My cat is having urinary problems,does anybody know what I should do?

Question

I mean I'm going to take him to the vet,but I can't right now.I'm going to try to get him in Saturday,but does anybody know of anything I can do for him,or give him,until then?

Answer 1

Hi there...cats with lower urinary disorders truly need to be seen as soon as possible as some cats present with urethral obstructions which is considered life-threatening within 24-48 hours. The bladder is unable to be relieved and fills up to the point of rupturing inside the abdominal cavity which is fatal.

Cats urine is more alkaline when there's an infection therefore, it's important to acidify the urine (like cranberry juice does for humans), canned food does this for cats, which is also hydrating since cats do not drink much water in general. Diet is a key factor in the cause for urinary disorders. Please consider asking your veterinarian how you can minimize future recurrences with diet management.

Urethral obstructions: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/urinary_blockage.html
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorders: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_lower_urinary_tract_dis.html

Answer 2

My 9 year old cat started having problems with this last year. The first time we brought him in, he had to be catheterized and have the crystals removed. This cost around $300, including the over night stay. Brought him back about 6-8 weeks later, he was unable to urinate again. Vet removed the blockage again, said if it kept recurring, he may need a perianalurethrostomy (removal of the narrow end of the urethra where the crystals were getting stuck). Two days after that blockage was cleared, he re-blocked and we opted for the surgery. My vet quoted an estimate of $800 for the surgery. The total for the surgery ended up being $500 (since I had already paid the $300 for the second blockage). I was feeding him cheap dry food, and occassionally, cheap canned food. When I started researching his condition and home remedies, I started reading more and more about cat nutrition, and how food with cheap filler ingredietnt can cause unhealthy urinary pH, which contributes to crystals. I have switched him to a higher quality food since then. Since his operation, he's been feeling much better. He's still prone to small crystals, but he's able to pass them now instead of becoming painfully blocked. I picked up some of the special cat litter that tests urinary pH (about $10 at Petsmart) and changes color. Since he's been eating much better food, and much more canned than dry, his pH is at a much better level. (It was very alkaline before, and his bloodwork had shown high blood sugar. That appeared to be a reaction to the corn in the cheap food he had been on). So if that's really four thousand dollars, I think your vet is waaayyy overcharging. If that should read four hundred, that's about what it cost me each time he blocked. If the surgery he had was the perianalurethrostomy (they sometimes refer to it as the "kitty sex change operation"), then it will probably solve a lot of the problems. Every cat is different, but it did wonders for mine. Good luck!

Answer 3

All the answers you have just received so far are probably right on,,, just wondering tho, is the problem of how much/little he is producing? Or is it an incontinance problem or perhaps more along the psychological lines? i.e, is he peeing on everything in sight?
If it is incontinance, does he have a litter box? Or easy access to getting outside? Some more info on this problem would be helpul;age,,recently moved to new place?, new kitten/puppy?, new baby???

If it is cold and frozen outside, he may not want to go out there right now, besides which, if the ground is frozen, he can't cover his tracks, so to speak, a real cat turn off.

If his urine is dark but not causing him any pain, it may not be too serious, as cats can and do concentrate it, tho it would be good if you can convince him to drink more water,,,, not easy, I know, if he doesn't want to, it's hard to try and make him...

Anyway, see how he is,,, if he is showing signs of distress, just bundle him up and take him to the vet!!!! That comes under the heading of emergency!!

Hoping for a happy ending to your dilema, go well.

Answer 4

If your cat is a male and he gets plugged, you can have a serious problem on your hands, this can be fatal. Make sure that your cat is urinating. Some males will get a blockage and will go into their litter boxes and appear to be urinating but nothing is coming out. People will see the cat get in and out several times a day and assume the cat is urinating constantly but in reality the cat is just straining and nothing is coming out. Make sure you HEAR the urine hitting the litter. You did not specify what exactly the problem is, so just wanted to give you a heads up in case this is the problem. Lots of urination and drinking a lot of water can be a sign of diabetes. If there is blood in the urine your cat has a infection. Get him to the vet soon, and if you think he is blocked, get him to the vet RIGHT NOW.

Answer 5

My Cat one night was acting strangely and couldn't go to the bathroom. It wasn't long before his anus was slightly pertruding out of his body. His stomach blew up like a bowling ball. We had an emergency vet visit. It costed me nearly 400 dollars cause he had to be on Catherized to drain. So if he can't go you should try your best to borrow money or something and get him there while it may not cost you as much as if it turns into an emergency. Males are very prone to UTI. I had to put both my males on Urinary Tract Health food. To minimize infections. It is alot cheaper than a huge vet bill that is for sure. I would change the food soon and try lots of water and I would check your litter box often to see if he is at least releasing some what. GoodLuck with your kitty!

Answer 6

VET ASAP..do not wait til Saturday if he is totally blocked..he will die before then. However, if he is still trickling you can do a few things:
1. Immediately visit PetSmart and ask for "Royal Canin Feline Urinary SO" cat chow. They may ask you for a prescription card to purchase it. If you email me, I will send you my card number..it may work..not sure though..
2.Encourage him to drink plenty of water.
3. Here is the gross part and might depend on how much you love your kitty. If he really can't get anything out, you can try very delicately rolling his little privates between thumb and forefinger. I know it sounds gross, but this will help break up some of the crystals that are lodged in his parts there. A vet instructed me to do this before. Use gloves of course.
4. Change his diet immediately..see 1.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Answer 7

If you have to wait for the vet visit because of money, usually vets will set up payment plans and things like that. If they know that the cat has an emergency, they will care for it and talk to you about payment right away. A vet told me that if this isn't taken care of right away the cats bladder will burst and it will die. I really hope you can get the cat to the vet soon. Good luck

Answer 8

Drop what you're doing, and get to the vet now. Do not pass go, don't collect $200. Just go NOW!

It could be simple like a UTI, or it could be renal failure, and if that's the case, you poor kitty could be dead in a matter of hours. It's rare, but it can happen.

I had a cat who was in renal failure for years before she got really bad and needed IV fluids daily - just a pill every day. However, I also had a cat who was showing signs of renal failure, and was being monitored for it, but it never developed - until one night. We rushed her to the Vets ER, and $2,000 and 17 hours we had to put her down because of acute renal failure.

Save yourself some heartache, and money, and get kitty to the vet yesterday. Better safe than sorry!

Answer 9

You cannot wait that long. Your cat has a urinary tract infection. If he is totally blocked and not passing urine, he could be dead by Saturday. It's very painful for them. Get him to the vet.

Answer 10

I would see if you can drop him off for an appointment if you are unable to take time off from work. You really don't want to wait too long with this kind of a problem, some male cats can block up & that is a major emergency. If you do wait until Saturday constantly monitor his urination. Anyway most clinics have drop off services I would check into it, as he really shouldn't wait.