Is blood in a cat's urine ever not a big deal?

April 20, 2018 1:43 PM

My cat may have just peed some blood. I'm stretched to my limit right now. Is there any possibility this isn't a big deal? Details inside.

Three hours ago I heard a noise and discovered that my large, adult male cat had somehow slipped off his sunny perch on my porch and fallen about 10 feet to the ground below. I didn't see it happen so I don't know if he landed on his feet or what. I went down there to pick him up and he seemed not hurt but baffled -- like, "Hey, I was asleep in the sun and then all of a sudden I was here."

I brought him inside. He's walking normally, sitting normally (not in "sick cat crouch") but does seem a little...tense.

He used the litter box once: and peering into it afterward I saw a few bright red drops of blood. Not a schmear, or a stream. Distinct, separate drops.

Later, he used the litter box again: a normal poop.

Later, he used the litter box again: one red drop.

I've examined the spots where he's been sitting inside the house -- no blood. So it's not, like, a scrape on his belly. He accepts my pets all over his body and doesn't appear to be in pain.

Getting him to the vet right now is a dicey proposition as I'm dealing with another big deal right now. Also, I strongly believe there has been no blood in the litter box prior to a couple of hours ago, so I don't think this is some older issue I'm just now noticing.

Any thoughts about what might be going on with him would be appreciated, or advice on how to proceed.

posted by BlahLaLa to Pets & Animals (19 answers total)

You should call your vet and describe what happened, asking them for recommendations. I've gotten "watch and wait" advice from vets.

I strongly suspect that you need to go to the vet, though, because if this isn't a cut foot or something then it's internal bleeding. If he is trying to urinate but only producing blood, that's a pretty bad sign and will need emergency treatment probably pretty damn quick.
posted by Frowner at 1:52 PM on April 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

If you are in Minneapolis-St Paul I am willing to try to find a ride and take your cat to the vet, if needed.
posted by Frowner at 1:53 PM on April 20, 2018 [15 favorites]

Sometimes it may not be a big deal. I think right after a major fall is not that time. Do call your vet. This is the time for professional advice. I’m sorry. It’s hard when it all happens at once.
posted by Vaike at 2:00 PM on April 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

I'm sorry, but I agree with everyone else: he needs to be seen by a vet. Urinary blockages are really common in male cats and can be devastating to their health. He may have fallen off the railing because he was already feeling sick.
posted by something something at 2:08 PM on April 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

When we suspected my cat had blood in her urine, the vet asked us to put a few sheets of paper towels down on top of the litter box. That might help you get a better picture of what's going on. In our case it was a UTI but no red drops of blood, just a brown tint to her urine. YMMV. Good luck!
posted by galvanized unicorn at 2:13 PM on April 20, 2018

Yes, I'm sorry. Urinary blockages in male cats are extremely urgent situations. Please call your vet immediately. Wishing you all the best.
posted by capricorn at 2:30 PM on April 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

When my cat had a blockage the pee itself was reddish in color my cat was also visibly distressed and would cry before urinating. I would take the cat to the vet or if possible look into one that will come to you because unless he’s cut himself near his butt it sounds alarming
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 2:47 PM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

I have had cats with urinary blockages, a problem in male cats. It can be fatal if not treated. Call the vet now. Better to be safe than very sorry. My cats with this problem recovered and lived long lives after treatment, but getting the treatment in time is vital
posted by mermayd at 3:09 PM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

If you have friends who have asked if there's anything they can do to help, maybe ask one of them to take the cat to the vet.

Good luck.
posted by bunderful at 3:25 PM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

If it were me I would take it but I have the personal and financial flexibility to atttend to it immediately. If I were seriously stretched you might wait 24-26 hours. If the kidneys/bladder were torn/ruptured I would speculate the discomfort/blood. etc would be much more frank. If either are bruised and causing some bleeding it will most likely take care of itself and there is not much you can do anywy. If it activated a urinary problem (cats have plenty) i seriously doubt if 24-36 hours will make a difference. I hope you are comfortable with whatever decision you make
posted by rmhsinc at 3:54 PM on April 20, 2018

Call the vet and see what they say, but I also think this is an emergency, especially if he's refusing food or water (you didn't say). I can't tell from your previous question if your problem is financial or logistical or both. If it's a logistical problem (transporting both your kid and cat), pay someone to watch your kid, or to transport you both, or see if you can pay extra for a house call from the vet.
posted by AFABulous at 4:18 PM on April 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

You need to check with your vet but I wanted to chime in to say that we have a cat who is prone to urinary inflammation which results in peeing a little bit of blood. We treat him non-dramatically (under vet direction) with some pain reliever & anti-inflammatory.

His condition flares up when he's stressed -- usually around times when we travel. Your other big situation could be stressing the cat (he's a member of the family and likely feeling some stress too).

Talk to your vet.
posted by countrymod at 4:27 PM on April 20, 2018

Piling on: yes to the vet, don’t wait, even overnight.

If no one can drive the cat there for you, can some trusted soul keep the kid company while you go?
posted by armeowda at 4:46 PM on April 20, 2018

if you're in los angeles, you might try looking up a mobile vet that can come to you. here's some on yelp.
posted by koroshiya at 5:03 PM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: While this might be an emergency, it's not definitely an emergency. Sometimes after a physical trauma a body will bleed a little bit on the inside and then stop, just like it bleeds on the outside and then stops, when you get a small cut. If the bleeding happens in the kidneys or bladder, it'll come out in the urine. It isn't necessarily a sign of a serious injury, although it could be. It's hard to know, with internal bleeding.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:49 PM on April 20, 2018

If it's still happening in the morning, it is certainly urgent. Though I've only had a female cat get a blockage, she was still peeing a bit so it taking a couple of days for us to notice the oddly frequent litter box use didn't end up killing her and she would have had to have surgery either way, so if you're fairly sure this only started after the fall and he doesn't have other signs of internal bleeding less than 24 hours will probably be fine.

If I took my cats to the vet every time they fell off something, I'd be there twice a week.

If it looks like a lot of blood, I might be more worried.
posted by wierdo at 8:43 PM on April 20, 2018

No urine is a serious problem. Kidney failure is likely in a couple days unless something is done. See if your vet takes Care Credit. If they do, apply and use that for the bills.

Good luck.
posted by irisclara at 10:47 PM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Well...we haven't done anything yet. Cat is friendly, happy, purring, pet-able, eating, drinking, peeing (once in the night, once this morning so far), pooping (yesterday afternoon). There is definitely no bright red drop(s) of blood in the litter box as there was yesterday. The pee...might be a little darker than usual but it's not easy to tell among the litter. I think we're going to keep watching him for now.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:20 PM on April 21, 2018 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Last update: when the slightly dark urine issue seemed to continue for a couple days longer, we did end up taking the cat in. Vet suggested we could go full force with sedation and x-rays, or be more conservative with just an antibiotic shot. Given that the cat was still happy, eating, drinking, peeping, pooping, etc. we took the conservative route. So here we are, ten days after the original accident, and he's just fine. Sometimes blood in a cat's pee isn't a gigantic emergency, it turns out. (But I'm grateful for all of the advice.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:02 AM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]