Too cold?

[OneMorePerson]

My male cat is almost a year old. In general he is very good at not peeing outside of his litter box. However, he has done it a few times. The times I know about it was below 65F in the house. It seems to me that below this temperate he has a problem. There were drops of blood in the urine the first time, last night it dropped to 64, there were 2 small puddles this morning. No blood that I could see. Anyone one have a similar issue? He stays strictly indoors.

 

[tabbytom]

There were drops of blood in the urine the first time,

OneMorePerson, welcome to TCS!

Blood in the urine is a sign of UTI. Please have him checked by his vet ASAP before it gets worse and it's going to be painful for him when he pees. Male cats are very prone to UTI as their urinary tract is very narrow and easily blocked if there are crystals present.

Please keep us updated after the visit to the vet.

 

[ArtNJ]

Healthy cats often like to go outside when the temperature is well below freezing. Your cat is likely way more comfortable than you are at 64 degrees.

Blood in urine is a vet issue for cats, just like its a doctor issue for humans. It may be a relatively minor issue, but its never nothing.

 

[OneMorePerson]

He's already seen a vet. No UTI. Regardless of the fact that he is definitely more comfortable at 64° than I am, and that I am jealous of his fur coat it only happens when the house gets cold. I suspect he does have some type of Crystal problem. That said I wanted to know if any other cat owners had a similar experience.

 

[OneMorePerson]

I should also clarify these are single episodes. Last night he had to go twice, but once the temperature in the house is above 64 it stops. It's not an issue that is not manageable. I'm curious if anybody else is dealt with this.

 

[OneMorePerson]

Total accidents outside of the box in his entire lifetime equals 4. If we count last night as one. And one of those shouldn't count, because I accidentally locked him in the closet with the towels. So, he couldn't go to the litter box.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I have no experience with anything like that, but the blood in the urine is something to keep an eye on, especially since you think there might be a crystal issue. And, there can be blood in his urine without you being able to actually see it. Aside from that - I am kind of guessing that for whatever reason the coolness in the house affects (maybe constricts) his urethra and that is why you see it happen during those times? This, in my mind, is even more likely if he has some inflammation in his urethra (from some level of crystals) that is already causing some restriction/reduction in its size.

 

[OneMorePerson]

I am really not sure. On the one hand urine temperature is based on body temperature and that should not change much, not at room temps like 64 degrees. On the other hand solubility is based on urine temperature and concentration, and small changes can lead to crystal formation. I don't know. I do humans not animals and most of those don't get crystals in their urine. He's been seen, and generally does not have issues.... it seems to just be when its cold.

 

[FeebysOwner]

More people - and cats - have crystals than you might think. Many of them pass through the urethra without incident. When the crystals accumulate, along with concentrated urine, they can create irritation in the bladder/urethra which can cause blood and inflammation. I have no idea whether or not cold weather can cause a level of restriction in the urethra as can happen with other muscles in the body - I was merely suggesting it might be possible. But, if there is inflammation, that can restrict urine flow in the urethra and if the cold affects that muscle, then perhaps the combination can cause issues.

Your cat did not have visible blood in his urine for no reason. It is possible that he passed a larger crystal than normal and that caused the visible blood, scraping against his bladder and/or urethra. The only way to know for sure whether or not he has crystals (and blood that is not necessarily visible) is through a urinalysis.

 

[OneMorePerson]

Yeah, I am not sure why he had visible blood that time. It was over a month ago, closer to two at this point. I want to say it was a few weeks after he got fixed.

The vet did not seem concerned. I will do a urine dip if he leaves me another sample. That will tell me if there is any blood in it. To look for crystals we would have to have him cathed and remove urine that way. That can cause bleeding. Then we could spin the urine down and check for crystals. I have the equipment to do all of it except cathing him, and there is no way I am cathing a cat. Humans are difficult enough, that is way too small (not to mention that it is protected by teeth and claws). Will see if it continues to happen. The constriction plus crystal idea is viable. I just wanted to see if other owners have had a similar issue. From what I am reading urinary issues are frequent in male cats.

 

[FeebysOwner]

To look for crystals we would have to have him cathed and remove urine that way.

As long as the vet - or, you - can get him to pee (gentle massage of the bladder typically works) and collect it in a sterile manner , there is no need for a catheter. My vet has massaged Feeby's bladder on many occasion and gotten a good enough sample for a urinalysis. A simple urinalysis will show whether or not there is sediment in the urine - usually a good indicator of crystal/stone formation.

Until some other members come along and respond directly, here is just one sample (see link below) of previous threads regarding urinary issues. There are numerous threads on this site besides these - if you know how to do searches, you can find tons of them. They will all cover a lot of territory, so you will have to look through them to find some useful information:
Search Results for Query: urinary issues with male cats

 

[ArtNJ]

If you suspect crystals, it wouldn't hurt to switch foods. Its been 15 years since I had a cat with crystals so I don't remember exactly why or to what food one switches, but I remember you do. I gather even regular moist food is better than dry food for avoiding crystals.

Temperature constriction theory still seems a bit sketch to me, but I can't claim to be an expert on what temperature constricts which vessels so who knows.