I have been told by the vet my cat has a full bladder

Question

Took him to the vet today after over 24 hours of him having bad diarrhoea and not being fed, he has had lots of jabs (b12, antibiotic and another to help him be less tired), some pro biotic food and told to bring him back in 3 days. He has lost 0.4kg in a week and the vet said he had a very full bladder. Last week he had his annual boosters and his usual worm tablet.

Has anyone experienced this? my vet said not to worry as he should sort himself out now, but i was wondering what other people thought?

Answer 1

The bladder is what holds the urine.  As long as the cat doesn't have a UTI or kidney infection, eventually the cat will relieve itself.  The vet is a licensed specialist - he knows what is best for your pet.

Answer 2

Is your cat trying to empty his bladder, but straining? You did not say if your vet emptyed the bladder for the cat.  Keep an eye on the cat.  If he is in pain he may have a bladder infection and is unable to empty the bladder.  This can be deadly for a cat.  Usually happens in male cats.  The vet may need to insert a tube into the bladder to empty the cat's bladder.  If you are still uneasy with the cat's reactions take it back to the vet soon.

Answer 3

can your cat pee?  If not it is a medcial emergency

it is not uncommon for cats to be off for a day or two after vax, and deworming

Answer 4

Check carefully to see if he struggles to urinate. If he does, it could be a sign of bladder stones. If he becomes lethargic, take him to the vet immediately, even if it's 3am. He'll need to have a catheter inserted. I hope you have pet insurance if this is the case because treatment is expensive. My older cat had bladder stones and ran up a £2250 bill 4 years ago. The insurance paid out and he's had no recurrence. However, diarrhoea was not a symptom of bladder stones, so I think it's more likely that he doesn't want to pee because it hurts his bum. Fingers crossed, the antibiotics will work.

Answer 5

did the vet mean that the cat just needed to pee, or some other reason?  if the cat doesn't "sort himself out" in a day or so, take it back to the vet.  

Answer 6

If your cat isn't pissing on it own you can help him out, but watch for the claws.

Basically, you flip the cat onto its back and near its butt you should see a kinda swollen area. If you gently push on it he will start to leek. Its not a good sign that he is not doing this himself, but he could be very upset from everything and that may be upsetting his system.

My cat ended up with a bladder the size of a golf ball before we could figure out he had that problem too. When you do try to milk the cat, make sure you have someone help hold onto the cat. He will smack your face, yowl and try to bite/claw you to death for the attempt, but it should relieve the pressure.

Wear protective clothing if you are going to try. I was able to do it, but my cat is 17, de-clawed in the front and missing most of his teeth, so I just got slapped a lot when he yelled at me. Besides, he is used to being manhandled a lot to get medications, bathed and so forth. Poor guy is a sweet little old man.....