Can someone help me with these symptoms?

Merlin is a male tuxedo cat. He is two years old. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that he would be taking long pee breaks in his litter box. I found it odd but didn't really grow concern about it. But lately he has been really irritable, hissing and growling at me. He is now peeing in our bathtub and on our bed. And today he just threw up on my daughter's bed. He is eating but not as much and it seems that he is not drinking any fluids. Does anyone know what this sounds like?

Sounds like he needs to go to the vet for a checkup and a urinalysis.  Everything points to some kind of urinary problem.  He could have anything from a urinary tract infection to crystals.  Of course it could be something totally different, too.

That's what I was afraid of. I found blood from where he is laying and lo and behold it is coming from where he pees.

He needs to go to the vet NOW.  Call your vet's office and see if they have an emergency number or instructions for how to contact them in case of an emergency.

stephanietx said:

He needs to go to the vet NOW.  Call your vet's office and see if they have an emergency number or instructions for how to contact them in case of an emergency.

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Yes, I concur with Stephanie and will be anxious for an update. 

With male cats, urinary problems can be deadly.  Literally.

Emergency vet.

And do let us know what happens; we care.

Oh my goodness.  Get your baby to the vet.  And then let us know what they said.

~big hugs~

Absolutely agreed! Blood in the urine and all these other symptoms are serious. Could be a UTI, could be a blockage but the growling and hissing sounds like he's in pain.

Oh I do hope he is ok and I hope you were able to take him to the vet.  If he developes a complete obstruction, unless emergency care is immediate, he could die.  Not to mention that it is so extremely painful for them.  Cats who eat mainly a dry food diet are sometimes at risk for developing struvite crystals which can obstruct the urinary tract.  Please update us as soon as possible!  Healing meows from my babies to yours

Hi there! My parents had the same problem with their female coon cat, Poppy. The vet told them that she has a condition which causes her to build up crystals in her bladder. This made it difficult and painful to pee, and caused blood in her urine. They tend to pee places outside the litter box to alert you to a problem. It could also be a bladder infection. The vet put Poppy on a prescription diet (available at the vet, and not too expensive) and she hasn't had a problem since and is perfectly healthy.

Hope this helps!

Urine crystals are potentially far more serious in male cats than in females, as their urethra is narrower - AFAIK the narrowest bit is at the tip of their penis.  Any apparent signs of urinary problems and/or blockage in a male should be treated as an emergency - they can go from apparently well to dead horribly quickly. 

A friend went through this several times with one of her cats and the ultimate solution was a perineal urethrostomy operation which removes that narrowest section - in fact the entire penis is removed.  He looks very feminine from behind now, but the crystals and so on that were causing him to block can no longer do so and he is a happy and healthy cat.  My friend's bank balance took a big hit as he was operated on at the Glasgow Vetinary Hospital, and nothing there comes cheap.  He also needed watching like a hawk for quite some time after his op, as if he had damaged the area that would have been it - there was no spare for repairing the operation.

I've been through this 3 times with my Bitty cat.  The last time was the most costly as he not only had some crystals but also a bladder infection and plugged urethra.  It took emergency surgery, a catheter, penicillan and 3 days at the vet to get him back to his normal self.  It is very scary and I don't recommend putting it off.  This can be deadly!  Let us know what the outcome is with your baby, please.

One of my beautiful girls had those symptoms and she had kidney failure so get him to the VET asap. All the best and hope he is ok.

How is this kitty doing?

Update: He is not better. I haven't had the money to take him to a vet. He is still alive. Long story. i am going to call a vet anyway and see what they say. I might get lucky and they can work something out with me. I gave him a bath and gently felt his stomach to find what feels like a freaking golf ball there. I am so so worried and I don't want to lose him!!!!! I have been giving him as much food and water as I can get him to take but if a vet doesn't do something soon he is going to die. This is so frustrating.

See if this will help you, since you don't have the money for a vet and your baby needs to be seen: 

If you cannot afford a vet, there are resources available to you to ensure your cat gets the veterinary care. There is an excellent article titled “When You Can’t Afford a Veterinarian” on this website, available at http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/76/...erinarian.html. Please read through it to find out more about the options available to you.

Thanks.

On the phone with a vet. on hold now. Hoping for good news.

Thanks.

The vet I just talked to wont' work anything out with me. They said something about Care Credit and I know I won't get approved for it because my credit sucks...so I guess Merlin won't be getting the care he needs. They won't even see him until tomorrow anyway.

PLEASE, call another vet! There is no reason in the world for this cat to be suffering from such a fixable problem that will kill him. And it kills...it will NOT go away or get better on it's own and if he has as you say a freaking golf ball inside, that is backed up urine and you are feeling an overfilled bladder, it will end up bursting.

Please call every vet you can, even if you have to take him to one and get treatment and THEN break the news that you can't pay in full.

Ask a parent, friend, anyone who might be able to help you with a loan or pmt via credit card.

Don't push water on him now either. It will continue backing up and it's asking his bladder to give out faster.

This is very, very serious, read our comments, we all know how deadly this is.

Do NOT feel embarrassed about not having the funds to pay either, we've all been there, now or in the past!

All vets are closed at this point. I don't know of any vets that are 24 hour other than one that it is in Springfield, Mo. We don't have the gas to take him there. I'll keep looking.