My male cat has urinary issues. Is gender change surgery needed?

It's not likely a UTI, cats tend to suffer from a condition called FLUTD that mimics a UTI but it's actually related to stress and doesn't involve a bacterial infection. in most cases it advances to a urinary blockage and the c at can die within several hours of that happening. you must take him to the vet urgently for treatment.

He is probably still suffering from an infection/inflammation and he probably received muscle relaxant medications which causes loss of control on the bladder. once the medication course is over and he is healed it will stop, but until then it's actually a good thing that he is peeing everywhere, it means he is not blocked anymore.

Sounds like you all are doing quite a bit already. If you feel that pain is not well controlled the addition of something like buprenorphine may be beneficial. Also, there is a surgical procedure that is commonly performed on cats that get urinary blockages. Essentially the urinary tract is changed from a male to a female shape, thereby widening the urethra and making it much less likely to allow for obstruction in the future. Whether or not your vet is comfortable performing this procedure is another thing altogether. I know many vets that can perform it perfectly well while I know others that have never had to perform it a single time. It is a delicate procedure because the urethra of the cat is so small so finding a doctor that is comfortable with it is of utmost importance. If your cat is not a repeat offender or has not yet blocked completely, surgical change may not be the best option at this time. Continue following the directions of the doctor and be patient with waiting for dissolution. You can also consider lithotripsy to break apart stones if there are any instead of bladder surgery. Hope this helps.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Theo! These cats do well. Yes, the 2-3 weeks post surgery are rough but it is temporary. He shouldn't urinate differently. All cats squat to pee. There should be no outward difference. Just so you know, the surgery is to prevent a urinary obstruction. It will NOT prevent stress induced bladder inflammation where he will urinate small amounts, have bloody urine, urinate out of the box or whatever symptoms he shows. He may still have those type of flare ups and need to be on medications or a prescription diet for life. I would do the surgery. He will be fine. The short post-operative period shouldn't deter you. Good luck!

A true urinary infection with bacteria is much less common in cats then dogs, and less common in males then females. Unless there is a disease process predisposing to infection like diabetes or kidney disease. I would not expect a link between allergies and urinary issues unless as you say it is stress related. There is a syndrome in cats (many names) called feline lower urinary tract disorder (FLUTD). Basically it causes symptoms of a uti but there is no infection. In can be more problematic in males. It could be triggered by stress (changes in the house, change in litter, new food, not enough litterboxes, etc.). The Ohio State University has a good web site for indoor cat owners called the indoor pet initiative. There are other causes of urinary tract issues as well but it would be quite odd for both your kids to be affected. It is very important to make sure cats are able to urinate though because obstruction of the urinary tract can occur, more common in males, and this is an emergency if this happens. I hope this helps and thank you for using PetCaoch!

Unfortunately no, there are no surgical procedures to prevent a reoccurrence of FLUTD. My own cat just had a bought of it, and I had to have him on pain medications as well as increasing his fluid intake. The best things you can do to prevent future occurrences with Ozzie is to make sure he is drinks plenty of water, keep feeding him the prescription diet, and have him lose weight if he's overweight. To encourage him to drink water, I would consider getting him a pet water fountain. It provides a continuing source of fresh water at all times, and cats love drinking from it. Prescription diets help maintain a healthy urinary tract, so it's important to keep feeding that. Try to get him some exercise as well, as that will help Ozzie maintain a healthy weight. Play with him twice a day to get him this exercise.

A urinary blockag, or urtheral obstruction, is a problem almost exclusively reserved for male cats. Compared to female cats, males have a much thinner and narrower urethra - the tube that drains urine from the bladder through the penis (in male cats). This predisposes the urethra to blockages when plugs of inflammatory material (such as white blood cells and mucus), as well as crystals or small bladder stones, become lodged in the urethra preventing the passage of urine. When the urethra is blocked and the cat has filled its bladder to capacity, the kidneys will stop producing more urine because there is no where for it to go. With "kidney shut down" the body is no longer able to remove toxins from the blood or maintain proper fluid balances and electrolytes. The leads to kidney failure and eventually death of the cat. Urinary blockages must be treated aggressively in order for the cat to survive. Typically, a catheter is passed into the bladder, through the urethra, in order to flush out the urinary blockage or force the plug back into the bladder. Then the cat's bladder is drained and flushed through the catheter. Cats with urinary blockages are hospitatlized for up to 72+ hours to receive intravenous fluids, pain medications, and medications to reduce inflammation and address infection. Prognosis is very good for cats that are treated appropriately and in a timely manner, but treatment can be expensive, especially for cats that have already gone into kidney failure. If you cannot afford the cost of emergency care or the cat is already moribund, then euthanasia may be the kindest option.