I know there's an abundance of posts on the subject, as I've spent the past several weeks poring over them, but I wanted to share our own story with a recent diagnosis of Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC), and see if anyone's able to provide any support or feedback.
We adopted our neutered, two-year old male tuxedo, Moo, from a local rescue organization late August, and he has been a great fit for our family straight off the bat - he gets along great with our 10 year-old pup, and always seems super relaxed. In fact, we've constantly marvelled over how chill he is!
Since bringing him home, we fed him canned wet food twice daily, and he also grazed on a high-quality grain-free dry formula between feedings.
At the end of last month, my husband was home alone with the cat and noticed he was acting lethargic and drooling, so took him into the after-hours emergency vet. They determined after an X-ray that Moo was extremely constipated and performed an enema. I brought Moo back to the same doctor the next evening and noted I hadn't seen him pass any urine all day - the vet noted his bladder was full and, after being unable to manually express any urine, we opted for a catheter to drain him.
So began what's since been a month-long journey so far. The urinalysis showed Moo had amorphous crystals in his urine, and so we switched immediately to Hills urinary care dry food, and brought him home. He had an appointment with our regular vet in two days for his booster shot, so we planned to monitor him between and have them check his urinary health during that appointment.
Those next two days were an awful stretch of Moo straining to urinate and producing very small amounts in spite of visiting his litter box frequently. We were up with him both nights between trips to the litter box and him constantly licking his genitals, though we'd been advised by the on-call vet that as long as he was producing some urine, he'd be okay to wait until his appointment to be evaluated.
So, two days later we brought him to our regular vet, and they noted his bladder was full and recommended another catheterization, which we agreed to. The vet followed up with us later that day to advise they wanted to keep the catheter in a few days to continue running fluids through him and mitigate the chance of another blockage. Unfortunately, they forgot to cone him that night, and he ripped the catheter out himself after hours. They re-catheterized him the next morning, and he stayed at the vet with it in for two more days. It was removed the morning of the third day so they could monitor him that afternoon and ensure he was producing urine.
We picked him up that evening - he was prescribed Onsior (NSAID for inflammation), 2x daily Gabapentin for pain, a 14-day run of antibiotics (as he'd developed a UTI as a result of the catheterization, which we were advised is common in males), and Prazosin to help relax the urethra.
From there, it's been an especially slow process. I believe it was a week or so when we returned to the vet and let them know that Moo was still only having small, frequent pees, and was also incontinent (leaving non-stop pee drips and occasional puddles), but that he was otherwise behaving normally (his appetite and play mode are totally back to normal). They did an ultrasound and an exam, said he no longer appeared in pain, and that there were no concerns with his bladder or urethra. We were told we could stop the Prazosin and Gabapentin, and that the incontinence would probably resolve itself once the Prazosin worked its way out of his system.
Carrying on from there, Moo has continued to have just small pees and regular incontinence - I can actually see the urine dribbling from his penis. His cone remains on because he's constantly trying to lick his genitals. We returned to the vet on December 21, and they reported his ultrasound and urine specific gravity were normal, but they wanted to run a culture because they suspected his symptoms were the result of a UTI. In the meantime, he received another week of Onsior for inflammation (he received his last dose tonight).
Back to the vet on Christmas Eve, and we were advised there's no bacteria in Moo's culture, and that in fact he appears to have Feline Idiopathic Cystitis - no obvious cause for his difficulties. We were directed to resume the Gabapentin every 12 hours, and he also received an prescription for 10 days of Amitriptyline, with the thought that perhaps the antidepressant (which I understand is also analgesic and anti-inflammatory) will help to get him over the hump so we can get into maintenance mode.
So we noticed as of Christmas Day that Moo suddenly wasn't using his litter box. By the evening, fearful of a blockage, I gave him a Prazosin and slept beside him - when I woke at 6:30 the towel he slept on was soaked with urine, which indicated no blockage. Still, he was withholding his urine during the day, and so yesterday morning we headed out to grab a new litter box and type of litter and, after some coaxing, he has started to use the box again. We've also been taking him outside for short stints so he can get some stimulation (he's cordoned off in the guest room with all the furniture literally covered in plastic), and during his time outside he's done a few small pees as well. That said, all his pees continue to be small and frequent, and he is still dribbling urine. He'll receive his fourth Amitriptyline at bed tonight - I think the antidepressant is now beginning to build in his system, as he seems more spaced out than usual (which makes my heart heavy, as it's difficult to see him in that state, in spite of knowing it will benefit him ultimately).
In terms of other modifications, we switched Moo to an all-wet Royal Canin Urinary S/O diet within days after the first blockage, and as of yesterday, are mixing raw food into his canned food in order to transition him to a raw diet (something we've had great success with with our dog and, in my reading, is said to help tremendously with urinary issues in cats).
To his food, we add a urinary care tonic for pets (contains juniper, parsley root, uva ursi leaf, marshmallow root, lobelia, ginger root, goldenseal root and couchgrass), 1/4 teaspoon glucosamine (I understand it helps to rebuild the bladder lining), Pet Rescue Remedy, and a 1/4 D-Mannose powder (though I've stopped it now, due to the absence of bacteria in his culture).
We've also added a Feliway diffuser to his room, bought him a new bed for comfort and are diligent about scooping his box as soon as he pees and changing out the towels and bedding he sleeps on daily (due to the dribbling).
Apologies for the length here, but this has been a long and exhausting process - just as we think we've made progress, it feels like we take three steps back. I understand that dealing with the symptoms of FIC are complex, and that it's not an overnight solution. I suppose the most difficult part is that he showed no visible signs prior to that first episode of constipation. With being such a relaxed boy right from the get-go, the diagnosis of stress is just so mystifying. Our thoughts are that he's either suffering the memory of some kind of trauma we're not aware of from his former life, or that the trauma of being at the vet those five days, and in and out regularly since, has caused, as the vet suggested, a kind of psychological pain loop that's making him fearful of urinating again...in which case, patience is our only avenue.
It troubles us to have to have him shut in his own room, but it became the most logical option due to the damage to the home (and my slow unravelling cleaning up urine every waking moment) - though we do spend as much time in the room with him as possible (I even do healing energy and crystal work on him a couple times a day). I'm also thinking I may pick him up some hemp oil tomorrow to help with the anxiety, although from what I've read so far, the results are varied.
I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice to weigh in here (in addition to all the valuable reading I've been doing on the site already), or has any recommendations we may have overlooked as we lay the foundation for his healing?
I really am appreciative of any insight or suggestions, and also appreciate you taking the time to read our long-winded account. Thanks kindly in advance!
We adopted our neutered, two-year old male tuxedo, Moo, from a local rescue organization late August, and he has been a great fit for our family straight off the bat - he gets along great with our 10 year-old pup, and always seems super relaxed. In fact, we've constantly marvelled over how chill he is!
Since bringing him home, we fed him canned wet food twice daily, and he also grazed on a high-quality grain-free dry formula between feedings.
At the end of last month, my husband was home alone with the cat and noticed he was acting lethargic and drooling, so took him into the after-hours emergency vet. They determined after an X-ray that Moo was extremely constipated and performed an enema. I brought Moo back to the same doctor the next evening and noted I hadn't seen him pass any urine all day - the vet noted his bladder was full and, after being unable to manually express any urine, we opted for a catheter to drain him.
So began what's since been a month-long journey so far. The urinalysis showed Moo had amorphous crystals in his urine, and so we switched immediately to Hills urinary care dry food, and brought him home. He had an appointment with our regular vet in two days for his booster shot, so we planned to monitor him between and have them check his urinary health during that appointment.
Those next two days were an awful stretch of Moo straining to urinate and producing very small amounts in spite of visiting his litter box frequently. We were up with him both nights between trips to the litter box and him constantly licking his genitals, though we'd been advised by the on-call vet that as long as he was producing some urine, he'd be okay to wait until his appointment to be evaluated.
So, two days later we brought him to our regular vet, and they noted his bladder was full and recommended another catheterization, which we agreed to. The vet followed up with us later that day to advise they wanted to keep the catheter in a few days to continue running fluids through him and mitigate the chance of another blockage. Unfortunately, they forgot to cone him that night, and he ripped the catheter out himself after hours. They re-catheterized him the next morning, and he stayed at the vet with it in for two more days. It was removed the morning of the third day so they could monitor him that afternoon and ensure he was producing urine.
We picked him up that evening - he was prescribed Onsior (NSAID for inflammation), 2x daily Gabapentin for pain, a 14-day run of antibiotics (as he'd developed a UTI as a result of the catheterization, which we were advised is common in males), and Prazosin to help relax the urethra.
From there, it's been an especially slow process. I believe it was a week or so when we returned to the vet and let them know that Moo was still only having small, frequent pees, and was also incontinent (leaving non-stop pee drips and occasional puddles), but that he was otherwise behaving normally (his appetite and play mode are totally back to normal). They did an ultrasound and an exam, said he no longer appeared in pain, and that there were no concerns with his bladder or urethra. We were told we could stop the Prazosin and Gabapentin, and that the incontinence would probably resolve itself once the Prazosin worked its way out of his system.
Carrying on from there, Moo has continued to have just small pees and regular incontinence - I can actually see the urine dribbling from his penis. His cone remains on because he's constantly trying to lick his genitals. We returned to the vet on December 21, and they reported his ultrasound and urine specific gravity were normal, but they wanted to run a culture because they suspected his symptoms were the result of a UTI. In the meantime, he received another week of Onsior for inflammation (he received his last dose tonight).
Back to the vet on Christmas Eve, and we were advised there's no bacteria in Moo's culture, and that in fact he appears to have Feline Idiopathic Cystitis - no obvious cause for his difficulties. We were directed to resume the Gabapentin every 12 hours, and he also received an prescription for 10 days of Amitriptyline, with the thought that perhaps the antidepressant (which I understand is also analgesic and anti-inflammatory) will help to get him over the hump so we can get into maintenance mode.
So we noticed as of Christmas Day that Moo suddenly wasn't using his litter box. By the evening, fearful of a blockage, I gave him a Prazosin and slept beside him - when I woke at 6:30 the towel he slept on was soaked with urine, which indicated no blockage. Still, he was withholding his urine during the day, and so yesterday morning we headed out to grab a new litter box and type of litter and, after some coaxing, he has started to use the box again. We've also been taking him outside for short stints so he can get some stimulation (he's cordoned off in the guest room with all the furniture literally covered in plastic), and during his time outside he's done a few small pees as well. That said, all his pees continue to be small and frequent, and he is still dribbling urine. He'll receive his fourth Amitriptyline at bed tonight - I think the antidepressant is now beginning to build in his system, as he seems more spaced out than usual (which makes my heart heavy, as it's difficult to see him in that state, in spite of knowing it will benefit him ultimately).
In terms of other modifications, we switched Moo to an all-wet Royal Canin Urinary S/O diet within days after the first blockage, and as of yesterday, are mixing raw food into his canned food in order to transition him to a raw diet (something we've had great success with with our dog and, in my reading, is said to help tremendously with urinary issues in cats).
To his food, we add a urinary care tonic for pets (contains juniper, parsley root, uva ursi leaf, marshmallow root, lobelia, ginger root, goldenseal root and couchgrass), 1/4 teaspoon glucosamine (I understand it helps to rebuild the bladder lining), Pet Rescue Remedy, and a 1/4 D-Mannose powder (though I've stopped it now, due to the absence of bacteria in his culture).
We've also added a Feliway diffuser to his room, bought him a new bed for comfort and are diligent about scooping his box as soon as he pees and changing out the towels and bedding he sleeps on daily (due to the dribbling).
Apologies for the length here, but this has been a long and exhausting process - just as we think we've made progress, it feels like we take three steps back. I understand that dealing with the symptoms of FIC are complex, and that it's not an overnight solution. I suppose the most difficult part is that he showed no visible signs prior to that first episode of constipation. With being such a relaxed boy right from the get-go, the diagnosis of stress is just so mystifying. Our thoughts are that he's either suffering the memory of some kind of trauma we're not aware of from his former life, or that the trauma of being at the vet those five days, and in and out regularly since, has caused, as the vet suggested, a kind of psychological pain loop that's making him fearful of urinating again...in which case, patience is our only avenue.
It troubles us to have to have him shut in his own room, but it became the most logical option due to the damage to the home (and my slow unravelling cleaning up urine every waking moment) - though we do spend as much time in the room with him as possible (I even do healing energy and crystal work on him a couple times a day). I'm also thinking I may pick him up some hemp oil tomorrow to help with the anxiety, although from what I've read so far, the results are varied.
I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice to weigh in here (in addition to all the valuable reading I've been doing on the site already), or has any recommendations we may have overlooked as we lay the foundation for his healing?
I really am appreciative of any insight or suggestions, and also appreciate you taking the time to read our long-winded account. Thanks kindly in advance!
