Can't tell if my cat is peeing a normal amount would REALLY appreciate 2nd opinion

[catgoth]

About a month ago my 11 y/o (F, spayed) cat had an urinalysis + steroid shot. She'd been struggling to pee and my vet told me her bladder was only slightly inflamed. They didn't find any crystals and since her senior wellness test back/ bloodwork in February deemed her perfectly healthy my vet wasn't overly concerned. At the time my cat was also dealing with horrible constipation (which has since passed with prescribed GI food) and the vet suggested it could be due to stress/idiopathic. The steroids worked and the kitty was back to peeing ~3-4 times a day.

Fast forward, the past 4 days my cat's been going ~4-5 sometimes even 6 times a day in smaller amounts (I'd say about 1-2 golfball size pees per trip). Do these look like normal amounts? (excuse my shoddy pics - the 2nd is 2 clumps pictured)



I'm a little concerned but she doesn't seem to be in any kind of distress whatsoever. Back in August I'd see her hop in every 20 minutes, jump in and do nothing, lick her crotch, and yowl - none of which she's doing right now. I don't see any blood either. What worries is me is the frequency of her trips... (yesterday she went to pee after breakfast, and went back in 3 hours later (unusual) but was fine the next 6). Since I don't believe she's peeing excessive amounts I'm not sure if this is an issue... normally I'd ask my vet but she's currently out of town.

I'm kind of a hypochondriac when it comes to my cats and have brought them to the vet for absolutely no reason several times *face palm* so would really appreciate a 2nd opinion

 

[MoMoMeow]

Aww. Poor kitty. Bladder problems suck, I feel for her :/

The clump sizes look pretty decent to me, even if they're on the smaller side. My boy has FIC, and at the height of his problems his bladder wall was 2× thicker than normal and extremely inflamed, coupled with a slew of debris within it that made it look like a snow globe on ultrasound. The more he would try to pee, the more inflamed he would get, which would lead to him getting nothing out but drops of blood. He would go 15× in an hour.

I'm a hypochondriac myself when it comes to him, I understand. I think that, for now, if she is getting golf ball sized clumps out each time it's alright and you can contact your vet when it's possible. I've got the motto that "as long as pee is coming out they're okay", drilled into me from my back and forth trips to the vet and E -vet. It's when they can't get anything out at all that's cause for immediate concern. She should definitely be seen by her vet when you can, just to make sure.

Maybe she could be mildy inflamed again? If it was speculated that she had stress/idiopathic related issues. Anything could trigger that response, unfortunately, though last time you said it was the constipation.

Consult your vet on this, but supplements for urinary health could possibly make a difference if she is otherwise healthy when examined and it isn't anything underlying. I use D-mannose, cornsilk, cystease, and pet specific cantharis (it helps humans with Idiopathic Cystitis apparently, so I tried it out for him) and so far my boy hasn't had a relapse with his FIC in months, and his bladder on the ultrasound is finally back to normal. He used to relapse every other week, sometimes less, and had to get corrective surgery recently before he leveled out.

Extra water could also help, maybe. That way her bladder will be nice and flushed out, and the possibility of her trying to squeeze out what she doesn't have inside her is lower.

 

[louisstools]

Those look like decent litters. The frequency might be a bit much but if she's not in obvious pain probably ok. My cat usually goes three times a day, every 8 hours or so. But she really likes going pee at certain specific times too and she can get the pee schedule out of sync and end up going 5 times a day lol.

I keep wifi motion activated cameras on our litter boxes to monitor things. Might be something you consider.

 

[ailish]

My cat varies from baseball sized clumps to golf balls. Of course, the golf balls used to worry me, but then I realized that they generally reverted back to baseballs. And then back to golf balls. She's healthy as of Saturday, so I just figure it's normal variation.

 

[silent meowlook]

Its best to judge what is normal for your cat vs what your cat is currently producing. Since the amount will vary between cats. If he was recently at a hospital and on IV fluids the clumps are going to be much larger due to the fluids. The same is also true if you are giving subcutaneous fluids at home.

The next time you see your vet, I would have them show you how to palpate his bladder. Unless he is very overweight it should be easy to do. You have to be gentle of course because you don't want to cause any pain. That way at least if you were concerned about him urinating enough you could check his bladder so you can tell if he is blocked. Of course, you wouldn't be able to tell until he is full blown blocked, but still, it is a good thing to know. I wish all vets with cat patients that have urinary issues would teach owners to do this.

So, if you notice a change in the size of the clumps that are normal for him, then it is an early warning that there may be something going on. and you should try to increase his water consumption at the very least. Or, if it continues, contact the vet for advice.