Can I wait until Monday to take him to the vet, or is it serious enough to go to the emergency vet now?

Question

My 3 year old male (neutered) cat is having trouble urinating. When he tries, he only dribbles a little bit of bright orange urine.

We locked him in a room last night with wet food, water, and a fresh litter box. He finished all of the food, so he's still eating. But he did not drink any of the water. It was obvious that he had only been able to dribble little bits at a time in the litter box.

Because he is still eating and he seems to have his regular amount of energy, is it ok if we wait until Monday morning to take him to the vet? Or is this serious enough to take him to an emergency vet today?

Until this point, he has been a very healthy cat.

Ok, as most of you suggested, I took him to the emergency vet. As far as he could tell, there was no blockage. It's most likely a UTI, but since my cat wasn't willing to give up a urine sample, we can't know for sure that crystals aren't present.

He's currently on an antibiotic, and we will have to take him to a regular vet later this week.

Thank you for all of the great answers!!

Answer 1

you need to take him to the emergency vet now this is serious and can kill your cat cause it sounds as though crystals have formed in his kidneys and they will cut him up inside and they will make him pee blood soon he needs to go now . good luck .

Answer 2

Pink or orange is not a healthy color, that means blood in the bladder.

We've had urinary blockages in two of our males and they could only do little dribbles or a dot of urine, kept going to the box to pee and nothing comes. They had their back fur all spiky and would sit or crouch hunched over--a danger sign!

You can get blood poisoning going in 12 hours if they're blocked like this and it's harder to help get them back to normal. I'd consider this an emergency situation and get the cat in. They'll see if it's crystal blockage and load him up with fluids as they catheterize him (put a little tube in to help him pee). It can be a life threatening situation and if it is a blockage, it can kill a cat. The longer you wait, the more damage is done to the bladder and kidneys.

It happens out of the blue, you can't predict these things. Males are much more susceptible to this than females who have larger plumbing down there, but any cat can get this, even if they normally pee up a storm.

If it's an infection instead of the blockage, it's still needing to be seen, as you said the urine was orange. Something is irritating the inside lining of the bladder and that needs to be stopped.

Answer 3

How long has the kitty been spayed? That is the sign of a massive infection. If it was a recent surgery then the infection is likely linked to that and could harming nearly any organ in her body cavity. If it has been 6 months or more since her spay, it is like the result of a urinary track infection. If it get bad enough (which yellow puss and odor are a good indication that the infection is serious) it could cause permanent kidney damage. If there is any way you could get her to the emergency vet it would be a very good idea. She is exhibiting two very clear signs of a serious infection that will only continue to get worse without antibiotics. It is very important that you keep her hydrated until you can get her to the vet.

Answer 4

A cat that is having trouble urinating can be a life-threatening emergency. Male cats can get urinary blockages that may range from anything from a stone to a plug of mucus and cells. What happens is the kidney excretes a lot of stuff, including potassium. If the cat is not urinating and excess potassium builds up in his system, this can affect the way his heart contracts and kill him. Also, if his belly is very painful and appears to be swollen, you worry that his bladder may be distended to the point that it is no longer able to contract. If you are concerned that he is not peeing and he appears to be painful, take him to the vet right away.

Answer 5

Either way is fine, I think. Today is midday Sunday, so I think if you wait until Monday he can still be treated. But, if there is any way you can bring him in today, I would suggest that. He may have a urinary tract infection that could spread to his blood. I've read that males tend to get UTI's (Urinary Tract Infections) more often then females, but females still do get them. It is important that you feed your cat food that is low in magnesium and fights urinary tract infection. I've also read that neutured males have a high chance of getting it, your cat is both male and neutured. Here is a copy of a paragraph from a website:

Cats will strain and make frequent and prolonged attempts to urinate, but usually the amount of urine passed during each attempt is quite small. Affected cats tend to lick their genital area excessively, and sometimes they will urinate outside the litter box, often preferring cool, smooth surfaces like a tile floor or a bathtub. Occasionally, there will be blood present in the urine.

It says that the urine passed each time is quite small and that the cat tries often to urine but is relatively unsuccessful. Your cat could also have a Urethral Obstruction, such as a urinary stone. Here is another paragraph from the same site:

Urethral obstruction is a true medical emergency; any cat suspected of suffering from this condition must be seen immediately by a veterinarian. When the urethra is completely blocked, the kidneys are no longer able to remove toxins from the blood and maintain a proper balance of fluids and electrolytes in the body. If the obstruction is not relieved, the cat will eventually lose consciousness and die. Death most frequently occurs as a result of electrolyte imbalances, which ultimately cause heart failure. The time from complete obstruction until death may be less than twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Immediate treatment is essential.

After reading this, I would bring your cat to the vet as soon as possible. It's better to be safe then sorry.

I hope this information helps. I will include the link where I got most of this information for you to go back to. And also, a UTI is just an educated guess. It may have some other type of illness, but either way, if you could get it to a vet as soon as possible, the better. Good Luck!

Answer 6

It's very serious. Take him to the emergency vet today.

He has a urinary tract blockage. The longer it goes on, the worse it is going to get. It can permanently damage his kidneys and, even worse, it can cause his bladder to rupture. At the animal hospital where I work, we see cases of this every month. Two cats died an agonizing death from a ruptured bladder because the owners did not bring them in in time.

Answer 7

This isn't a good sign at all. You shouldn't wait till Monday to take him to the vet. This is very serious and you should take him to the emergency vet now. His urethra (the tube leading from the bladder through the penis) could be blocked or he could have a urinary tract infection. This is serious. Take him to the vets as soon as possible. Good luck.

Answer 8

TAKE YOUR CAT TO AN EMERGENCY CLINIC RIGHT AWAY!!
Sounds like your cat has a uinary tract infection (prevalent in males). He needs to get unblocked right away. I don't think he will be alive if you wait until tommorow. THIS IS SERIOUS!!
Males are prone to this disease. I was told this usually is caused by feeding mainly wet food - too much ash in the wet food.
Your cat will have to eat special perscription food from now on but can live a long life if you catch it right away.

Answer 9

Crystals in the urine are blocking his urinary tract. If you wait it could lead to kidney failure. I just went through this with a 10 year old cat, and it ended up that he also is diabetic. Your cat is in a lot of discomfort-please go to the emergency vet now!

Answer 10

You should probably get him in ASAP. It sounds like something is wrong with his kidneys or he has a very bad urinary tract infection. Ask them to test his urine for crystals. That's what my vet did with one of our cats and he had crystals in his urine, which isn't good. He eats Purina One Urinary Tract Formula now and he's fine. He used to be on a prescription diet but it was so expensive we decided to switch.

Answer 11

Sounds like a urinary tract infection. He needs to be seen immediately, if he does not release the urine it could be very serious. We had to put one of our cats down because of this. My vet told me that with male cats they are prone to infections because of the smaller urethra. Is the orange possible blood and also if it looks like crystals (kind of shiny)?? Purina makes a good food to help this also, Purina One Urinary Tract Health, or something like that. My vet recommended that for our male cats.