Peeing beside litter box - health issues??

My cat Nermal has recently started peeing and pooping outside his litterbox. He's never done this before and originally I thought he just didn't like the new litter (I was trying the crystals) so I changed it. Last month I noticed (thanks to the contrast on the white crystals) that there was a reddish tint to his pee. I took him to the vet who thought bacteria in the UT was the culprit, so we did two rounds of Clavamox and changed his food to the Urinary Tract health formula. Nermal uses his box 99% of the time, but I've noticed that the urine I see on the floor still has a reddish tint to it. After two rounds of antibiotics with no relief for my baby it sounds like something else might be going on and that he's desperately trying to tell me by peeing outside his box. He seems to cry a lot and be tired too. Also seems unusually thin - like he's not gaining any weight/putting any weight on (he's always been a very solid cat). We've got an appointment to go back to the vet on Wednesday, but I just wanted some input. I'm wondering if maybe it's kidney-related...

It's probably cystitis (inflammation of the bladder). Often, vets will prescribe antibiotics, but a lot of the time there aren't any bacteria to kill. Did the vet do a urinalysis to check for crystals? If there aren't any crystals, I would encourage you to feed your cat wet food and consider getting a pet water fountain to encourage him to drink more. That can help flush out and soothe the bladder. Definitely keep your vet appointment, but these are some things to try or to discuss with the vet on Wednesday.

Originally Posted by cloud_shade

It's probably cystitis (inflammation of the bladder). Often, vets will prescribe antibiotics, but a lot of the time there aren't any bacteria to kill. Did the vet do a urinalysis to check for crystals? If there aren't any crystals, I would encourage you to feed your cat wet food and consider getting a pet water fountain to encourage him to drink more. That can help flush out and soothe the bladder. Definitely keep your vet appointment, but these are some things to try or to discuss with the vet on Wednesday.

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Previously the vet did check for crystals and said there weren't any. Nermal won't eat wet food (I tried) and he is constantly drinking water (out of the sink, the toilet, his bowl and out of my glass - he even licks off the condensation) so I don't think it's from LACK of water. What worries me the most is the blood in the pee.

PS - I had a pet fountain once and couldn't keep it from molding. I was afraid it would make him sick so I threw it away.