Please help with 15 year old cat urinary problem

I have been up since 330 this morning and it is now about 6:10am, I have been up with my female cat following her around the house as she urinates small, and not so small amounts of blood. This problem had just started about a week and a half ago...well small amounts of urine at first( no blood )...at the end of a 2 week vetalog injection (a steroid shot for allergies). There had not been any blood really until tonight...she has had her urine tested and a culture was sent out recently and also she just had an ultrasound and everything looked good. She did have some bacteria in her urine but I guess not enough to prescribe antibiotics. Previously she has had a few uti's but now this is different. The blood and passing small amounts of urine is a new symptom, but one thing that has been consistent is there is always a bowel movement included in these episodes...a few actually. First it will be small amount, then a regular amount of soft stool..and then eventually just a tiny amount of liquidy stool, which I'm guessing is more from her straining to urinate. The other thing is that, so far she will have this episode and then the next day will be totally fine as far as urinating. Does anhyone have any ideas? I am so worried. I know I am waiting for a urine culture result but my vet said that it is unlikely to produce anything because her white blood cells are normal (or someting like that). Also...the time the urine was taken for culture there was no blood in it...and now she is just urinating blood. I forgot to mention that I have seen one blood clot passed, or bloody mucous...I can't say for sure, not a dr. I would just like to know what to have her tested for? I want to test for everything possible I guess. I am going to call her vet in the morning (again) with this new development, but I just wanted to know if anyone has had similar symptoms with their cat.

Any help is so greatly appreciated. I also hope you can understand my message well as I have not had much sleep since this started.

Also wanted to add that she has bouts with constipation, and lately started going but only having the contractions that look like some stuff was going to come out but nothing did...so i started hber on lactulose, but her colon was empty prior, and she has been going even without it, but i wonder why she does the contraction thing...well it has only happened a few times as far as that is concerened, but she has been scooting for a long long time now after she goes, but the vet said her anal sacs were fine...I'm just getting really confused. Is there any disease that effects the bowels and the urinary system as well?? Argggh

So, the culture came back and she said that the bacteria they found is sensitive to all the antibiotics basically and so that rules out the thought that she had an infection that was being treated with the wrong stuff She is stumped at this point and said there is nothing else really to test for without surgery and she does not want to do that, so she is going to make some phone calls (to other doctors I assume). So, now I sit and wait.

My Jazz had blood in his urine and we found out that he had bladder crystals.... but your symptoms seem different.

I hope you find out quickly what is wrong. Your kitty is very lucky to have such a dedicated owner like you.

Coco has it right now and is on Cefa Drops amd she is 16. Your story is just like Cocos. The Steroid Shot makes it worse. Coco is not allowed to ahve another shot. It has given her Bladder Problems 2 times now. Coco has to be on Antibiotics at least 2 months before the infection goes away. My Vet is the number 1 Vet in the area and they know why more then other Vets. How long has she been on Antibiotics?

when was her last senior panel done??? many utis in older cats relate to other "aging" issues like kidneys

I do not unerstand why the Vet gives the vetalog. It causes bladder problems. I would stop that shot because it will make her worse.

My Old cat Mamma Kitty was showing signs of UTI turned out it was E-coli & kidney's were craping out. After much money spent and tons of treatment, she was better, not great, she was 14. She got sick again last April, and I knew it was time. She lost all controll of her tummy and tossed up all fluids in her tummy, started with runny green stool. She had not eaten in 3 days, and had been deep in the closet. DH took her to the vet & they took one look at her & put her down. Sometimes when they are old they just get so sick so fast, they try to fight & get better, but just depends on what they have.
Best wishes to you and your sweet baby kitty.
K.

Coco has both problems. What food is your Cat on?

Thank you for all your responses. The vet did tell me that it was E.coli found in the culture, but she didn't make it sound urgent or anything, she just said that we will be putting her on antibiotics but she just wanted to consult with a Dr. at the animal hospital first. She is currently not on anything, and by now that Vetalog shot has worn off. It was just a one time shot for a hot spot she had on the inside of her leg. I regretted it as soon as they did it because Precious reacts funny to steroids, as I just recently discovered...she didn't always...but even Tresaderm (for ear bacteria) makes her act weird now. The vetalog she was given was for 10-14 days, and for those days she was totally not herself. She did not want to be touched and she was lethargic and I just couldn't get her to respond to me the way she always has...it was very upsetting for me. I find it interesting that there could be a connection to the vetalog and the bladder problem. She has had her senior panel and everything was fine, she also had the abdominal ultrasound and everything looked good there too. I asked about her kidneys and the Dr. said that while they look like an older cat's kidneys they are also looking good...so thank god for that.

We managed to sleep through the night last night, which is good, and the last two times she urinated it was normal and without any noticeable blood. I just don't get why it goes back and forth like that. Is Coco the same way? As far as food, I have just been feeding regular brands like fancy feast mostly and some meow mix soft. I did notice the thread here about the food, and it does concern me however! I will talk to the vet about her diet as well. She should be calling me today with more info as well as me having to go and pick up her meds. By the way, have any of your vets given you those probiotic packs to put in the food? Precious always gets the "runs" from antibiotics and I was wondering if it would be worth giving to her when she starts them.

I believe my vet is a good vet...it is a cat clinic and they only treat cats, but they really do seem to want to help. I had a bad vet once and he actually ended up on the news, I was sick to my stomach..that's another story though and at the moment I don't want to get into it.

I appreciate all your help and Wingss2fly, I am sorry for your loss. Precious will be a very hard loss for me. I am still getting over the loss of her brother and that will be 3 years in sept. I will update when I know more.

Ok, I heard from the vet. She will be going on antibiotics for like a month, don't know which one yet, it will depend on what I think will be the easiest. Her and the other Dr. were still kinda at a lost with her. We did talk about cancer of the urethra or a blockage but she said in her 23 years of being a vet she has had zero cases of that...so I don't know. They think it's odd, I mean she is fine one day at not the next. All we know from her history is that she has had bacteria in her urine for like a year now. She also mentioned doing pulse therapy ( I think that's the name ) . It means Precious will go on antibiotics for one week every month. I don't like the idea of that. She said I could certainly still have her Urethra tested but she feels it can wait to see how she does on the antibiotics. I just don't know now. I will bring it up again when I go in later. I also asked for them to shave her backside including the backs of her furry legs. This is because Precious was born with 3 full legs , but her back one is missing it's paw basically, so that included with her being a bit plump creates for messes on her backside when she gets the runs, and I don't want her to get any bacteria up her urethra from that! It's the shape of her body when she goes potty that makes the messes, she is smaller than your average cat also, so its like a short chunky kitten going potty with one leg missing in the back...lol..oh brother, I'm not doing a good job describing it..I will try to post a pic next time of her!! She is the cutest sweetest thing

UPdate again later!!

Coco has had the Ecoli. It took 2 Months before that went away with teh Antibiotics. Your Cat might have to be on Antibiotics after that. If my Coco has the problem when she is done with Antibiotics this time she will go on lo dose Antibiotics every day which I hate. How old was your Cat when she started getting Bladder Infections? When Coco had her ultrasound they saw a thick Bladder. My Vet is one of the top 16% Vets in the country. They do stuff no other Vets do. Is she fine when she is on the Antibiotics? Coco is ok when she is taking them. It sounds like your Vet did the right Tests. Your Cats story sounds so much like Cocos. I would not give her Steroid shots anymore.

I wish I knew more about urinary issues, but I simply don't know enough to help. Best of luck, I'm sure your cat will pull through!

Another Update!

Well, I am considering having a cystoscopy(?) done to really get a good look at the urethra. Mind you, this is not at the urgency of the vet, she was willing to wait a month to see how the antibiotics do, but I'm thinking what if I am catching a cancer or something early enough so that we can help her? I don't feel comfortable waiting because the dr's don't know what it is! The thing that seems to be throwing them is that when they take the urine directly from her bladder there has never been any blood in it, but the 2 samples I have brought in the past year did have a little bit of blood in them, and now obviously the noticeable blood that is coming out when she urinates. Also the fact that one day she will be fine and the next she is not. She has had bacteria in her urine practically all year, except one time right after her antibiotic treatment. So, here we are again, and her urine was clean as a whistle right before the vetalog injection and b4 the two weeks were up with that she started having this whole small amount of urination thing happening...and now with blood. So this part is all new I also asked her if there could have been something too small for the ultrasound to pick up and she said that was a possibility...so I'm like...well...crap! So, I am still worried, and think I will have some more tests done even though I have already paid so much in bills I love her so much so I will find a way.

Sorry if my post seems scattered, I am in a real hurry, and have to run, but I wanted to check in with you all. I don't know if I am being too much of a worrier, but she is 15, and I just don't want to regret anything by waiting too long...maybe I'm crazy, I don't know.

Talk to ya soon.

I think the shot caused it with your Cat this time. We talked about that test you are talking about with your Cat. My Vet felt it may not be safe to do with Coco because of her age and Asthma. Coco last probelm was Nov 2007 -Jan 2008. She was fine from Jan to May then she got the shot and the Bladder problems came back. She has had the blood like your Cat though. I would wait a month. I was told if its Cancer and even if its caught early they usally die with in a year. How long has she had the problem. Cocos started with ecoli in Aug 2006.

This started like a year ago. However, prior to that she didn't really ever have her urine tested for anything. She had some other issues going on with her and she had a different vet at that time also. So when this started happening, I didn't think much of it. They basically gave me some antibiotics to give her and then I would but I didn't follow up to see if it worked...she seemed fine and I was short on cash so I just let it go. She gets senior panels often enough that I knew eventually she would be checked again. So there wasn't much concern until this recent episode. Like I said they think the blood is not coming from the urethra...or at least it's one thought. The fact that they seem confused is what has me wanting to do some tests. I'm just so worried. I would at least like to know.

I hope Coco recovers well

Thanks,
Cocos problem started in Aug 2006 and it has been on and off ever since. We did talk about have a Camera stuck up there to see what its from but they do not believe its safe for her because of her Asthma and age. What antibiotics hae theyl tried with your Cat? I saw blood when Coco peed in Jan even though there was none in her pee. I think we are the only ones with female Cats that have the problem.

Tomorrow I am bringing Precious to the animal hospital where they will attempt to get two samples of urine...one directly from her bladder while doing an ultrasound and then a free catch one. The doc wants to be certain about where the blood is coming from. After that, it is looking like I will be setting up a cystoscopy. None of this is cheap I am breaking the bank at this point, but no one can tell me what is wrong. They are not saying it's cancer or a mass but they also can't tell me she is ok. Maybe it's all just a fluke. I know she reacted to the vetalog...aahh, I just don't know. The doc did say that with cystitis you do see normal urination one day and then blood in urine another, and how it waxes and wanes...but she won't say that is what Precious has. It is sad to spend all this money to find out it is not cancer!! I love her so much, so I will do what I have to.

Say Meeoooowww to all your kitties for me!!!

I dont think its a fluke because Coco is the same way. I know its not cheap. I got lucky with Coco when she got her last Ultrasound. The Vet didnt charge me. That was on May 29th. I got told the same thing you did. What time are you seeing the Vet. Some of Cocos test went to Uc Davis. I sure hope your Cat feels better.

I'm dropping her off at 6:30 in the morning! Poor thing. So what is Coco's official diagnosis then? At this point are they guessing cystitis?

Thanks again for all your responses!