could my stray outdoor cat have a UTI?

Hello, I need help determining whats going on with a stray cat who I look after in my yard. I notice twice now he will start meowing right before he makes like he's going to pee. He usually likes to pee in different areas on the grass in the yard. After he meows he goes into his peeing position and then very quickly(usually after a few seconds) just walks away like nothing happened. The 2nd time he did this I felt the grass and it felt dry.

I noticed that he only meows before he gets into the position to pee and i looked at a drawing online showing the difference b/w a normal cat peeing and one that is staying and he does not actually look like the straining cat he is very relaxed and upright etc, not hunched, etc...

so what do you think is causing this weird behavior? This cat is a tnr stray who is friendly with me but very scared around strangers and I have only taken him to the vet once, when he had an open sore on his neck which was cured with antibiotics. Taking this huge former tom to the vet was  a nightmare b/c he was absolutely traumatized being in the carrier and I have tried avoiding having to take him again. He looks very healthy , just a bit fat.  I just wanna make sure if this could be a UTI  maybe i should take him again now b4 things get worse... but It may be nothing. its hard to tell about these things with am outdoor cat b/c i don't really ever see him pee, so i dont knwo what his usual habits are. I'm not even sure where he poops but it must be somewhere around the yard as well, lol.

He should definitely go to the vet to be checked out.  My concern is that he was apparently unable to pee the one time you checked.  Can you check some more to see what's going on?  He might be blocked and unable to pee at all, which is an emergency and very painful.  If the grass is consistently dry after he tries to pee, I'd get him to the vet as soon as possible.  Good luck -please let us know how he does!  

I tried yesterday to check on him but never saw him pee, but it was really hot outside and couldn't stand out there all day. I'm taking him to the vet today anyway. That is if I can get him into the carrier again. Last time I was able to trick him inside with food but he may be more reluctant to go in this time.

I'm really worried about the costs. I'm on disability/unemployed so there will be a limit to what i can afford. He will probably need to be catheterized b/c I have no idea how Id be able to collect urine from him for a urinalysis.

I hope everything goes smoothly getting him into the carrier - also at the vet.  I can well imagine he is going to give you the dickens of a time.  

Since finances are an issue (and aren't they always?), check out this article for some ideas and low/no cost vet funds:  
[article="32915"]No Money For Vet Care How To Find Help And Save Your Cats Life  [/article]
You can also check out the United States Humane Society's webpage for links to both national and local funds:

http://www.humanesociety.org/animal...ry_care.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Some other sources of funding that may or may not be listed above:

http://www.princechunkfoundation.org/veterinary-care-assistance.php

http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets

http://thepetfund.com/

Please let us know how he does.  Paws crossed that it's something minor and easily treated!  

thank you for your help and the links margd.

Well, I couldn't go to the vet. I just could not get him into the crate. He learned from the last time I tricked him in with food. so when I noticed the food didn't work I realized Id have to try to get him inside by force. I used the food to try to get him into my apt and one I closed the door he became frantic, he started meowing loudly and scratching the door . I started getting really anxious. I tried to calm him and when he quieted down a bit I tried to use the towel method to wrap him. I tried it 3 times and he would just wiggle out of the towel. I tried to pick him up by the middle, praying he wouldn't bite me and get him into the carrier, but he'd just block the entrance with his legs and wrestle out of my grasp. He's a ridiculously strong cat!  by then I could feel a panic attack coming on. I'm disabled for severe anxiety and panic attack's.  I don't know what i was thinking even feeding a stray in the first place.

I ended up letting him go outside, i was so tired & frustrated! I started crying hysterically. So I guess although he is friendly with me he's still too wild to allow being held or be in anything enclosed. he seems to be okay today and has been eating and acting normal. I saw him try to pee once, this time he didn't meow before peeing, he just sat down for a few seconds then scattered the dirt like cats do. But I checked and again didn't see any wet dirt or droppings. I hope he will be okay and hes peeing/pooping somewhere some time of the day that Im just not around.

sorry for the length and typos.

 I'm so sorry you had such a hard time with him - I can well imagine how upsetting it was.  Is there any way you can get a second person to help you?  Or borrow a trap from a local rescue and take him in the trap?  It's hard to tell if he's really got a problem, though.   One sign of a UTI is that they try urinate (or try to) more frequently than usual.  Have you noticed this?  Also, if he was blocked, I think he would be more lethargic and also straining when he tries to pee, which you're not seeing.   I would just keep a very close eye on him for now, while working out a plan B in case you have to take him suddenly to the vet.

You might have another option, depending on where you live.  Mobile vets are becoming more common and maybe you could have the vet come to you.  

I wish i could get a 2nd person...I live with my elderly mother in an apt, my sister lives in the house the apt is connected to. Her whole family hates animals. they didn't even want me feeding them(I actually feed 2 strays.) I already told them i cant take them to animals services b/c they don't accept tnr-ed cats. I feel bad dropping them off somewhere else, they probably lived in this neighborhood their whole lives.

I have thought of the  vets who make house calls, there are a couple here but it would depend on how much they charge. they probably charge extra than regular vets.

Another thing Id like to try is see if the cat would pee in a litter pan if I offered it to him outside. Seems silly though and a waste of time, like he has the whole yard why would he bother? I wish i could trap him in the bathroom and keep him there for a whole day with a pan inside, but I think my mom would not let me(another cat hater)and I don't think i could just show up to the vet with a sample and ask to test it without him examining the cat first anyway. 

I almost never see him try to pee and like I said he seems normal, he is always hungry!

I have some hopeful news. I saw the big tom pee a few days ago. He did what I had described, meowed a bit, squated and peed for a couple seconds. When he turned around I kept him from covering it so i could see what he did. He had peed in some slightly thicker weedy grass so I couldn't really see much nor feel the bottom of the soil. But I did see 2 huge spots of pee on two weed blades.  The following day I saw him pee where he usually does and this time I could hear the pee(whizzz) and then I saw the stream. Today i saw him mark part of the bush hedge and I saw a stream of pee come straight out.

I'm a little more relived he may be ok. I'm planning on reading up on UTI and crystals and seeing what i can do to keep him from developing anything. I know apple cider vinegar is good and fish is a no. I still like to have him seen by a vet & still figuring out how to go about that.

Oh, whew!  What a relief.  At least you know he's not blocked.       

It might help you get him to the vet if you get him used to the carrier.  The idea is to leave it (or a trap) placed outside long enough for it to seem like a normal part of the surroundings.  Gradually move food closer to it, until you are feeding him in the trap (or carrier.)   You can also try spraying yourself and the carrier with some Feliway before you try to put him in the carrier - this calming agent can make it easier to manage taking cats to the vet.

In the meantime, this is very good news!  Thanks for the update!  

I used something similar to Feliway, a spray that's supposed to calm cats, which I've used to spray the carrier, as well as an of old T-shirt that I left on the bottom of the carrier. Didn't seem  help much. I tried the "make the carrier part of the surroundings" technique when i took him to get tnred. It worked back then and I was able to get him in with food. It didn't work this time, but I didn't leave the carrier a few days where they eat like I did last time, I just took it out the day before so maybe I had to keep it out longer for him get re-accustomed to it. I'll try it again next time, maybe leave it out a week so he can see it and eat in front of it.