Blood in my Rebel's pee: Cat UTI, FLUTD, Spraying

I'm a first time cat owner so you could imagine my horror when I saw Rebel, my cat,  peeing blood on the bathroom floor and endlessly meowing so loud.

I felt so helpless. I was so ignorant on what was going on that I ended up paying more than $2000 for bringing Rebel to two emergency clinics and finally to an affordable vet plus medicines and special food meant for cats with Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).

I should have done something right away when I noticed that Rebel was peeing a lot. I shouldn't have just guessed that it was because of him drinking a lot of water. Prevention is always better than cure. Ignorance may cause life. So from that moment on, I made sure that I become a better pet owner. I read more about cats. I familiarized myself with the medical initial FLUTD and I made sure that I can tell whether a cat is merely spraying or already suffering from UTI.

Difference between FLUTD and UTI

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is not a specific disease but a general term for the following symptoms: straining to pee, blood in the urine, frequent urination, peeing in bath tubs, sinks and other inappropriate places, and obstruction of the urethra. UTI, on the other hand, is an infection in the urinary passage.

FLUTD can only be identified when kidney stones and UTI were ruled out as possible sources of our pets' discomfort. The elimination process can be done by several tests like urinalysis and Xray. It can occur in any age or sex but this condition is more common among one to four-years-old cats.

Male cats are in higher risk whenever they contracted urinary problem because they have smaller diameter urethra.

Difference between Spraying and UTI

Spraying is a form of cat communication. It is different from standard peeing. Most of the time, when cats are spraying they pee on vertical surfaces while their tail are extended and wiggling swiftly.

When cats have UTI or any urinary tract problem, they pee in usual manner and release urine on horizontal surfaces.

----------

Share your Thoughts

I'm dividing this post into several parts because there are so much to talk about Cat UTI. If you have something to share about this, please feel free to post your experiences, tips, views or anything related to this topic on the comment box below. Thanks!

Sources:

Cat Urinary Tract Infection - Causes

http://caturinary.com/cat-uti/cat-urinary-tract-infection-causes/

Top 5 Signs of Urinary Tract Troubles in Cats and Dogs

What are the signs seen with a urinary tract infection?

vetmedicine.about.com

UrinaryTract Infections in Cats 

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/urinary/feline_idiopathic_lower_urinary_tract_disease