Why is my cat peeing blood? What causes it? Is special food forever?

Buddy is so handsome! Unfortunately, blood in the urine can be an indication of bladder stones, and inflammation of the bladder which can be extremely uncomfortable. Buddy may not be able to urinate, which can cause back up of urine in the kidneys and make him very sick. I recommend making sure that he has plenty of water to drink, but having him seen by a vet as soon as possible.

Special diets like the Royal Canin urinary diet work by keeping the urinary pH at a good level so crystals are less likely to form. So by feeding treats this may have thrown off the urinary pH and caused crystals to form. For this reason it's recommended to only feed the prescription diet. Feeding an all canned version of the prescription Royal Canin diet may be even more beneficial in preventing crystals so if Nila will eat canned food I'd recommend the canned version of the diet. Blood in the urine can also be related to urinary tract infections and bladder stones. It sounds like your veterinarian may have ruled these issues out, but if Nila has not had a urine culture or X-rays of her bladder these may be indicated (especially if the problem persists). Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to you and Nila!

Poor guy. He likely has a urinary tract infection or cystitis (inflamed bladder usually due to stress). I would recommend taking him to your vet for a urine test to determine which is present so that he is treated appropriately. As long as he is otherwise acting normal and able to urinate at will, then it isn't considered an emergency at this point. Getting him seen on Monday or the day after should be ok. It is likely he will be prescribed antibiotics and/or a prescription diet to treat this successfully. I hope that Milo gets better soon. Best wishes and take care.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Given that Minx is a young male cat and having abnormal urinations and likely blood in his urine, I suspect that he may be suffering from Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC), or inflammation in the lower urinary tract. This is causing him difficulty urinating, and painful urination. I recommend having him seen by a veterinarian right away, before he becomes fully "blocked", meaning unable to pass any urine at all. This is a life-threatening emergency, and requires rapid veterinary attention. Your veterinarian will perform a physical exam and likely recommend bloodwork to evaluate the severity of his urinary tract disease. FIC is a treatable condition, but again, if he becomes unable to pass any urine at all, he can experience acute kidney failure and develop fatal heart rhythms. I hope this is helpful!

This sounds quite frustrating for everyone involved! At this point, the most common causes of Greyson's bloody urine (UTI, kidney infection, crystals in the urine and bladder stones) have all been excluded. The other possibilities include a sterile cystitis (non-infectious bladder inflammation), urethral spasms or a bladder tumor (unlikely given his young age). Consider discussing medications that could decrease spasms in the urethra or anti-inflammatory medications to decrease bladder inflammation with your vet. Also make sure that Greyson is drinking plenty of water (water fountains or mixing water with canned foods can be helpful) because many causes of bloody urine can also be precursors to urethral obstructions, which can be life threatening. I hope that all goes well!

I'm so sorry that you are dealing with this with Fred. Since there is blood in her urine, I would first continue to look for medical causes of blood in the urine if she doesn't have a history of urinary tract problems. Here is more information on FLUTD. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=&A=611&SourceID= From that handout, in older cats (over 10 years old), here is the distribution of why they have FLUTD... 50% will have true urinary tract infections. 10% will have bladder stones. 17% will have a combination of infection and bladder stone. 7% will have urethral blockage. 3% will have urinary tract cancer. 5% will not have a cause that can be determined despite extensive testing. 66% will be in some stage of kidney failure. 5% will have urinary incontinence. So, my first recommendation if there is still blood in Fred's urine is to have your vet run a urine culture. That requires the urine to be sent to the lab to see if they can grow any bacteria from the urine. This is sometimes needed if the bacteria does not respond as expected to antibiotics. If that is negative, then I would recommend an abdominal ultrasound to evaluate the kidneys and bladder for any abnormalities (including stones that don't show up on x-rays). I would not consider blood in the urine to be idiopathic until I have done all that testing. Then, I would consider treating Fred for Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC). http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=&A=612&SourceID= Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Fred feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Pilu. You will need to see your veterinarian and have a urine sample tested. You need to determine the cause of the bloody urine. He could be experiencing inflammation in his bladder, bladder stones or an infection. Each of these scenarios has a different course of treatment. Once you know why he is experiencing this problem, it can be treated and steps can be taken to help prevent a recurrence. Be sure to clean the litterbox frequently. Have at least two boxes if he is your only cat. This will encourage him to use the boxes. I hope this information helps!