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Why is my senior male cat's penis showing, bleeding, and causing pain?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 11 years and 7 months old | 10 lbs

Hello, I'm messaging concerning my cat. He's a 12 year old male that's been neutered for some years. However, this morning I noticed that his penis seemed to be poking out. I was worried he was going to have an accident since he's been doing that a lot lately, so I put paper towels down. However, after he sat on one and stood up, there was a light spot of blood on it. He was also licking the area and howling.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 26th, 2018

I am sorry to hear about Tiger. A photo of the area may help us to better determine what could be going on with him. There are several different possibilities, including a prolapse urethra (especially if the tip of the penis looks round or enlarged), cystitis, stones in the bladder or urethra, a mass/tumor in the bladder, or a bad bladder infection. I would recommend getting him in to see a vet today. If you think he is unable to urinate or he seems lethargic/is vomiting then it would be considered an emergency as he could have a urethral obstruction/blockage and this can be deadly if untreated. The vet will examine him and may test his urine and recommend an x-ray to determine the source of his problem.

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 20th, 2019

    Poor Cal! That is definitely very odd. I assume a urine culture and bladder/kidney ultrasound has been done? If not, pursue these diagnostics. Some potential options are to make his diet a urinary friendly food such as Royal Canin S/O. If endoscopy is possible, this may be a good option To see if there is a lesion in what’s left of the urethra. If your veterinarian cannot determine a cause, you may ask about being referred to an internal medicine specialist. When you stump the general practitioner, they are the next level of care. I hope you guys get it figured out soon! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

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