Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What would you recommend for an indoor, elderly female cat(spayed) who has a tendency to urine retention after even the slightest chill,or after sitting on a cooler surface,like the floor(almost impossible to avoid)? Sitting on a heating pad will allow the bladder muscles to release the retained urine after awhile, but I'm looking for a better and more permanent solution. What homeopathic or supplement could trigger the release of retained urine and what could I give her so that it wouldn't matter if she sat on a cooler surface, it wouldn't trigger urine retention? Thank you.

Ifshe is retaining urine when she sits on a cold floor, you might try giving her a dose of homeopathic Arsenicum album 30c.

Thank you,Dr.Tobin.I do happen to have Arsenicum album 30c on hand. I also have a few questions. Two pellets equal one dose, is that correct? It's difficult to dissolve in the mouth,so is it OK if it's swallowed, or would it be better diluted in a tiny amount of water and given that way for better and quicker assimilation? Is it given once or several doses in one day until the urine is no longer being retained? Then no further doses unless the problem recurs? Lastly,is there anything that can be added to the food or given daily to offset it getting to the point of urine retention(would Arsensicum album work if given daily as a preventative)? This was never a problem before for my cat but it seems now that the slightest thing can cause this to trigger for very little reason. Thanks again.

One pellet is sufficient. Since cats tend to spit out meds, it would be best to crush one pellet between two matching spoons and drop the resulting powder into the cat's mouth. One pellet twice a day should be sufficient. Stop when the symptoms have cleared.

I did as you recommended and there seems to have been a reaction, I don't know to what, but it happened after I gave her the second Arsenicum album pellet. After about 20 minutes she acted like she had a sore stomach, moved in slow motion, then slept for 12 hours, after which she drank about 2 cups of water and is still going to the water dish. I don't know if this behavior is in reaction to the pellet or if it could be a cumulative reaction to the cranberry(unsweetened) I have been giving her previously thinking that she had crystals had been causing the urine retention, or the fact that I've been trying to switch her over to a raw food diet and have been giving her raw beef which she loves to eat(only about 1/4 cup or so a day). I don't know what to do at this point. I understand when animals are ill, even in the wild, they will go off in seclusion for days and even weeks, not eating, perhaps drinking water- a self-imposed fast in order to deal with whatever the disease is that they are fighting. But what about the threat of hepatic lipidosis? Uusually when an animal doesn't want to eat people force food thinking that the animal needs nutrition. I would like to go along with the wisdom of my cat, that she knows if and when she wants to eat, but I'm concerned about how long I let this go on. the threat of hepatic lipidosis, and that she is drinking quite a bit of water. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

You didn't mention whether or not you had brought the cat to a vet. Had the cat been drinking before, and is she urinating now? Since she is eating some raw food now, she won't develop hepatic lipidosis, which develops when a cat has not eaten at all over some period of time and is using only its own body fat for energy. If the cat is not eating, or not drinking. or not urinating, or simply not acting right, after more than a short period of time, she should be seen by a vet.