My cat has back pain and drinks too much. How can I help?

Kidney disease is definitely a possible cause of back pain and an increase in drinking. It can also make her feel bad and less active. I recommend taking her to the vet sometime soon, because some causes of kidney disease like infections and stones can be successfully treated and further damage to the kidneys can be prevented. I hope that helps and Thor gets better soon.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. With your history and knowing he is drinking and urinating quite a bit, I would be concerned about kidney disease or diabetes. I would recommend having a comprehensive blood panel run on pepper to rule these conditions out. I would also have his urine tested as part of a full workup. Blood work is a good place to start as it will help rule out many possible causes of the symptoms you are seeing. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

Poor Forte! The weight loss and the reluctance to move around, and the apparent sensitivity around his back are all very concerning. If he hasn't had x-rays of his back yet, that might be a good idea. He could have an injury if he fell off something in the house or possibly got hit by a car outside. Another possibility is a disc disease in his spine, but these don't show up well on x-rays. I would definitely take him back to the vet for a recheck and let them know what you noticed about his back. It might be difficult to get a similar reaction at the vet (because cats are usually upset about EVERYTHING at the vet clinic and don't react more when something is sore), but it might give the vet ideas for treatments to try such as pain medication, medication to decrease inflammation, and possibly a muscle relaxer. The best way to check out the spine is an MRI, so that's a possibility for the future if you vet isn't finding other issues. Good luck to you and Forte! I hope he's feeling better very soon. Let me know if this was helpful information and definitely submit another question or set up a consultation if you'd like more information.

Drinking a lot of water can be a sign of kidney problems or diabetes. Depending on your cat's age not using the litter box may be a sign of arthritis (most cats get arthritis by the age of 7) and squatting may hurt, so he would hold his bowel movement until he can't hold it any more and then does not make it into the litter box in time. I suggest you take him to your vet for a blood test and exam and assessment for pain medicine.

Hi there. I'm sorry to hear that Rocky is painful. At home, try keeping him quiet and prevent him from jumping up on anything, as this could make things worse. You can try icing his back where the pain seems to be to alleviate some pain. Other than that, the onsior is a good medication for inflammation and should help. I would also monitor his urination closely because some cats act like their back in painful when they have urinary tract infections or kidney infections. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

These signs may be compatible with either kidney failure or diabetes as you correctly suspected, but urinary inflammation/infection is possible as well. Urinary incontinence is possible but rarer in cats. A physical examination and urine analysis at least are necessary to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! It sounds like Jinx is on appropriate medications to help facilitate urination. I would add an anti-inflammatory to help reduce inflammation in the urinary tract. Also, if x-rays or an abdominal ultrasound have not been performed and he is still exhibiting these symptoms, I would have these additional diagnostics performed as he may have bladder stones or urethral stones. If at any time he is struggling to produce urine, you should have him rechecked sooner rather than later. I hope this helps and that he starts urinating normally soon! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.