Urination problems??

aja

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Hey,

I have a one-year-old male gray tabby and he's very healthy and very active, lol. Well, today for the first time, I noticed that he used the litter box a lot. He's an indoor cat, but I take him outside every other day, and let him walk around, get some fresh air and eat some grass. I also watch him and follow him around we have a HUGE property.

While outside, he peed a little in the dirt, didn't think it was a big deal. But he took a while sitting there...a little weird? So, about 10 mins. later after I brought him inside, I went in the basement to clean the litter box (I have two boxes. One in my room--it's ALWAYS clean, I scoop it everyday and it never smells at all, lol) and one in the basement. Well, after I cleaned the basement one, my male cat went in and peed again, it looked very little and again, took a while.

He did this a few more times later and went just now, but I took him out of the box after he was done and scooped the clump of urine he just did, to see how much he peed (gross, I know, but I was really concerned!) The clump was like, the size of a quarter. He's been eating fine, begged for dinner like always, lol, ate all of his food, drank some water. He has clean water everyday.

Could it be possible that he has a UTI or something?? I hope not because I have no money for the vet. Is there anything I get give him over the counter that will help him? Any feedback is appreciated! :-)

Thanks!!!
 

laureen227

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sounds worrisome, to me. male cats are prone to blockages, which can be very dangerous.
sounds like 'vet visit' time to me!
 

mews2much

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You need to call teh Vet before he blocks up. He can die if he does. I lost my Frisky that way. If see see him trying to go more tonight go to Er. Can you get Care Credit? Sounds like he has Crystals in his Urine. I had to take my Cat to Er last week for that but she is a girl. Females can pass it Males can block.
 

white cat lover

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Yes, vet now. This is a sign of a UTI, and male cats block easily & can die from it. You get him into the vet as soon as you possibly can, do not wait. Cow died once from being blocked while they were operating on him, I've almost lost Squishy to a blockage as well. This is not something to wait on, whether you can afford a vet or not you need to find a way to.
 
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aja

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Crap....well, I'll see if I can call tomorrow and make an appt. I have no money and I'll have to ask Mom to pay and I'll pay her back.

He eats dry food, scheduled meals. Is there anything I can feed him to keep this from happening again?? I'm really worried, now I'll be crying all night!
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by Aja

Crap....well, I'll see if I can call tomorrow and make an appt. I have no money and I'll have to ask Mom to pay and I'll pay her back.

He eats dry food, scheduled meals. Is there anything I can feed him to keep this from happening again?? I'm really worried, now I'll be crying all night!
more liquid is advantageous - perhaps one wet meal a day? you can add extra water to that.
also, cats [at least, mine] seem to drink more from a fountain than a bowl... the freshflow is not too pricey, & 4/5 of my cats really like it.
 
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aja

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I mean, how much is this going to cost and what can I feed him to keep from happening again? I don't understand why he got this when he eats well, drinks plenty of water, always clean....what exactly does the vet do when I take my cat?? Mom's not too thrilled because the vet is SO expensive....I feel terrible.

What is Care Credit and how often can males get UTI's?? I did hear males can get UTI's but I didn't know it wasn't 'rare' and they don't get them as much if they're neutered. He's neutered..
 

laureen227

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vet pricing differs around the country - as well as from vet to vet.
if he has a UTI, he'll be given antibiotics. if he has struvite crystals, there are prescription foods that will dissolve them.
they'll probably take a urine sample to check for crystals & bacteria.
 
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aja

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That's true...well, I found a good vet that my aunt recommended and I keep trying to call to make an ER appt. for tomorrow morning, but their line is busy. I dunno if they turn off their lines for the night or what. I don't think they're a 24 hour vet.

But I will call first thing tomorrow morning, they open at 8:30am and make an appt. I also called my aunt's sister-in-law since she's an expert in cats and she said that he may need a catheter if he's not peeing at all, but he's peeing a little, I just hope nothing too drastic will happen and some meds will clear it up...he seems okay but I just feel so bad for him. She also asked me to feel his bladder but to be honest, I tried to feel for anything "firm and expanded" but couldn't feel anything? But if it's not firm/expanded then he'll be okay until tomorrow but if it is, go immediately. Of course, it's 10:30am and I cannot go now, parents are in bed and I don't drive.

I'm just going to awake ALL night watching him, although he seems fine, I'm worried sick, lol. He's my baby. I wish there was something I could do.

Also....what kind of cat food should I look into buying for him from now on? Sister-in-law mentioned two things to watch out for when buying cat food, I THINK one of them she said was magnesium, but I'm not sure....thanks!!
 

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Care Credit is like a Credit Card. We lost two Males to Blockage . One was my Frisky and the other was Bogart my Brothers Cat. Midnight has had it twice so far. He is my Sisters Cat. Alot of my firends Cats have had it also. My Cat is on C/D.
 

laureen227

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fish can cause problems for UTI prone kitties. i try to avoid too much fish for mine [tho they love it] mainly for my male's sake.
i understand the financial aspect - i was quite strapped for money this past fall, due to paying off a large credit card debt [sick kitties will do it to you every time!]. i've found that Authority lamb & rice canned [Petsmart's brand] has no fish & is $.61 per 5.5oz can. their dry is quite reasonably priced, as well, & about a mid-grade as far as quality... & no fish there, either.
 

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OK, here's a mild crash course in everything I can remember UTIs & prices for me (rural MN):

Urine Sample via bladder expression - $18 (tests for bacteria, blood, & crystals)
Science Diet S/D or C/D - $14 for 4 lbs. dry
S/D or C/D canned....around $1.15 per can?
Clavamox....it was $30 for 3 weeks of it, I believe. Orbax, which my vet uses for cats who don't tolerate it was right around $30 as well.

If they cannot get a urine sample, they'll have to catheterize him which *might* require anesthesia. They may need to do x-rays to determine if he has stones causing a blockage (which for me is $44 for x-rays....plus $22 for gas anesthesia).

Like Laureen said....wet food helps a lot with UTI issues. What causes them is a mystery....some cats have issues with them for life, some get one & that's it. Cow's....there were no crystals, no stones, nothing. The vet was stumped as to what caused it. A water fountain helps increase wet intake, which can help prevent them.

You can PM sharky once you know more on what is causing his issues, she's the resident food expert & can help you select a food.
You can also search the forums for UTI friendly foods. I feed Nutro MAX cat chicken, which is no longer UTI certified, but so far I've had no UTI reoccurances.
 
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aja

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Thanks SOOO much for everything!! I will def. call the vet tomorrow morning and bring him in and look into what kind of food to feed him from now on. I have been giving him and Carmella, my other cat, indoor formula from Purina. Jade (male) seems to love any cat food so I think he'll eat anything. Carmella is not picky either so, thank goodness these cats eat anything, lol. We do not give either of our cats table food, just dry food in the morning, a little in the afternoon to keep them quiet, lol, and then in the evening, dinner. And they always have fresh clean water as well and clean litter boxes.

Money's tight for me right now. But I'm about to apply for a job as a library asst. so let's see what happens. But I am flat broke at the moment. I'll need Mom's help on this one, whoever much it will cost...my aunt recommended this vet because it's not as expensive, so I hope it won't be too bad and Jade will just need some meds to clear it up. I just noticed his behavior today so I pray I caught this early for his sake.

I'll have to promise to pay Mom back, LOL. I always say I'll pay back and I never do sooo, this is something I'll need to write down and remind myself. But honestly, I can't even think of any large amount of money that I promised to pay back because I'm not a big spender and I always feel bad having Mom spend so much money on me, lol.

Mom wouldn't want the payment all back at once, but little by little is fine, lol, as long as I pay it off.
 
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aja

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Thanks for your support, everyone!!

Well, here's the scoop...Jade spent a few hours at the vet so they could get a urine sample from him. They did and it turns out he does have a UTI, just like I expected. His bladder was actually empty when we got there. He peed some this morning before we left. We have a new vet now, lol. Staff is great and it's a little cheaper than our other vet and its SO close by! :-)

So....he has a UTI and they gave him penicillin for the night and he starts anti-biotics tomorrow morning.

But...I am curious about "food." The vet recommended 3 types, Royal Canin, Eukabana and ?? I cannot remember and still looking for the piece of paper the vet gave me, lol. OH! It may have been Nutro....but I really don't remember!

So, going by either RC and Eukabana, I've read some bad reviews about RC but looking into Eukabana now. They don't have a urinary health formula??? I know he's not well yet, he keeps using the litter box several times in like, a half hour...I know this is typical for cats with UTI and he will get better, just 'worried.'

What are your thoughts?? I went to Petco to get his 'special' food and they had the brands, all the formulas but no urinary tract formula...so much for luck! So I went with Purina Pro-plan urinary health for now until I can order the better brand online or something....

Thoughts?? Advice? Recommendations?

Still doing my 'homework' to decide on the best for him. It's better to pay a little more for food than to keep taking him to the vet for UTI's. But I'd appreciate any comments. Also, someone told me to give the cat cranberry supplements LOL but I didn't do that...
 

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Coco wa on Eukanuba when she got her first Infection. She is on C/D now and we are getting Can Royal Canin next week because she wont eat the can C/D. She finished her Meds on Sunday then today she was in the pan screaming and sqauting. What Antibiotics did he get. My Vet didnt charge me for the Ultra Sound. They saw a thick bladder though. My Vet gave me a choice of Purina Urinary or Royal Canin for the Can. She will stay on the C/D dry. I hope your Cat will not get another infection.
 
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aja

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He's still using the box several times like, every five minutes....is this normal for cats with UTI's?? He just got his first dosage of meds this morning. What a pain that was, LOL! He spit some of it out, but I hope he still got the full dosage although someone of it ended up on the floor, lol. Should have gotten pills instead. What is a good way to make sure he swallows ALL his meds? Mom suggested dispensing it in the corner of his mouth but he'd still spit it out. I dispense it at the back of his mouth and messaged his throat to get it to go down easy...

Also, I don't see him drinking water...he eats fine, not all his food in one sitting like he usually does, but I can def. see he has slowed down a little.

Vet gave me Clavamox. 1ml twice a day. About how long before the meds take effect? I just hate to see him in the box all the time...
 

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Sharky may well be able to help you with a food recommendation. As another poster pointed out, if you can feed more wet food that would help to avoid blockages and uti's. Water fountains are wonderful. I cannot believe how much more water our cats drink since we started using fountains.

Hope your kitty feels better really soon.
 

mews2much

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I just had to chace Coco all over the place to give her Cefa Drops. Its easier for me to give the liquid. Coco isnt in the Pan today. Your Cat should stop doing that also. Coco used to get Clavamox but she alwys threw up from it. So now its Cefa Drops or Cephalexin which is almost the same. Put it in the corner of his mouth and do it slowly. Thats how I give Coco her Cefa.
 
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