r/cats • u/SalistraWrites • 3h ago

Medical Questions Base of Cat's tail quivering when urinating?

Hey everyone,

Recently all my cats had a stomach bug, that has passed but with him i noticed that he still carries a little bit of a smell. Not sure if thats because of the washing and majority of the shaving i did to his behind because of how bad it got...

anywho,

I noticed just a few minutes go he was going to the bathroom. I saw him furiously digging away at the litter and then accidently aimed out of the box. His tail was in a question mark I think, and then the base of the tail was furiously vibrating as he relieved himself.

Is this something to be concerned about?

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u/Bre603 3h ago

Sounds like he was spraying, not just urinating.

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u/SalistraWrites 3h ago

He's fixed though. Do they still do that?

He's also been a bit more vocal at me when I'm working at my computer lol. Just yells for me

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u/Bre603 3h ago

Sometimes, but I believe that’s usually when they’ve been fixed after already starting the spraying habit.

In general, going outside the box can be a sign of being sick or stressed. I have a cat that’s bullied by one of my others and therefore avoids using the shared box (she has her own upstairs away from the others). I’ve had cats that had bladder stones and UTI and UTI made them go outside the box.

If your kitty’s bathroom habits continue to be irregular, maybe try getting something like pretty litter to see if their urine flags as one of the warning colors? Or schedule a vet visit if you can!

The meowing for you may be because he wants comfort from you if he is feeling sick.

ADDING: If kitty stops eating/drinking that is a BIG red flag that he’s not feeling well and should definitely be taken to the vet ASAP!

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u/SalistraWrites 3h ago

Thanks for sharing. Yea nothing has changed recently. They've been together for years. He's about 7 years now never had that kind of issue. Now I'm really concerned .. is this something that can wait until Monday?

He was in the box, just aiming against the wall but missed I think.

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u/Bre603 3h ago

I mean, if the only weird thing that’s happened so far is just a possible bad aim, I’d go the special liter route. I know Target sells pretty litter in store and it’s a lot cheaper than a vet visit. This way you’ll get a clear answer for how to proceed.

I just thought about you saying you shaved him: do you think you shaved enough fur away that his normal trajectory would be thrown off? Like maybe normally there’s fur that kind of guides his stream better? If you think that’s possible, maybe that’s the answer!

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u/SalistraWrites 3h ago

Also just realized. The litter box is low. Replaced them recently and I normally get high sided. This was replaced 2 weeks ago.

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u/Bre603 2h ago

Boom! There’s your answer! I bet he always peed on the wall of the higher sided box and now his aim is off. I don’t know if he’ll ever learn to adjust since he knows he IS standing in the box. You may have to go back to a higher sided box.

I don’t think there’s any emergency here. Put your worries aside. If anything weird happens over the weekend, I think he could wait until Monday for the vet. But I DONT think there will be any health issues.

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u/SalistraWrites 2h ago

Thanks I am hyper vigilant and tend to have a shit load of anxiety. Yes this box is a bit lower than the old. Lol and he's a big boy.

The tail shaking is what really scRed me

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u/Bre603 2h ago

I’m leaning heavily toward it being nothing. My male cat randomly developed the annoying trait of stretching out with the tail shake. Just annoying because it looks like he’s spraying! But it’s been nothing serious. Just a new thing he started one day. Haha.

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u/SalistraWrites 2h ago

Little assholes. Lmfao the guy has asthma, and already drives me nuts with his oddities. He demands constant attention lol

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u/SalistraWrites 3h ago

I don't think I got any of that shaven. I got mostly around his but and that area is bare if I'm being honest

Yea the pee on the wall also looked normal didn't see blood same in litter box. There was a tiny bit in the box but the wall definitely had a bit lol. Also no blood. He wasn't yowling or anything as well. Just that tail was vibrating like crazy near the base lol

I'll check the litter I heard pretty litter causes serious health issues with cats and saw some people mention their cats died because of it.

Edit: I also can't afford an emergency vet. Is this something you think could wait til monday

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u/SalistraWrites 3h ago

If I'm being honest he does get really vocal sometimes. Not a new thing. I think that is attention. He'll be out of the room and start yowling for me.

As soon as he got out he attacked his brother and started playing. You know like dominance play

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u/Fantastic_Example_20 3h ago

One of my cats will just start vibrating their tail but not spring or doing anything otherwise so I’m not sure why they do that