Expert: Karen Craft - 5/12/2009

Question
My cat Snickers is a very lovable, friendly, 7 year old domestic cat, all black.  Last year we bought a dog which has been bad for Snickers.  They do not get along at all, but they just stay away from each other.  This week, we had to rush snickers to the vet as he is urinating blood at an alarming amount.  He did this in our newly purchased baby crib!!!  We are expecting our first child in July.  Since we brought snickers to the vet, he has completely changed in the worst possible way.  You can not go near his cage, you can not touch him at all, and he has become violent to the techs, and even myself!!  No one can get near him currently to treat him further, and they are worried there may be stones in his kidneys, hence the bloody urine.  There are crystals in his urine as well, which they attribute to a bladder infection, which he has had in the past with no major incident.  What happened to my playful- loving kitty?

John

Answer
Hi John,

Sorry to hear how Snickers is reacting. He is still your playful kitty but right now he is in extreme pain. Cats will strike out when they get like that. He must have a pretty nasty infection/kidney stones. I'm surprised the vet didn't suggest tranquilizing him to treat him. You need to insist that they keep him over to start treatment. Or to give you tranquilizers so you treat him at home. If they won't then you need to find a vet who will.

Once his problem is treated he will revert back to his normal self. You also need to change his food over. There are a lot of diets out there to help keep his urinary tract free of problems. There is an expert here who can help you with that. Make sure you clean the areas he urinated in with a good enzymatic urine remover/cleaner. You don't want to tempt him back to use that area again. If your vet can't help you write back and I'll help you further. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen