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My senior cat is peeing blood. Can I give her something for pain?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 17 years and 6 months old | 11 lbs

My precious cat, Zoe is almost 18. She's been an indoor cat exclusively for 12 years so I do not get shots for her. Today, I noticed blood in her urine in litter box. It was two spots of red. I've read this can be kidney cancer or kidney failure. She drinks a lot of water, eats dry food, because she was throwing up. We got food for sensitive stomachs and she's processing it. Can I give her something if she seems like she's in pain?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on July 21st, 2017

Unfortunately there is nothing you would have at home thst you could give her, and even meds from the vet could be dangerous if she has kidney issues. I would recommend taking her for an exam as it may just be bladder infection. The vets can check her kidneys too and get you sorted with safe medication.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Poor Zoe! I'm sorry to hear that she's having this problem. Bloody urine can be caused by a number of different things. The most common possibilities would be a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis). I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam when you are able to - he/she can do urinalysis as well as blood work or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem, and will get her started on appropriate treatment depending on what is found.

As far as giving her something for pain, I'm afraid that there are no over-the-counter human pain medications that are safe for cats - they are very sensitive to these types of drugs, so they need veterinary-specific formulations that would need to be prescribed by your vet.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on December 18th, 2016
Poor Truffles! It certainly sounds like she has a urinary problem of some kind - this could be cystitis, a bacterial urinary tract infection, or even bladder stones. Yes, all of these conditions are quite uncomfortable for the cat. Many of them are quite easily treated with medication, so I would really recommend having her examined by a vet before considering euthanasia - it may be possible to give her medication to fix the problem.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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