Causes of Blood in Cat Urine

It could happen one day that you find a few suspicious diluted blood drops in your bath tub or on your kitchen floor. You check your cat and cannot find any obvious signs of injury until you notice that your cat is urinating blood in the most inappropriate places regardless of being perfectly house trained. Concerned, you schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.

Causes of blood in a cat's urin,e a condition medically known as hematuria, may be various, the most common being a condition known as FLUTD or a urinary tract infection. Often owners have difficulty telling if their cat is urinating blood or defecating blood, as they find their cat straining and producing only a few drops of blood. More often than not, the cat is urinating blood and because the blood is mixed in the urine, the blood drops usually assume a pinkish diluted tint. Following are some of the most common causes of hematuria in cats:

• Possible Cause Number 1

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)

In this case, crystals tend to form in the urine and cause complications.There are two form of crystals: struvite crystals and calcium oxalate.These crystals may aggregate and turn into stones that may be painful to pass. Such stones may form in the male cat's urethra and form a plug that may cause a urinary blockage which may become potentially fatal within a few days or hours. When this happens, because the blockage prevents the cat from urinating, he will become poisoned from its own toxins (uremic poisoning). Following are key symptoms of FLUTD in cats.

-Painful urination

-Straining to urinate

-Urine limited to a few drops or worse, no urine output

-Bloody urine

- Cat Licking its genitals

-Urinating out of the litter box

As the blockage progresses in male cats:

-Vomiting

-Loss of Appetite

-Lethargy

-Shock

-Death if left untreated once toxins overwhelm the body, poisoning the cat to death (uremic poisoning)

In this case, prompt treatment is what can make the difference between life or death. Upon seeing the vet, an obstructed cat will exhibit a large, hard bladder. The vet at this point will insert a catheter to unblock the cat. At this point the cat will urinate abundantly. He may be kept at the hospital for a few days until urinated normally and given intravenous fluids.

• Possible Cause Number 2

Urinary Tract Infection

Cats affected by urinary tract infections (just as those affected by FLUTD) tend to urinate in the bath tub or other places than the litter box, because the cat is in pain and tends to associate the litter box with pain and therefore, looks for alternative places. The cool surface of a bat tub or ceramic floors as well may appeal to a cat suffering from burning sensations near their genitals. Affected cats develop symptoms similar to FLUTD, painful urination, bloody urine, urinating in odd places, licking genitals.

While male cats are the most common to suffer from FLUTD, female cats are the most likely to suffer from urinary tract infections. Because female cats have wider urethras it is easier for them to get bacteria to climb up the urethra and infect the bladder, whereas males have narrower urethras therefore, it is less likely for bacteria to make it up there.

Treatment of urinary tract infections in cats consists of a course of antibiotics.

• Possible Cause Number 3

Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC)

When the cat's urinalysis comes negative for crystals or bacteria then Feline Idiopathic Cystitis is suspected. The  term idiopathic means of unknown cause, therefore, it is difficult to find a culprit. Some cats are prone to this disorder after episodes of stress. Treatments consists in the administration of fluids, reduction of stress and supportive care. In some cases, the drug Amitryptiline is prescribed.

• Possible Cause Number 4

Trauma
A cat that has been victim of some sort of trauma may have blood in the urine if the bladder was badly bruised. Of course, in such scenario prompt veterinary attention is a must.

• Possible Cause Number 5

Exposure to Rat Poison

If the cat has blood in the urine without any other symptoms suggesting a urinary tract infection and there are chances he or she could have been exposed to rodenticides, a vet visit is in order. Pets exposed to rodent poison may develop bleeding problems because rodenticides contain products meant to cause the mouse or rat to bleed to death. Affected cats should be put on Vitamin K, which will help the blood clot properly again. Prognosis depends on how fast the cat is treated.

• Possible Cause Number 6

Bleeding Disorder
Some cats may develop bleeding disorders. For instance, the cat may have a decreased number of blood platelet or poorly functioning blood platelets which may cause unexplained bleeding episodes and the unexplained presences of bruises with blood under the skin.

• Possible Cause Number 7

Bladder Cancer
Even though quite rare, this should always be ruled out especially in senior felines that do not respond to antibiotics and still exhibit blood in the urine and other symptoms similar to a urinary tract infection.

These are some possibilities behind a cat displaying blood in the urine. If your cat has blood in the urine he or she should be evaluated promptly by a veterinarian especially when dealing with a male cat which can progressively get worse within a day or two or within hours. It could help if as an owner, you would be able to collect a small urine sample so your vet can swiftly test it. By doing so, your vet may come to a diagnosis much faster and prescribe the proper type of treatment.