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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / February 2006Urinary problem - male cat
Can anyone advise me? I have a 2 yr, 9mo. old male long hair cat. He has always been perfectly healthy. Yesterday, he kept going to the littlebox, crouching as if he needed to urinate, but nothing came out, or only a drop would come out. He did this at least 5 times over a four hour period. He has never done this before. He always has urinated frequently. I was worried about kidney failure, urinary infection, etc., so took him to the vet. The vet was originally going to take a urine sample, but said the cat was very constipated. He took an xray, and said the bladder looked ok, not distended or overfull, but xray showed the cat was very constipated. We agreed I would take him home, give him some more Laxatone, and see if he passed anything. I would also fast him. I gave him a dose of Laxatone last night at 6, again at 10, and again this morning. Last night he had two very small bowel movements (much smaller than usual) and two very small urinations (again, much less than usual, about a teaspoon each). He has drunk maybe about a tablespoon or two of water in the last 18 hours. When do I need to start worrying? The vet is going to call back this afternoon. We had discussed an enema, but I know that will traumatize the cat. I don't understand why the constipation is affecting his ability to urinate. I am much more worried about the urination than the constipation. Should I start giving him water with a dropper to keep him hydrated? I tried giving him some olive oil from a sardine tin, but he does not like it. His mood is very playful and as usual, not listless. Hi, I just had the same situation with my 6 year old male cat about a month ago. He was straining in the litter box, so I rushed him to the vet thinking he had a blockage, the vet gave him x-rays and saw that he was constipated. The vet kept him there overnight and gave him the enima and some fluids, then sent him home with a bag of prescription high fiber food. He told me to put him on Science Diet Hairball food once the prescription food is gone. My cat HATES leaving the house and going to the vet so I was freaked out about him being traumatized, especially since he got blood work, fluids, x-rays, an enima, his bum was shaved AND they gave him a bath when it was over. He was very vocal for the afternoon when he got home, but the next day he was 110% better...he was back to playing with his feather on a stick! I totally understand why you would be hesitant to put him through that, I was a basket case, but in the end I was happy I did it because I could tell he felt SOOO much better. Good Luck and make sure your kitty is on a food that won't clog him up! Thank you for your response! I had him on Iams hairball, but the vet recommended a switch to Science Diet. I always thought Iams was a premium food, but apparently it is not the best for male cats. He did have a normal urination this evening, and I got him to eat some pumpkin, which is supposed to be a laxative, so hopefully he will pass something tonight. Thank you again. > Can anyone advise me? > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > I tried giving him some olive oil from a sardine tin, but he does not > like it. His mood is very playful and as usual, not listless. Keep a close eye on him. He might need an enema. have the vet teach you how to do it. It's not difficult. I have a cat who gets bollixed up (can't poop) easily. As a preventative, we give her about an inch of cat a lax a day. she hasn't been constipated in years. Thank you for your reply. He struggles so when I brush him and clip his nails, that I have serious doubts about giving him an enema! But I will ask the vet to explain it to me if one is necessary. He has always had extremely regular litterbox habits and has never been constipated before. Hopefully switching his brand of food as the vet recommended, and using the Laxatone, will prevent a recurrence. Thank you again. My vet said that it isn't a good idea to give laxatone on a daily basis. It coats the stomach and doesn't allow absorption of nutrition. There are all kinds of food, now, that are high fiber. Thank you for your reply. The vet is going to put him on a different food, so hopefully Laxatone won't be necessary very often. I have to remember to brush him twice a day during shedding season, otherwise he gets clogged with hair. > My vet said that it isn't a good idea to give laxatone on a daily > basis. It coats the stomach and doesn't allow absorption of nutrition. > There are all kinds of food, now, that are high fiber. >Yesterday, he kept going to the littlebox, crouching >as if he needed to urinate, but nothing came out, or only a drop would >come out. He did this at least 5 times over a four hour period. He has >never done this before. He always has urinated frequently. My male cat did this one day - I saw him go into the box and do little spots of urine about the size of a quarter; he kept going back and forth to the box about 4 times. The next day he did a normal pee so I thought everything was okay so I didn't call vet (yes, I was a dummy - the normal sized pee the following day fooled me). About a month later he was totally blocked up and couldn't urinate at all which is an emergency. Rushed him to vet and they inserted a cathetar in him and kept him there for a few days. He was given Hill's s/d for a short period afterward to destroy the remaining crystals and then Hill's c/d. He is now able to eat the Hill's Science Diet food from the pet store. I always make sure I give him canned every day too (he also eats the dry) to get more water into him and I have a bowl of water on each level of the house (he also drinks from the sink). It happened almost 6 years ago and he's never had a recurrance.I only wish I had taken him to vet when he was doing the little pees and all of that could have been prevented. I still feel guilty when I think about it. I think your vet should definiately take a urine sample anyway just in case he has a urinary tract infection; better safe than sorry. Anna I'm afraid you are right. He is at the vet's overnight, because after 2 days of normal urination, he started straining at the litterbox again today. At first I was going to collect a urine sample at home, but then they thought it best to have him under observation. It is very hard being away from him; he has never spent a night at the vet's. I hope he urinates so they don't need to take a sample with a needle. Thank you for responding. >I hope he urinates so they don't need to take a sample with a needle. I think they take if this way if they suspect a bacterial infection because it produces the best results; getting the sample this way ensures that is not contaminated with debris or bacteria from outside of the bladder. Don't worry about this - my cats have had it done and they were fine. I have done it both ways. I had it done with the needle for my male cat but when I recently had senior testing done on my older cat, I took it myself using the container they gave me and debris showed up in it, I probably touched the container too close to her behind and dust or whatever was there fell in but since she wasn't there for a bacterial infection, they said it was fine. Just wondering why he had to stay overnight for this as he isn't blocked up if there's still urine coming out. Usually they tell you to bring them in early in the morning after not letting them use the litter box all night so their bladder is full; then they take the sample while you wait and then you take him home. Anna Sorry just re-read your post and see that you said he was straining and you don't mention anything coming out. I can see then why they have kept him there, just in case he was blocking up. I know how you feel about him being there though - my guy was there for 3 days and I hated it! I went and visited him and ended up crying in the room there cause I felt so guilty. He had a cathetar in him and some blood was coming out a bit. I'm glad you got your guy in before you had to go through this; he won't suffer like mine did. Anna Thanks! He is home safe and sound. The sample showed neither crystals nor an infection, but there was a little blood. They think this is because he has been straining so much. They prescribed Science Diet s/d. I'm not sure why, as they found no crystals, but perhaps it's a preventative measure. It is wonderful to have him back home. Great to hear! Yes, that is kind of strange that they gave you s/d since there are no crystals and that food is used to destroy remaining crystals. By the way, they did tell you that s/d is only a temporary food right? It is only supposed to be fed for a short period of time, usually up to 3 months and definately not more than 6. Anna I asked how long to keep him on the s/d, but the vet had left when I went to pick up the food this morning. They are going to call me Monday. So thanks for the info! > Yes, that is kind of strange that they gave you s/d since there are no > crystals and that food is used to destroy remaining crystals. By the way, > they did tell you that s/d is only a temporary food right? It is only > definately not more than 6. |
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