My senior cat has red mucus in litter box after UTI. What's wrong?

An ultrasound of the whole urinary tract can be helpful for patients with unexplained blood in the urine. This would be of the kidneys and bladder as blood can come from anywhere along the urinary system. X-rays of the abdomen, after a pet has been fasted for at least 12 hours, can also be helpful. This can be important in some cases as not all problems can be identified with an ultrasound, such as stones in the tubes that lead from the kidney to the urinary bladder (ureter). Additionally a urine culture may be helpful to make sure that there is no underlying infection that is causing the blood. And, it is important to know how the sample was obtained. If it was freely collected from the patient or in the litter box then it is more concerning. If the sample is obtained as a sterile sample directly from the urinary bladder with a needle, then sometimes the blood in the urine is from the sampling (best sample for culture though). I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Poor Calliope! It sounds as though she has been through quite a bit recently. As a female cat, it would be highly unusual for her to develop a urinary tract obstruction, whereas it would be more expected in a male cat showing similar signs. As I'm sure you're aware, common causes of blood in the urine in female cats include urinary tract infection and bladder stones. In Calliope's case, a UTI has been ruled out and the chance of having bladder stones is quite low. However, there are a few types of bladder stones that are not visible on x-rays, but these are uncommon. At this point, it may be worth discussing an ultrasound of her bladder with your vet, as the types of bladder stones not typically visible on x-ray can often be seen on ultrasound. Since she is dragging her hind end, it also may be worth asking her vet to check her anal glands to see if these are causing additional irritation. A consultation with a specialist in veterinary internal medicine could also be considered. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I definitely understand your concern. There are a few possibilities here. This could be due to an infection that is resistant to the antibiotics being given or it could be something else like stones or a tumor. I highly recommend that you consider taking Tao to his veterinarian for reevaluation. Diagnostics that should be considered at this point include a urine culture to make sure that if there is an infection, you know which antibiotic would be best to use. Other diagnostics should include abdominal imaging such as radiographs or ultrasound. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If the veterinarian did not test her urine, I would recommend having her urine tested to see if she is dealing with a urinary tract infection. If she has a UTI, she will need an antibiotic and potentially an anti-inflammatory. If her urine was tested and came back normal, I would recommend providing her with multiple litter boxes with different litter and consider the use of a product called Feliway, which can be found online or at your local pet store. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs might be compatible with a urinary tract infection/inflammation. Stress related (idiopathic type of inflammation) infection and presence of crystals are the most common causes of it. I think an ultrasound is needed as more sensitive than the x rays to diagnose more sinister causes like tumors and certain type of urinary stones that may be not detectable with the x rays. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

You could take your cat to an internal medicine veterinary specialist for an ultrasound and/or other diagnostics to help get a definitive diagnosis. A specialist has more training then a regular veterinarian so may be able to read the ultrasound better. If you can't do that then you could try the anti-inflammatory and see if that helps. Your vet can monitor kidney function while on the anti-inflammatory. Hope she gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She should be re-evaluated at this point. The urinary tract symptoms you describe could be due to a urinary tract infection, urinary stones, a tumor, among other possibilities. I recommend that you have Sophie re-evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further diagnostics would include abdominal imaging and lab work. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day!