Can't pee. Constipation issues too.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Ray, and thanks for your question.

It is often very frustrating dealing with cats with constipation issues! What you have described with Scooter has me concerned though.

It is possible that Scooter has a urinary tract blockage which can be a life threatening condition.

A urinary tract infection does not normally go along with constipation issues though. Another possibility is a condition called interstitial cystitis. We don't know why cats get this but they get severe inflammation in their bladder which make them feel like they have to urinate all of the time. Interstitial cystitis is usually brought on by stress. So, we can sometimes connect it to constipation as the stress of not been able to have a bowel movement can be enough to bring it on.

Blood in the urine is always a condition where I recommend an emergency visit to the vet. If he has a urinary tract blockage, or partial blockage and it is not treated some cats can die within hours. If he has interstitial cystitis he is very uncomfortable and needs medication to help relieve his discomfort.

Unfortunately neither of the medicines you mentioned would be safe to give him at this time without knowing exactly what is going on. Zeniquin is an antibiotic. While there is a small chance he has a urinary tract infection, infections are much less common than blockages or interstitial cystitis. And an antibiotic will not do much for either of these conditions. The prednisolone is a steroid which could potentially relieve some inflammation. However, pred can have some side effects and if there is any type of infection it could potentially make things worse.

I really wish I could give you some advice on something that would help! But, without seeing some urine from your boy it is impossible to know what is going on. I know an emergency visit is expensive, but this is a case where it really sounds like it is necessary. Your vet will get a urine sample and determine what the cause of the problem is. They should be able to give medication that should give him some relief. It is also possible that he may need surgery in order to relieve a blockage if it is there.

I really hope he is ok! If I can help you some more, let me know.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome Ray. If he is still having any difficulty at all with urinating then I would recommend an emergency visit. I am much more concerned about the urination than the BM. While not being able to have a BM is uncomfortable it is not nearly as serious as not being able to urinate.

I really hope he is ok!

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

Not a problem, Ray...although I'm not sure if I can help you with this question as I cannot legally advise you to give any medications without having examined your cat.

What the emergency vet would do is first of all, feel his bladder to see if it is full or not. This is a difficult thing to do (i.e. not something you could likely do at home) but it will tell the vet whether Scooter is blocked or not.

If he is blocked they may put a needle into the bladder to relieve him of some of the urine.

If not, they will likely either squeeze his bladder and obtain urine or take some out with a needle and look under the microscope to see if there are signs of infection, crystals or interstitial cystitis.

The medicine they would give depends on what they find.

We do sometimes give narcotics for pain, however hydrocodone is not one that we would use for pain. The zydone is actually toxic to a cat, so that would not be good to give.

I hope that helps a little. Unfortunately there are no over the counter drugs that I consider safe to give cats for pain.

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome. Cats are strange creatures! I don't know why God made male cats have such a small urethra...they seem to often have urination issues!

I'd love to have an update when you find out what is going on with him.

Dr. Marie.