Constipated kitty? **UPDATE**

[Hellojosie]

For the past two nights in a row, Stewie has been making frequent trips to the litter box, spending more time in it than usual, and nothing seems to be going on when he's in there (although I have been scooping and everything has been normal). Could he possibly be constipated?? He seems fine health-wise- he's eating, drinking, playing, "talking" to us as usual. I pushed around on his belly last night and he didn't mind in the least. When we're not around the litter box (we keep one in our rec room where we all spend the most time) he doesn't seem to make these frequent trips. Since he's seem ok in all other aspects, I'm not sure if a trip to the vet is necessary just yet. We hate to put him through the trip unless we absolutely need to as he completely freaks out at the sight of the carrier and stresses the whole ride there. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for what might be causing him to hang out in the litter box like this??

[Freedom]

That is usually the main sign of a UTI - urinary tract infection or a blockage. And a vet visit is in order asap, as those get life threatening really quickly.

[Barbiecat]

I agree, get him to the vet NOW! This is nothing to fool with.

[columbine]

Definitely time to go to the vet! You seem to have caught it early, which will help.

Love, Columbine

[Hellojosie]

I figured we should bring him in regardless, even though he'll hate us for a day. So, yes- first thing tomorrow morning he'll be taking a ride to the vet. I'm stopping tonight to get him a new carrier- one of the duffel bag kinds. He likes laying in luggage whenever I go on a trip, so I figured it might be somewhat easier to get him in a duffel carrier. I hope we did catch it soon enough and it's easily treatable! I'm comforted by the fact that he's at least been acting normal and doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort just yet. Hopefully we'll nip that right in the bud!

[ratdogg]

That is usually the main sign of a UTI - urinary tract infection or a blockage. And a vet visit is in order asap, as those get life threatening really quickly.

freedom hit the nail on the head. I've heard of symptoms of a blockage being described as frequent trips to the litter box with nothing comming out. I've also heard of people mistaking constipation for a urinary tract infection or blockage. If it is something extremely serious like that I'd say get the cat to a vet immediately.

[Hellojosie]

If I can manage to sneak out of work early today, I'll be heading straight to the store for the carrier & then Stewie will go to the vet this afternoon. I'm not sure how long our vet is there tonight. He so far is not in pain and doesn't seem uncomfortable, so if I can't get him there tonight he's going first thing in the morning.

Thanks, everyone! Please think some happy thoughts that this isn't serious and that it won't GET serious...

[Barbiecat]

DO sneak out early, everybody else in the USA will be!

[wolflady]

Definitely sounds like a UTI. Let us know how Stewie is doing after his visit to the vet!

**hugs**

[Hellojosie]

Ok, well I just called my vet, and unfortunately she's already left for the day. Crap. I'm getting out of work early, even- the boss said to go home since it's a holiday weekend. But we'll just keep an eye on Stewie tonight and if he starts to act like he's in major pain we'll try an emergency vet. Otherwise we'll get him to our vet first thing in the morning tomorrow. The vet assistant I talked to didn't seem too concerned since I told her he's been acting like his normal happy self besides the multiple trips to the litterbox. I'll keep you posted!

[Medusa]

Yes, trust your instincts and take him to the vet anyhow, regardless of the vet assistant's lack of concern. Your kitty can develop problems quickly if it's a UTI. And w/the long weekend coming up, you don't want to run into the problem of not being able to find a vet. Let us know how it works out. Hopefully, all will be ok. Keeping fingers and paws crossed.

[CathyBogart]

Is he producing urine??

[krazyaboutkatz]

I sure hope that it's nothing serious and that he'll be okay. My Storm had the PU surgery because he became blocked 2 times. Yesterday morning I caught him peeing very small amounts of urine and he kept jumping in and out of the litterboxes. He was also acting normal so if I hadn't seen this I would have never known that anything was wrong with him. He also didn't seem to be in any pain.

I called my vet's office and they told me to bring him in right away and that even though he had the PU surgery, he could still be blocked due to scar tissue. Luckily he wasn't blocked but he most likely has a UTI and I'm still waiting to hear the results of his urinalysis and bloodwork. He's taking medicam for 3 days and bayrtil for 10 days. Please get your cat to the vet asap.

[Hellow]

Yes, my dog will be going to the vet to get her annual shots sometime next month.

[Hellojosie]

Stewie made it through the drive to the vet this morning and is doing fine. He was in & out of the litterbox a lot less last night, and he's been peeing a little bit here & there. The vet wanted to get some urine to send to the lab for tests, but apparently Stewie wouldn't cooperate with that. So, we got some Albon tablets to give him every 24 hours, and the vet said if he doesn't seem to get better in a few days to bring him back in. So far today he's been fine, not in & out of the box hardly at all. I hope this means he's in the clear...or at least getting there. We'll definitely keep an eye on him these next few days!

[catmandu]

We are sending prayers for Our Friend Stewie that he will be all right and will be using his Litter Box as always very soon.
Thats not a good feeling to be blocked up.

[Hellojosie]

Thanks for all the prayers! Stewie's been taking his pills like a champ, but we're still not 100% sure he's ok. Today we came downstairs to find him semi-squatting right in front of the litterbox. He wasn't peeing, but looked like he was trying. And then later he went in the box & didn't do anything. He still isn't making any noises like he's in pain...but we're still keeping a close eye on him. If after a couple more days of the Albon and he's still acting odd, back to the vet he'll go. :confused:

[Medusa]

If he's not peeing and he's trying, whether or not he's making noises, something isn't right. Call your vet!

[krazyaboutkatz]

He's probably blocked.:( So I sure hope that you've taken him back to the vet or an emergency vet asap. Cats can die from this and it only takes about 24 hours or so if I remember correctly. Please update us when you can. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[Hellojosie]

I'm waiting for a vet update as I write this. He definitely still seems blocked, we tried the Albon tablets for 4 days and nothing has really changed besides his behavior- he's not going in & out of the box multiple times anymore. But when he does use it, he goes in for quite a long time & it seems like he only manages to get out a little bit of urine. He still seems healthy and happy though! I'll post more when I hear what happened at the vet.

Thanks again for all the positive thoughts and prayers- our cats are our kids and I can't imagine what we'd do if this turns into something really serious...

[Medusa]

Cats can appear happy and healthy because they don't like to show weakness of any kind. It's their natural instinct because they don't want to attract predators. Puddy (all my cats, really) waits until she's really sick before she cries, as is evident by her latest URI w/bloody urine and blood clots. Had she shown any symptoms of illness whatsoever, off to the vet she would've gone. So tell your vet to get w/the program. Time's a wastin'!

[Hellojosie]

Well, our vet suggested that we give it one more day with the Albon tablets. She said that it takes time for a urinary tract infection to clear up, and as long as he's taking the pills he should be ok. However, she did say she might have to prescribe something stronger. We wanted to bring him in today but she was booked solid, so regardless of how he's acting tonight he's going back in tomorrow, first thing in the morning.

[Medusa]

Well, you're staying on top of it, so this is good. Looking forward to a good report tomorrow. :)

[Hellojosie]

Me too!! If we notice that he is getting any worse we'll find an ER vet today. Luckily my boyfriend is on vacation this week so he's at home all day, keeping a close eye on Stewie. The last update I got was that Stew was sitting by the window, watching the chipmunks "taunt" him outside. :p

Thanks again, I'll update after the vet tomorrow for sure! Thank goodness for this website, seriously! It's so nice to get advice and suggestions from others out there who have dealt with the same thing.

[Hellojosie]

Stewie was on his way home from the vet about a half an hour ago, meowing away furiously. They were able to get a urine sample this time to send off to the lab for tests, and the vet did say that he wasn't blocked up, so that's a good thing. She thinks his issues with peeing might even be caused by stress. We're to keep him on the Albon until we get the test results in a few days. I've been trying to watch him carefully but yesterday didn't catch him in the litterbox at all- which I guess is good & bad. At least he's not going in & out constantly anymore, but I'm still not sure he's actually GOING at all. He's still been acting fine otherwise too- eating, drinking, playing with Ollie, purring, etc...so at least he doesn't seem to be in any pain.

I'm hoping he'll be back to normal in a few more days with the Albon, but I guess the test results will tell us for sure if he's ok...

[Medusa]

This is so odd. He's not blocked but yet he's not peeing. Never heard of such a thing. But as long as you're watching him, what else can ya do? :confused:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear that he isn't blocked.:) He may be very inflamed though and this is why when he pees it's in very small amounts. My Storm had this problem last week. He didn't end up having a UTI after all. He was put on Metacam for 3 days which was to help with pain and inflammation. It must have worked because he seems fine now. I hope that the Albon does the trick and that he continues to do well.:)

I've only heard of Albon being given to treat coccidia and I never knew it came in tablets.

[Hellojosie]

We're definitely keeping a close eye on him, at this point that's all we can do besides give him the Albon every day- and thankfully, Stewie has no problem taking pills. If I see anything suspicious in the litterboxes, back to the vet he'll go...but yea, for now all we can is wait for the test results and hope for the best!

[Catlady711]

Hmm, I didn't know Albon could be prescribed for a UTI in cats.

Unless I didn't read thouroghly, did the vet test the urine to see if it was a particular type of bacteria causing the problem that would be sensitive to Albon? If I read correctly they took urine to send in but gave you Albon tablets then and there before the results were back, or did I read incorrectly?

[columbine]

You might try putting water bowls in different parts of the house - my Smudge likes being able to get a drink in the bedroom and the living room as well as in the kitchen. The more he drinks, the more he'll pee, and the more he pees, the easier it gets.

If it's stress, in the short term you might get him a bit of catnip - that cheers most cats up. In the long term, consider getting a Feliway/Safe Space plugin. It's kind of like Kitty Incense that mimics their natural "This is good, home, calm" scent hormone, and humans usually don't smell it. I have a particularly acute sense of smell, and to me it smells very lightly of coconut and cedar - pleasant and soothing to me too.

Love, Columbine

[Hellojosie]

The Albon was prescribed on Saturday, before our vet was able to take a urine sample. From what I've read on it it's supposed to help with bacterial infections in the genitourinal tract (I may have misspelled that), so I'm assuming the vet figured he has a bacterial infection. The urine tests were done yesterday and we're waiting for the results- I guess she will prescribe something different if the Albon won't be effective as she thought it would.

Stewie is doing better overall though- yesterday he went in the box, did his business, and was out in normal time. He seems to be having less difficulty peeing now. And he's been drinking like normal too- he loves to drink from the tap in my bathroom and he's done that every time I'm home & in the bathroom these past few days. I'll definitely try the catnip trick too- Stewie gets nice and mellowed out when he has catnip, so that's a really good idea.

[Catlady711]

The Albon was prescribed on Saturday, before our vet was able to take a urine sample. From what I've read on it it's supposed to help with bacterial infections in the genitourinal tract (I may have misspelled that), so I'm assuming the vet figured he has a bacterial infection. The urine tests were done yesterday and we're waiting for the results- I guess she will prescribe something different if the Albon won't be effective as she thought it would.

Stewie is doing better overall though- yesterday he went in the box, did his business, and was out in normal time. He seems to be having less difficulty peeing now. And he's been drinking like normal too- he loves to drink from the tap in my bathroom and he's done that every time I'm home & in the bathroom these past few days. I'll definitely try the catnip trick too- Stewie gets nice and mellowed out when he has catnip, so that's a really good idea.




Thanx for answering my question. I was just curious about it because Albon is not a drug our dr's grab for first with UTI's, I guess every vet is different. Glad Stewie is doing better anyways, it's no fun having a sick kitty.

[Hellojosie]

We got the test results from the urinalysis tonight...and as it turns out Stewie has crystals in his urine. So, I guess that would explain everything we've been going through the past week. I'm not really sure what this means other than we have to go to the vet & pick up special food for him that we'll be feeding him for a month.

Has anyone else had this problem? How serious is it? Also I'm conerned about the special diet since we also have Ollie...the vet said Stewie is not to eat anything but the special food, so that means we'll have to put Ollie's "normal" food away all day. Ollie weighs less than 7 lbs so I'm a little worried about him wasting away...does anyone have any suggestions for how to deal with feeding the cats 2 different foods??

[ratdogg]

I personally have never had first hand experience with this problem, but i'm glad your vet was able to get a clear diagnosis. I googled crystals in cat urine and this site http://www.holisticat.com/FusFaq.htm had a pretty decent explanation. Maybe there is something there that you can add to your new collection of urine crystal info :)

[mrspunkysmom]

A lady I know that raises Siamese feeds them all in their cages every day. That is the procedure. It's for the special meals some of them must eat.

what food did you vet recommend?

Anne

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm glad to hear that Stewie is drinking more and doing better.:) I'm sorry to hear that he has crystals though.:( My Storm also has this problem and he's now eating Royal Canin Urinary S/O dry and wet food. It's safe to feed all of your cats this food. This food also helps prevent both the struvite and calium oxalate crystals. What type of crystals does Stewie have?

Storm became blocked 2 times and the second time was due to having scar tissueso they couldn't even catheterize him. He had the PU surgery which makes him pee like a female cat. Unfortunately this may make him more likely to get UTI's. He has to remain on this prescritpion food for the rest of his life and I have to make sure that he continues to drink plenty of water. I've been adding extra water to his wet food and he loves it.

I would think that your vet would want Stewie to remain on this new food for more than a month unless it's the type that will help dissolve his crystals. If this is the case then he should be on a different type after this to help prevent his crystals. I hope that he'll like it. I've heard that most cats prefer the taste of Royal Canin over the Hills brand. Good luck.

[Hellojosie]

Stewie is eating Purina U/R (something like that), both wet & dry. Ollie seems to enjoy it too, so for now we'll just feed it to both of them. I really wanted to keep it separate just because it's so damn expensive- hopefully the 8 lb bag we got will last through the month. Do you have to get this kind of food at the vet's office or do they sell anything similar in stores? Maybe Petsmart??

I'm not sure what kind of crystals Stewie has...and so far, so good. He's been in & out of the box like normal for the most part- he still isn't peeing a whole bunch at once but at least he's going. We'll continue to keep a close eye on him. Here's a pic of him "relaxing"...

[Medusa]

I'm lovin' it! Stewie sure doesn't appear to be in any pain in this pic! I'm so glad things are going better for him. Great news!

[Catlady711]

Stewie is eating Purina U/R (something like that), both wet & dry. Ollie seems to enjoy it too, so for now we'll just feed it to both of them. I really wanted to keep it separate just because it's so damn expensive- hopefully the 8 lb bag we got will last through the month. Do you have to get this kind of food at the vet's office or do they sell anything similar in stores? Maybe Petsmart??

Prescription diets are generally only available by prescription from your vet.

As for feeding different foods.. I have 8 cats, I feed 3 different lifestages of foods, and the two oldest cats have to have different medicines in some wet food once a day, and I feed all my cats in the same area 4-5 times a day.

It can be a zoo for about 15 minutes but I don't find it all that difficult as long as I don't try to do anything else when it's feeding time. Of course explaining my feeding routine to the catsitter is quite a lengthy process. ROFL :D

[Hellojosie]

Well, as long as both cats like the dry stuff- and they both seem to enjoy it thoroughly- I'll feed it to both. The wet stuff I still do separately. They only get a teeny bit of wet food each night as a little bedtime snack anyway- about a quarter of a can or packet.

Nothing new to report otherwise- things are seemingly going back to normal, thank goodness!!

[columbine]

Well, as long as both cats like the dry stuff- and they both seem to enjoy it thoroughly- I'll feed it to both. The wet stuff I still do separately. They only get a teeny bit of wet food each night as a little bedtime snack anyway- about a quarter of a can or packet.

Nothing new to report otherwise- things are seemingly going back to normal, thank goodness!!

My vet recommended wet food for my Smudge when he had crystals, just because it's got lots of water in it. She also said he might drink more if I put water bowls in more places around the house - it's true, he likes his little "hidden springs" tucked away in his favorite corners! You might also consider getting him a drinking fountain. A cat who drinks lots of water washes out the minerals before they get to form crystals, no matter what kind of crystals they were!

He still likes his kibble (Hill's C/D) best, but he gets a little bit of "treat food" twice a day so I can put his medicine in it. (His crystals were struvite, so I use a low-magnesium food to mix his allergy stuff and vitamins into.) Southern Agriculture and Pet Food Direct carry a lot of specialty foods - they're worth checking.

[Hellojosie]

My vet recommended wet food for my Smudge when he had crystals, just because it's got lots of water in it. She also said he might drink more if I put water bowls in more places around the house - it's true, he likes his little "hidden springs" tucked away in his favorite corners! You might also consider getting him a drinking fountain. A cat who drinks lots of water washes out the minerals before they get to form crystals, no matter what kind of crystals they were!

He still likes his kibble (Hill's C/D) best, but he gets a little bit of "treat food" twice a day so I can put his medicine in it. (His crystals were struvite, so I use a low-magnesium food to mix his allergy stuff and vitamins into.) Southern Agriculture and Pet Food Direct carry a lot of specialty foods - they're worth checking.

We actually do have a "drinking fountain" for the cats- one of those self-filtering water bowls. They love it! And their other drinking fountain is the bathroom sink. :D

I'll have to check into the food when our supply starts getting low, although the vet said we'd only have to have Stewie on the special diet for a month. I'm hoping the bag and cans we bought will last that long!