[Clarebelle]

Hi guys,

I noticed a few days ago that my 7 year old male (castrated) cat, Archy, was going to the toilet more frequently. The weather is awful but he kept crying to go out then two minutes later would want to get back in. Then this morning I came down to find he had had a wee in the kitchen (that in itself is strange, he is an outdoor cat and always goes to the toilet outside). He is feed tesco tinned cat food twice a day and has access to cat biscuits all day (if that info is any good!).

The wee clearly had blood in it, about a third of the fluid looked like blood.

We will try and get him to the vet - the trouble is that (as i'm sure many of you can relate!) I dont think we will be able to get there. It snowed all day yesterday is is still coming down now, we are outside a small village etc.

Basically, if I had a urine infection I would drink some cranberry juice but I'm not sure Archy is going to like that! Is there anything I can do for him until we can get to the vet?

[plumseverywhere]

Is he drinking OK do you know? Personally I'd take up the dry food until he's seen the vet as I remember reading it can soak up some of the water the cats drink and cause urinary issues. Maybe add some water to his tinned food to make it slightly more watery to ensure he has enough to try and flush him through.
See if you can speak to the vet on the phone if you are stuck indoors ? 

[Clarebelle]

Thanks plums, just got off the phone to the vet. They said that as long as he seems ok in himself and is passing urine he should be ok until we can get there (hopefully tomorrow). She said we need to worry if he becomes lethargic or starts straining and cant pass any urine as this means he has a blockage.

She did say to up his fluids as much as possible and said that its ok to give milk if it means he will drink more. Ive also added water to his wet food and his dry! I wont put anymore dry food down for a while though.

[plumseverywhere]

Stick a bowl out and catch snow/rain water if you can. Ours have always preferred puddles, maybe because of the artificial stuff in tap water.   
Have you goats milk? easier for cats to digest and better for them. Oh and water the milk down 

[Clarebelle]

The snow idea is a good one. He doesnt have his own water bowl as he has always drank out of the dogs bowl or the little pond we have in the garden!

Don't have any goats milk but i'll try watering the milk down, we wouldnt usually give him milk but I knew he would be more likely to drink it than water! 

So far he seems ok in himself, he is grooming, watching the birds out of the window, all the things he usually does so fingers crossed he will be ok until the snow clears a bit.

[FourCats]

Hi guys,

I noticed a few days ago that my 7 year old male (castrated) cat, Archy, was going to the toilet more frequently. The weather is awful but he kept crying to go out then two minutes later would want to get back in. Then this morning I came down to find he had had a wee in the kitchen (that in itself is strange, he is an outdoor cat and always goes to the toilet outside). He is feed tesco tinned cat food twice a day and has access to cat biscuits all day (if that info is any good!).

The wee clearly had blood in it, about a third of the fluid looked like blood.

We will try and get him to the vet - the trouble is that (as i'm sure many of you can relate!) I dont think we will be able to get there. It snowed all day yesterday is is still coming down now, we are outside a small village etc.

Basically, if I had a urine infection I would drink some cranberry juice but I'm not sure Archy is going to like that! Is there anything I can do for him until we can get to the vet?

I'm no expert here, but one of my "boys" (a cat) used to pee with blood from time to time. We went to the doctor and the doctor told us that it's from food. He recommended us another type of food and there were no more problems. But I don't actually know your case, just saying what happened in my case.

Hope it helps.

[SallyintNorth]

Sounds like cystitis.  Plenty of water, no dry food.  Keep him warm and keep his litter tray clean for him.  He may pee in different places as it will hurt and he may associate the pain with peeing in the places he's tried where it hurts to pee.  Poor pusscat.

Mammyshaz or one of our other veterinary folk will be along soon with more practical advice, I am sure.

[NormandyMary]

My Tabitha who is now 16 has suddenly gone right off dried food, although she would never eat anything else before, except Tuna fish. I've now got her on the little sachets from Purina which she loves. I've put it down to perhaps her teeth aren't as good as they were, or perhaps her digestion isn't able to take the hard biscuits. She's such a beautiful cat, I'd cook her anything to make her happy.
Sorry to hear your puss is poorly, hopefully his little problem will sort itself out soon. Henry has milk and water to drink, he's not keen on plain water, and milk on its own gives him the runs. These cats..honestly!!!

[Mammyshaz]

Sorry to hear Archy is having problems. It is always a worry when a middle-old age male cat is having
urination problems as there is a high incidence of crystals in the urine in this age bracket. there are more of this type of blockage or partial blockage in male cats than bladder infections.Overweight males are higher risk.

Try  to have a litter tray available at all times so during bad weather or other times when outside access is not available ( hospitalised at vets or strict rest for injuries ) or weather is off-putting ( cats are originally desert animals and hate cold, wet conditions ) they don't hold their wee in too long and cause problems. I know  some people don't like the idea but it can prevent stress or medical problems developing.

A big pottery dog bowl is ideal for drinking, and tinned food is approx. 70-80% water so keep him on this until your vet has checked him.  Keep a close eye on him when he toilets ( another good reason to get him used to a tray ) Any amount of straining and not passing urine over an hour or so could mean a complete blockage and present an emergency situation. Don't delay to contact the vet as kidney problems can be the result of a blockage left too long.

I hope it is just an infection for Archy although it probably doesn't feel like JUST  to him, poor lad.  he is on the mend soon. Let us know how he gets on.

[Clarebelle]

Thanks everyone. Archy is drinking plenty and so far is urinating, it is still tinged with blood but at least he hasnt got a blockage (yet). Ive also felt around the region of his bladder and cannot feel it so i think it is emptying when he goes, it also doesnt seem to be painful when i do this so fingers crossed we can get him to the vets before it gets serious.

The snow has stopped in the last hour or so and is already melting and we are not due anymore tomorrow so fingers crossed we will be able to get to the vet tomorrow morning.

I'll let you know how he gets on 

[funkyfish]

Many cases oc cystitis are due to stress.  Typically a  bout will happen 48-36 hours after a stressful event. This is because a stress chemical thinning the bladder lining which allows the urine to burn the bladder.

[OhLaLa]

I suspect 'struvite stones'. Get your cat to the vet asap. Is he drinking more than usual? Also, if he is trying to vomit it is quite advanced and needs urgent medical attention.
Steralised males should be fed with a product especially formulated for castrated cats.
If struvites stones are diagnosed your vet may recommend something like Royal Canin Urinary S/O Feline (that is the product my vet recommended). If you have other cats, don't let him get access to anything else (i.e. their food), and don't let him get fat by overfeeding, and limit/cut out diary products (e.g. milk) if you treat him to these.
Hope all goes well.

[Clarebelle]

Thanks everyone, we did manage to get him to the vets. It actually seemed to sort itself out. We had a day where he was weeing ALOT and it was tinged with blood. The following day he wasnt weeing nearly as much and monday he was back to normal. Took him to the vet anyway and they suspect it was probably mild cystitus (sp?). The vet has advised taking him off dry food and only feeding wet which we have done. He only gets water usually anyway so hes back on that. We have to keep an eye on him and take him back if any symptoms reappear.

[Mammyshaz]

Glad to hear he's doing ok   

[furandfeathers]

vet uk do a great product that is all natural and only around £18 for a huge tub of 100 capsules that helps stop them getting it, its more common than people realise we actually lost a cat that came in with the stress related strain as he kept blocking himself up and damaged his kidneys beyond repair and he was only 2 keep a close eye on him but we have used this stuff and its brilliant x