My cat is peeing tiny drops and vomiting. Could it be a stone?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. There are definitely radiopaque dense gravel-like objects near the bladder and cranial to it as well. It would help to provide the x-ray where she is laying on her back as well. Multiple views on x-rays help pinpoint locations of objects if there is doubt as to where they are located. I would say that this looks to be near the bladder but not within the actual bladder itself because the same dense material can be found forward to the bladder on this x-ray, so it is likely GI tract. If you can provide a second view that would be great. It also appears that she has quite a bit of fecal material in her intestines. Is she constipated right now? If so, she may need an enema and stool softener. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

The back legs are tucked up over the bladder, so it is hard to say for certain, but I do not see any large stones in the urinary bladder. I would need to spin down a sample of urine and look at it under a microscope to see if there are urinary crystals since those do not show up on x-rays.

It is difficult to tell anything from the picture of the x-ray however, the urinalysis shows that there is a urinary tract infection which could account for the difficulty urinating. I am also concerned about the high levels of protein in the urine and a urine protein:creatinine ratio should be requested to assess kidney function. It is a good thing that the CRT is decreasing, however in order to properly evaluate kidney function the BUN levels are needed as well. Speak to your veterinarian about their suspected diagnosis/diagnoses and recommended treatments to get Tittie feeling better soon.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is very hard to see on the attached x-ray if there is any problem with the urinary tract or. Some of the bladder stones come up on a plain x-ray and can be easily seen. I cannot see any obvious stone obstructing the bladder / urethra. However, some stones are radiolucent (do not come up on x-rays) and the cat would need a constrast x-ray or ultrsound of the bladder to detect them. In general, urethral blockage in young female cats are very uncommon. If Marshy is able to pass urine, other urinary tract diseases should be investigated. Urine analysis should be the next step of investigation (to rule in/out infection or bladder crystals) followed by an ultrasound of the abdomen and a blood test.

Thanks for posting this question. I am really worried about Kent too. Urinary obstruction can be very serious and even fatal. If he was obstructed fir a long enough time it may have damaged his kidneys which may be why he isn't eating. It also looks by the picture that maybe he is leaking urine? That is very concerning too. I worry his urethra may be damaged. I would encourage you to reach out to your veterinarian and take him back in for a recheck and possible blood work. His condition is very serious and could potentially be fatal. I'm so sorry Kent is so sick. I wish him the best.

I think the treatment plan is sound and you are all on the right track. As long as she is producing some urine I would not be overly worried. A blockage is not impossible in a female cat but it is uncommon. Very common to have a blockage in male cats as their urethra is very narrow (a females is wider). Only be worried if she is producing no urine at all. If you have multiple cats it is best to separate her and put her in her own room with her own food/water/litter box, etc so you can keep track. She can have stones and cystitis concurrently so I suggest you also try to reduce stress by using Feliway diffusers in the house (calming pheromones) and try to increase water consumption by giving her a water fountain to drink from. Many studies have shown that cats will drink twice as much water if they have running water to drink from. Hope this helps. If you have more questions you are welcome to post again or if you would like more 1 on 1 help you can opt for a private consultation with me or one of our other experts where you can ask as many questions as you want in a back and forth dialogue. Best wishes.

I recommend an urgent recheck and urinalysis to rule out infections as well as xray to rule out large stones, referral to a specialist would be recommended given the extent of her signs. Increased fluid intake with wet c/d food, flavoured water and a water fountain are helpful and pain relief is important given the discomfort she is suffering