My cat keeps peeing red urine. Is it a recurring bladder infection?

There can be flareups, but typically it's a signal that she needs to be checked again. The main reason is that there is a concern anytime there is inflammation in the lower urinary tract that the cat can suffer from a urinary blockage and become unable to urinate. If Sgt. Jellybean is still successful at passing urine, it's not an emergency, but you do need to follow up. If she's still getting Metacam orally at home and is now again having trouble, it's a sign that the inflammation isn't properly resolving. I would also recommend having x-rays made to ensure that there are no urinary stones that could be intermittently causing a blockage, if this hasn't been done.

Poor Sweetpea! This can be a common problem in cats. It can be cause by stress, a bladder infection, urinary crystals, kidney infections and/or bladder stones. I would her looked at by your vet to ensure she doesn't have an infection and that her kidney values look okay. Your vet will be able to run an urinalysis and blood work to assess these things. Since this is such a common problem, I would have bladder stones rule out as well if this hasn't already been done. Finally, since this is a reoccurring problem, I would also consider switching Sweetpea to a prescription urinary diet like Science Diet C/D stress to help decrease the number of flareups she has in a years time. You can also add cosequin for cats, a joint supplement, to her diet. One of the side effects of cosequin is to increase the mucus in the lining of the bladder which will ultimately help to protect the bladder wall. I hope this helps!

She probably has cystitis and not a UTI. It is not impossible that she has a UTI concurrently but I think cystitis is more likely. Antibiotics will not help that. She needs to be on pain meds and you need to de-stress the environment. This article has more in-depth information: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951488 I strongly recommend you put some Feliway diffusers in your house and do some environmental enrichment for her. Usually these two things help too. https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=117324 thedrakecenter.com/materials/environmental-enrichment-indoor-cats  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AejmrLa_Cs4

Cats normally don't have an infection associated with cystitis (bladder inflammation), so it's definitely possible that she would resolve the inflammation on her own. They actually tend to get cystitis that is related to stress, so it would be good to see if there is something new and potentially stressful in the environment. One big thing I worry about with cystitis is blockage of the urethra (the tube that takes urine from the bladder to the outside world). If you all-of-a-sudden notice that she's not urinating and she is acting abnormally sleepy, then I would definitely advise a visit to the vet to make sure she's not blocked. If she is still urinating, but not as frequent, then it is less of an emergency. However, it is still a good idea to have her evaluated by a veterinarian, because there could be something else going on that you are not aware of.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Felix. Blood in the urine can be the result of bladder stones or crystals in the urine, an infection, bladder cancer, a bleeding disorder or a condition known as idiopathic cystitis. This last condition is an inflammation in the bladder with no known cause. It is thought that stress can make it worse. Typically bloodwork, a urinalysis and x-rays will be done to determine which of these conditions may be the cause. Depending on why he has the blood in his urine, he may need to eat the diet longterm. He should eat it exclusively for it to be effective. I hope this information helps!

It could be a side effect of the medication or it could be related to something else like stress. I recommend to call your vet today and follow their recommendations. A bland diet may also help. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello Melissa. Blood in the urine is an indication of significant inflammation in the urinary bladder. Because a male cat's urethra is so tiny, it is very important to have this looked at as soon as possible to prevent a possible blockage. I would make an appointment with the veterinarian as soon as possible so that Sable does not wind up being blocked & unable to urinate. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.