Answer

Hello monkie,

There are a few things that can cause bloody urine in an older cat.

The first and easiest to deal with would be a urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infections irritate the bladder wall and cause bleeding.

Another possibility would be urinary crystals or stones. The stones form as a result of individual makeup and diet. If the urine has the right Ph and the diet is high enough in magnesium and phosphorus the stones or crystals can form.

Another possibility would be a tumor in the bladder wall. These are fairly uncommon but can happen.

Finally there is a problem called interstitial cystitis which is an inflammation in the bladder not related to an infectiopn.

Of all these possibilities the infection is the most common. You should take her to your vetrinarian and have her urine tested. This can tell you if there is an infection or crystals in the urine.

If there is an infection, your veterinarian may prescribe an antibiotic to help. If there are crystals then a special diet may be needed to dissolve them.

If the blood is not improving with treatment your veterinarian may suggest an x-ray to rule out stones in the bladder or an ultrasound to rule out a tumor.

Most times this is going to be an infection though and she will just need to take some antibiotics.

I hope this helped. let me know if you need more information or if anything was unclear.-Rob

Expert:	RobtheVet
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Answered:	6/23/2008

Veterinarian

Veterinarian for 12 years. Small animal, emergency and shelter medicine.