Male cat leaking urine since yesterday

Has anyone tried "Urinary Tract Irritations" by Natural Pet Pharmaceuticals?  My male cat, Mittens,  3 1/2 years old, slightly over-weight maine coone mix,  leaked a little urine ( about 1 tablespoon) in his two resting spots.  Other than that, he's eating and acting fine.  I was thinking of trying this medicine after reading reviews on Amazon.  Any suggestions please?  (He's on mainly a wet diet of fancy feast, natural balance and friskies with a teaspon of Nat. Bal. kibbles on top which he must have).  I don't want to take him to the vet because of the rabies vaccine, which is required every year in Tenn.

I don't think it is a good idea to try and diagnose and treat himself yourself. How do you know he doesn't have a urinary tract infection and requires antibiotics? That is quite serious and you may not realise he is sick until the late stages when he is blocked and getting poisoned from not being able to pass urine. Is he urinating in the litter box? The leaking could be because he is already blocked. Avoiding the vaccination seems pointless if your cat gets very sick and even dies. Isn't that illogical? Take him to the vet.

Is he urinating normally as well as leaking? If not, then he really must see a vet asap as an emergency. Urinary blockage can kill a cat very quickly. But any unusual urination needs vet treatment.

Has he seen a vet?  If not that would be my first recommendation.  My boy Munchie leaks urine when he has a bladder infection.  As mentioned above, bladder issues in cats can be quite serious.

Please see a vet. Urinary blocks, if that's what it is, can be fatal if not treated within 12 hours. Not all vets will push for vaccination, even if there are ordinances; some just don't ask. Even so, you are at the point at which a rabies vaccine is a small concession considering the possible consequences. If the vet does question about the rabies vaccine, tell them you want Purevax from Merial. It is safer than the regular vaccine.

Jennyranson, Mittens is using is litter box normally with no straining with the same frequency as before and today there was no leaking that I noticed anywhere, so I did not know what happened yesterday that made him leave two urine spots on his blankets.  The spots were yellow with no blood that I can see on his white blanket. 

cprcheetah, Did your boy Munchi, have any other symptoms besides urine leakage? 

MyboyJasper, I didn't think it could be uti, since he wasn't straining or licking himself, so that's why I thought I'd try this Natural Pet Urinary Irritation medicine which has no side effects as I read from the reviews, to see if it would help as preventive care.

Sometimes leaking urine was munchie's only symptom, other times he would be peeing more, sitting in the litter box crying.  Luckily we haven't had any problems for a couple of years since I switched my cats to an all canned food diet.

But surely it's better to safe than sorry eh? Either way, urine leakage should be checked out by a vet. At least call them and tell them what you've observed so far and see what advice they give. Urinary tract problems are not to be taken lightly. *If* that's the issue, I think it's lucky you get an early warning sign. And it sounds like you suspect a possible urinary tract issue too, because of the product you mentioned. My opinion is that natural health/preventative care can be used conjunction with regular vet care, but it can't always substitute. And you can't really put off a vet visit for ever, it's not realistic.

cprcheetah, thank you for responding so quickly, I didn't know that leaking urine could be the only symptom of uti.  I'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow morning.

Raintyger, thank you for telling me about the Purevax vaccine,   The last vaccine he received was the pfizer which was an adjuvented and I didn't know any better nor given a choice.    I'll make sure  to get Purevax.

MyboyJasper, you're absolutely right.  Mittens seems fine right now, but I'm taking him asap to the vet tomorrow.  I had no idea just leaving couple urine spots could be UTI.  I just thought he might have some irritation, but Vet is the only answer.

Thank you all for your input.  I'll let you know what happens.

I'm glad to hear. Hopefully, all will be well. Looking forward to an update after the vet.

Took my boy  to the Vet today and you guys were right it was UTI.  I feel terrible that I didn't take him a day earlier because he was acting normal.  He received an antibiotic injection and will be taking Amoxicillin 250 mg tablet twice a day for two weeks and be rechecked with the Vet again.  He needs to be on Hill's Prescription c/d kibble and c/d canned food forever.  Vet said NOT to feed him Natural Balance canned or Fancy Feast anymore.  He told me Hill's c/d dry kibble is just as good as the Hill's canned food and it would clean his teeth.  Vet just wanted him on the c/d dry but I insisted on the wet food and bought a couple cans from the office to try.  Now my kitty is not touching the Hill's kibble or canned food. 

As I mentioned, I'm taking kitty again in two weeks to get his urine checked again and also get his teeth cleaned.  Also to get his rabies shot which I discussed with the Vet today that I wanted only the non-adjuvented vaccine.  He told me that there is not much difference except for the price, the adjuvented is much cheaper.  But I made it clear that I would still want my cat to get only the non-adjuvented regardless of the price.  I also told him I don't want a distemper shot since it's been linked with kidney disease, and he thinks it's very important he gets this injection.   

Can anyone please give me some insight on the rabies and the distemper shots.  Am I wrong for asking for a non-adjuvented vaccine? The distemper I read is not necessary after the first year.

So glad you brought him in!

Dr. Pierson believes that if your cat is indoors, there is very little reason to vaccinate at all if the cat has already received vaccines when it was a kitten.

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=vaccines

Dr. Hines doesn't believe in lots of vaccines, either, and goes on to say that often vet clinics encourage yearly vaccines just to have a reason for people to come in for check ups:

http://www.2ndchance.info/vaccat.htm

And here's a TCS thread about it:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245463/do-indoor-cats-really-need-vaccines

The non-adjuvenated rabies vaccine is safer for your kitty. Where I live it costs about double, $20 vs. $10. The chances of cancer developing are low. But I figure $10 to avoid sarcoma is worth it. Your vet could be hesitant because to give you the Purevax, he needs to order a case, not just one shot. Most people probably aren't savvy enough to request the Purevax, so he's afraid he'll get stuck with vaccines that will expire.

That kibble cleans teeth is a myth. Having heard that from the vet, I would really treat any nutritional advice from this vet with caution. Traditional vets don't get much training in nutrition, so this is about average.

Hi Raintyger, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, for encouraging me to take Mittens to the Vet today.  He means the world to my two boys, husband and especially me.  I'm just so grateful to all who responded, I had no idea it was so serious.  I thought UTI symptoms are same for all cats, being a cat owner for many years, and my previous cat, Chokes, who died at 14 in 2003,  was diagnosed with  UTI at the age of 4, suddenly acted sick and was sitting in his litter box so I rushed him to the vet. But Mittens was playful and eating, purring, sleeping with me, and using his litter box with no other signs just a small pee spot on his blanket couple days ago.  I'll never hesitate to take Mittens to the Vet again. 

About the non-adjuvented vaccine, how do I know if he's going to use the right vaccine?  Should I ask him straight out to see the brand name?  If my cat is an indoor cat, does he really need the distemper vaccine.  Vet said he could get really sick if he didn't get his distemper and I'm really taking a risk. 

And, Raintyger, I totally agree with you, kibbles cleaning teeth is a total myth.  My previous cats ate kibble and still had to get their teeth cleaned.  All kibbles did was make them gain weight and caused one to die early, at age 9.  Mittens is 17 pounds and although he has a bigger frame than other cats, is still, to me, over-weight and it was so hard to transition him from a dry food addict to wet food two years ago.  I just don't understand how the Vet just wanted him to stop the canned food completely and give him only dry hill's c/d for life.  I don't know if I should completely stop feeding the turkey natural balance or fancy feast? 

Thank you for the websites you posted and your help.

Make sure your kitty has access to lots of fresh water.  The way c/d works is it has increased salt in it which makes the kitty thirsty.  Moisture in the diet is ideal for UTI's, you don't want to feed dry if you can avoid it.  My girl who has chronic interstitial cystitis has been essentially symptom free for 4 years and she's on an all canned diet.  This site has lots of good information for you: http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth   This site talks about the Rabies vaccination: http://healthypets.mercola.com/site...f-most-pets-are-vaccinated-way-too-often.aspx & the different between the 1 year and the 3 year.  The vet I work for only gives the 1 year vaccine to cats.

Marshmallow2013 said:

 
Hi Raintyger, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, for encouraging me to take Mittens to the Vet today.  He means the world to my two boys, husband and especially me.  I'm just so grateful to all who responded, I had no idea it was so serious.  I thought UTI symptoms are same for all cats, being a cat owner for many years, and my previous cat, Chokes, who died at 14 in 2003,  was diagnosed with  UTI at the age of 4, suddenly acted sick and was sitting in his litter box so I rushed him to the vet. But Mittens was playful and eating, purring, sleeping with me, and using his litter box with no other signs just a small pee spot on his blanket couple days ago.  I'll never hesitate to take Mittens to the Vet again. 

About the non-adjuvented vaccine, how do I know if he's going to use the right vaccine?  Should I ask him straight out to see the brand name?  If my cat is an indoor cat, does he really need the distemper vaccine.  Vet said he could get really sick if he didn't get his distemper and I'm really taking a risk. 

And, Raintyger, I totally agree with you, kibbles cleaning teeth is a total myth.  My previous cats ate kibble and still had to get their teeth cleaned.  All kibbles did was make them gain weight and caused one to die early, at age 9.  Mittens is 17 pounds and although he has a bigger frame than other cats, is still, to me, over-weight and it was so hard to transition him from a dry food addict to wet food two years ago.  I just don't understand how the Vet just wanted him to stop the canned food completely and give him only dry hill's c/d for life.  I don't know if I should completely stop feeding the turkey natural balance or fancy feast? 

Thank you for the websites you posted and your help.

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You're welcome from all of us! Please stick around, this is the best resource around for cat owners/lovers. The members here will always try to help you take the best care of kitty.

Cats will present diseases differently. My Poppy had a UTI and the only symptom she really had was frequent attempts at peeing in the litterbox (like once every minute). It just depends on the course of the disease/affliction and how your particular kitty is built.

I would tell your vet that you want the Purevax even though it costs more. He'll probably hem and haw and try to convince you (as he's already done) that the regular vaccine is just as good and plenty safe. I called in my area and asked at various vet offices. A lot didn't know what an adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted vaccine was. Merial is the only company that makes a non-adjuvanted feline rabies vaccine (Purevax), so you can ask what brand  it is they're giving. Among the vet offices I found that did carry Purevax, they tended to be holistic or integrated vets or offices that catered to more upscale clientele. You probably receive ads from local vet offices or pet stores with vaccine clinics. Ask them how much a rabies vaccine is. You'll find most of them offer cheap vaccines. If you get someplace that says their vaccine is about twice what the others are selling, stop and ask them if it's Purevax. The other source for Purevax in my area is the city animal clinics held in the parks. The city instituted a feline rabies vaccine law, so they offer the Purevax at a discount.

You want to vaccinate when your Mittens is healthy. That definitely means not while on antibiotics since the antibiotics are killing off both bad bacteria and the good gut flora, and thus lowering immunity right now. I don't know how long after the antibiotics you should wait to vaccinate, though. Did they take x-rays or do an ultrasound? If not, it is possible that Mittens has a stone. Often vets will start treatment with antibiotics and then move on to other diagnostics if the symptoms don't clear up. In which case you might not be able to vaccinate for a while.

In the meantime, be very watchful of Mittens. Male kitties need extra vigilance when it comes to UTIs. If he can't urinate, he is plugged and needs to go to the vet immediately, the ER vet if your regular one is closed or has no openings. If he gets plugged then some very bad things can happen such as kidney damage due to urinary leakage/backflow. As cprcheetah says, make sure there is plenty of water. I would not feed a UTI kitty kibble ever. Kibble has a high amount of carbs in it, which tends to alkalize the urine and make kitties prone to struvite stones. (Did the vet mention whether there were any struvite crystals or calcium oxalate crystals?)

For now it is probably OK to stay on the c/d, but make it the wet food. But please inform yourself about prescription food so you can decide whether or not to continue after Mittens' UTI resolves. The main complaints about it, especially the Hill's Science Diet brands, are that they are high in carbs and plant proteins. The urinary blends are low in magnesium and phosphorus because those minerals are needed to form UTI stones. But those minerals are also needed for healthy kitties, too. I never put Poppy on a prescription diet. Instead I gave 100% wet food with additional water mixed in, gave her a urine acidifier (she had a struvite stone), and tested her urine pH regularly. Should you decide not to feed prescription, make another post and we'll provide you with alternatives. And yes, it is a little scary deviating from the vet's advice.

Whether or not to vaccinate against distemper is a personal decision and depends on factors like if the cat has been vaccinated and how long ago. Most websites say that it is highly advisable to get this vaccine since there is a high mortality rate for the disease. Dr. Pierson does state (in bold, different colored font) that she recommends getting the vaccine. However, she doesn't keep vaccinating every year because she believes a properly vaccinated cat doesn't need anymore and the shot does stress the kidneys. Most other websites say to vaccinate every 3 years.

Good luck with Mittens! Hope he is feeling better soon!

I am so glad you took him in and he is getting treated. I agree about the wet food - there are a number of urinary foods out there if he doesn't like the Hills. My Bonaparte is on Royal Canin S/O Urinary which comes in both wet and dry forms, and because he tends to put on weight I get the moderate calorie version, and he has lost 700 grams in a year, looking much better. I buy it online which is cheaper.

Oh dear.  Please please take him to the vet.  If all that's required is the rabies vaccine you ought to be ok, but they ought not to give it until the cat is well enough.  Then is cost is a problem get it at a your local version of Cat Welfare.  That is what I do here in Ohio for the ferals.  My inside kitty had a urinary tract infection that began like yours only he did use the litter box.  I tried a holistic version from Amazon and it would help.  In fact he'd ask for it in his own way when he didn't feel well.  But then he got very sick.  He could barely drag himself from the litter box.  I felt horrible.  A terrible mother.  And I was.  No more.  He understands what I say and it was 3 AM.  I'm older.  If I had to go at that time to the ER vet I use I would, but I asked him if he could wait till our vet opened and I kept a vigilant watch on him.  It was the weekend, you see and this was Monday AM.  Six hours, I said, can you hold on?  If not, we'll go but I don't want to risk an accident on roads I'm not familiar with and don't like to drive.  By the time I made the phone call, he was sitting on his carrier.  And he hates going to the vet.  He didn't have to stay fortunately and recovered from the UTI well but got an upper respiratory infection on top of the UTI.  So that was another fun time.  But he got better and is a happy cat, 7 years old and playing like a youngster.  But if you don't take care of a UTI, if really can kill them.  Please don't learn like I did.

cprcheetah,  Raintyger thank you so much for the great info you gave me and of course your time writing to me is such detail.  I very much appreciate all you guys have shared with me.  JennyRanson, thank you for telling me about Royal Canin, I'm definitely going to try  S/O, since Mittens is over-weight and not liking the Hill's.

I don't know if I should write on this thread about how I  feel this new Vet I took Mittens to yesterday is not being totally honest with me.  You see, I called all the Vets in my area and non of them wanted to see my kitty without giving him a rabies shot first, and non of themI called have the Purvax vaccine.  This Vet was the only one I found that would check his urine without giving the rabies shot first.  When I initially called his office, I was told he had only adjuvented vaccines for rabies, but when I talked to him directly, he said he does have non-adjuvented as well but would rather give him the adjuvented for it costs less, even though I said, I'll pay the higher price.  I think he's not telling the truth and would give the adjuvented and just tell me it was the non.  How can I be sure if my kitty gets the right vaccine?  

Also, did you guys ever have your cat's teeth cleaned professionally?  The Vet also wants to clean his teeth when he rechecks his urine again in two weeks.  For the exam, he didn't even listen to his heart or look in his ears.  I had to tell this man to check his eyes?  He did say that Mitten's kidneys seem ok, through the urine test.  Never mentioned if he's over-weight at 17 lbs.  Kept saying the dry HIll's is better than the wet Fancy Feast Pate and to stop feeding him the wet food.  And another thing I want to mention is that Mittens was screaming like crazy in the other room while the Vet Tech was getting this urine sample.  This place had the outside door wide open, and Mittens jumped off the table and almost escaped right into a busy street. My husband thought the staff seemed very unaware what's going on and he wanted to complain to the Vet about the door, and how our precious kitty could have gotten hit by a car, if he got out, but I told him to forget about it. 

Overall the Vet experience was very odd.

Hi - I'm not familiar with Tenn law but would think any vet would wait until kitty is well before giving a vac then I'd ask to see the bottle the vac is coming from to make sure it's what I want.  The open door is strange.  It's cold here but I guess Tenn could be warm and maybe they want some fresh air but animals escape and the clinic is responsible for that.  I'm outspoken at times. I'd close the door myself and dare them to question me.  But that is me.  I'd take a pic with my cell also.  I'd say video but that is threatening to them and they are treating your animal.  A photo can be take without them noticing.  I don't do teeth cleaning though I have a friend who somehow managed to teach her kitty to brush his by himself.  He's a smart cat.  So I have no answers there but am sure someone does.  I feed my gang of outside cats 9 Lives dry food because it's a feral colony but in that I toss a cupful of Blue Buffalo because it has the L-lysine that they need for their eyes.  Save the cost of buying the supplement.  I feed Blue Buffalo to my inside group.  As long as I change varieties every so often that works out.  We have conjunctivitis in the feral colony where the cats all come from so they need the L-lysine. Blue Buffalo is the only dry food that I've found that contains it.  Everyone gets Friskies canned for supplemental.  My vet said the ferals need that and the inside ones get a taste because I have to feed everyone.  Friskies is what they all seem to like.  And on sale it's almost affordable.  They can go thru cans of that but overall divided by the number, they don't get a lot of canned. 

Urine samples are difficult to get so I can understand your kitty being upset.  He's already in pain and then he has to endure this.  I once had a Maine Coon cat who was born with a problem and occasionally had to be checked out for UTI.  He hated going to the vet and he wouldn't "go" for them.  He'd hold it and they didn't want to force a sample.  So he'd just sit in the cage.  One day at home when I saw the problem happening I said to the cat, "Tuffy, I'm cleaning the bathtub.  Just go in there for me, please, and I'll take a sample to the vet so you don't have to go."  Darn cat did it.  I called the vet and they said as long as I knew if was from the correct cat, it was fine.  His deal was congenital however, so he could go.  We just had to make sure to keep him that way.  I don't know if any of this is advice to help you.  It's just experience.  The overweight might be due to Fancy Feast.  I don't know.  My kids didn't get started on Fancy Feast when they were young and it must be an acquired taste because I've tried it when people give me cans and they will eat it but none of them get excited about it.  But I've had people tell me that cats won't stop eating it.  Foxy weighs over 15lbs but he is a big cat so 17 lbs may not be overweight, depending on the overall size of your kitty.

 Mittens just threw up a lot at 1 pm. I gave him the Amoxillin at 9:50am.  I called the Vet and he said not to worry unless it happens again.  But, I am really worried, because he's eating 1/2 the amount of food he usually eats.  He is  alert and watching birds right now.  Did anybody's cat vomit from antibiotics?  Can he get dehydrated?  I tried put his water bowl by him and he's not drinking.  He told me to just mix his old food (fancy feast and Nat. Balance) with the Hill's c/d. I'm very concerned.