Size Of Clumps?

[Hugospal]

We just finished a 7 day round of antibiotics for one of my kitties with what we think was a stress induced bout of cystitis. there's been blood in his pee just about the whole time but it seemed like he had been acting and urinating normally. I also purchased some paw paste for urinary tract health. His PH was a little high and this was supposed to help. I also increased offering wet food to both cats, 3 oz cans 3x per day and only a little dry food when I previously fed dry food and they split 1 3 oz can per day. I got a new Feliway diffuser because we had success with them when we were moving.

Today we finished the antibiotics and this is the first day we've seen no blood. Yay!

but also he's been peeing smaller amounts more frequently. Like somewhat smaller than a golf ball. Not dribbles or drops but not sure if normal. I wonder if it's maybe the increased water consumption from the canned food, but like I said it's not a lot of pee. It's also not SUPER frequent, still seems to be several hours between trips to the box.

I actually have never monitored their pee this closely before so I'm not sure if this was typical before the UTI. I went from scooping the boxes every other day to twice per day just to try and monitor this issue better. What's normal for your cat?

 

[DreamerRose]

I usually assume small amounts indicate crystals for Mingo, who has had them before, but this doesn't sound like what is happening with your cat. It could be that his urethra is still sore from the UTI and makes him feel like he needs to go all the time. The result is small, frequent amounts. Just see that he gets an adequate amount of water. If he doesn't drink it, add some to his food. It should straighten out in time.

 

[Daisy6]

Does he have a recheck appointment scheduled? I would bring it up then even his litterbox trips return to what is normal for him. If it gets worse, there is obviously something wrong.

 

[Hugospal]

Today the clumps seemed to be more. The antibiotic did seem to give him some diarrhea too so that might be contributing.

The vet said a follow up urinalysis would be ideal but not absolutely necessary if he gets well. He's been going to vets a lot and that stress might be contributing to his issues. He has another wellness exam coming up this summer, so unless there's any more issues he will be checked out again soon anyway.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Sorry, I misread your post: yes, small clumps with frequent use is cause for concern.
Larger is better, of course - ideally, like a tangerine or larger. I would keep monitoring his frequency and clump size. Make sure he has a large box - sometimes a too-small litter box can really stress a kitty.

You are right in that it can sometimes be a balancing act between the stress from going to the vet vs the actual ailment. In this case, I think it is warranted, and maybe an ultrasound might be a good idea to check for crystals in the bladder.

I would also discuss prescription food with the vet. Sometimes just wet is not enough.

 

[stryami]

depends on the type of litter

 

[sweetblackpaws]

depends on the type of litter

I have often wondered if clumping litter contributed to my boy's blockage. He had crystals, but I still think about this a lot.

 

[Hugospal]

I might have worded things a little wrong myself. I meant to say the clumps looked bigger, not that there were more of them.

The urinalysis didn't point to there being any crystal formation. His PH was a little high and there was protein on the test and blood visible in the urine. The blood has seemed to stop.

I've done an ultrasound and an echocardiogram for him this year for separate issues, both are $500+ cost at the only specialist around that has an ultrasound machine, plus I paid double that for emergency and other general vet care . It's been a rough year for him, and more really expensive specialist diagnostics are kind of cost prohibitive for me right now.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

I understand completely. Anyways, bigger clumps is good!

When my boy was having issues before his surgery, he was in the box like every two minutes and peeing marble size clumps. So while golf-ball sized is not ideal, the fact that they are getting larger is wonderful news.

 

[Hugospal]

I understand completely. Anyways, bigger clumps is good!

When my boy was having issues before his surgery, he was in the box like every two minutes and peeing marble size clumps. So while golf-ball sized is not ideal, the fact that they are getting larger is wonderful news.

Aww, did the surgery fix his issues? I hope so.

We were warned about blockages by the vet so I've been watching him closely. The most he's gone is maybe every few hours. I was out for a little bit but I think he's only gone about twice today. If I see anything worsen or the recurrence of blood we will definitely be going back to the vet.

 

[Daisy6]

I have often wondered if clumping litter contributed to my boy's blockage. He had crystals, but I still think about this a lot.

I never heard or read anywhere clumping litter causes crystals to form. I did have a male cat who had crystals and bacteria, but he used the same litter as my girls, who never had urinary issues.