Blood in pee

Hi Vets, my cat junior he’s 18. Recently he’s had some blood in his urine we had him get blood tests and an ultrasound his blood tests came back completely normal. But during the ultrasound the doctor said there was a small mass on his bladder and they did find some blood in the urine. They sent me home with some amoxicillin. I’m not sure if that did anything for him. Some times he can’t pee. He’ll try and go and he can’t then he’ll walk around the house meowing then go back to the litter box and try again is there anything I can do to help him? He eats and drinks fine as well.

Hello - and I'm afraid that any male cat struggling to pass urine constitutes an emergency.  Toms do become 'blocked' in the urethra - ie the tube running through the penis to the outside world.  When this happens, urine 'backs up' as it might behind a blocked tap, and the bladder becomes full behind it.  As well as being intensely uncomfortable, this can also be fatal if not treated quickly because the urine can 'back up' as far as the kidneys, causing renal failure. Now, this may not be what's going on in your cat;  I don't know.  I haven't examined them.  But if they are distressed / straining / unable to pass urine, this is a strong indication for calling the emergency vet.  In fact, I would urge you to call anyway, just to be triaged over the phone, so that if you do need to be seen as an emergency, you will be. If there is no blockage, other possibilities could include cystitis (inflammation) which wouldn't be surprising with the tumour there, and can also be very painful. Best of luck and please let us know how things go.

ps - Please note that I used the word 'tumour' but in truth I know nothing about the mass in your cats' bladder and do not mean to suggest that it is cancerous or non-cancerous, as from here I do not know and simply used the word 'tumour' to indicate a lump or mass.

Vets can offer pain relief and various other drugs and have physical methods, if needs be, of keeping the urethra patent, using tubes.  They can also speak to you about the likely progression of the disease and help you to consider possible options for the future.  There is nothing I can really recommend at home once these signs are being observed.

Best of luck;  I will be thinking of you both.