Why is my cat peeing blood outside the litter box? Is it a UTI?

Question

My 3 year old male cat has been a well potty trained cat until recently. For 2 weeks he has been urinating not only on my couch, but various other surfaces. At first I thought maybe it was just a litter box problem but after I bought a new one he continued. This has been going on for 2 weeks but today I found small amounts of blood in his urine. The internet says he has a urinary tract infection. Would you diagnose it in those terms? If so, what are the best steps I can take for my boy Chico? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 2 years and 1 month old | 14 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

There are a large number of reasons that a cat will inappropriately urinate (urinate outside the litter box). I am attaching a handout below which discusses this in detail. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=633 The first step in figuring out why a cat is urinating outside the litter box is to have your veterinarian do an examination and get a urine sample to evaluate for a medical reason. Since you have seen blood in Chico's urine, there is likely a medical cause for him urinating outside the box. We do not commonly see bacterial urinary tract infections in young male cats (although it is possible). The most common type of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease that we will see in young cats is called Feline Idiopathic Cystitis. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=&A=611&SourceID= http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=&A=612&SourceID= But the only way to know what is going on with Chico is to have a urine sample evaluated. We also see that male cats can have urinary blockages which can be life threatening. So, if Chico cannot urinate at all, it is a medical emergency and he needs to see a veterinarian right away. I have also included information on that below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=&A=1111&SourceID= I know that was a lot of information, but Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease can be difficult to diagnose, so I wanted you to have all the information before Chico's appointment. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Chico feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Why is my cat peeing blood outside the litter box? Is it a UTI?

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