

He isn't too old to be taken to the vet again. It's no different than a 90+ yo human that is having health issues - they still need to be taken care of.
 
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Shalenarh

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I called the Vet today and she prescribed us with 2 more weeks of amoxidrops taking 1ml every 12 hours (10am and 10pm). I told her when he pees blood it only happens at night for around an hour or two. He'll eat, take a nap and when he wakes up he's able to pee and is able to do so for the rest of the night and later the next day. Now she isn't sure what is wrong, thinking it could be bladder stones or a tumor. She said if it doesn't get better after Amoxidrops that they will do an x-ray. Which doesn't make me feel better. If he needs surgery I don't think he would make it through that. He already had one major surgery years ago after eating sewing string and he almost didn't make it and now he's 18/19 years old.

I've completely changed his diet, he is now on a complete wet food diet with added water. He's eating Delectables Stew senior 15+ for digestion and kidney support, Purina fancy feast broths chicken and vegetables and Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers (which the other cats eat too). Not all at the same time but one packet of each through the day. So Fancy Feast Broths in the morning along with Amoxidrops, Delectables Stew during the afternoon and Gravy Lovers at night with amoxidrops. Since I put the hard food away at night he looks sad and I end up caving and give him more wet food.
 

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The vet said there were no crystals in his urine but small amounts of white blood cells in there.
I called the Vet today and she prescribed us with 2 more weeks of amoxidrops taking 1ml every 12 hours (10am and 10pm). I told her when he pees blood it only happens at night for around an hour or two. He'll eat, take a nap and when he wakes up he's able to pee and is able to do so for the rest of the night and later the next day. Now she isn't sure what is wrong, thinking it could be bladder stones or a tumor. She said if it doesn't get better after Amoxidrops that they will do an x-ray. Which doesn't make me feel better. If he needs surgery I don't think he would make it through that. He already had one major surgery years ago after eating sewing string and he almost didn't make it and now he's 18/19 years old.

I've completely changed his diet, he is now on a complete wet food diet with added water. He's eating Delectables Stew senior 15+ for digestion and kidney support, Purina fancy feast broths chicken and vegetables and Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers (which the other cats eat too). Not all at the same time but one packet of each through the day. So Fancy Feast Broths in the morning along with Amoxidrops, Delectables Stew during the afternoon and Gravy Lovers at night with amoxidrops. Since I put the hard food away at night he looks sad and I end up caving and give him more wet food.
I would ask the vet to explain why if there were no crystals in his urine, she is now wondering about bladder stones. And, why wait on the x-ray??
If he is happy getting more wet food at night, that is all OK to give it to him, as far as I would be concerned!! If he likes the taste of the dry, you could add some water to it and see if he would like to eat a little bit that way.

I wish I could offer more.
 
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Shalenarh

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Don't worry about it I welcome all advice. It helps me cope with not quick to think about the worst case scenario. I enjoy reading other people's post about their cats, their health and how they are still living their best lives :) So far tonight, Oreo's urine for the most part looks clear, he peed on the bathroom floor because his pee pad needed to be changed. He loves wet food, he just likes to snack through the night on the hard food. He wasn't much of a fan of dry food after it was soaked in water. So before I settle for bed and see he's wondering for food. I'll give him an extra packet of wet food.

Honestly I don't know why she would say to wait on the X-ray. But it could also be on my part because I didn't think to ask more questions. I'm not the best when it comes talking to people, so I always have another person with me. But this time I did so on my own.
 
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Shalenarh

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After a rather sad cat video made its way to me. It made me overthink things like “maybe its a sign”. I’m not a superstitious person but remembering my Vet said about a possibility of a tumor. I ended up looking up a bladder tumor and freaked myself out as I read about it. Knowing my Vet doesn’t know what is wrong yet also fueled my worry. Maybe it didn’t fully register when she told me what it could be so I didn’t think or want to believe there’s a chance it could be a tumor.

I feel my family doesn’t worry about the things I do. Like the idea of losing him (not just him any of my pets) he has always been there and I can’t remember a time without him. I also know he’s old and when that day comes whether peacefully or having to put him down so he won’t suffer. I’ll always choose what’s best for him. My mom calmed me down, telling me he’s not in any physical pain, he’s eating and drinking water. If he was in pain or not eating then we should be worried.

I’m sorry about coming here to vent my worries. But I really appreciate all the advice and support.
 

Grayson’s Mummy Julia

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After a rather sad cat video made its way to me. It made me overthink things like “maybe its a sign”. I’m not a superstitious person but remembering my Vet said about a possibility of a tumor. I ended up looking up a bladder tumor and freaked myself out as I read about it. Knowing my Vet doesn’t know what is wrong yet also fueled my worry. Maybe it didn’t fully register when she told me what it could be so I didn’t think or want to believe there’s a chance it could be a tumor.

I feel my family doesn’t worry about the things I do. Like the idea of losing him (not just him any of my pets) he has always been there and I can’t remember a time without him. I also know he’s old and when that day comes whether peacefully or having to put him down so he won’t suffer. I’ll always choose what’s best for him. My mom calmed me down, telling me he’s not in any physical pain, he’s eating and drinking water. If he was in pain or not eating then we should be worried.

I’m sorry about coming here to vent my worries. But I really appreciate all the advice and support.
Aww bless u, it’s so hard isn’t it. I always say I wish pets could talk to us as it would make it so much easier.
Don’t feel bad about coming on here to talk or get advice.
I’m sending all the positive vibes from the U.K. across the Atlantic and to you! Pls keep us posted and u are in our prayers ❤❤
 
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