Feline Questions - Bladder Problem For "Stray " Cat

[MisterMan]

I went away for 2 months and left my window open for MY cats while my neighbor looked after them. Of course I had a squatter move in.. So now i can not get rid of this awful cat. He used to his at me and run away but once he got past that stage he just wants so much affection so perhaps he was not feral? He acted like it in the begining.

Gets on really well with my dog and I adopted another kitten ( just was in my little moo baan screaming!! so what can I do? I fed it once and it never left) but this stray cat was soooooo nice to it. let it eat out of his bowl etc.

The cat is now fixed (the stray) and had some jabs but he has no bladder control wherever he lays he leaves a puddle. It is awful as he wants to come on my balcony and sit on my chairs or cushions or .. what ever. Not to mention coming in my house to steal food. (I feed him well too as I work for a hotel and restaurant so he gets a good share of scraps.. bacon, ham, fish, ..steak)

So I took him to the vet to see if they could determine and fix his problem she said he had no infection and could be caused by one of the cat diseases that is incurable. (Great.. just what I need a carrier of viral infections!)

So does anyone else have any suggestions? except for this he is healthy.. no eye problems or sneezing or anything.

I really do not want to pay to have him tested .. and consider him The cat I feed and not My cat.

Thanks

[mangotogo]

Hi, Incontinence, the way you are describing the puddles he leaves behind. Could be due to a spine injury near the base of the tail. It can affect the nerves that control the bladder sphyncter or the anus too.

Any problems with his tail? or scar seen near the back end? Any sign of limping? Sometimes the cat almost gets run over by a car but only the tail goes under the tyre and the cat pulls the tail away and damages the nerve roots at the spine. So he does not know that he is dripping urine: no pain.

Can diagnose with some Xays of the pelvic area but it wo;t fix the problem.

When he leave a puddle use a white tissue to check if there is any blood in the urine. If so: there could also be an infection (cystitis).

Just a few thaughts. Hard to diagnose without seeing the cat.

[SimonD]

I've had many cats over the years and this sounds like a urinary tract infection. This is a common ailment with older male cats especially but irrespective of what the vet says (cannot know without testing) it can usually be cured by a simple course of antibiotics. As for the peeing on chairs and cushions, fashion some plastic covers for them. Large carrier bags or bin sacks would do. Cats actually like to pee on plastic and it's then just a case of rinse & return.

Good for you for taking care of the poor little souls.

[MisterMan]

Ok will take him to a different vet as I did not feel the vet was really competent and was just there for some other reason with my other cat..

Strange she did not test him as she did provoke him manually to go... No blood in the puddle..checked today..

What is the dose of antibiotics?

He is not a kitten for sure and an older cat just have no idea though how old. no scars by his tale or back, no limping issues.... quite healthy. He did have a watery eye for one day. i stuck some drops in and it was finished. He coughs for only from time to time. The new kitten tested negative for everything as I dont want him infecting the kitten but everyone seems healthy except for mr incontinent's little problem.

No choice in taking care of him.. he won't leave and if i don't feed him he sneaks in ..... aside from dumping him at a temple (which I would NEVER do) I have no other option. the fat little *ck is here to stay!

For some strange reason even my male cat tolerates him to some degree..

as the dog does too .. which I got to keep out the stray cats not befriend them!

Some of us just have FEEDER written on our forehead and they know it and WE know who we are too.

[sbk]

Or have NICE PERSON written on them instead

Yes, I would definitely get a second opinion. Our old cat (but she was very very old at this point) had incontinence problems as her kidneys started to give out but it doesn't sound like its that.

[SimonD]

I agree that cats can tell instinctively who will be kind to them and who will not. All my cats have chosen me, not the other way around. My first soi moggie in Thailand 'moved in' to my new house before I had even finished unpacking!

Your 'guard dog' sounds bloody hilarious! Does he hold the door open for them...?

It's very difficult to accurately age an adult cat. The state of their teeth may give some indication: if there is a build-up of yellow tartar the animal is probably past middle-age but it's not exact. Just like humans they evidence whatever trauma or hardship they have experienced in life and can 'look' older than they really are.

You mentioned he coughs? That would worry me, not just for him but for the little 'un and your other cats. Could be just a furball but for short-haired Thai cats that's not normally much of a problem. Keep and eye on his cough and if it gets worse post back here.

Gosh, this is making me miss my little furry horrors more than ever...

edit: I can't remember the name of the antibiotic or the dose. Best to get a second vets opinion as SBK suggests - one who cares about animals this time, plenty don't.

Edited February 5, 2012 by SimonD

[MisterMan]

The cough is not often and certainly not daily... just from time to time..

.......... the vet said he had no infection.. think she just felt his lymphs..

Thanks for all the suggestions.. at least I have confirmed that there could be more to it then the vet said.. if this can be fixed then i would be great..

Don't get me started on my dog.. I do not have a fenced yard so she is free to run around and the neighbors LOVE her.. she gets along with the landlords dogs and neighbors dogs....

(as it is Sunday night might as well put some pet photos!!)

she actually fit through the neighbors gate/fence and moved in with the pitbull next door a few weeks after I got her. could be due to the fact too that one of my cats was not very nice to her. We were going to introduce them slowly (the male pit bull and my soi dog female) but my neighbor came home and found her eating his dogs bone and sleeping on his dogs mat!!!! We agreed if he moves we can not break up the couple and he will take her.. soul mates for sure.

Beats living at a Karon, Phuket taxi/tuk tuk station where she came from!!! Some really amazing people here in Thailand who spend so much time rescuing and nurturing these animals!

Poor dog still cowers when she eats!!! I really really stil have to be slow and encourage her to come just to eat.. and sometimes I have good, really good scraps from the hotel/restaurant I work at! (Lamb chops, bacon, steak..)

Thanks again for all the comments and advice.. the Pet forum is nice, and helpful..

[pumpum]

You are a great person to take care of all of them...not everyone would.

Good luck on finding a solution for your cat. It doesn't sound to me like the vet knows much what he/she is doing. I have known family members' cats with similar problems and they were definitely given a full "work up" at the vet to cancel out a laundry list of possible causes.

Also, looks like your dog and that pitbull are in love.

[SimonD]

• 
  You are a great person to take care of all of them...not everyone would.
  Good luck on finding a solution for your cat. It doesn't sound to me like the vet knows much what he/she is doing. I have known family members' cats with similar problems and they were definitely given a full "work up" at the vet to cancel out a laundry list of possible causes.
  Also, looks like your dog and that pitbull are in love.
  

+1. I hear wedding bells...

Great photos, looks like some seriously contented animals there. Thanks for posting!

[pumpum]

Forgot to mention - have the cats blood tested for diabetes b/c urinary difficulties are also a major sign of feline diabetes. Haha...you may end up having to give daily insulin injections to "not your" cat.

[pumpum]

I mean CAT'S. Native English speaker here.

[MisterMan]

Ok great.. will have him tested for that too. Thanks again for all the suggestions. If I give him insulin will it fix his embarrasing little problem?

[SimonD]

Ok great.. will have him tested for that too. Thanks again for all the suggestions. If I give him insulin will it fix his embarrasing little problem?

Nooooooooo! Don't give him anything until a proper diagnosis has been done. An insulin dose could kill him. You don't even know if he is diabetic or not, just wait for the test results and vet's opinion and take it from there.

[Scott]

We have a stray that came to stay and he's a lovely animal. He wasn't quite as bad as yours, but he just WOULD not wait to use the litter box. When he needed to go, it was a matter of seconds before he peed right where he was. I think it was in part from being a stray. He also was not particularly healthy, but with time he has gotten better, We have about 30 seconds to open the door for him to get to his litter box. He's nice enough to pee on my side of the bed and then move over to the other side to sleep!

Very nice of you to take care of him. Let us know what you find out. It could help a lot of people. (PS: I'd try the antibiotics on him. Make sure it's a full course of them).

[SimonD]

One indicator of a cat's health is the amount of water it's drinking. If it's drinking more than usual or hanging around the water bowl or drinking from a dripping tap these are likely to be signs of problems.

Here's a good site that explains in more detail:

http://www.cat-behavior-explained.com/feline-incontinence.html