Kitty Squats, but nothing happens...
John Declaris
My cat, Zathras, has developed an interesting problem. He squats
in his litter box, sits for a second, then leaves. At first, I thought
he might be having constipation, since he eats dry food mostly, with
an occasional can of wet food as a treat. The dry food has been the
same brand for months, and his wet is also a consistant brand/type.
This has been a recent problem, say the last couple of days. After
the first couple times he did it, I got concerned, so I check his
litter box for anything (you know you love your cat when you do that).
He never tries to cover it up after he squats, and all I have found
is a small wet spot about 0.5 cm in diameter. Saturday morning
he went outside and when he returned (I live in the country,
no cars, no dogs, and I found him in the wild back in January), he was
absolutley rancid smelling and his little bottom was covered in s..t.
A quick warm washing removed the s..t and the smell, but he continues
to do the squat.
I am going to take him to the vet, but I would appreciate any suggestions
or ideas prior to the visit. Thanks.
--
John-William DeClaris
"An Old Fashioned User of The Internet"
decl...@minerva.cis.yale.edu
http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~declaris
My remarks are my own and not reflective of Yale University.
Betsy Schwartz
Urinary Tract Infection. Extremely common in male cats, especially
middle-aged ones. Take him to the vet FAST: complications can be very
severe, like kidney damage. Also, cats with this problem sometimes start
associating the box with pain and trying every other spot in the house!
The expensive cat food is really better for this sort of thing. My late cat
had a bad bout with UTI. Drugs didn't help; switching him to Science Diet
did. There are several good brands: I've used Science Diet and Iams but
there seem to be quite a few "high-end" cat food makers out there now.
--
bet...@shore.net http://www.shore.net/~betsys
bet...@cs.umb.edu http://www.cs.umb.edu/~betsys
bet...@well.com 73053...@compuserve.com
bet...@msn.com bet...@delphi.com(going, going..)
Becky Steele
In article <53tltd$a...@news.ycc.yale.edu> decl...@pantheon.yale.edu (John Declaris) writes:
>From: decl...@pantheon.yale.edu (John Declaris)
>Subject: Kitty Squats, but nothing happens...
>Date: 14 Oct 1996 15:23:25 GMT
>My cat, Zathras, has developed an interesting problem. He squats
>in his litter box, sits for a second, then leaves. At first, I thought
>he might be having constipation, since he eats dry food mostly, with
>an occasional can of wet food as a treat. The dry food has been the
>same brand for months, and his wet is also a consistant brand/type.
>This has been a recent problem, say the last couple of days. After
>the first couple times he did it, I got concerned, so I check his
>litter box for anything (you know you love your cat when you do that).
>He never tries to cover it up after he squats, and all I have found
>is a small wet spot about 0.5 cm in diameter. Saturday morning
>he went outside and when he returned (I live in the country,
>no cars, no dogs, and I found him in the wild back in January), he was
>absolutley rancid smelling and his little bottom was covered in s..t.
>A quick warm washing removed the s..t and the smell, but he continues
>to do the squat.
>I am going to take him to the vet, but I would appreciate any suggestions
>or ideas prior to the visit. Thanks.
>--
>John-William DeClaris
Hi, John:
I hope you've taken your cat to the vet by now, because that's exactly what
you should do. (I'm not trying to sound preachy -- I'm just concerned!)
Sometimes cats who are blocked are mistakenly thought to be constipated. I
know this, because that's what I thought was wrong with my cat Zelmo a few
months ago. He'd go into his litter box, squat, produce nothing, jump back
out, and start all over again. Sometimes he'd squat, produce nothing, then
jump out and run over to the corner of the room, squat, and produce a tiny
amount of urine.
Because urinary blockage can be fatal in a matter of hours, it's *imperative*
that your kitty get to the vet soon.
However, it is possible that he is having trouble pooping, given what you said
in your message. Whatever the problem, I'm glad you're taking him to the vet.
I hope everything goes OK.
Becky
gl...@ov.com
In article a...@news.ycc.yale.edu, decl...@pantheon.yale.edu (John Declaris) writes:
>My cat, Zathras, has developed an interesting problem. He squats
>in his litter box, sits for a second, then leaves. At first, I thought
>he might be having constipation, since he eats dry food mostly, with
>an occasional can of wet food as a treat. The dry food has been the
>same brand for months, and his wet is also a consistant brand/type.
>
>This has been a recent problem, say the last couple of days. After
>the first couple times he did it, I got concerned, so I check his
>litter box for anything (you know you love your cat when you do that).
>He never tries to cover it up after he squats, and all I have found
>is a small wet spot about 0.5 cm in diameter. Saturday morning
>he went outside and when he returned (I live in the country,
>no cars, no dogs, and I found him in the wild back in January), he was
>absolutley rancid smelling and his little bottom was covered in s..t.
>A quick warm washing removed the s..t and the smell, but he continues
>to do the squat.
>
>I am going to take him to the vet, but I would appreciate any suggestions
>or ideas prior to the visit. Thanks.
>
>--
>John-William DeClaris
>decl...@minerva.cis.yale.edu
>http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~declaris
>
>My remarks are my own and not reflective of Yale University.
Is he squatting to pee or poop? This is important. If he is squatting to
pee and is not being successful, then your trip to the vet should be
upgraded to an emergency as it is possible that he is suffering from
a urinary blockage. This type of problem can kill in hours.
Cat-rina: "NF" Bd+W G+Y 7 X W+ C-- I++ T+ V+ F- P+ B- PA- PL-
Tabby-tha: "MC" (B+G)t+W H+Y 2 X C+ I+++ T+/--- A+ E+ S+ V++ Q+ B- PA+ PL++
Penelope: DS B+W G .7 X C+ I+++ T++ A++ E+ H S+ V+ F- Q+ P PL+
guest cat:
Jimmy: DS (Bd+W)t G .5 Y C+ I+++ T++ A++ E++ H V++ F- Q+ PA- PL-
Joan G. Wikler
It's good you are taking him to the vet. Do not delay, go ASAP. The
most common cause of a male cat squatting with nothing coming out is
urinary tract blockage, which can be treated easily but, untreated,
can be lethal.
Joan (jwi...@orednet.org)
--
Debbie Trujillo
Take him to the vet now!!! He could have a blocked urethral passage and
in a male cat that can mean death if not treated immediately!!
In article <53tltd$a...@news.ycc.yale.edu>, decl...@pantheon.yale.edu
(John Declaris) wrote:
> My cat, Zathras, has developed an interesting problem. He squats
> in his litter box, sits for a second, then leaves. At first, I thought
> he might be having constipation, since he eats dry food mostly, with
> an occasional can of wet food as a treat. The dry food has been the
> same brand for months, and his wet is also a consistant brand/type.
>
> This has been a recent problem, say the last couple of days. After
> the first couple times he did it, I got concerned, so I check his
> litter box for anything (you know you love your cat when you do that).
> He never tries to cover it up after he squats, and all I have found
> is a small wet spot about 0.5 cm in diameter. Saturday morning
> he went outside and when he returned (I live in the country,
> no cars, no dogs, and I found him in the wild back in January), he was
> absolutley rancid smelling and his little bottom was covered in s..t.
> A quick warm washing removed the s..t and the smell, but he continues
> to do the squat.
>
> I am going to take him to the vet, but I would appreciate any suggestions
> or ideas prior to the visit. Thanks.
>
> --
> John-William DeClaris
> "An Old Fashioned User of The Internet"
> decl...@minerva.cis.yale.edu
> http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~declaris
>
> My remarks are my own and not reflective of Yale University.
--
Debbie Trujillo
Becky Steele
In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.961016...@morpheus.cis.yale.edu> John-William DeClaris <decl...@pantheon.yale.edu> writes:
>From: John-William DeClaris <decl...@pantheon.yale.edu>
>Subject: Re: Kitty Squats, but nothing happens...
>Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996 11:19:19 -0400
> In response to Debbie Trujillo's email and to my first post, let
>me say the following:
> I am 2 hours away from my cat, so getting him to the Vet NOW
>is difficult to say the least.
>After spending an anxious day, waiting for my work to finish, then racing
>home at the speed of sound (Yes that was a sonic boom heard over central
>Virginia) I did get my cat to the Vet that same day. Here is what
>occurred:
>Vet tried to get a urine sample... but was unsuccessful. He said the cat
>looked ok, but displayed the symptoms of UTI so he have me some
>antibiotics... hopefully that will work.
>Zathras did use the litter box after being groped and squeezed. A litmus
>test showed hemoglobin in the urine which is an indication of UTI. The
>vet said the antibiotics should clear it up in a couple of days.
Hi,
Please watch the cat carefully. I, too, thought my cat was constipated, when,
in fact, he was completely blocked. My cat's bladder was completely full, and
hard as a rock. When my vet tried to express the urine, my cat let out the
most horrific howl I've ever heard. It was awful.
My cat ended up being at the hospital for six days, and for three of those
days, he had to be catheterized.
I'm not saying this is what will happen to your cat, but I'm a little
concerned by the comment that your vet said the cat "looked OK". Was a
urinalysis done? Also, antibiotics will work only if there is bacteria, and
bacteria is not always present in the urine of cats who are experiencing
urinary problems (under the blanket term of Feline Lower Urinary Tract
Disorder, or FLUTD). Blood in the urine could be a sign of some kind of
cystitis (among other things).
The key thing is to make sure the cat is actually emptying his bladder, not
just urinating in tiny amounts (and frequently).
Good luck with your cat -- I hope he's better soon.
Becky
John-William DeClaris
In response to Debbie Trujillo's email and to my first post, let
me say the following:
I am 2 hours away from my cat, so getting him to the Vet NOW
is difficult to say the least.
After spending an anxious day, waiting for my work to finish, then racing
home at the speed of sound (Yes that was a sonic boom heard over central
Virginia) I did get my cat to the Vet that same day. Here is what
occurred:
Vet tried to get a urine sample... but was unsuccessful. He said the cat
looked ok, but displayed the symptoms of UTI so he have me some
antibiotics... hopefully that will work.
Zathras did use the litter box after being groped and squeezed. A litmus
test showed hemoglobin in the urine which is an indication of UTI. The
vet said the antibiotics should clear it up in a couple of days.
On Tue, 15 Oct 1996, Debbie Trujillo wrote:
> (A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups:
> rec.pets.cats)
>
> Take him to the vet now!!! He could have a blocked urethral passage and
> in a male cat that can mean death if not treated immediately!!
>
> In article <53tltd$a...@news.ycc.yale.edu>, decl...@pantheon.yale.edu
> (John Declaris) wrote:
>
> > My cat, Zathras, has developed an interesting problem. He squats
> > in his litter box, sits for a second, then leaves. At first, I thought
> > he might be having constipation, since he eats dry food mostly, with
> > an occasional can of wet food as a treat. The dry food has been the
> > same brand for months, and his wet is also a consistant brand/type.
> >
> > This has been a recent problem, say the last couple of days. After
> > the first couple times he did it, I got concerned, so I check his
> > litter box for anything (you know you love your cat when you do that).
> > He never tries to cover it up after he squats, and all I have found
> > is a small wet spot about 0.5 cm in diameter. Saturday morning
> > he went outside and when he returned (I live in the country,
> > no cars, no dogs, and I found him in the wild back in January), he was
> > absolutley rancid smelling and his little bottom was covered in s..t.
> > A quick warm washing removed the s..t and the smell, but he continues
> > to do the squat.
> >
> > I am going to take him to the vet, but I would appreciate any suggestions
> > or ideas prior to the visit. Thanks.
Lori Kessler
GO NOW! The poor thing probably has a blockage like Joan said, in which
case needs to be treated NOW. My cat did the same thing and I took him to
the vet who said if I would've waited till morning, he probably would've
died. Let me warn you, The cat will need hospitalized and it will not be
cheap. I spent $400.00 for Casper. A cause of the blockage is food high
in magnesium. Most common, economical foods are high in magnesium, so to
prevent your cat from developing this problem in the first place or a
reoccurence of the problem, you will most likely need to switch to a
higher quality cat food that has minimal amounts of magnesium (Purina One,
Iams, and others such as these). I hope you don't delay and take him to
the vet right away. I hope everything turns out okay.
Lori
F.Y.I.
Though this condition can occur in both males and females, males
are more likely to develop this condition due to the difference in
anatomy.
Debbie Trujillo
Glad to hear he's been to the vets. Hopefully the antibiotics will clear
this up. Please keep me posted. I hope everything goes okay. In the
meantime, watch him. FYI, there is a litter that you can use (it's rather
expensive) where you can tell if the cat is having urinary tract
problems. I have seen it advertised in pet catalogs (Pedigrees for
example). Good Luck!!
In article
<Pine.SOL.3.91.961016...@morpheus.cis.yale.edu>,
John-William DeClaris <decl...@pantheon.yale.edu> wrote:
--
Debbie Trujillo
John-William DeClaris
On Fri, 18 Oct 1996, Debbie Trujillo wrote:
> Glad to hear he's been to the vets. Hopefully the antibiotics will clear
> this up. Please keep me posted. I hope everything goes okay. In the
> meantime, watch him. FYI, there is a litter that you can use (it's rather
> expensive) where you can tell if the cat is having urinary tract
> problems. I have seen it advertised in pet catalogs (Pedigrees for
> example). Good Luck!!
Zathras is running around the farm, happy and quite content. I
had to keep him in my apartment for a wekk and the tension of being in a new
place did not help his UTI. The medication seems to be working because
his litter box is full of his handy work (How does one so small produce
so much waste and by-product?). Now the big mistake I am avoiding is
to make sure he stays on his medication of antibiotics until they are all
gone. Some people think that with antibiotics, once you feel better or
the pet feels better, it is ok to stop taking the antibiotics... big
mistake. He only has 8 more days of this, so he can deal with it... He has
already learned that when it comes to medication, resistance is futile.
Thanks to all those who responded to my post.