Our cat is peeing blood from stress. What can we do?

Question

We recently moved to a flat with a balcony and our well-loved cat really enjoys sitting out there and watching the birds and other cats, but we think its causing him stress so much he is peeing blood all over the flat. The vet said there is no bacteria in the blood and that its stress related and gave us some drops to give him, but now we are stressing him out more by trying to give it to him. he seems terrified in the house and yet so, so happy sat out in the balcony. He isnt neutered. could this help? Should we really take his balcony from him? Any good advice?

I should mention that we actually moved after xmas, but he only discovered the cat-flap a couple of months ago. This is why we've thought it would be this. His previous owner had similar problems where he pee'd around her other cat. But that was never blood.

Answer 1

Take him to another vet!!! Have them do a Urinalysis on him. The bleeding could be a variety of things not just infection. There could be bleeding somewhere in the Urinary system and not have an infection. Please get a second recomendation. Good Luck.

Answer 2

I would definately take him to the vet.

Also, while he's there I'd get him neutered (probably wait until he's not sick anymore, but soon), because it prevents so many problems down the line.

As for the balcony, I think you may have introduced him into too large a space all at once. When I moved, my vet said I should confine my cats in a smaller space (like a bathroom) for a couple of days. Then make it slightly larger, like opening the door from the bathroom to the bedroom, but not the door from the bedroom into the rest of the flat. Keep it that way for a week or two, then open it up again, like the cat can get to the bathroom (his safe room), the bedroom (safe ish), and the livingroom/kitchen but not the guest room. Finally open up the guest room too. I'd save letting him out on the balcony till last.

My vet said this is the LEAST stressful way to move a cat, and that anytime there's a big change (i.e. new place, new animal, new baby) I should repeat the process if my cat is acting strangely. This makes them feel safe. Of course you want to spend time with the cat as well, even if it means spending time in the bathroom.

FIRST AND FORMOST, get a second opinion about your cat's urinary problem. Try and find a feline specialist (a vet that ONLY treats cats), because a cat's physiology (sp) is so complicated that a regular vet (that has to know all about dogs, parakeets, horses, goats, pigs, fish, turtles, etc...) may miss something.

Answer 3

Less than 3% of urinary problems in male cats are caused by primary urinary tract infections. Blood in the urine can come from kidneys, bladder, penis, ureters or urethra. Most commonly in young male cats, usually neutered, crystals are the issue. They are microscopic, formed in the bladder and cause blood, straining to urinate and usually the cat urinates small amounts frequently. It's a condition called FLUTD or feline lower urinary tract disease, used to be FUS. These crystals are found on a routine urinalysis and treatment is usually a diet change. If the urine is strictly blood with no crystals, your vet could consider a urinary infection IF the urine is not very concentrated. In a true UTI, the urine is almost never very concentrated. A culture, which takes a few days, is needed to really rule out a UTI. If those are not the issue, an xray should be done to rule out bladder or kidney stones. If no stones, consider bloodwork to rule out kidney infection or other kidney disease and ultrasound of the abdomen to rule out bladder tumors or stones that don't show up on the xray. Stones and tumors are treated with surgery (obviously tumors can be a rough diagnosis to deal with). This is the logical route of identifying the cause of blood in the urine.

There is a condition called sterile interstitial cystitis which is basically just inflammation of the bladder wall for reasons unknown, possibly stress related. This is probably what your vet was thinking of, but it's a diagnosis of exclusion. All those other things would have to be ruled out first. An ultrasound done during an episode of bloody urine would help confirm that anyway. Treatment for that is usually amitriptylline, an antidepressant, but there is no great treatment for it. Bleeding usually goes away by itself after a few days.

A blood clotting problem would also be on the list of possibilities here, someone mentioned rat poison...that can cause a clotting disorder. It's not very high on the list though, cats rarely get clotting disorders without help from rat bait.

Good luck with your cat. Sounds like more testing is in order here. He's lucky he's well loved, sounds like you will take good care of him.

Answer 4

R U kidding me? I have a stressful life, but surprisingly I DON'T PEEEEEE BLOOOOOD! GO TO ANOTHER VET. And how did you conclude it was the balcony that is causing stress? REVERSE LOGIC? Everything you said indicates he likes the balcony and hates the flat. How do you know the previous owners didn't sprinkle Ant poison all over the flat? Or rat poison? The balcony might be the only safe place for the poor thing. STRESS RELATED BLOOD PEE! DID I MENTION - TAKE HIM TO ANOTHER VET? ONE THAT DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL THIRTY YEARS AGO. OR LAST WEEK. CALL AROUND AND ASK FIRST. "why might my cat be peeing blood?" if they say oh, that's stress - HANG UP. Re clean the whole flat with pet friendly cleaners. And did you switch foods when you moved? Do you now store the bag of food in the closet where the last owner kept the rat poison. THINK!

Answer 5

Take him to another vet for comparison, if they say the same thing try taking away the balcony for awhile. If he stops peeing blood then give him back the balcony, if he starts peeing blood again you'll know that the balcony was causing the stress. So if so you should try getting rid of the blacony if it's causing the stress.

Answer 6

Sounds strange what the vet says, .. blood in the urine can be anything from an infection to crystals or stones in the urinary tract/bladder ... My Persian had this problem and it blocked him up. I would take him back to the vet (Better yet try another vet, your first one sounds dingy)..I wouldn't think the balcony has any part in this (I wouldn't keep him from going out there as long as it is safe)

Answer 7

I have never heard of a cat peeing blood due to stress. Sounds like a bladder infection to me. Did the vet run a urinalysis? I think you might get a 2nd opinion. And if there was no infection....what could the vet possibly have prescribed to her??

Answer 8

I agree with everyone here, take him to a new vet. I always use my common sense when it comes to Doctors opinions, If you don't think he's right when he gives you his final word about whats wrong with either us or the animals, Consult another. Also make sure he takes xrays, My cat swallowed a really tiny tiny piece of metal of some sort and was vomiting blood, not alot but any is enough to worry me. He then passed it in his stool and was better. We did keep watch over him. Always follow your Gut instinct it's usually right.

Answer 9

I don't often say this, but get a second vet opinion, and fast!

Stress certainly exacerbates urinary problems and can cause flare-ups of existing problems, but it doesn't CAUSE blood in the urine! Furthermore, it is usually crystals that are searched for in urinalysis, not bacteria, because it's the crystals that are going to cause the serious problem i.e a blocked bladder.

Get a second opinion!

Chalice

Answer 10

Not necessarily. Uric acid crystals that form in the kidneys and ureters may or may not respond to catheterization. The fluid therapy is designed to dissolve the crystals so they don't pass through the soft tissues and scratch them up (and cause bleeding as a result). Inserting a catheter might cause more damage if it pushes the crystals back up the path they just came down. Ideally, the crystals need to be dissolved first which would negate the need for a catheter. If she is still passing blood she is not getting enough liquid into her system to force the crystals back into solution.