New Cat from the Shelter won't pee?

Question

We brought a new baby home 2 days ago from the shelter. She is 1 and a half years old. She has been spayed and is wearing a cone to stop her from licking herself. She is eating and drinking water, purrs snuggles and explores (she is confined to one room right now as we have another kitty who loves to cuddle other cats)... but new kitty has not used her litterbox at all. No messes in the room either. Is this normal? What should we do?

Answer 1

It is not normal, it is life threatening, take her to the vet asap!! (I mean right now!) to check her bladder and her urea-creatinine levels.Now!
Don't wait in front of the computer, go now, it's better to be safe, even if she has peed without your knowing.

Answer 2

Checking with a vet is always a good thing, especially if she was recently spayed. Most shelters won't release an animal if they are having problems ( ie not going to the bathroom etc). 2 days may seem like a long time but you should consider how much water she has actually taken in, especially in comparison with your other cat that you know is healthy (good job on keeping them apart for the beginning btw). I know from my own experience that new cats will sometimes hold it for a while in an unfamilar situation. I brought home a 5 week old kitten that refused to pee for 2 days and waited almost a week to go number 2, but when he did...boy what a mess! i have talked to others and they had similar experiences with new cats. You can also try to stimulate your cat to pee, although this is easier on a new kitten. Take a warm damp washcloth and glently stroke the appropriate area (i'm sure you can figure out where), if your cat is truly not going this should help, unless there is a blockage. Also try taking her to her litter box and acting like you are pawing/digging in the kitty litter. Take her paw if she will let you and scratch at the litter, she may just need a reminder of what it is, especially if she was an outdoor/stray cat before you adopted her.
if your cat was in dire need of a vet (ie emergency visit) then she will be bloated looking from the water rentention and her stomach will fell very full and possibly hard when you pick her up. So double check with a vet to be on the safe side, but i think she just needs to get used to her new home.

Answer 3

Call the shelter that you adopted the kitty from. Tell them the story and tell them that you would feel better if you brought her in for a looksie by the vet who spayed her.

If you wait a long time then call the shelter they will claim they have no responsibility, so call NOW, OK?

A good place WILL take responsibility and help you out as to prevent you from returning the kitty they worked hard to find a home for..

I helped a homeless cat a few months ago who's bladder was this close to closing down and that had blood trickling out of his pee pee at a fast pace..He was in PAIN and nearly died. 1 thousand dollars later he was cured. It was a bad scene..Think about it..

Answer 4

The operation 2 days ago.she will retain water for the body needs it.Just like people after they get surgury it's a few days before they go.call the vet that did the work and see what he or she saids and take that cone off they will not need that I had many cats spayed and they will lick yes but the heal fast very fast maybe with that cone on she can't get water to drink.remove the cone but after any operation the body will retain water

Answer 5

Honestly, it takes cats a while to adapt to their surroundings. Extreme stress of a new surrounding may make the cat not have to use the restroom for a day or so. It just happens. Just keep your eyes open for accidents but it's very possible it is just adapting to the surroundings (a new home for a cat is one of the most stressful things it can endure - a cat will actually adapt better to a new owner than a new home, crazy huh?) . Don't waste money on a vet visit for a day or so more. I'm sure things will end up just fine.

Answer 6

Most cats who don't pee normally want to, but can't because they're blocked. This is regular in older cats and mostly in male cats... but it can happen to female. There aren't many cases where it has happened to younger felines. Take your cat into the vet immeaditley and have her checked. If the Vet declares there is nothing wrong with her, ask for some tips on having her get used to the house. Set her in the litter box from time to time and if she crawls out immeaditley instead of sniffing around... let her walk around and try again.

Answer 7

My baby did this when I first got him. When I called the lady I adopted him from she said to wait another day and let him continue to adjust and that he will go when he calms down. She said that if he didn't have any BM within 72 hours then take him to the vet. Well sure enough about 30 min before he vet visit he went. I suggest giving him time if he is purring and being happy.

Answer 8

My cat had the same problem...twice.

Your cat may have crystals in its bladder. Which makes it painful for the cat to pee. Who wants to pee if it hurts? I notice my cat had a problem when he was crouching on some clothes i had lying aoround my room. I quickly moved in to get him off my clothes, but notice that he didn't go. My cat, being starttled from my quick reaction, ran into the corner of my kitchen where he slouched to pee. This was not like him. I willingly awaited to see why he was doing this. Did not care if i had to clean a little bit of pee. As long as i found out what was going on. It was as if he was trying to tell me something. I waited for about a minute, then he walked away from the corner. I notice a small wet spot where he had been crouching. It was reddish yellowish color. Yellow from the pee and of course red from the blood. I was concerned. Took him to the vet the following day and he was given antibiotics and was fixed.

A year later, i noticed the same problem you had. His box was empty for about 2-3 days. I noticed he was hiding under my bed a lot of the times, very uncharacteristic for him. The times i did get to see him, he seemed bloated. He would sit like us human sit up right and would not move for quite a while. At first i thought, he's just being weird and he probably ate too much. When i went to pick him up, he meowed like no tomorrow. He was in pain. Could hardly move him, without causing pain. Him not peeing of course reminded me of the kitchen incident. So i took him to the vet...again. They ran test because of how much pain he was in, to see if the kidneys where damaged. Lucklily no kidney damage. Gave him antibiotics again and put him on a strict diet. Something the other vet failed to mentioned. They said that he would have to eat "Prescription S/D" food for the rest of his life. If he doesnt, this could be a continuos problem.

Sorry this is long, but i hope this helps. My best advise: Take the cat to the vet...to be safe. Your problem sounds very familiar.

Answer 9

Cats are good at hiding their messes, and will even do it under and inside furniture! But if you are SURE she hasn't found a place to go, no it isn't normal to be held for 2 days, and you should call the vet where she was spayed.

Answer 10

I would definately check closely to the litter box or other places in the room. After doing this, I would call your vet and probably take the can in immediately. No urination could be due to some type of kidney problem or failure and could lead to the demise of the cat.