Over the summer I got a 1 year old female calico from the shelter. She had a previous owner, was microchiped and supposedly spayed (I found out later that she was never spayed).
Very soon after I took her home I noticed she was urinating on my bed. So I changed her brand of litter and made sure the box was cleaned everyday and in a more private area. She has no problem using the litterbox and is very good about it. But I was still seeing and smelling small spots on my bed. Somtimes multiple times a week, sometimes once a week, sometimes it would be two weeks between the accidents.
I watched her closely for awhile and found out that she is urinating in her sleep. She often jerks around in her sleep--more often and more violently than any of my previous cats have. And usually when she sleeps like this, she follows up by urinating, BEFORE she wakes up.
I took her to three different vets, all of whom tested her for urinary tract infection and all of which came back negative. All three vets were completely stumped. At the time I took her to these vets, we thought she was spayed when she wasn't. She was spayed about a week ago but I still see the same problem.
All of the vets have declared her in great health and her pre-surgery blood tests looked great. I have no plans whatsoever to give her away, but it would be really nice not to have to change my sheets 3 or 4 times a week.
Has anyone had similar problems? Tips? Advice?
Violent Sleeper/Bed Wetter
Re: Violent Sleeper/Bed Wetter
It kind of sounds like some kind of seizure disorder to me. But that's just the point of view of someone with no medical expertise. :P
Have any tests pertaining to seizures been done? Or did the vets just go "She doesn't have a UTI so we have no idea, lalala"?
Somehow I want to copy Traci and say, try to find a feline only vet who will do the extensive testing that should be done.
Have any tests pertaining to seizures been done? Or did the vets just go "She doesn't have a UTI so we have no idea, lalala"?
Somehow I want to copy Traci and say, try to find a feline only vet who will do the extensive testing that should be done.
Re: Violent Sleeper/Bed Wetter
Hmmm, I hadn't thought of seizures before, so I just looked up some symptoms. It doesn't seem to fit entirely (especially since it ONLY happens when she's asleep), but I'll definitely have to ask the vet about it when I take her in later this week. Thanks for the idea!
Yeah, mostly the vets said "She doesn't have UTI, so we don't know" but one of them mentioned this can happen in DOGS, so he tried putting her on small doses of a medication given to dogs for this problem, but to no effect.
My mom suggested that this is similar to what small children do when they're in REM sleep. It certainly doesn't seem to cause her any pain or discomfort. So until the vets can think of something else, I'll keep my fingers crossed that this is just something she'll grow out of...
Thanks again for the idea--I'll take anything I can get!
Yeah, mostly the vets said "She doesn't have UTI, so we don't know" but one of them mentioned this can happen in DOGS, so he tried putting her on small doses of a medication given to dogs for this problem, but to no effect.
My mom suggested that this is similar to what small children do when they're in REM sleep. It certainly doesn't seem to cause her any pain or discomfort. So until the vets can think of something else, I'll keep my fingers crossed that this is just something she'll grow out of...
Thanks again for the idea--I'll take anything I can get!
Re: Violent Sleeper/Bed Wetter
Try to find a feline specialist in your area....
Re: Violent Sleeper/Bed Wetter
I can't say I'm impressed by a vet ever giving a cat medicine that's meant for dogs. If it hasn't been tested on and approved for the animal being treated, a vet really has no business using it. That turns your pet into a test animal.
I can understand how it usually seems reasonable to listen to what a vet says, but... I don't think I would agree to something like that.
Unfortunately, all too many vets really don't know what they're doing.
And yeah, it would be strange for it to be some kind of seizure disorder if it only happened during her sleep... Although I could swear that I HAVE heard of something rather similar that is sleep related.
You mentioning children reminded me of children who wet the bed because their bladders are too small. It wouldn't explain the jerking, but...
I'm actually concerned she may have something seriously wrong, maybe with her bladder or something else in that area. There could be something pressing on the bladder, like swelling or some kind of lump, that makes it so she can't hold it when she sleeps... Has anyone even suggested an X-ray or something? Looking inside seems like a good idea.
I would definitely try different vets, preferably feline only, until you can find one that will follow through with more tests instead of shrugging before everything that can be done has been done. Or, if you've run out of new vets to try, to at least pressure the current vets to do more checking.
A lot of vets are very minimal in what they will do because they don't think your pets are worth the time and effort, or because they think the owners feel that way. :/
Everything I have to say is just random brainstorming of reasons why this really needs to be investigated much more thoroughly by someone who is medically trained. :P
I can understand how it usually seems reasonable to listen to what a vet says, but... I don't think I would agree to something like that.
Unfortunately, all too many vets really don't know what they're doing.
And yeah, it would be strange for it to be some kind of seizure disorder if it only happened during her sleep... Although I could swear that I HAVE heard of something rather similar that is sleep related.
You mentioning children reminded me of children who wet the bed because their bladders are too small. It wouldn't explain the jerking, but...
I'm actually concerned she may have something seriously wrong, maybe with her bladder or something else in that area. There could be something pressing on the bladder, like swelling or some kind of lump, that makes it so she can't hold it when she sleeps... Has anyone even suggested an X-ray or something? Looking inside seems like a good idea.
I would definitely try different vets, preferably feline only, until you can find one that will follow through with more tests instead of shrugging before everything that can be done has been done. Or, if you've run out of new vets to try, to at least pressure the current vets to do more checking.
A lot of vets are very minimal in what they will do because they don't think your pets are worth the time and effort, or because they think the owners feel that way. :/
Everything I have to say is just random brainstorming of reasons why this really needs to be investigated much more thoroughly by someone who is medically trained. :P
Re: Violent Sleeper/Bed Wetter
Were any of the three vets more experienced in feline medicine than the others? Assuming urinalyses were done, but were urine cultures done to rule out various forms of bacteria?
Is she only urinating during sleeping state, or any other time? Does she otherwise have normal urine production in her litterbox, with no obvious problems? Is her water consumption normal or does she drink an overly excessive amount of water?
Do you know anything about her prior history, and is the urinating issue the reason the previous owner relinquished kitty to the shelter, or, what exactly was the reason for relinquishment?
Do you know, or can you find out, if kitty had any prior trauma, particularly to the pelvic region, hips or fractures? These type of injuries can cause slight incontinence at some point after a traumatic injury, it is usually not worrisome, but kitty should be checked for any prior injuries like healed fractures, or bladder problems such as thickening of the bladder wall, overextended bladder, scar tissue, etc. Also, if she has a history of FLUTD or was ever catheterized, this too can cause scar tissue in the urethra or bladder, which may have something to do with the current issue. Xrays or even an ultrasound can help the vet look for these potential problems.
It really doesn't sound like seizure activity, since you describe typical movements during sleeping state, like twitching, however, a test you can try is seeing how fast she wakes up when prompted.....when she's sleeping and twitching, put a small amount of tuna or tuna juice (or canned cat food) on your finger and hold it under her nose. She should immediately wake up when she smells the tuna. Otherwise, it should only take her a couple seconds to wake up. If she doesn't wake up right away, it doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing, but I would make note of the "results" of this test to your vet just in case. When she wakes up from the smell of the tuna, she should be bright and alert. If she is somewhat slow to wake or is the least bit disoriented, tell the vet.
Is she only urinating during sleeping state, or any other time? Does she otherwise have normal urine production in her litterbox, with no obvious problems? Is her water consumption normal or does she drink an overly excessive amount of water?
Do you know anything about her prior history, and is the urinating issue the reason the previous owner relinquished kitty to the shelter, or, what exactly was the reason for relinquishment?
Do you know, or can you find out, if kitty had any prior trauma, particularly to the pelvic region, hips or fractures? These type of injuries can cause slight incontinence at some point after a traumatic injury, it is usually not worrisome, but kitty should be checked for any prior injuries like healed fractures, or bladder problems such as thickening of the bladder wall, overextended bladder, scar tissue, etc. Also, if she has a history of FLUTD or was ever catheterized, this too can cause scar tissue in the urethra or bladder, which may have something to do with the current issue. Xrays or even an ultrasound can help the vet look for these potential problems.
It really doesn't sound like seizure activity, since you describe typical movements during sleeping state, like twitching, however, a test you can try is seeing how fast she wakes up when prompted.....when she's sleeping and twitching, put a small amount of tuna or tuna juice (or canned cat food) on your finger and hold it under her nose. She should immediately wake up when she smells the tuna. Otherwise, it should only take her a couple seconds to wake up. If she doesn't wake up right away, it doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing, but I would make note of the "results" of this test to your vet just in case. When she wakes up from the smell of the tuna, she should be bright and alert. If she is somewhat slow to wake or is the least bit disoriented, tell the vet.
..........Traci