urinary infection?

My cat is 2 and half years old. He was neutered a month ago. At start he would sometimes licks his surgery area but it wasn't too much and I believe it has healed well. I could see two little pink lines on his testicles but now they look almost covered with fur. I believe he had stopped licking, and for a week or so it seemed all was well.

The problem has started few days ago. I noticed him licking his genital area somewhat more often and one time I noticed while he was licking his penis, which looked somewhat red. I gently pushed on the sides with my fingers and the tip came out and looked particularly red, like the tip was partially red/bloody and partially clear. I didn't insist, though my suspicion continued, and today I noticed he would also somewhat insistently lick his anus and it looked clean and pink. Maybe slightly red in the middle but seemed overall normal. What was not normal was the way he would lick it like it's itching and also he would somewhat complain verbally while doing so especially as I was observing and maybe touching his back (like his foot or so), so like he is trying to communicate to me that something is not ok. He goes from licking his penis to his anus and doesn't lick his testicles or the area of the surgery.

So my question is, does it make sense that he is having discomfort in both the penis and anus and would could be the cause? I am going to observe him carefully and maybe take pictures and possibly take his temperature then so I can consider what's the next step. Thank you.

It could be an urinary tract issue of some kind. Are his pee clumps normal sized? Is he urinating more frequently? Does he strain to pee or cry in the box?

It could also be a constipation issue or anal gland issue. Are his poops normal or small and hard? Any scooting or foul odor?

I do think his behavior indicates that something is wrong, and I would recommend a vet visit.

So his temperature was 101.2 and the pictures I took looks somewhat better than I was afraid of, but he still does seems to often lick himself and have some discomfort expressed by some verbal complain if disturbed while he is licking. His anus looked like wet with yellowish liquid, maybe he has some yellow and soft stool. I will try to check on that. I will try to check on his urination amount but it's hard since I have other 2 cats indoor and he normally goes out in the backyard to do his business. He eats a varied diet of wet food twice a day and some dry food, mainly poultry based. I also often given them kitten formula so they get liquids. I'll keep an eye on him.

So far I locked him in the bathroom with a clean litter box. Water bowl and food. If he didn't pee by tomorrow morning I'll bring him straight to the vet.

Penelopess said:

So far I locked him in the bathroom with a clean litter box. Water bowl and food. If he didn't pee by tomorrow morning I'll bring him straight to the vet.

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I wouldn't wait that long. Cats can block very quickly, and that's a life-threatening situation. Things can go downhill extremely quickly if it's a urinary tract infection.

Well considering it was late in the evening when I posted that was what I thought. In any case he did made a decent size pee at about 7 am, we would have bring him in at 8am. The clump volume is the size of a lemon, it's larger than a lime and smaller than a peach but looks decent sized. He does have somewhat soft stool and he pooped twice overnight. So I gave him some fortiflora with milk, he drank all of it, and plain yogurt.
He also ate and has an appetite. He does shows me his third eyelid in some occasions, but most of the time he seems well and happy.

He still looked like licking his butt for no reason other than he might have an hitch. I will keep observing him.

I think he should be seen by a vet, but do keep observing him closely.
The ONLY way I know Ritz is sick is if she doesn't want to eat; cats are famous for hiding pain.
And, most cats are lactose intolerant, so milk isn't a good liquid.
Add water to wet food to increase his liquid intake.

My sweet big boy is still trying to cope with whatever he's got. Last week I ended up thinking it was lactose intolerance since after I gave him milk, his diarrhea got much worse. And I assumed the licking was due to the discomfort of the diarrhea. So I waited some more days but he didn't get any better. He eats and drinks, but his diarrhea got somewhat worse. Yesterday I could clearly see his eyes being tired and showing the third eyelid, and this morning the color of his very soft poop was orange with some small traces of blood.

So this morning we got into at the vet. He has no fever. They said his bladder is not big enough to suggest an obstruction nor painful so they don't think he might have an urinary problem. They tested his stool samples and found no worms, no giardia. They gave him subcutaneous fluids and gave Metronidazole for him to take twice a day. They also drawn his blood for some tests. 

Hope to see him better soon and waiting to get the results.

Eyes of a "tired of being sick" big kitty:

I am glad you got your kitty to the vet. He certainly doesn't look like he feels well. Many vibes that the vets find and solve the problem. Lots of hugs for you too. I'm sure you're so worried about him.

What foods are safe and good for his upset tummy? Gerber turkey/chicken baby food is ok I assume?  What if I make chicken broth, can I give it to him, the broth and the boiled chicken? Should I use turkey for even better results?

I am considering to remove from his reach a kind of dry food that I recently bought, it apparently has ground yellow corn as first ingredient, is this very bad? The list of course continues with, chicken by-product and then corn gluten. I usually feed them mainly good stuff, or at least to the best of my knowledge, but since that is expensive I also alternate with some more cheap stuff and this is one dry food that I recently got.

Thank you for all your suggestions. He is a big boy but it's very sad to see him so messed-up.

So far the vet said his blood tests were good so there doesn't seem to be any main issue with his organs functionality. He has learned he doesn't like the taste of the medication so it became harder to make him swallow it.

He has a good appetite otherwise and has been urinating just fine. But his stool is still too soft, maybe the color is getting better though. I will keep giving him gerber turkey/chicken and boiled chicken(no skin) and broth (with all fat removed) and hope to see improvements in the following days.