Took cat to vet, wierd diagnosis...?

My 14 year old kitty, Copper, has been having some problems over the past few days. About two weeks ago, I took her to Bark in the Park to get micro chipped and have her rabies shot and unfortunately, they did them both in her shoulder. She was extremely sore for about 3 days and laid like a lump on the bed with a heat pack on. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, wouldn't pee. I had to force feed and water her. She got better just fine, but I know that was stressful for her.

So over the past few days she's peed on my bed, peed in the cat bed, and now peed three times on the bathroom rug. She hadn't had any blood in her urine.

She did have a urinary tract infection about two years ago, so I assumed that was what this was.

So I got a vet appointment this afternoon for Copper. They listened to what I said, took her back and did a urinalysis. They said it came back clean and just told me she was constipated gave me medicine and sent me home.

I thought it was a bit strange to go from urinary tract infection to constipation, but didn't give it that much thought. She's old, she eats only dry food (can't get her to touch wet) and doesn't drink enough water. Then about 30 minutes after I brought her home, she peed on the bathroom rug again and I was able to see blood in it. I'm sorry, but that's just not (only) constipation.

Should I take her back in the morning? Make them do more tests? At this point, I feel kind of jipped that I paid $90 and I really don't think that's what's wrong with my poor kitty.

I would absolutely call them first thing in the morning - they should NOT charge you for the visit, just for tests - poor baby. I hope Copper feels better FAST!

I would definitely take her back to the vet. If there is blood in her urine something is going on. She could have cystitis, which is irritation of her bladder. This can be caused by stress although in many cases no cause can be found.

I assume the vet checked for bacterial infection and crystals when the urinalysis was done. Be sure to ask he vet if there was evidence of either of those in Copper's urine. Do you know what her pH level was? Normal for a cat is 6.0-6.4.

You're right in believing that moisture is important. If Copper would eat even a little wet food it would help keep the urine moving through her system and prevent irritation or infections. Here's a link to a great site that provides tips for getting cats to eat wet food.
http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitionin...o_Canned_Food_

Good luck and hugs to you and Copper. Let us know what the vet says.

Awww, poor kitty. I agree with the above comments. I would at least call the vet, if not make another appointment to take her back. Maybe if she does it again before then, you could dab the spot she pees in with a white napkin or something to prove that it is blood she's peeing, just in case they don't find any blood while she's at the vet again. Just a thought! Let us know how it turns out!

Is there another vet you could go to, since this one doesn't seem to be very helpful? I would highly recommend getting copies of her test results every time she has a test done--there are several parts to urinalysis ("clean" isn't really one of them) and each part can have a different meaning. For example, the specific gravity can indicate kidney function or dehydration. The presence of blood or protein may also signal problems if they are present (especially at more than a trace amount). The actually numbers are really important, and it's not uncommon for a vet to overlook one of the indications of a problem, particularly if they are really busy or distracted. With blood tests, what is normal in younger cats may be a red flag in an older cat, and sometimes vets miss that distinction. I would definitely have her back at a vet somewhere. If she has a UTI, she needs antibiotics. Some vets will also try to give you Metacam, a pain medicine, but Metacam can affect a cat's kidneys. I would recommend avoiding it, especially in a senior, except for a terminal cancer case.

More information about urinalyses:
http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=3136

More information about metacam:
http://www.felinecrf.org/causes_of_crf.htm#metacam

ANother pssiblility although i dont know how they got her urin sample but if they used a catheter that could have irritated things and caused the blood. But I also agree with taking her back you know your cat better then anyone to know if somethings not right.