How long can a cat go without a wee??

[WinstonlovesJulia1984]

I have to get a urine sample from my cat. He is shut in a room, as per the vet's instructions, with a litter tray of non-absorbable sand and he is supposed to stay in there till he's done it. There's yowling & scratching at the door and every time I go in to check the litter tray he makes a bid for freedom and tries to get past me. It's been 8 hours now and I'm wondering how long he can hold out?!

He's an outdoor cat and has not used a litter tray since he was a kitten (he's now nearly 6) so I'm worried he won't understand what it's for! The vet said sometimes outdoor cats in these circumstances just do it in the corner of the room....

I got a phone call from the vet when Fatty was in a posh hospital. Saying. She needs to go home so she can do normal things like have a wee. The little madam held it overnight! Fortunately she did go before I collected her. They can hold on a long time.

I have up trying to get a wee sample out of my cat. Stubborn little bugger wouldn't go near the tray and peed in the log bucket instead

*gave

When I had to collect a sample from mine I realised she goes about 2 or 3 times in 24 hours, and if I missed the early morning one then she wouldn't go again until the vet was closed for the day!

I had to get a urine sample off my cat and I wouldn't let him out until he did a wee. He fussed and yowled and got on my nerves until I said "for goodness sake if you wee in that tray I'll let you out".

To my amazement he hopped into his tray and had a wee and I let him out. They understand more than we give them credit for.

If a cat had been moved and is a bit stressed it’s not uncommon for them to hold it for up to 24 hours, particularly if they also go on hunger strike to show their distaste with their new digs. So you could be in for a bit of a wait. Do you have any wet food? Or cat milk? The liquid could persuade him to go sooner rather than later and he’s more likely to go for food/milk than a water dish.

My lovely old cat once held it for two days 😂 The cleaner had accidentally shut her in a drawer of jumpers and she just dozed away for two days in the dark in there while I went crazy looking for her everywhere and putting up posters. She didn't make a sound and looked quite surprised when DD opened the drawer 🙄 No wees at all.

She wasn't the most intelligent of cats. But she was sweet.

Someone on here said to just put an empty tray down and wait.

I’ve tried the litter and my cat refused to use it.

Mine always hold it for around 24 hours when I completely change their litter - I thought they were supposed to like it clean! They sometimes go earlier than that if I "salt" their clean tray with a bit of the old litter sprinkled on top.

When I tried to change my cat’s litter to a different brand she held it in for about a day and a half.

If he’s an outdoor cat I’d let him out of the room as it’s obviousoy stressing him out. Then make sure the litter tray is in a place he can see it and don’t jet him out if the house til he’s gone.

But do let him out if the room as he’s obviously in distress - how could you listen to that for 8 hours, ffs? Poor bugger.

OtterinDisgrace The vet's instructions were specifically "don't let him out till he's done it" so that's what I'm doing!! He has had a serious bladder problem so we're not doing this for fun but out of necessity.
The crying & scratching has been intermittent - he has been sleeping some of the time.

And the litter tray is of course in a place he can see it

Hate to tell you this but during the snow 'fatty' (aka Bilbo, aka billybagpuss guess where my user name come from) held it in for 2 days.

And here’s the look on his face when I put him out he ran straight back in via the cat flap.

@billybagpuss Your Bilbo wins the prize for the crossest feline expression ever .

TroysMammy that made me smile as I have said that to him on numerous occasions through the day! Though he has not co-operated as your cat did!

If he hasn't urinated by morning please take your cat back to the vet. It can be quite dangerous for cats not to pee. More so when they simply can't go but the toxins build up quickly.

What’s his serious bladder problem.? The vast majority of FLUTD/cystitis cases have a stress component so if it’s this then I’d be looking for a more cat-friendly Vet.

If it’s crystals/blocking that’s the issue then the sample needs to be extremely fresh or stored in a proper urine sample pot to be properly analysed so a litter treat sample won’t help.

I had another 2 dayer for my grump due to the snow bloody princess

Stay patient, OP! If you get concerned call the vet to update them and ask for advice but some cats like ours are just very stubborn!!

Good luck!

Veterinari I was given the equipment by the vet - the non-absorbent sand, pipette & sample pot.

LEMtheoriginal Yes I will certainly be phoning them in the morning if he hasn't passed urine by then

I find it much easier to collect a sample by keeping an eye out for when cat will go to litter tray, then using a brand new disposable cup/bowl that I stick under the stream as cat is urinating. Then use pipette to transfer wee into vet's sample pot. It requires a bit more effort in terms of keeping an eye on when it's time to wee but it also produces a fresh sample that isn't contaminated by cat's paws in the litter tray.

What’s his history? I’d still be concerned if he has a history of ‘blocking’ that you’re more likely to induce a problem by stressing him, If he has idiopathic cystitis.
icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/feline-idiopathic-cystitis-fic

If a bacterial cause is suspected then you need a sterile sample taken by cystocentesis for culture, not a tray sample.

Veterinari A month ago he had a procedure under general anaesthetic for urethral obstruction. When I took him to the vet as an emergency on a Saturday night she could feel his bladder was hard and said it was good it had been caught early. He was 2 days in the hospital catheterised and since then has been on a prescription diet (also Kesium & Meloxidyl at first). As I said above, the kit for getting the urine sample was given to me by the vet so I'm following her instructions as carefully as possible. I'm assuming from your user name you are also a vet?

In the snow the other week my cat didn’t go for a wee or poo for two days. She won’t use the litter tray at all, although we’ve always had one and she used it fine before being let outside. DP ended up having to dig a path/toilet for her and carry her into the garden. I was scared she might burst. We adopted her from a family who had her as an indoor cat, but she totally took to being able to go outside, bless her.