Blood in my cat's urine...

...and yet I don't want to take her to the vet.

She's 3-4 years old, female, and has always had issues peeing in her litter box (so that she's sometimes not doing so right now isn't all that interesting). In the past she's had a little blood in her pee and it went away. Recently I've noticed some blood in her pee after she went on some concrete in the house (I've been taking up some carpet). I thought it was just that day but I've noticed it again; so maybe it's been going on for a couple weeks.

She hasn't been acting in pain or worrying at her genitals. She's been playing with me and acting normally frisky, etc.

Getting her into a carry cage/to the vet is an absolute nightmare. Last week I went so far as to make an appointment for her, got her into the carrier cage 3 times (feeling like a murder/rapist throughout) only to have her escape 3 times. The whole thing was extremely traumatizing to us both, lol.

I should note that she's kind of a wild cat who likes me and barely tolerates every other living thing on the planet.

So I am thinking the issue might be that she's not getting enough water. She has a single water bowl at the entry to the garage and she's entirely on dry food. I'm thinking I might get her onto some wet food and buy one of those pet water dispenser things so she has another watering hole.

Two thoughts - do you have a vet who does housecalls? Or, can you consult your vet and see if you can give the plastic litter a try to get a urine sample at the vet least?

I honestly do think you need to get her into the vet - while seeing if you can get her to eat wet food and drink more is a good thing, she does need an exam, the sooner the better.

to all that.

A house call, or help getting her into a carrier is necessary. This could be serious, the blood, and she could be in pain. AND she's peeing on the floor. All indicating a UTI or more.

Please take her in ASAP. Healing and calming going out to you and your cat.

Please keep us updated.


Robin

"ASAP" means today.


Robin

Please, get help for your cat and I know you said you tried last week, but don't give up. She needs a vet immediately. Have you ever had an on-going UTI yourself, well, it is very, very painful and will become chronic and damaging to the bladder if not treated quickly. It is in the best interest of your cat to get her to the vet, one way or another. Go out and buy a larger carrier, one that is has a large opening. Turn it on its back end and then scruff your cat and get her in there while closing the door at the same time. I know this is not easy, I have a cat who hates the carrier's too, but it must be done.

It sounds like your kitty has been suffering with this way too long now. She needs to have her urine analyzed and she needs medications and probably a prescription diet at this point. Cats do need to have more wet food and not be on a totally dry diet which can contribute to UTI's because the urine sits in the bladder very concentrated then. A fountain is a good idea along with a water bowl so she has a choice. I, too, have a cat that recently had blood in the urine and has been on antibiotics and doing much better. Second urinalysis is today. You must stay on top of this for your cat's well-being, health and happiness.

I think that, after all, I'm going to sit on this a little while; I don't see any alarming behavior in my cat. I'm going to introduce her to wet food and I've bought a water fountain to entice her into drinking more water (up until now she's only had the one water bowl in a rather traffic-heavy area of the house). There's nothing but alarmed and rather hysterical info to be found online about blood in urine, but after reading this particular thread, I'm inclined to just try getting more liquids into her, as I've not seen any signs of real distress or being unable to pee.

Though, what it comes down to is that I'm just extremely reluctant to drag her to the vet. =/

I wonder if you might consider checking in with your vet and seeing what they say. My own boy had a urinalysis at the end of May, with his senior panel. It revealed trace amounts of blood, but his blood work was fine, and no crystals. My vet only said I should bring him back at the end of this month, to see what was up - based on bloodwork, no litter box accidents, etc., he was inclined to think it might even be a result of the draw - but that was because there were no other symptoms.

Your girl has several symptoms of UTI or other infection (the out of the box peeing, etc). Please, consult your vet - he may be able to come to the house for the exam or let you know whether waiting if advised. I suspect not, truly.

In any event, I do beg you to know exactly where your emergency vet is - if she develops crystals or other issues, you will not have much time to get into the vet - perhaps only hours. I'm not trying to scare you unnecessarily - but this truly is something to at least call your vet about, today.

Well, I emailed my local animal hospital almost word for word the two posts I've made in this thread. The reply to my first post was to bring her in (of course); the reply to my second post was "okay, let me know how she does and if there's anything we can do."

I have found that using a regular old box (like one that paper comes in) with a lid is the easiest way to transport my guy Jasper. I discovered this a couple of months ago when I had to take him to the vet's several times in a week. Some of the cat carriers are very cumbersome and it's really hard to force a stressed out kitty into them. Try the box. You can duct tape the lid on if you need to. Aside from the easy access, my guy is much calmer in something he can't see out of.

I hope you decide to take your kitty to the vet. Blood in the urine is nothing to fool around with. You may just find it to be much cheaper and less stressful to find out whats going on and treat it before it's an emergency.

Good luck!

I am going through this same scenario with my cat right now, blood in urine. Personally, I would not wait. I did read through that "thread" link you posted, but would not use that as veterinarian advice. Blood in urine is NOT normal on any day, IMHO.

Get her to the vet as soon as you can. Blood in the urine could be indicative of a UTI. This may also be the reason your cat is not using her litter box.

Okay, so I guess I'll post an update...

I tried getting her on wet food and it was kind of a disaster... She'll eat it when she feels like it, but not enough. Tried 3 or 4 brands and 10 or 12 cans, from the cheap store brand stuff to fairly quality stuff. She wasn't enthusiastic about any of it, but would lick it and eat small amounts sometimes. I rather stupidly tried to get her to go canned cold turkey and she didn't eat much for a few days... Now I've put back out the cheap dry food she's eaten all her life just to make sure she won't starve, though I'm still going to leave some canned out a couple times a day (I think she mostly just likes to lick the juice off).

She's been peeing regularly in small amounts (from quarter size to golf ball size) and has been almost entirely sticking to her litter boxes (went to her old "accident" areas a couple times, but not in the past couple days--I don't think). I found one small drop of blood a couple days ago on the carpet (in a small pee spot)... but no puddles of reddish pee on the concrete...

I read everywhere "UTI! UTI!" but according to a study result I read only like 1% of cats displaying similar symptoms actually have an infection...

Her behavior has been normal; she plays, chills, and doesn't act weak or lethargic as far as I can tell.

Have you actually tried calling and talking to a vet? Or did you just e-mail one? It may not be really serious, but blood in the urine is always cause for investigation in my books. If she is peeing outside her litter box, even once in a while, that could be an indication that she is in some pain and discomfort.
Remember, cats hide pain very well. They can be very ill or in a great deal of pain without even showing it.

I urge you to at least CALL a vet and talk to them. Perhaps between you, you can work something out to get her checked. As stressful and difficult as it may be, it's worth the effort if she is in pain.

Please bring your cat in for a urine sample and culture. The fact that she's peeing in various smallish amounts really makes me think she's either got a UTI or is getting blocked - or both. I've had a UTI - it's hell.

My boy had struvite crystals and, other than peeing small amounts (which was not his normal pattern) displayed no other symptoms - ate well, played well, etc.

A vet cannot make you come in, but, honestly, any good vet will make time, same day, for a cat with a possible urinary issue - it's that serious.

I really feel sorry for your kitty, even though she is playing and acting normal, she is still in some discomfort and needs to be treated. Cats hide their pain very, very well and when you do notice that they are in pain, it is desperate at that point. I am trying to be understanding and respectful to you as I am dealing with the exact same thing right now with my cat Pipsqueak who has no other symptoms other than the traces of blood in the urine and peeing smaller amounts, about golf ball or a bit smaller size (he normally has a much larger clump). To me, quarter size urine clumps and droplets of blood are getting to the point of a serious and critical bladder issue. There are many possibilities for a cat to have blood in the urine OTHER than a UTI. Your cat could have an inflammed, irritated bladder due to some allergy, stress or even cancer, could have stones, could have crystals imbedded in the bladder wall that won't even show up on a typical urinalysis or xray, could have kidney stones and I am sure the list goes on of other possibilities that blood in the urine is a symptom of. Hopefully, it is just an UTI that is easily diagnosed. I only wish that with my cat it would be going that simple. . But, I won't give up until I get an answer and he can be back to 100% and am following through with my vet to get to the bottom of this problem.

I am sending vibes to you and your cat and am concerned for her, and I pray you can somehow get her checked out at the very least

Well I made an appt with the vet for her tomorrow. I am dreading it.
Dreading the simple act of getting her into the carrier as much as anything...

If you went to the bathroom and found blood in your urine, what would you do????

Originally Posted by Turks rule!

If you went to the bathroom and found blood in your urine, what would you do????

Click to expand...

I'd be glad I have health insurance and can get myself checked out after a phone call and a five minute drive.

Under different circumstances... say in order to be checked out my only friend in the world had to betray me, run me down and lock me into an unmarked van, then transport me through hostile territory full of strange creatures making rough and frightening noises, and then to be prodded and jostled by unknown fingers, stuck with sharp pins and forced down onto a table while unknowable and uncomfortable things are going on out of my sight... Well, in such a case I might hesitate to do anything... I might "wait and see" and try to remedy things on my own.

I just want you to know, I totally understand your feelings on the trip to the vet. . Try not to worry yourself so. Even though it will be quite an emotional trip for your kitty and you, it is for the best for your kitty. In fact, I can relate to your anxiety about getting your cat in the crate. Pipsqueak, who is my sick kitty right now, is AWFUL about going into the crate. And I start feeling a bit anxious about the trip to the vet the day before. I do have a crate now that opens from the top, and the other day I was able to get him in that way surprisingly without much trouble. Until, he figures that one out . I also start leaving the crate out a day or two before the visit to the vet and spray it each day with Feliway. My other cats go in and use it for a napping place. But, I have yet to see Pipsqueak go in that crate willingly to nap .

I will be sending you MEGA vibes tomorrow and please report back on how things went.

Originally Posted by jedinat

I'd be glad I have health insurance and can get myself checked out after a phone call and a five minute drive.

Under different circumstances... say in order to be checked out my only friend in the world had to betray me, run me down and lock me into an unmarked van, then transport me through hostile territory full of strange creatures making rough and frightening noises, and then to be prodded and jostled by unknown fingers, stuck with sharp pins and forced down onto a table while unknowable and uncomfortable things are going on out of my sight... Well, in such a case I might hesitate to do anything... I might "wait and see" and try to remedy things on my own.

Click to expand...

Right.... Have you actually had an UTI to a point of bleeding? Because if you had, you would know that the pain is absolutely maddening. I had one in a hotel 3am in Chicago. I had no health insurance at the time, and no means of transportation... Didn't know where the nearest ER was, was in the middle of a tradeshow weekend... Well, Let me just tell you that after I could no longer scream through a wrapped towel closing my mouth in horrendous pain, I made it to the ER, and didn't care at all what the bill was.
The blood in your cat's urine is not normal, and she is in pain - a LOT of pain. Cats hide pain by instinct. There is a reason why you read UTI everywhere... because it is one. It might not be an infection, but it certainly is an inflammation and it can be infected. It can also be stones, crystals, etc.
Please, concentrate on treating her, taking care of her pain.... Make sure you get a Urinalysis. I would also get a culture to make sure, since you don't want to go back there, and a urinalysis sometimes do not tell all...
Get a pain medicine, and be aware of Metacam - they will likely push it; it is an anti-inflammatory, but it is related to Kidney failure and not deemed safe for cats. Per the FDA, there is no dosage safe for cats - not oral or injectable.
Once she is no longer in pain, she should start peeing on her box normally again.
Good luck tomorrow.