blood in urine of FIV cat

Hi, I'm new here. My cat Mamba who is 15 months old and has FIV has been having some problems recently. She seems not to be turning around in the litter box and is thus getting urine and some poop on the carpeted floor. I moved the litter box to a room that was uncarpeted and I put white plastic lining around it. When I went to clean it today I saw that blood was in her urine. There was also something that looked a bit foamy. The vet was closed by the time I made this discovery. Yesterday I did not notice any blood. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the problems she has had with making sure all her business lands in the litter box. While I am certainly going to call the vet tomorrow, I am unsure if this can wait. If anyone could offer any suggestions that would be great.

As a side issue, I have another cat named Ashley. She does not have FIV. Other members of my household let Ashley go outside despite the fact that I think it is endangering Mamba who has a weakened immune system. Does anyone know whether or not it is appropriate to let a healthy cat play outside when they are living in a house with a cat who has a weakened immune system from FIV?

Blood in urine is serious in any cat, as it is normally a sign of a really bad infection. I would ring the emergency vet about it.

I wouldn't, and it is the reason I won't get an FIV cat till I have no cats that go outdoor. I personally think the risks of parasites are high, but I could be wrong.

Mamba and I went to the vet today. Unfortunately, she had an empty bladder so the vet could not test her for a urinary tract infection. He gave me some medicine under the assumption that she has one. He told me to call on Tuesday to let him know if the medicine is helping.

He also told me to take the flea collar off of her as it is pretty useless against fleas at the other end of her body.

As far as the issue of the other cat going outside, he said that indoor cats live longer so we should not let her outside anyway. He further admonished me that there have been about five cases of rabies in towns near where I live. I just hope that my family members will listen to me this time. They have ignored me for months when I have requested that Ashley stop going outside and that we take the uncomfortable flea collars off the two cats.

I was surprised that he was not concerned about Mamba's weight. She is 15 months old and she weighs a little over 13 pounds. He said some cats just don't want to be active. I asked him if he thought a laser pointer (we used to have one and it broke) was a good toy. Mamba would run around and seem to have fun but I always wondered if it was more torturous than fun because it was all chase and no fulfillment. He looked at me like I was nuts.

I want to thank BookTigger for getting back to me. Sometimes I don't know if I am blowing things out of proportion because of my concerns about FIV. For the record, when I got Mamba I had not even heard of FIV. She was a stray. She and I had an immediate bond. When I found out she had it I could not let her go, even though we did have another cat. Ashley is not an outside cat. My family members just take her into the backyard a few times a week. I thought they would stop. They did not.

I would really think about changing your vets. I have never known a vet to give antibiotics 'in case' there is an infection, and I would have a go at my vet if she tried, I think it is dangerous as they might have something else and you could waste time trying antibiotics. It is likely that is what the prob is, but I have always been asked to get a sample before they will give me anything, so now I take a sample rather than the cat!!
I do agree with the flea collars, and the indoor/outdoor debate is one that people will never agree on, it varies from area to area as to whether it is safe. Can't comment on Rabies though, I live in the UK, so not an issue here.
As for 'some cats just dont want to be active' - what a load of ******* - choose your own word!! Some aren't as active as others, but if she is looking overweight, it should be monitored - overweight cats are generally less healthy (not what you want with an FIV+ cat), live shorter, and can have heart, kidney, liver probs, cystitis, diabetes, and arthritis - I don't want to have to pay to treat a condition that was caused by me not keeping my cats weight down!! I like laser toys, and if she liked it, buy her another one, if she is an indoor cat, she will need a lot of stimulation, and you may find she will start playing more if she has more to interest her - some toys she can 'hunt' will be good for her.

I can understand that, and there are some brilliant articles on FIV on the web - might be able to look some up if you want?

I have an FIV+ cat as well that was picked up as a stray... I would consider finding another vet in your case... the fact that your cat is only 15 months and already 13 pounds and the vet finds nothing wrong with that bothers me some.... my Oliver is almost 4 years old and just reached a healthy 14 pounds - my vet said that is an ideal weight for his age and bone structure and that I should be sure he stays under 15... I don't know about the build of your cat, but she seems a little young to be quite that heavy and you should DEFINITELY get stimulating toys for her... Oliver is also an indoor only cat and likes to sleep most of the day, but I run him at least once a day with his fishing rod toy... he gets a good workout - heartrate up, calorie burning and even some panting sometimes and he's in great shape... I would seriously consider at least seeing another vet for a second over-all opinion on your kitty

And feel free to ask all the questions you can think of! We're all over-protective mommys, daddys, brothers and sisters here!