Urinary Problems 1 Yr Female

Dandelion is our female siamese mix who just turned 1 July 4.  I think the urinary issues may have begun about a week ago, but we wrote them off. She had urinated in a large plastic box near the litter box and this smelled very strong, but we didn't notice it immediately (my husband had thrown dirty flower pots in it and I thought they'd been wet). I'd noticed the smell but there was that, plus the LitterChamp is right there and doesn't smell like a rose either.

I'd mentioned taking her to the vet but we hadn't done it.  Then yesterday my husband, who's been scooping the box, said she hadn't peed "yesterday." I cleaned the box and she defecated right away but didn't urinate. That made two days.  We got her in at the vet's but the only opening was with a vet we hadn't liked before. We could both tell that the vet didn't believe us and thought the cat was going somewhere.  However when they checked, they said she had a small bladder, found a crystal, red blood cells, and the urine was orange (something like that). Obviously something abnormal anyway.  Dandy had been eating normally and we hadn't seen her drink.

She has been eating all wet food:  mostly Fancy Feast, but some NVI rabbit, and some Tiki Cat Chicken. She does get 3 to 4 Temptations a day.

The vet put her on Clavamox, Cosequin (why?), and UR-Cat Healthy Treats which Dandy didn't seem to like.  Today she still hadn't urinated or defecated and I called and asked. Our options were to shut her up with nothing but a small amount of litter or to do more tests.  I know they think she is dribbling but we checked all over and she sat on my lap for a long time last night. She can be somewhat anxious and shutting her up like that with no bed or anything would be traumatic for everyone.

I read the one thread but all the cats seem to be male.  I lost my lovely calico to kidney failure but she was 11. I can't believe this is happening again. Xena drank a great deal and urinated a lot so it's not the same.

Thoughts anyone?  We don't have many choice in veterinary practices.

She had two doses of the Clavamox (antibiotic) and 2 doses of the Cosequin, 1 of the treats. I watered her food as much as I felt I could.

Thanks for any ideas or opinions. I don't know if I did the right thing with more testing but I didn't want her to get sicker before they paid attention. I know the vet doesn't believe us but we looked all over and I actually sniffed every place Dandy sits. If she's dribbling, it's not there.

Diana in PA

It will probably take some time for the meds to kick in.  The Cosequin calms the irritated bladder lining.  The reason you see males cats in the threads is because they are the ones that can block which is life threatening.  Female kitties can have the same issues with infection and crystals but because of the different anatomy they don't block the way a male kitty can.

The same advice about foods, removing any possible stress and getting as much water in kitty as possible holds true for a female kitty.

She hadn't urinated in 2+ days and now she didn't use the litter box last night or this morning.  I really didn't want to wait for 3.

I just read an article about cystitis and I wonder if that's what's going on. They did not obtain the urine sample through cystocentesis last night. I know the vet thought she wasn't going to find any issue; that the cat was just going outside the box and we were stupid.  This vet keeps asking if she's eating dry food although we keep telling her she eats all canned. (She's not a good listener.)

Can't females have blockages too?  I realize it's more common in the males.  Thank you.

Diana

Cosequin is basically glucosamine which people associate with arthritis in cats and dogs. It is also known to help rebuild the mucosa lining in the bladder.

Females CAN have blockages but yes it's much more common in males than in females. I assume because males have a narrow urethra where the females is wider. That said, my guess is if your kitty has inflammation from cystitis it could narrow  the urethra from irritation and then perhaps she could get blocked that way if she also has stones.

If you are sure she hasn't urinated in two days and she is appearing lethargic, or uncomfortable or not eating/drinking, please get her back to the vet asap.

Good luck!

Thank you. We took her back to the vet. She called and is still pretty much denying that there is an issue although the cat hadn't gone there either and by then she'd been there for several hours.  It was a 45 min. trip to the vets too. They are hydrating(?) her (filling her bladder) and hoping she will urinate tonight. The vet still thinks she has been going somewhere else or licking herself but she couldn't lick a normal amount of urine for that many days.

Thank goodness this vet is going away so the other vet will be doing the testing. I wish we had a better cat vet.

Thanks again. Something is wrong when a cat with perfect litter box habits stops using it. I appreciate the explanation of the cosequin because I didn't understand its purpose.

When we first got this kitten, she didn't use the box the first night. We had her to the vet the next day and the vet felt that she must have gone somewhere (or "make pee-pee" as the vet keeps saying).  She hadn't.  You could tell that she wanted to use the box but it didn't look right to her.  We got a smaller box that day and put a different litter in it, shut her in the bathroom and she finally used the box. She's a funny cat and I don't know what they'd used for a box but ours didn't look right and she just didn't go until things looked more familiar.  I'm just trying to say that the vets aren't very good at reading her mind.

I believe she said her creatine was 2 but that sometimes it was high in a cat that was still growing.  Dandy is one.

Diana