Senior cat with possible urinary tract issues?

[azshua]

First off, I want to say that I will be taking Meejee to the vet Monday morning. I had a cat years ago who had the urinary crystals that would stop him up. I'm not sure if that's what's going on here or not, because he doesn't squat to pee around the house like the previous cat did. He's still eating, drinking water, and pooping. I think he might have peed but I can't be completely sure it was his and not another cat's. He has always been a puker (gobbles his food too fast), so it's hard to tell if his puking is just normal or abnormal. He ate some treats earlier and hasn't thrown that up. He's not lethargic, doesn't act sick. The thing that has me worried is, he'll go to the litter box, get in it, dig, get out, wander around, go back, rinse, and repeat. He will also meow while doing this, and he wanders around the house meowing, too. I'm just wondering what the possibilities are regarding what might be going on with him. He's fourteen years old, so his kidneys are also a concern for me. I've also wondered if it could be dementia setting in. Just kinda want to be prepared for what they might say is wrong with him. Thank you for reading.

 

[Jem]

Hi, sorry about your kitty.
Honestly, I wouldn't wait to get him in to the vet. If he's not peeing, it's an emergency. Could be stones/crystals, cystits or UTI causing this but a blockage is not a "wait till Monday" type thing. If you haven't seen him pee...take him in now as things can go down hill FAST once a blockage sets in.
If he's peeing in other areas in the house and you just haven't found them then I guess that's a good sign he's not blocked but he would still be in pain and have the possibility to get blocked at any time.
As for dementia...I would assume that this change in behavior was more sudden, and if it's only related to litter box habits, this would lead me to believe it's not dementia.

Cats hide their pain and illnesses VERY well, so just because he's not acting lethargic or sick, doesn't mean he's not. Usually when the signs of illness show their faces...it's because it's bad enough that they can't hide it anymore. The not peeing and "in and out litter box habit" including the meowing is your sign he's not well.

If you can get your hands on a black light, it will help you find where he may have peed around the house.

I hope he feels better soon...

 

[fionasmom]

I am going to agree with this. If there is the slightest chance that this is a blockage, Monday could be too late. Hopefully, it is not; however, this is one of those cases where you need to err on the side of caution. Even if an ER vet only determines that there is no blockage and then you see your regular vet on Monday, it would be a good precaution to take.

 

[azshua]

Thank you both for your replies! He's still peeing and not blocked after all. I failed to mention that the meowing thing isn't specific to the litter box. He'll go into a room and start meowing and has been doing this for a couple of months. I didn't really think anything about it because I have other cats who do it from time to time, and it's not a super common occurrence. He hasn't done it since I made this post (although now he probably will because I jinxed it, lol). It just seems that he's done it a little more often for the past couple of months as opposed to before and it freaked me out when he would walk over to the litter box and do it. I haven't seen him straining. Well, unless you count what is needed to push out the pee and poop normally. He would get in, dig, then get out. Sometimes he'll actually squat, then pee or poop. And I'm sure he's thinking I'm a weirdo for following him to the litter box and watching him go, LOL. I'm not used to having senior cats. In fact, about six or seven months ago, I first learned about how some senior cats have to get their claws trimmed because they'll grow into their toes, which was the case with my fifteen year old Funny Face, who now goes to the vet every three months to have hers clipped. Also, Meejee's in my lap right now, cleaning himself, lol.