Possible U.T.I. ?

Hi all,   I'm looking for some insight/feedback.  Angel may have a U.T.I.  Not sure, never dealt w/ one before. In the last 2-3 days when I have taken him out, I have only seen him have a "normal" pee once. Yesterday, I noticed he dug his little place to go, & after, nothing was there. He proceeded to do this 3 times in the same outing. The one time I saw some was only a very little, instead of a little puddle as usual. He doesn't act like he is in any pain, & acting normal. Is there anything over the counter I can try? I have no money for a vet visit right now.

Thanks!

Kelly

My boy had struvite crystals and did not appear to be in pain to me - I only noticed because he too would pop in and out of the pan, but the pee balls were much smaller than normal.  Based on my experience, I would urge you to get to a vet ASAP - if he were to become blocked, it can be fatal in a matter of hours.  Any UTI can be very uncomfortable - I had one myself and believe me, it's no party. I still can't believe my Dante didn't act uncomfortable - but cats are notorious in hiding even real pain.

I beg you - please find some cash or dig up a credit card and call the vet, or e-vet, immediately.  If you're lucky, it won't be anything major - but these are symptoms you can't ignore.

Thanks! will call the vet & see what I can do in the morning.  I think if I have to, they will let me pay part & pay the rest when I get paid again in 2 wks. (just paid rent & barley any left but gas $.) Living paycheck to paycheck sucks!!! Although I am grateful to have a job!

What kind of test do they do to find out?  (office visit is 38.00 + whatever test/Rx added).

I agree, paycheck to paycheck does suck .  Tell the office about the problems with peeing - that should just about guarantee an early appointment, especially if you already have a relationship with the practice.  With my guy, I took him to an e-vet - in our case, we were lucky, as he was able to pee, it just hurt a lot.  Doctor felt his bladder (it was empty), gave him a pain shot and a course of an antibiotic.  I was out of there at around $150 (an e-vet visit usually starts around $100 - I feel that we're paying for 24 hour availability, a fully staffed office, ready for surgery, if need be, all that).  E-vet faxed over treatment to my regular vet and told me to call regular vet the next day (of course this was all happening on Labor Day!).  I was to watch him closely and bring him in for an exam after we went through the antibiotics - unless he had issues.

Ok, so a week later went to regular vet - exam was about what you're said, and they also did a urine draw (it involves a big needle, I never watch).  Also, my practice is actually an animal hospital - they have an ultrasound machine and were also able to scan his bladder.  That whole deal was maybe $75.  Our case - Hills prescription food C/D was prescribed and I brought him in a month later for another urine draw - that was about $20 for draw and testing.  The Hills food is very rich - my guy is over 12 pounds and he gets 1/2 cup of dry, and a bit of wet every day - the initial cost for a 7 pound bag is, oh, around $25, but it lasts us a pretty long time. 

Now, I was lucky and we caught it fairly early.  Had Dante been blocked, he might have had to be catherized, or perhaps surgical intervention would have been required.  The e-vet's office said that would probably have been in the $700-900 range, about two years ago. Yes, that would have hurt my budget big time at that moment - but it would have been the surgery or sending him to the Bridge.

Has your guy been able to pee?  I hate to scare you, but if nothing is coming out, you may really have to contact an emergency vet.

Thank you for trying to get him in asap - even if it's just a UTI and not a blockage - oh, those hurt.  When I had a UTI I was just about in tears and left work to see my own doctor.

A way to save on the cost is to get the urine sample yourself. Take an empty litterbox, clean it thoroughly. Cut up plastic shopping bags and put those in there. Once he urinates in it, you can collect the urine into a clean container. 

We recently had a kitty with an UTI. Because I was able to get the urine sample prior to going, they didn't have to extract one, which saved money. She had an exam, a shot of painkiller, antibiotic shot and a course of oral antibiotics. 

Definitely need to see a vet though, these don't go away on their own. 

Good suggestion - I forgot about getting a urine sample yourself, because my guy simply refuses either the vet's plastic litter, or any homemade version - but he's a very stubborn fellow sometimes. I'm just happy he accepts Cat Attract!  

YES!!! PEE!!!  Just came in, he finally peed. I looked to check it out, & flow seemed normal & lasted about 3-4 sec.s .  Looked @ the ground after & didn't see much of anything, even though I saw it come out, so wonder if he did go before, but the ground was already to wet to tell. But not sure about the 3 different places thing yesterday. Sometimes he will scratch out an area, & then change his mind & move to another location.(A little background)  I am now taking him out on a leach, because a couple of wks ago there was a rabies outbreak a couple houses down. (he grew up next door as a mostly outdoor cat, until he adopted me 3yrs ago).  So, we went to the vet for an extra booster, just to be safe & no more out on his own!!  He's not trilled about it, but that's how we are doing it from now on. I figure this way he can still go out. He is such an independent boy & loves to go out. This is the compromise. He does have a litter box, but would rather go out. He will use it in the night if he has to, but not often. I guess I will call the vet in the morning & describe what's been going on & see what they say. Although, after peeing today, If he goes in the morning, Hopefully that means he is o.k.

I wish my vet would trade w/ me (I've done massage therapy sense '92), but have offered & doesn't seem interested. (the girls up front say she doesn't like massage,"can't imagine.") but it sure would help me financially!

Woo hoo!  Crossing fingers that this was all a false alarm, but good for you about being so vigilant - and, with males and peeing issues, it's always better to be worried and look silly later.  I'm glad you're going to check in with the vet, just in case.  From what I've read, sometimes stress alone can cause urinary issues - and since your little guy wasn't happy about not being able go out on his own, well, I'm glad you're calling to get professional advice.   But let's hope he's just hunky dory. And darn that you're not able to barter the professional services - I know I'd dearly love having a professional massage done and it's certainly worth at least $100 around my area.

Yes, me too! So glad he went. "Fingers crossed, prayers up,"     that he will go tomorrow. Wow, 100.00 in your area? Maybe I should move!  Average around here is 60-70/hr, but I have an office in my home, so I have kept it @ 50.00. Sense the economy has been so bad, don't have regulars anymore. So have an office job W-Sat. So will take clients on Mon. or Tues, but haven't had much. (don't really advertise for safety reasons of it being in my home & I live alone). So mainly word of mouth. So currently looking for a house to clean for cash on Tuesdays.

Thanks for your advise & support!  Again, as I have said before, "I am so glad I found this site & everyone here!"  

I will let you know what the vet says.

Please treat any sign of him blocking as an emergency.  It really is a medical emergency:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feline_lower_urinary_tract_disease#Urethral_obstruction

I don't know about the US, but in the UK it's often possible to negotiate installments with vets for something like this that is 1) unexpected and 2) potentially very serious..

Thanks everyone for your advice, but I am sure he is fine. Peed a normal amount last night, & a good amount this morning       (as you can see below). I was trying to think of what I could use to get a sample, & thought of this old top to a bottle.( He loves to play w/ them because they roll in a circle, he's my little "soccer kitty.).  So took it out w/ us this morning & when he squatted to pee I quickly placed it under him to catch a sample. To my delight he filled it to the rim!!  So, I went ahead & dumped it knowing he is fine. It absorbed right into the wet ground. I think the other times he went, I didn't see it because it did the same. I think I over reacted, as we mommies do sometimes. As darlili said above, "better to look silly later."  I have been thinking about getting a credit card just for him so to speak, when we run into times that we may have to go to the vet & funds are low, then last night I was laying in bed & the Care Credit from the vet's came to me. Forgot about that. That will be perfect! Next time I'm in, gonna get an application! 

"Thanks again everyone!!!"

Confermed progress report. Peed another good puddle this morning, so all is well for sure!!!  

This will be the end of this tread.