Otis can't pee

A couple days ago I came home from work to find Otis, my 1-year-old male cat, continuously going in and out of the litter pan trying to pee. At that point, it didn't appear as if anything was coming out. Also, earlier in the day he had bad diarrhea. I took him to the vet to make sure he wasn't blocked, and he isn't. They did a urinalysis, and his pH level is fine (6). There's no crystalization in his urine, but there was a high red blood cell count. The vet gave me some antibiotics and sent him home. He's been on the antibiotics 2 days and his symptoms haven't changed. As I type this, he's going from one litter pan to the next trying to pee. And it's worthy to note that when he tries to pee, there are little dribbles. It's absolutely heartbreaking to watch this - has anyone else had experience with these symptoms or have any thoughts?

Did the vet give him an anti inflammatory to help with the swelling of his ureter? It made all the difference when my Anna had a bladder infection. Of course, Anna is female.... You should at least call your vet. He has to e hurting if he can't go. They hide pain very well!

Yup. Tuxedo appeared to be straining, and was constantly in and out of the box. Each time we took him to the vet, he had no urine in his bladder, so obviously not blocked. We tried steroids, not antibiotics, if I remember correctly. Didn't help. So, back to the vet we went.

Vet did an MRI of the bladder - couldn't see anything. Vet started thinking - maybe there's something, but we needed a higher resolution MRI. So we scheduled an appointment with a specialist with a much higher resolution MRI. Sure enough - there was a small cyst of crystals implanted in his bladder wall. Enough to cause him to feel like he constantly had to pee. Apparently irritating but not painful. We scheduled the surgery, he had the cyst removed - and voila! It worked. *phew*

I'll have to look up my thread on this - because for a while there the vet thought it was something else, and I forgot what that was.

I hope you're able to find the solution to the problem for your poor baby boy!

Laurie

OK. He called it "interstitial cystitis" and initially prescribed Cosequin to build up the lining of his bladder wall.

Obviously your vet believes this straining may be caused by an infection - did he flush your kitty's bladder?

I'd call the vet, but my understanding is that IF it is a problem caused by infection, the antibiotics ought to work within 2 - 3 days. If it continues beyond this, I'd consult with the vet. I don't know if you have the money to pursue imaging (it can be VERY expensive) - but if it is something like the interstitial cystitis originally suspected by our vet for Tuxie, then maybe he'd need something like the cosequin. ??????

Laurie

I'd call the vet back and tell him the medicine isn't helping. Male cats can get blocked pretty easily, and I'd be concerned that even though he wasn't a few days ago, he could become so now.

What are you feeding him?
My cat when he had his urinary problems, was put on prescription food Waltham (Royal Canin) Urinary So.
It really helped him.
This food comes in wet and dry.
If vet can't find out what's wrong with him, he could have cystitis.
Ask about prescription food.

I'd have him rechecked - it really sounds like UTI and when they are blocked and can't pee he can die in a short time. Its classic symptoms (like Charlie had) - you don't want to wait around - even it it means emergency vet!

I have a Cat with a Terrible Bladder Infection right now but its a female. Please go to the Vet he can die if he is blocked. i lost Frisky at age 1.5 from that because we waited one day. I was a kid then. I hope you Cat gets better. Mine is on her th Box of clavamox. Did they do a Ultra Sound or any other tests?

It really sounds like its time for a vet visit! I had a cat named Tissy, she was BooBoo's sister, anyway, my son had to have emergency surgery so I was in the hospital with him, when I got back my husband had been taking care of feeding and watering ect. but was spending alot of time in the hospital too, so I get home and I notice that Tissy is in the bathtub, I didn't think anything of it. I went back to tending my 19 day old baby who had surgery. Later my hubby comes home and looks at her and said there's something wrong she needs to go to the vet! Me feeling terrible for not giving her proper attention rushed her to the emergency vet, the only one I could find that would answer the phone! I get her there and he palpates her belly and her bladder exploded and she died.

It can be a very serious problem! & for those of you wondering Tissy was actually a little boy, but thats a whole nother story!

I took Otis into an emergency vet clinic last night after I noticed trace amounts of blood in his urine. When he arrived, the vet did a quick exam to feel if his bladder was full - it wasn't, so he wasn't blocked. The vet concluded he has Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD), and that his bladder and urethra were inflamed and irritated. This was causing the sensation of having to pee. And every time Otis came out of the litter pan, he was licking himself, further irritating the problem. They gave him an antispasmodic to calm down the irritation in his bladder/urethra and an E collar (little cone-shaped thing that fits around his neck) to prevent further irritation by licking. We're hoping Otis is on the road to recovery. Happy Holidays, all!

Best wishes to Otis--glad to hear he isn't blocked. Unless you have been taught how to palpate his bladder, it's just better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully the medicine will help him feel better quickly.

Im so glad you got Otis to the vet and now know whats wrong with him! I think the worst part is not knowing what is wrong! I hope he takes the meds for you easily and that he has a speedy recovery! I hope you had a merry christmas also!

Good luck and keep us posted!