A bit overwhelmed here...

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BluOnyx

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I am sure someone already noted to you that low potassium can be a sign of kidney disease. Did you actually look at the blood test results? I have found that some of the kidney related values can be within what the vet considers the 'normal' range, but for an older cat they are likely too high. Such as phosphorus - Feeby is in range, but some of the members on other related sites say at her age her phosphorus level is way too high. Likewise with other readings as well.
That was from him hardly eating and I was giving him water in a syringe to keep him hydrated. He is on potassium supplements and has been since the results came back. As for phosphorus, those levels were normal but either way, he is on a low phosphorus diet now so if this is part of the issue, it should be showing signs of improvement which is not the case. If anything, he is peeing more blood.
 
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BluOnyx

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I found some information on glucosamine helping cats with bladder issues (FIC, which is what I believe he has due to his stress response being poor his whole life) but I am seeing mixed articles. Some say it works, others say it doesn't but most agree it is relatively safe. Has anyone here tried this for their cats? I am going to mention it to my vet and the specialist when I can get in touch with him.
 
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BluOnyx

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So he was prescribed prazosin which I am not very familiar with but it should help with inflammation. I am not sure how long it will take to see improvements but I hope it doesn't take long. His prescription is for 12 days. I started it today. Fingers crossed it helps.
 

Elvisrocks

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I found some information on glucosamine helping cats with bladder issues (FIC, which is what I believe he has due to his stress response being poor his whole life) but I am seeing mixed articles. Some say it works, others say it doesn't but most agree it is relatively safe. Has anyone here tried this for their cats? I am going to mention it to my vet and the specialist when I can get in touch with him.
My cat was diagnosed with fic about 2 months ago and they think it's stress related. There is a very good fic group on Facebook that has given me many good recommendations. It's a private group so you have to answer some questions to join. I would check that out for sure. The first was starting my cat on supplements for urine health including now brand d mannose powder and nature's answer cornsilk. They are supposed to help with easing the bladder inflammation. Also I ordered cystease capsules which are for urine health and stress. They have glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and L tryptophan for stress. Obviously check with your vet about these supplements. I ordered all of them on Amazon but there are other sites as well. I just open the capsules and the drops and mix in a inaba churu likable treat(my cat Loves those). I am also currently switching her from all dry free feeding to more wet food. The vet also gave me a prescription for amytriptylline for her stress. She has been on all this for almost a month so it remains to be seen if it will keep her from having another episode. My kitty gets stressed when we leave because she is so attached to me. We haven't gone anywhere lately but will be the end of the month so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
 
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BluOnyx

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My cat was diagnosed with fic about 2 months ago and they think it's stress related. There is a very good fic group on Facebook that has given me many good recommendations. It's a private group so you have to answer some questions to join. I would check that out for sure. The first was starting my cat on supplements for urine health including now brand d mannose powder and nature's answer cornsilk. They are supposed to help with easing the bladder inflammation. Also I ordered cystease capsules which are for urine health and stress. They have glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and L tryptophan for stress. Obviously check with your vet about these supplements. I ordered all of them on Amazon but there are other sites as well. I just open the capsules and the drops and mix in a inaba churu likable treat(my cat Loves those). I am also currently switching her from all dry free feeding to more wet food. The vet also gave me a prescription for amytriptylline for her stress. She has been on all this for almost a month so it remains to be seen if it will keep her from having another episode. My kitty gets stressed when we leave because she is so attached to me. We haven't gone anywhere lately but will be the end of the month so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I do not have a Facebook account so that isn't an option but thank you for letting me know either way. Also, thanks for the information about what is helping your cat. Unfortunately, mine is still peeing blood. I have been giving him the Prazosin for a week today. I mixed it with some cranberry powder just in case there was an infection as well. I have to give it to him crushed in water via a syringe, all his medication has to be given this way as he will refuse to eat with anything on his food and he is always not eating enough as it is.

I am going to see about getting him in with a specialist this week. Hopefully, it is not too expensive. I am not sure what else to do for him and the two vets I previously took him to don't seem to know what to do about this.
 

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Have you tried a veterinary internist? I had to take Delilah to one when 2 regular vets couldn't find the ovarian remnant. According to my cousin (a general vet), the difference between an internist and a generalist is about 5 more years of vet school.
 

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I do not have a Facebook account so that isn't an option but thank you for letting me know either way. Also, thanks for the information about what is helping your cat. Unfortunately, mine is still peeing blood. I have been giving him the Prazosin for a week today. I mixed it with some cranberry powder just in case there was an infection as well. I have to give it to him crushed in water via a syringe, all his medication has to be given this way as he will refuse to eat with anything on his food and he is always not eating enough as it is.

I am going to see about getting him in with a specialist this week. Hopefully, it is not too expensive. I am not sure what else to do for him and the two vets I previously took him to don't seem to know what to do about this.
Oh so sorry. I know how stressful it is when they are suffering. It's good to get another opinion if your vet can't find the issue. I would definitely recommend trying some of those supplements I mentioned. My cat is very.picky and she LOVES the inaba chuba treats. It's a godsend for medications. Usually when I try something new I have to swipe some on her nose so she gets a taste of it. If she just smells it sometimes she would walk away. Good luck!
 
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BluOnyx

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We only have one bladder/kidney specialist in the area and they are booked solid until July so I am going to have to keep calling every weekend to see if they can take him in without an appointment. The second closest one is almost 4 hours away.

I am not sure if it is him or one of the other cats but I found brown liquid on the floor, I am assuming it is throw up but it has a faint smell of chlorine which is very strange to me. The other cats seem to be just fine though so I am going to assume it was him as he has been throwing up on and off for months now. What a mess. I hope I can get him in this Saturday.
 
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BluOnyx

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I found brown liquid on the floor,
Looking into this a bit more, I am wondering if maybe the medication is causing this. That chlorine smell might be iron which would imply blood. Could prazosin do this?

I think I am just going to stop since he only has 3 pills left just to be on the safe side. It doesn't appear to be helping with his urination issues either. He is still peeing everywhere and still has blood in his urine.
 

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Looking into this a bit more, I am wondering if maybe the medication is causing this. That chlorine smell might be iron which would imply blood. Could prazosin do this? ...I think I am just going to stop since he only has 3 pills left just to be on the safe side. It doesn't appear to be helping with his urination issues either. He is still peeing everywhere and still has blood in his urine.
Before you stop the meds, please call the vet to discuss it. The Prazosin is a muscle relaxant of sorts, and may be given to him for spasms/help reduce tenseness in his urinary tract. It would be better to ask the vet if there is another med that could replace the Prazosin. It might help to also discuss anti-inflammatories with the vet - I am not sure Prazosin is considered an anti-inflammatory.
 
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BluOnyx

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Before you stop the meds, please call the vet to discuss it. The Prazosin is a muscle relaxant of sorts, and may be given to him for spasms/help reduce tenseness in his urinary tract. It would be better to ask the vet if there is another med that could replace the Prazosin. It might help to also discuss anti-inflammatories with the vet - I am not sure Prazosin is considered an anti-inflammatory.
He only had 3 pills left and this was just a sort of "try and see if you notice any changes approach" until I get him in with a specialist. I didn't give him the second dose last night and he seems to be feeling better today, ate a whole meal (half a can) in one sitting which he has not done for a long time.

I am going to hopefully get him in with a specialist this weekend, assuming they have time to see him. Fingers are crossed. I will continue the potassium which was recommended by the vet and I started giving him Renafood today which I think was the reason his appetite has come back a lot more. This is more for kidney support since he is heading in the direction of kidney disease and I want to prevent that.

I need to sort out his bladder/peeing issues though which is the main issue right now so hopefully, the specialist can help him with that as no standard vet has been able to tell me what is wrong.
 
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BluOnyx

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Well, the person I spoke with previously lied as the one I spoke with today said they won't be taking any new patients. So much for that. I found a vet close by that offers ultrasounds so he will be going there on Tuesday. I feel like an ultrasound should have been recommended a long time ago in his case but I guess vets aren't perfect.
 
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I got my answer, finally. It is not cystitis. He has bladder cancer. It was shown on an ultrasound. I have medication to help shrink it and the vet is convinced it will help enough to restore a healthy appetite, reduce pain, and his urination will be normal again. There isn't much that can be gone but she feels he can easily live another 5 years even with this diagnosis. I am very, very sad about this but I have to stay positive. I am glad to have an answer finally but so utterly disappointed in the other vets I took him to considering this has been an ongoing issue for a year and a half now.
 
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BluOnyx

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Something I forgot to mention which might be helpful to others is that his kidneys are fine according to the new vet. I guess a tumor can cause issues with readings where it would imply there is a kidney issue which is why I was advised to change his diet. His kidneys and other organs are perfectly fine though. So if anyone else is having issues with their cat (peeing outside the box, straining, low appetite, blood in urine, etc) and not getting any answers outside of changing the diet, be sure to get an ultrasound. Just because the kidneys appear to be showing signs of losing function/having issues in a urinalysis, something else can be causing this indirectly.

And a bit of an update, he has been eating every day. Some days he only eats a small amount but he has been keeping food down with minimal puking. I noticed he is not trying to pee in places outside the litter box as much and his use of the litter box (frequency) has gone down slightly. He used to go in and out of it several times before going to lay back down now he does it as most, 2 or 3 times. I am hoping this is a sign he is improving.

I know it is not ideal but I have been giving him white meat chicken nuggets (taking the breading off) every day. I only give him one a day but it does seem to keep his appetite up. Once he is eating more normally, I will go back to only giving him those on special occasions. Since he is underweight, I don't think it will do any harm short-term.
 
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