Urinary obstruction in a female cat

Our question this week was:

My female cat that is 6 years old has had urinary infections for years with nothing ever clearing them up. Now they found out she has stones. They were to do surgery Monday but found her creatinine level at 16, too high. She had been blocked and unable to urinate for at least 10 hours…before she could see the doctor. He kept telling me she couldn’t get blocked cause she was female. He put a catheter in her and drip…She seems to be very alert but when I go to she her she is drenched with pee…she smells so bad…I just want to get her out of there. Should I go somewhere else…?

Dianne McCreary

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. I’m sorry to hear about your cat. You emailed that she had recurrent urinary tract infections and was recently diagnosed with stones and an obstruction.

Female cats can become blocked – especially from stones. Urinary blockages are more common in males but can certainly occur in females.

What I’d recommend is that she be “unblocked” – have a urinary catheter placed and be placed on intravenous fluids until her creatinine is down and she can go to surgery to remove the stones.

I don’t know what went on between you and your veterinarian. If you are worried about the care, get a second opinion.

An article that might be helpful to you is on our Petplace.com is “Urinary Obstruction in Cats” and “Bladder Stones – Urolithiasis in Cats“.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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