NWR: Cat issues alllll weekend *long*

Torir911

My fiance and I have a very uncomfortable kitty Our male Maine Coon, Jack, weighing in at 20 lbs, has developed a UTI and is constipated. I was home alone with him most of the day Saturday & Sunday while my FI was at work... I basically was following him around with a mop and some resolve for when he "leaked" on the carpet. We took him to the emergency vet on Warren Ave in Portland after coming home and seeing him laying in the middle of a urine soaked bed (OUR bed)... the vet wasn't concerned since he was going to the bathroom & dismissed us very abruptly, but not before getting our $110 for N O T H I N G. Saturday I couldn't sleep I was so afraid of waking up to a really sick cat! Sunday night we came back after seeing some friends and Jack was at the window practically screaming at us (he's always vocal-- you can have 20 minute conversations with him, but this was very pain filled). The FI put him in the litterbox to see what would happen and he sat there for like 5 minutes TRYING to go then hissed and jumped out. He's oddly attatched to my FI and calmed down and slept right on him for a couple of hours-- Jack is not a lap cat by any means. I stayed up most of Sunday night, too. Woke up this morning and couldn't find him... dug around and saw him under the far corner of our bed against the wall. Poor baby! We were finally able to take him to his normal vet and she gave us antibiotics & tons of suggestions for how to get things 'moving' in the kitty. Didn't talk down to us & I left feeling informed, nto like an idiot-- plus it only cost us $60. The funniest part was I mentioned that Jack hadn't gone #1 OR #2 since 11am yesterday and she felt his bladder and said, "He's peeing somewhere... his bladder isn't very full." So now I get to go home from work today and play a rousing game of Find The Pee!!! My apartment is all hardwood besides 1 area rug... so it's a little more difficult to find it when it's not getting absorbed into fabric.... but I'm up for the challenge. And of course I'm home alone tonight since my FI is working the most random schedule for the rest of the summer.

danieleandwayne

I'm so sorry your kitty isn't feeling well!And I've heard bad things about that Emergency Vet clinic on Warren Avenue... My kitty had a UTI (no constipation), despite being on what I thought was anti-UTI food. Turns out, cats do MUCH better on canned/wet food. Our vet recommended Friskies Special Diet (not regular Friskies, but the "Special Diet") canned food and we've had FANTASTIC results with it. No more UTIs and he's actually at a healthier weight (he was 3 pounds too heavy). So maybe after you get this all sorted out, you can try the Friskies Special Diet. It certainly has saved us and Elijah a ton of grief (not to mention money!)...Good luck!

Torir911

We're swtiching him to wet food... it is some type of purina food. My FI picked up a while bunch today & Jack really seems to be enjoying it. We have to give him 2x the antibiotics because he's about 2x the size of a regular cat He weighed in at 19.5 lbs... she said it could take a couple of weeks for the UTI to clear up. Hopefully that's all it is!

danieleandwayne

Our vet originally gave us that special Purina food, which we used for the first few weeks. When it ran out, I talked to him about a less expensive option (it costs something like $1.50/can!) and he suggested the Friskies Special Diet. We love that option, because it has 6 different flavours (which Eli digs) and it costs only $0.50/can-- less if we have a coupon.Anyhow, good luck with that! I know that males are very prone to UTIs and they are NO fun!

Arolin

Ew, that really stinks!  Our cat had some similar issues last year (he was constipated too, and the vet gave us the option of giving him a stool softener and then following him around to make sure he went or having the vet give him an enema. . .we chose the enema).Anyways, he was peeing on the couch (brand spanking new couch, ruined!), but not when we made sure it was covered in blankets or pillows. . come to find out that most cats, especially when they have urinary tract issues, prefer flat cool surfaces. . .we have even caught our other cat peeing in the bathroom sink! So it really could be anywhere in your house. . even in the bathtub!Our vet also said that cats are very prone to urinary issues because they are original desert animals (no idea if this is truth or bull) and they tend to hold their urine.  And, since cats are used to getting a lot of thier fluids from their diet of mice and birds, you have to make sure that they eat wet food.  You might even want to mix some water in with the wet food.In our case, the vet didn't call it a uti, but something called Feline Urinary Syndrome. . .basically indicating that he could get a flare up at any time and sent us home with prednizone for the inflammation when we notice the signs (ie, peeing on the couch).  She said that a flare up can be caused by stress (he is an outside cat) and that if it got really desperate we could give him prozac (so not joking!). He has been pretty good since we give him wet food twice a day and often mix water in it.Good luck, I hope it goes away quickly!!

danieleandwayne

Arolin, that sounds like something different than a UTI. But your vet also sounds a little kooky to me. LOL Male cats get UTIs much more than female cats (no idea why). But cats hold their urine? Not so much... My male cat pees quite prolifically and only holds it if he knows he'll go outside soon (he prefers to pee outside) and he lets me know that he's ready to go out. Most vets I've spoken to (having moved to three different states with my cat), have always first asked me how clean the litter box is. That seems to be the most obvious culprit. Especially since cats groom themselves so often (dirty mouth cleaning urinary opening = UTI). The cool, smooth surface thing makes TOTAL sense, though-- since they're obviously inflamed and warm when they have a UTI. Also, think about your cat's behaviour, Torir-- you mentioned he kept hiding underneath your bed? I'm guessing that's a good place to check. My cat liked the bathroom floor (cool, smooth tile?) but also anywhere he thought I'd notice it-- his tried and true spot is always on laundry in a basket. He does that when he's mad at me for not cleaning his litter box fast enough, too (he's a fastidious cat).Good luck! Hope you find it all! Try Nature's Miracle, if you haven't already, when you find it. It takes about 2 weeks to work completely but it actually dissolves/"eats" the urine away...

Torir911

Wow.. Kitty Prozac, huh? I found where he had been going... apparently Jack doesn't prefer cool surfaces. He prefers our bathmat. I stepped on it yesterday when I got home from work and it was damp (and on the floor and I HATE when my FI leaves it out). To prove a point, I left it on the floor so he could put it up when he got home at 1am. When I woke up this morning it was still on the floor and still damp. I bent over to smell it... and it wasn't water. Of course I yelled at my FI because his stupid cat ruined yet ANOTHER item plus the "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO ASK YOU TO PUT THE BATH MAT OVER THE EDGE OF THE TUB? IT TAKES LESS THAN A SECOND!" It might all be in my head but I think it's just nasty and bacteria builds in it when left wet on the floor. Air can't get to it to dry it all the way... it needs to be hung up. I put it on our towel rack or over the shower curtain. I swear I could make a living just following him around picking up the stuff he doesn't put away. Anyways... noticed some hard, dry poos in the litter... and Jack has been in much better spirits but not moving around much, yet.

angeliza

Just FYI - cat pee does not mean the bathmat is ruined. Soak the spot with Nature's Miracle and leave it until it's dry, then wash it in the wash it in the washing machine. I have nice hooked ones from LL Bean and I am able to just throw them in the washing machine and dryer once every 2 weeks or so. Not all bathmats would be ok in a dryer though.

chayer227

Try giving the kitty pumpkin - make sure it's 100% pumpkin and not extras, but can be in a can like for pumpkin pie mix.  It's a natural fiber for kitties, and safe, and cheaper than a vet visit for constipation. 

Torir911

I was considering the pumpkin... but was really debating if cats actually eat it??? Do I mix it with his wet food or something?

angeliza

We had to give my old cat pumpkin when he had that problem and he *LOVED* it. We didn't need to mix it with anything, he went nuts as soon as we opened a can of the stuff. If your cat isn't weird like mine was (he ate bananas too) you can definitely mix it in with some canned food.