Unexplained incontinence

[Yvonne Street]

Hi Everyone,
I’m at a loss here. My cat seems to have become incontinent since February.
He had a UTI, was treated with antibiotics, and got better, then had a follow up urinalysis that was all clear. There seems to be no pattern to it. 5 days could go by and nothing. Or, he pees in his sleep one night but is fine throughout the day. A couple days ago, he was laying next to me and leaking little dribbles, but then nothing for two days.
He is currently on 1.75 units of insulin and I’ll be increasing him to 2 on Monday. Long story short, he was on a very high dose and some folks from DCIN and other online groups helped me figure that out and are coaching me, and I have been slowly adjusting his dose over time with lots of home testing. He’s been doing so well, except for the incontinence.
I started using Leaks No More a few days ago, so I’m hoping that will work. I will talk to my vet about Proin, however, he’s an old cat (16) and I’m concerned about his kidneys, which is a side effect of Proin.

He’s still using the litter box and acting completely normal in every way, good eater and drinker, affectionate, etc.
Any suggestions or help is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read.
Yvonne, Calvin’s human

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

It sounds like your kitty may have FLUTD.. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. It can be a few different things. I will give you a link below. And you can google it yourself. Sheba had it. I thought initially she was getting UTIs. She used to have episodes of it where she would act like she had a UTI with frequent visits to the LB. and she would dribble urine and it can cause pain. Antibiotics are of no use. Reducing stress, encouraging fluids is good. Feliway collars or spray to reduce stress is often used.
Here is the link
https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/feline-lower-urinary-tract-disease-flutd-treatment

 

[Yvonne Street]

Thanks Bron and Sheba! It does match what’s going on, it seems. I have wondered if he’s stressed. I’m often gone for hours sometimes, plus I just left him for 6 days. My roommate told me he was getting very upset the last couple days and crying a lot while I was gone.

 

[Deborah & Muffy(GA) & Wendall]

Involuntary incontinence, like when he's sleeping, is not a typical symptom of a UTI. However, being upset and crying is concerning and could indicate that he's in pain. If you haven't done so, consider having an x-ray or ultrasound done to rule out bladder or kidney stones. One of my cats has both, so tiny they were only found with ultrasound, and is treated when she has a flare up.

A common cause of incontinence in older cats is Urethral Sphincter Incompetence, a weakening of the muscle that holds urine. Leaks No More might help and here's another homeopathic remedy to try:
https://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-Incontinence-Homeopathic-Remedy/999253.aspx

I would also have reservations about using Proin for a cat and it's not recommended for diabetics.

 

[Yvonne Street]

Thanks! I’ll give this a go if Leaks No More is not working.
He was only upset and crying when I had been gone for 6 days. Otherwise, he just sleeps about 23 hours a day and the only time he cries about 45 mins to feeding time.

 

[JoyBee&Ravan]

My cat Ravan was leaking urine constantly. Vet said because of his age (17) some cats do leak.
3 months ago he had blood in his urine. Clavamox cleared up the UTI after 10 days with the Clavamox 2 X a day no more leaking! Not a drop. I suspect he had an infection brewing for a long time.
(Ravan also has Kidney disease.)

My cats have never eaten dry food. After much research I've come to the conclusion that all dry food is not good for a cat. I don't see any info about your cat so I don't know if you do feed dry food or how old the cat is?

 

[Yvonne Street]

My cat Ravan was leaking urine constantly. Vet said because of his age (17) some cats do leak.
3 months ago he had blood in his urine. Clavamox cleared up the UTI after 10 days with the Clavamox 2 X a day no more leaking! Not a drop. I suspect he had an infection brewing for a long time.
(Ravan also has Kidney disease.)

My cats have never eaten dry food. After much research I've come to the conclusion that all dry food is not good for a cat. I don't see any info about your cat so I don't know if you do feed dry food or how old the cat is?

Hi, thanks for the reply. He has no infection, medically speaking, he’s fine. He is 16 years old and eats Friskees pate, no dry food because of the diabetes.