One of my cats has bloody urine. How do I identify the sick cat?

Well I wouldn't expect any of the cats to be sick from the lilies if they just sniffed it and didn't actually ingest any of them. So that is not a concern, especially if you don't see any other overt signs of lily toxicity which would include vomiting, lethargy and a lack of appetite. However a cystitis or UTI is a possible cause of the bloody urine. One good way to determine which cat is responsible is to isolate one cat at a time in a small room with a clean litterbox in it for a day, then monitor the urine output for blood. Another thing you could do is to gently palpate (feel) the cats bladder (lower abdomen) to see which one seems uncomfortable or painful. You could also try to monitor the cats for 1 hr duration to see which one is constantly going to the litterbox. Chances are the one that is affected is going many times within the hour and will be noticeably drinking more water as well.

First off, I love Katniss Everclean's name! One option might be to confine whoever you think is the most likely culprit to a bathroom with a litter box and wait. This could take awhile if you choose wrong, and it can be a little stressful for a cat to spend a day confined so you may not want to go this route if any of your cats are easily stressed. I have also heard of veterinarians shaving up small pieces of different colored crayons (non toxic!) and putting the shavings into canned food to determine which cat might be having diarrhea or gastrointestinal issues. You probably don't have to worry about rushing to the vet if it is just a drop or two of blood in otherwise normal stool, so you could also just continue to monitor and see if you happen to catch someone in the act. If it is getting worse (i.e. if there is a large amount of blood or diarrhea) it should be easier to determine who the culprit is. Good luck - I hope you figure it out!

Take turns putting one in their own room with their own litter box, and leaving the other three out with the normal box. Switch a cat daily to be isolated, and that should help you narrow down who is going outside the box. I hope this helps!

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.

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.

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!

Urination outside the litterbox and blood in the urine can be caused by stress or behavioural issues, but can also be due to urinary tract infection, crystals in the urine, stones in the urinary tract, toxin ingestion, coagulation disorders, or trauma to the area. Another cause, which you referenced, is idiopathic cystitis or Feline Urinary Tract Disease, which can cause the symptoms you've noticed and can be triggered by stress. It is important that you make an appointment to have Keiko seen by your veterinarian immediately to help determine the cause of his behaviour and to start treatment. If you notice him straining to urinate/unable to produce urine, this is a medical emergency and he should be seen by a vet immediately. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for cats, so I do not recommend giving any to Keiko without consulting with your vet. If medical causes are ruled out, it is possible that Keiko is exhibiting signs of stress in his home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Keiko ’s environmental needs are being met. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com, and Feliway Friends, which helps cats get along with each other www.feliway.com/ca_en/Products/FELIWAY-FRIENDS-Diffuser .