Cat peeing only little squirts frequently, but tested negative for UTI and crystals.

So, my cat started peeing in little squirts (frequently) a few weeks back. I suspected a UTI or some other urinary issue so I took him to the vet. They felt no blockage, and they also conducted a urinalysis to check for crystals or a UTI. He tested negative for both, and was given a clean bill of health. At some point after that day his peeing went back to normal. Then the squirts started again a week or so later, then he went back to normal. Today the frequent squirting is back AGAIN. I should add, since his vet appointment I have added wet food to his diet and just a few days ago I changed his dry food to Wysong Feline Uretic Diet food. He is also taking urinary supplement treats. So, I'm wondering, with all this new moisture and supplementation in his diet, why is he still doing this squirting thing if he has no known urinary problems? What gives?

How did they collect a sample? It's possible that they simply missed anything in the sample they took. I would guess there could be some inflammation - this, even with a diet change, could take days to go away if it does - more likely it would need to be directly treated. Best to go back to the vet or try another one if you're not satisfied with the current one.

I wasn't in the room, but as far as I know there was no catheter or needle involved and they were able to get some via a free catch.

He might have an inflamation of the UT not necessarily an infection and therefore get the urge to pee in squirts. This is usually attributed to an overstimulation of the nerves in the bladder. Is he an anxious kitty?
Marina

Does he pee his normal amount do you think? As in is the volume same but he pees it in 10 goes vs 3 (or whatever)? Or is the volume up or down too?

I guess just like with people you could get into this cycle that you can't tolerate fuller bladder and it's hard to get off it once it starts. If he feels he can't empty the bladder fully, he will want to go again and again because he feels there is something there. And the irritation mentioned would be another thing.

Our cat just had serious painful urinary issue, there was no bacteria and only few crystals but he kept going and going because he was unable to pass so little and got his tubes and little peepee so irritated at every attempt. No inflammation was detected on vet exam though.

Maybe now with different feeding he has fluids drain to the bladder in different way/schedule and with little irritation he just gets the urge and anxiously tries to void - then gets more irritation and again returns to the box?

I would consult a vet. It's possible there was nothing going on earlier and now there is. He might need something to get the inflammation down or something to calm his nerves if nothing else.

Yesterday he peed about the same small amount every time he went, and I thought to myself that he would have peed the same amount over the course of the day if he was peeing regular amounts. So yes, the volume over the course of the day was pretty normal, I think.

He is, indeed, a high-strung/anxious kitty (periodically). He gets bouts of almost manic behavior where he'll run around the house, crazily climbing up things and back down, running and running and running. And don't even think about going near him during that time, because he'll get crazy eyes and scratch anyone within reach. But he has been like this for a long time and the squirting has only come up recently.

I should add that whenever he was in the litter box yesterday, he sat there for a while. I'm not sure if his pee was just coming out very slowly or he was just trying for more but nothing else would come out.

Edit: Also, he slept through the night last night and didn't wake up to go to the bathroom until morning. The amount he peed was of average size. I'm not at home at the moment so I won't be able to see what he's done the rest of the day until I get home this evening. Could this mean that the problem is not physically prompted since he didn't get up in the middle of the night?

Edit 2: Maybe an important detail: this all began while I was away from home for about a month; it started about 3 weeks into my absence, though. He is mine and my boyfriend's cat, so he was the one caring for him while I was gone. I don't know if my absence caused him the kind of stress that would start this kind of behavior or not, but it's something to consider. But I guess it wouldn't explain the subsequent bouts of this that came afterward. I'm a little worried because my boyfriend and I going away for a week tomorrow. There will be three other people in the house to look after him but he is very dependent on us and I don't want him to get worse while we're away.

Thank you for all the input so far.

Originally Posted by jharm

I should add that whenever he was in the litter box yesterday, he sat there for a while. I'm not sure if his pee was just coming out very slowly or he was just trying for more but nothing else would come out.


Edit 2: Maybe an important detail: this all began while I was away from home for about a month; it started about 3 weeks into my absence, though. He is mine and my boyfriend's cat, so he was the one caring for him while I was gone. I don't know if my absence caused him the kind of stress that would start this kind of behavior or not, but it's something to consider.

There will be three other people in the house to look after him but he is very dependent on us and I don't want him to get worse while we're away.

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Unfortunately the staying in the litter box for extended time is a bad sign and you should def keep eye on it. Is there any sign that he gets the flow going right away? Any sign he strains at all?

If he has not had any (anxious) habit of needing to settle longer in the box before being able to pee, it would indicate that he has some trouble. I have one cat who is particular about digging a perfect hole but he has no problem performing the pee part once he gets his hectic digging done. This does not sound like that kind of issue.

Is there any way you could have the pet sitters keep particular eye on the peeing and if it gets worse? I know it's really hard but my cats pretty much will go to box after meals and if I just stick around I can observe if there is something peculiar about the potty behavior. Maybe you could ask if your pet sitters could try to see that your kitty does not seem get to the point of whimpering/pain? Also if your pet sitters stay a longer time they could keep an eye if there is any excessive licking of hind quarters.

In our case the first urinary issue most likely was triggered by stress that came from us being away more frequently than usual We are going to be away for couple of nights next week and I am leaving explicit advice about potty stuff for our pet sitter just in case because I worry.

I can't tell if he gets it going right away since we changed the type of litter and it's hard to hear a stream. I might have to attempt to just look. Once sitting, his tail bobs up and down a few times before he goes, though. I also noticed he seems to be more picky about the litter boxes when he has these issues. For instance, he'll sniff all of the boxes in front of him and/or walk around in each of them, and sometimes walk away and come back moments later to do his business. However, he also did this when he needed to poop.

Luckily, they are not sitters but actually live in the house, so I will tell them to pay attention. Might have to get some sort of Rescue Remedy for cats to keep him calm while we're away...

Originally Posted by jharm

I can't tell if he gets it going right away since we changed the type of litter and it's hard to hear a stream. I might have to attempt to just look. Once sitting, his tail bobs up and down a few times before he goes, though. I also noticed he seems to be more picky about the litter boxes when he has these issues. For instance, he'll sniff all of the boxes in front of him and/or walk around in each of them, and sometimes walk away and come back moments later to do his business. However, he also did this when he needed to poop.

Luckily, they are not sitters but actually live in the house, so I will tell them to pay attention. Might have to get some sort of Rescue Remedy for cats to keep him calm while we're away...

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Yes, I just went and got some new Feliway too. I don't usually get it for just vacations but I want to get some extra buffer because I worry more.

I also wanted to say that that's what happened to Teppo with the UTI... his tail did all kinds of weird twitches when he peed. We'd ask each other that "Did you see him go and was he still twittering in the potty"... His butt would rise and sometimes he would end up peeing standing on straight legs because he'd get so uncomfy by the end And his pees were way smaller than usual. This continued even when he already got antibiotics for a few days.

I wonder isn't there any quick strip test that could be done whether the pH has changed that could tell that something is off that was not before? One could even home test...

Lucky you for having a stay home pet sitter. I would def brief them. When Teppo got into the pain stage he would just try and try to pee and whimpered in the box. It was terrible.

Originally Posted by piikki

Yes, I just went and got some new Feliway too. I don't usually get it for just vacations but I want to get some extra buffer because I worry more.

I also wanted to say that that's what happened to Teppo with the UTI... his tail did all kinds of weird twitches when he peed. We'd ask each other that "Did you see him go and was he still twittering in the potty"... His butt would rise and sometimes he would end up peeing standing on straight legs because he'd get so uncomfy by the end

And his pees were way smaller than usual. This continued even when he already got antibiotics for a few days.

I wonder isn't there any quick strip test that could be done whether the pH has changed that could tell that something is off that was not before? One could even home test...

Lucky you for having a stay home pet sitter. I would def brief them. When Teppo got into the pain stage he would just try and try to pee and whimpered in the box. It was terrible.

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Even with no bacteria, he was put on antibiotics? Did he ever get a diagnosis or was it just as a safety measure? How is he now? Luckily, Banana (cat) hasn't vocalized any pain and seems to be sitting in the litter in a normal manner. I actually do have a packet of pH test strips. The trouble will just be attempting to stick one of those between his legs or wiping up any urine from the box...

Originally Posted by jharm

Even with no bacteria, he was put on antibiotics? Did he ever get a diagnosis or was it just as a safety measure? How is he now? Luckily, Banana (cat) hasn't vocalized any pain and seems to be sitting in the litter in a normal manner. I actually do have a packet of pH test strips. The trouble will just be attempting to stick one of those between his legs or wiping up any urine from the box...

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The antibiotics were given for possible inflammation as he did not have bacteria in his urine and (only) fairly low amount of crystals were found. He was in considerable pain while we were waiting for the lab results, and the pain was def helped by the meds tho I suspected he could have passed some crystals/blockage too and got relief from that. I do not know if pain meds would have been a better option.

He had to change the antibiotics after few days due to serious stomach upset, and the discomfort did return after 24 hrs when not on meds, so I am certainly happy he was on something. We started a second (10-day) course and he has been fine since. It did take 2+ weeks that he was weirded out going to potty. He was generally downcast (also from the first antibiotic making him sickly), and going to potty was obviously not normal fluent and voluminous big boy biz it usually is for him.

Right now I am watching him like a hawk and I want to make sure this does not become a chronic problem. He's already learnt a routine about going to the potty together. It would be extremely easy to test his pee, he'll pee in a cup for me. Where could I get these strips?? I would love to see which way his pH has gone since the episode, whether it's normalizing or getting further from good without meds. Paid $160 for his panel alone and could certainly save a bit for the second opinion by keeping an eye on this on our own first. I would also be interested in seeing other boys' values, esp if planning to get supplements, to see if they'd need to go on it yet.

These are the strips I have: http://www.iherb.com/Trimedica-AlkaM...ips/18428?at=0

I bought them for myself, but I'm assuming they'd work for cats as well... ?