Slow urination, please help!

monkeyman

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Hi all,

My two year old cat is experiencing problems urinating. It just started today. He goes into the litter box frequently and sometimes stays several minutes. I noticed when he is urinating it is only a drop every ~3 seconds. Also earlier he was whining and licking his genitals.

His food was just changed a few days ago from Purina to IAMS (at the advice of a new Vet) ... not sure if this has anything to do with it. Other than that nothing else has changed.

He still has his appetite and will purr when I pet him. His energy level seems to have dropped though. Normally he would bound up and down the stairs but now he walks up slowly.

Can someone please help with this? Anyone seen this before? What is the cause and treatment?

-MM
 

jen

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I am going to take an educated guess here that he has a Urinary Tract Infection and/or crystals. He needs to have a urine sample taken to the vet to do a urinalysis. It is a simple, inexpensive thing to diagnos and treat.
 

kittenkiya

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My guess is that you need to call your vet and explain the circumstances to him/her.

It sounds like your baby is going to need some medicine to help him through whatever is happening.
 

semiferal

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It sounds like cystitis - a urinary tract infection or inflammation. As long as he is passing urine his life is not in danger but he is very uncomfortable. I would strongly recommend taking him to the nearest 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic for an evaluation (to make sure he isn't blocking) and for pain medication, because he is in a lot of pain right now.
 
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monkeyman

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Well it's been a few hours and he seems to be doing better. He's been purring and hanging out which is normal behavior for him. I'm now wondering if he picked this infection up from the vet visit. Either way, I stopped feeding him the new food and am just giving him the old food (mixed with some water on the advice of some other web pages I found). I'll take him to the Vet tomorrow morning when they open at 8:30.
 

jen

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Definately get him looked at. Better safe then sorry. And for the record, he will be perfectly fine and purring when he isn't in the litterbox, no reason why that should change and it has nothing to with an infection. It is when he is going to the bathroom that he will be in pain, which is why he is having trouble peeing, most other behavior should be perfectly normal unless it is an extreme case. One other note, cats also purr when they are in pain. I don't think that is why he is purring, like I said, pain when in the litterbox, fine otherwise.
 

pat

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As long as he's getting some urine out, I'd wait until the am, but I would take him in, and have them get a urine sample, check him for crystals, urinary blockage, cystitis, urinary tract infection...poor fellow.

I have had a male cat block, I've also had (still have) both a female and a male cat with cystitis....both conditions required prompt attention, especially the fellow who blocked.
 

sharky

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I agree VET ASAP .... cats can purr from PAIN
 

tuna

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did you change the food slowly or all at once?
could be some sort of reaction to either the change or ingredient(s)...
i'd change back and see if he returns to normal (if there was no dire reason to switch)...or in any case i'd stop the new food if that's all that changed. there's good reason to suggest that it could be the new food...
and see a healthcare practitioner...
 

furry4fury

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Having just gone thru this with Beard he was catherized twice - two weeks and two days apart.
...
I would say vet (its most likely urinary infection, which can turn into a blockage which then is a matter of time) and also what we've done is I went and bought canned food, which they get a nice helping for supper, as well as, in the am and pm I put chicken broth in a bowl, water it down a bit and let them have it. He doesn't like the beef broth as much...I tried adding it to the wet food and he turned his nose up at it and walked away - wouldn't eat the canned at all.
So far so good
crossing fingers and hoping it all stays fine.
Good luck
Denise
 

jenniferd

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Sounds just like what my cat had-cystitis. Food could have a lot to do with it. Since my cat had his problems I put him on Waltham's SO food, and his problem is gone.
I would take him to a vet and ask about prescription food.
If you don't, he could start peeing everywhere. Mine did, until I got him on prescription food. He actually eats dry Waltham's SO, not wet. He does not like wet food. He eats other kinds of wet food but even then he just nibs a little. I can't find wet food my cats will eat. They eat nutro pouches but all they do is they lick the gravy and not touch meat so the food is wasted.
 

mermaid

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Any time your cat has problems urinating, you need to treat it as an emergency situation. I am glad you are taking him to the vet tomorrow. It would be preferable to take him today, but if he seems happy, you know your cat best. Have you checked his litterbox to take a guess as to how much urine he is passing? It's important.
 

whuckleberry

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my kitty had the same exact symptoms within a week of switching him to a new food. fearing a blockage, i took him to the 24/7 vet. turns out it was cystitis and possibly a little constipation, as well. she prescribed some medicine to ease his discomfort a bit, and i also put him back on the old food. he gradually got better over the next 3-4 days. although it wasn't too serious, the vet told me i did the right thing by bringing him in right away. i hope your kitty is okay. give us an update tomorrow, if you can.
 

carm

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I hope the appointment goes well! Please keep us updated. Just a small point to add... just because a cat is still passing "some" urine doesn't mean he/she's out of the woods for a potential block in the near future, and it should be treated as an emergency. My cat Pico was still able to urinate, had no pain and was acting normal when I noticed him straining in the litter box and licking his genitals, but his urinalysis at the 24 h emergency contained more struvite crystals than the tech had ever seen. We were able to get away with just having his bladder flushed under anesthesia. It was a very small price to pay considering it would have been more serious and much much more expensive if we had waited any longer. Every case of possible FLUTD should be treated promptly even if it isn't a complete block.
 
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