Approaches To Urine Marking - How Long Does It Take?

[ma.cro430]

Hi, newbie here. I've been doing a lot of research lately about reasons for urine marking/spraying. I am nearly at my wit's end already with my little one. I have not seen any improvement with her daily Gabapentin and Dasaquin. This week I have pulled out all the stops, but I have yet to see any vast improvement with these approaches either. Or maybe I am being impatient because this has been going on for the last month to no avail.

I have a spayed FELV+ female cat -- Thalia -- that's 8 months old. I recently posted another thread trying to figure out her FLUTD issues that have been occurring for the past month and between my vet and I we think it's a cross between boredom, loneliness, and possibly territorial and the combination is stressing her out causing her cystitis, as well as her pacing and whining. She does live with another spayed female -- Venus -- (3 years old, NOT FELV+; has continued to test negative and has been routinely vaccinated and boostered since she was very young so vet gave the okay to co-habit) and a dog -- Sadie -- whom she plays with both at least once every day, but not very often. Whenever Thalia tries to play with Venus, she's often countered with a hiss and a growl and then Venus walks away. If Thalia tries to pursue again, Venus will growl and run away, or give her a swat (no claws out) with her paw. When Venus DOES play with her when she feels like it, everything goes well and they're happy. These play sessions don't typically last longer than 10 - 20 minutes though. Same goes for the dog. My fiance and I are gone out of the house several days a week for hours at a time due to work, and school on my part, so they are all left alone at the house for the most part.

So far I've done the following:
- Changed feeding locations - they were both eating and drinking in the same spare bathroom; now Thalia has her dishes in the office, along with the other litterbox. Have seen some change in attitude in both of them.
- Reduced dry food consumption and increased wet food - has worked for hydration but has not improved cystitis
- Bought a fountain to increase water consumption - also has worked for hydration but has not improved cystitis
- Increasing playtime, which also involves distracting her every time I catch her about to spray
- Closed off all window curtains after suspecting male stray coming around the house and spraying - not sure if this has really worked
- Cleaned the entire house with an enzyme cleaner today - have seen improvement already
- Laid down strips of clear carpet runner teeth-side up on her "spray spots" - has not worked
- Frequent litter box cleaning and weekly changing of litter - no improvement
- Started spraying Feliway in common areas - Slight improvement

She is also on Dasaquin and Gabapentin for her cystitis and has been so for the past week. I have not seen any improvement whatsoever on either of these medications. She still acts like she's in pain sometimes from marking and straining to urinate so much, as she lays her ears back when in the litter box or marking. I had one great day with her earlier this week. She was back to her self 100% with no marking whatsoever, and how or why that happened I have no idea. (Note, I was home all day for the first time in a week.)

Is there anything else at all I could be doing for her? The vet mentioned one last resort and that was possibly putting her on Prozac for anxiety. Is all her marking due to anxiety too? She's not a shy, timid kitty by any means.

 

[duckpond]

Im sorry you and your kittens are having this problem. I don't know what the answer is, but anxiety can cause all kinds of problems with people, im guessing with cats too. If she is alone a lot that could cause stress, and if she is in pain that could also cause stress and anxiety.

Sounds like you are doing a lot to help! If giving her her own spot to eat helped maybe you can do more along that line? More of her own toys, tree stand, bed, another litter box or two? I know i have read some articles about how cats can stress over resources. And to a cat all of these things are resources, they need to feel that some things are "theirs"

I have never had a cat on prozac, but i think it helps some cats. If none of the other things you are doing make a big difference the prozac might. I know some people that it has made their lives so much better. Also if she seems in pain maybe the vet can prescribe some pain meds first? I think many tend to underestimate the stress and anxiety pain can have on cats. Cats are so good at hiding pain that maybe we do not treat their pain as aggressively as we should?

Wishing you guys the best of luck.

 

[lalagimp]

Trixsyn - Canine Hyaluronic Acid Joint Supplement is the supplement that Dr Pierson said I could try introducing to Tom for his bladder walls, but I haven't done it yet. We ended up having the surgery to reroute his urethra so it's wider and will let debris pass. He did have a very bad spraying issue he picked up from our other semi-feral male. We tried feliway, extra litter boxes, scccat cans of compressed air with motion sensor, scat mats with a static tick if they are stepped on, blacking out the lower half of the windows, motion detecting sprayer heads outside on the garden hose, calming collars, bach's rescue remedy pet treatment, and even had the other male on Hills C/D for a month. We'd always used water fountains and the boys ate on separate sides of the room on a feeding schedule.
It just wouldn't shake. So we got their urine checked and blood done and all way clean and healthy.
We moved forward with the prozac at .25 mg per day
Some people don't see this result, but wow did we. Within 36 hours it was markedly improved. Unmarked, mainly.
If we have the windows open too long the other male will still get the urge to spray, but the drug makes it much more difficult. We politely ask him to stop and do something else, and then we go around the house and close the windows back up. Tom was on this drug from about aug 2016 until Dec 2017 and he's been okay since. He sprayed once in the bathroom right next to me because he was panicking about his next meal, but that's our story.

 

[kristenann]

We suspect one of my kids has FLUTD as he has periodic episodes of urinary incontinence and straining. Most of the things that have helped have been related to decreasing stress which I also found confusing as he is super confident. I'm not sure which of These has been most effective because I did everything at once as I was desperate. These are some of the things that have helped us:

- he eats regular wet food with added water and gets 1 shot glass full of Royal Canin prescription calm dry food daily

- every cat is wearing a sentry cat calming collar (bonus they smell amazing)

-feliway diffusers (I read they are more effective than spray for urinary issues)

-zylkene natural calming powder which I found cheapest on Amazon. I would recommend buying the 225mg tablets and splitting them in 1/2 for each cat. I know you said only 1 cat has urinary issues but if 1 cat is stressed they probably both are.

I don't see anything wrong with giving prozac a shot for your kid either. If it makes them feel better than why not?

Hang in there! Urinary issues are super challenging. Your kitty is lucky to have you

 

[ma.cro430]

I know some people that it has made their lives so much better. Also if she seems in pain maybe the vet can prescribe some pain meds first? I think many tend to underestimate the stress and anxiety pain can have on cats. Cats are so good at hiding pain that maybe we do not treat their pain as aggressively as we should?

She is on gabapentin for pain, but I wonder if it's as good as maybe some other pain meds that could be offered? I follow up with my vet tomorrow so I will see what she thinks.

 

[ma.cro430]

Trixsyn - Canine Hyaluronic Acid Joint Supplement is the supplement that Dr Pierson said I could try introducing to Tom for his bladder walls, but I haven't done it yet. We ended up having the surgery to reroute his urethra so it's wider and will let debris pass. He did have a very bad spraying issue he picked up from our other semi-feral male. We tried feliway, extra litter boxes, scccat cans of compressed air with motion sensor, scat mats with a static tick if they are stepped on, blacking out the lower half of the windows, motion detecting sprayer heads outside on the garden hose, calming collars, bach's rescue remedy pet treatment, and even had the other male on Hills C/D for a month. We'd always used water fountains and the boys ate on separate sides of the room on a feeding schedule.
It just wouldn't shake. So we got their urine checked and blood done and all way clean and healthy.

Wow, I have never heard of the compressed air or the scat mats. And rerouting a urethra? That's a lot! I'm sorry none of those options worked for you, but I'm glad you finally found a solution!

The hyaluronic acid sounds very similar to the Dasaquin she's taking now, which is glucosamine sulfate. Vet prescribed it to help with all the bladder inflammation, but like I said I feel like it's not working. She's been on it for 9 days now. Maybe I'm just impatient?

We moved forward with the prozac at .25 mg per day
Some people don't see this result, but wow did we. Within 36 hours it was markedly improved. Unmarked, mainly.
If we have the windows open too long the other male will still get the urge to spray, but the drug makes it much more difficult. We politely ask him to stop and do something else, and then we go around the house and close the windows back up. Tom was on this drug from about aug 2016 until Dec 2017 and he's been okay since. He sprayed once in the bathroom right next to me because he was panicking about his next meal, but that's our story.

So glad to hear this! I'm wondering if we might end up taking this route. Is it an expensive medication? Does your cat take it daily?

 

[ma.cro430]

We suspect one of my kids has FLUTD as he has periodic episodes of urinary incontinence and straining. Most of the things that have helped have been related to decreasing stress which I also found confusing as he is super confident.

This is why I'm finding it so difficult to figure out if she's really an anxious little girl because she's also very confident. She loves people, and she's now a talker since spending time with Venus who is very vocal. When I first took in Thalia, she was so quiet and couldn't even meow even though she'd try. (She was separated from mom at 5 weeks. I'm suspecting since she was sick with URI and other issues along with the FELV+, mom was giving up on her) Now she's got her squeaks and chirps and loves to talk.

(quote)I'm not sure which of These has been most effective because I did everything at once as I was desperate. These are some of the things that have helped us:

- he eats regular wet food with added water and gets 1 shot glass full of Royal Canin prescription calm dry food daily

- every cat is wearing a sentry cat calming collar (bonus they smell amazing)

-feliway diffusers (I read they are more effective than spray for urinary issues)

-zylkene natural calming powder which I found cheapest on Amazon. I would recommend buying the 225mg tablets and splitting them in 1/2 for each cat. I know you said only 1 cat has urinary issues but if 1 cat is stressed they probably both are.

I don't see anything wrong with giving prozac a shot for your kid either. If it makes them feel better than why not?

Hang in there! Urinary issues are super challenging. Your kitty is lucky to have you [/QUOTE]
I haven't thought about calming collars. I could look into that too. I started using a Feliway diffuser today. It's been 3 hours since being plugged in and so far she's only tried to spray twice, so I think it might be working? I have heard good things about Zylkene, I've thought about that too but I'm going to wait until I follow up with my vet and see if she wants to try Prozac. Both of my cats are stressed now. Since yesterday, Venus has thrown up a little bit of food and phlegm 4 times. She only throws up when she's stressed. I did buy some Calm Down Cat Relief herbal solution I found at Petsmart, but I have yet to try it. I think I might give them both some once they're up from their naps.

 

[lalagimp]

So glad to hear this! I'm wondering if we might end up taking this route. Is it an expensive medication? Does your cat take it daily?

Generic Prozac runs about $11 in the states. 10 mg pills you quarter, so you're not buying 30 tabs. I think Tom's was quantity 10.

 

[Brian007]

Gabapentin is also prescribed for anxiety, as well as pain.

I'd definitely try Zylkene for anxiety. It contains the same amino acid, casein, that is found in mother's milk, and is very soothing. As mentioned, you can buy it in the large dog capsules and split the powder. I think it's given at a dose of 15mg per kg of cat.

L-Tryptophan is also something I'd look into. It's another amino acid used in both anxiety and cystitis caused by anxiety. It is the main ingredient in many cat-calming preparations, including Cystease, which is made by the Feliway company. Are you in the US? Amazon is probably your best place to hunt some down.

Both casein and L-Tryptophan are ingredients in Royal Canin veterinary diet 'Calm' cat food, which comes in both wet and dry. I recommend it.

Has anything happened this past month, like bad weather, or some other environmental disruption? Cats are very sensitive to change.

I strongly recommend you 'trap, neuter, and release' (TNR) any stray cats in your area. They could most certainly be the main culprit in anxiety/cystitis. You could enquire with a local rescue charity about it.

Try spraying vinegar (I recommend apple cider vinegar) on the areas after you've cleaned with an enzyme cleaner, as it kills spray-marking causing bacteria and neutralises smells. Cleaning with the enzyme cleaner is not enough in itself, and so both cleaning agents used together are advised.

Do you have cat trees, cat shelves, or access to tops of cupboards with soft bedding? They would be helpful to create individual cat territories.

Valerian is a very powerful herb that may help with both pain and anxiety. It's also found in many cat-calming preparations or can be bought in tea-bags or as dried root.

Did you formally introduce your two cats when you first got Thalia? Maybe look into reintroducing them. And if you're away from home a lot, perhaps consider separating everyone into their own territories when you're out.

Make sure the litter trays are as far away as possible from their food and water stations. And try to put distance between the water and food. Cats are fussy wee mites and prefer everything is done separately.

There's more I wanted to say, but my mind's just gone blank, so I'm going to step away from the computer and hope it returns...

 

[ma.cro430]

Gabapentin is also prescribed for anxiety, as well as pain.

I'd definitely try Zylkene for anxiety. It contains the same amino acid, casein, that is found in mother's milk, and is very soothing. As mentioned, you can buy it in the large dog capsules and split the powder. I think it's given at a dose of 15mg per kg of cat.

L-Tryptophan is also something I'd look into. It's another amino acid used in both anxiety and cystitis caused by anxiety. It is the main ingredient in many cat-calming preparations, including Cystease, which is made by the Feliway company. Are you in the US? Amazon is probably your best place to hunt some down.

Both casein and L-Tryptophan are ingredients in Royal Canin veterinary diet 'Calm' cat food, which comes in both wet and dry. I recommend it.

Has anything happened this past month, like bad weather, or some other environmental disruption? Cats are very sensitive to change.

I strongly recommend you 'trap, neuter, and release' (TNR) any stray cats in your area. They could most certainly be the main culprit in anxiety/cystitis. You could enquire with a local rescue charity about it.

Try spraying vinegar (I recommend apple cider vinegar) on the areas after you've cleaned with an enzyme cleaner, as it kills spray-marking causing bacteria and neutralises smells. Cleaning with the enzyme cleaner is not enough in itself, and so both cleaning agents used together are advised.

Do you have cat trees, cat shelves, or access to tops of cupboards with soft bedding? They would be helpful to create individual cat territories.

Valerian is a very powerful herb that may help with both pain and anxiety. It's also found in many cat-calming preparations or can be bought in tea-bags or as dried root.

Did you formally introduce your two cats when you first got Thalia? Maybe look into reintroducing them. And if you're away from home a lot, perhaps consider separating everyone into their own territories when you're out.

Make sure the litter trays are as far away as possible from their food and water stations. And try to put distance between the water and food. Cats are fussy wee mites and prefer everything is done separately.

There's more I wanted to say, but my mind's just gone blank, so I'm going to step away from the computer and hope it returns...

Great suggestions, thank you! I most likely won't switch her to a different hard food, as Venus has a chicken allergy and they both love to munch out of each other's dry food dishes. One major change we've had is replacing the floors in the house. We had wall-to-wall carpet in pretty much all rooms of the house except for the kitchen, entryway, and the 2 bathrooms. In the past 2 months we replaced the spare bedroom, the office, and our bedroom with vinyl flooring and I'm thinking that may be one of the sources of her stress. She didn't start off marking right away though, not until a month after flooring was replaced. And all the places she's marking are in the living and dining room which still have the carpeting that we are planning on replacing eventually. She hasn't marked on the new floor, but instead has been trying to mark on our bed, as well as our bathroom sink. Because of that we have her blocked off from the bedroom and our bathroom. She still has access to the other bathroom (where Venus' dishes are as well as the one litterbox), and yesterday while I was gone I came home and noticed she had sprayed that sink multiple times and even the toilet lid.

As for introductions, it was a little difficult with these two. Thalia was brought home when she was 5 weeks old. She and Venus spent only 3 days together at first, for only a few hours each day. Thalia was placed in the spare bedroom when she wasn't out and about. After her first vet appt and testing positive for FELV so young, she lived by herself in the spare bedroom for 5 months. I socialized with her for a few hours every single day, feeding her, medicating her as she also had a URI, eye infection, and worms when I took her in, playing, etc. Days when I was home all day she obviously got more attention too. As she got a little older, I would shut Venus in a bedroom and let Thalia out for around an hour just to check out the rest of the house, while also restricting access to Venus' dishes and litterbox. After her second positive testing, and getting spayed, in December, the vet gave me the okay for Venus and her to cohabit since Venus was healthy, all up to date on vaccines, and continued to test negative for FELV with testing. I spent the first two weeks (beginning of December) letting Thalia out of her room for only a couple hours a day, gradually increasing time as I felt she got more comfortable. They took to each other rather quickly, loved to play and sometimes sleep together and bathe each other. They were fully cohabiting by the end of December.

This past month though they've been a little different too, attitude-wise. Venus has her moments where she doesn't want to play and tells her about it. They both love to switch food dishes too, which is another reason why I separated their eating stations. I sometimes have to shut both of them in their respectful rooms just so they focus on eating their own food and not trying to go for each other's. Sometimes when I do this Thalia will whine incessantly after finishing her food as if being shut in a room is pure torture. Thalia also has certain sleeping spots and doesn't always like it when Venus decides to also sleep in them.

Does all this sound like a good chance for reintroduction? I'm just afraid if I try to separate her again, she'll get even more stressed out.

 

[ma.cro430]

I forgot to note, as far as their bathing and sleeping together goes, it was very occasional, maybe once every one or two weeks, if that? From the start they weren't exactly best friends, but they definitely were friendly although wary of each other. Not sure if that detail helps also.

Thalia's FELV continues to be in good check and aside from this cystitis/behavioral issue, she is very healthy. To also note, she was only tested by in-house testing. I think that's only SNAP testing?

 

[ma.cro430]

Another question, sorry. I'm trying to do as much research as I can about this and am very tempted to go to another vet for maybe a second opinion on this whole matter. She's doing a little bit of crouching so far today. Every day this week she has continued to have bloody urine with each of her markings. Only at the end of last week did her bloody urine clear up entirely, and of course she had a great day on Tuesday. Is it possible she still has an infection despite TWO urine cultures growing nothing at all?? My vet ruled it out because of these results, although she initially diagnosed her with bacterial cystitis after a urinalysis, but with all the blood I'm thinking otherwise...? I'm just so confused and worried and frustrated!

 

[Brian007]

I'd take her to another vet; it can't hurt. Ask for her records to be emailed from your existing vet to your new vet before you go, so that they have time to get up to speed and have access to all her results and stuff on their computer screen. I took my cat, Parker, to see 5 different vets in 3 separate practices when he was small just to get a diagnosis and treatment for an extremely troublesome tapeworm.

Blood in her urine doesn't sound good but it sounds like she's peeing up a storm, so it's hardly surprising. I suspect the cystitis is to blame and it needs more treatment. But regardless, it need checking out.

Ahhh, the floors! I think we may be onto the trigger for her behavioural problems. Stress and resultant cystitis takes several weeks after the event to manifest in cats, so the timeline is spot on. Hopefully she settle down after all the flooring commotion has been and gone but that doesn't help for the time-being. Spraying vinegar onto her pee sites after thoroughly cleaning with an enzyme cleaner will help to break the cycle of attraction.

It would appear that they were introduced successfully, and that they're just the types to tolerate each other rather than be bosom buddies. It could be worse, and I'd take that as a win if it were me. Be aware that cats can easily 'forget' each other when they have been separated for trips to the vet etc and so may need some scent exchanging help when they're reunited.

All her being shut in a room and the absences of company will definitely be affecting her mental well-being, and causing her stress. It sounds as though you're fairly fraught with it all and are trying your best but maybe you could look into getting a cat-sitter (a friend with time on their hands who likes cats would be a good idea) to hang around your house when you're not home, so that everyone can roam free and have company.

Feeding two cats two separate foods is tricky but highly doable. My cat, Dudley, has just started the RC 'Calm' dry cat food (which also comes in wet, by the way) in addition to having calming supplements sprinkled onto his wet food, and he and Parker eat side by side, without too much interference. Now, D & P are best mates and I'm a canny cat trainer; however, there's no reason why T & V couldn't learn to eat in the same room with supervision (and repetition & patience).

Sorry, you might have noticed I abbreviated everyone!

If you can find valerian, I recommend it. D gets tasty valerian treats and stinky spray when he's getting all het up into a tizz and they level him out marvellously, and calm is restored. Availability of stuff is different in the US, but I think it's in cat-calming collars at the least, and if you can find it in a 'spot-on' preparation (Beaphar) it would be more effective and nicer.

And, I know this sounds ridiculous given your current upheaval and state of affairs, but the more relaxed and stress-free you are, the more relaxed and stress-free your cats will be.

Oh, and did you mention V was puking up liquidy froth yesterday? She might have a hairball. It wouldn't surprise me if V were engaging in a wee spot of extra grooming as an aid to her own stress, which she's bound to be feeling too.

 

[ma.cro430]

I cannot thank everyone enough for their help here. I hate to be so annoying trying to look at every little thing in a desperate effort to piece all this together. But, when it comes to issues regarding anything in my life (not just my pets!) I'm always very restless seeking solutions and refuse to leave them unresolved. That may be a good thing or a bad thing.

I did call the emergency vet clinic this morning, seeking some suggestions. The person I talked to was very nice and took the time to listen to my dilemma. She, too, suggested I get another opinion elsewhere and gave me some recommendations. Given the fact she's had blood in the urine this long, despite no growth results on two cultures, the woman was certain she has an infection going on. So why in the world did my vet rule this out and had me headed down the path of behavioral? Or maybe it is still partly behavioral? Alas, tomorrow first thing in the morning I am going to seek help at another local clinic, this one 15 minutes away. I'm hoping I can get in soon out of fear that this infection may spread more if it hasn't already. Thankfully my regular vet has been good about sharing paperwork with me so I already have all of her medical history in a folder without having to ask them for it.

Before I embark on anything else new, I'm going to wait until this next vet appt. I'm definitely going to keep them in mind though!

So far today she's been good. Still straining to urinate in all her spots, still blood present, but she's very active (I think she's liking all this extra playtime!) and actually loving and cuddly for the first time again since Tuesday. And Venus has not thrown up at all today either.

 

[ma.cro430]

Update: Contacted new vet and should be getting an official appt date within the next day or so.

I started giving Thalia a UTI supplement on Saturday afternoon, separate from all of her other medications as I didn't want it to interfere with drug absorption or have any other interactions. I have read mixed reviews on cranberry, but I was pretty desperate on treating the suspected infection. I had done prior research on the other herbs and saw they were safe. I'm still being cautious only giving her half a capsule a day. I also increased her l-lysine to 1000mg from the usual 500mg. I think it must have made a difference because the rest of Sunday and all day yesterday were fantastic. She had no straining or marking, went to her litter box as regular, no excessive grooming, no whining in pain, and managed to sleep in the bedroom two nights without getting up running to the litter box. I was able to even take off the plastic off the couches and chairs.

This morning she reverted back to the same old pattern though, pacing, whining, and straining, with barely any urine coming out (she did have two previous little puddles though when I woke up, each about 1/2 tsp), what little drops that did was of course bloody. Since she's had her breakfast and her other medications (no UTI supplement), and a good round of "laser tag," the only running around she's been doing is to attack things like her mischievous self. She's working on giving herself a bath at the moment and curling up to take a nap. I've been trying to keep an eye on her belly for any distention, but I'm having a hard time telling whether she has a little bit of bloat or if she's just getting a little pudgy since I've been feeding her all this extra canned food, plus she's been sneaking some of Venus' dry.

 

[Brian007]

My two cats were looking trim before a few weeks ago when I upped their wet intake, so that I could give Dudley his calming supplement, and changed Dudley's dry food (not Parker's) to the RC Calm. Why any of this should have effected Parker's waistline, I don't know, but they're both looking decidedly rounder [and no, you two, it's not fluff, it's fat].

Ho hum.

I'm glad you have a new appointment and that Thalia had a couple of stress-free days.

 

[ma.cro430]

Yep, that's what I'm figuring is a little pudge. I've never seen her have a belly, but I suppose now's the time with all the wet she's getting. Not to mention she spent all day Monday snoozing all because Venus was snoozing.

Unfortunately I had to book a whole month out for Thalia. This is a very reputable vet and I'm glad I got in. I'm excited to make the switch as I believe this one I will be sticking with. In the meantime though I followed up with my former vet and she gave me a referral to a specialist to see next week. They said they'd only do an ultrasound, and it's going to run me around $400. I'm debating on sticking with the appointment because....

*drum roll*

We finally had lots of (healthy!) pee this morning!! The most pee I've seen in 2 weeks! Of course she's still trying to pee in her "comfort zones" where plastic is placed, and she did have a little bit of blood in the other itty bitty spot she did right outside the box, but no where near as much as she has been having. Maybe this issue is finally clearing up with my treatment? We'll see!

 

[Brian007]

Peeeee! That's great news! I'm very pleased for you all.

 

[Timmer]

Don't be afraid to put your cat on prozac. I had mine on it and it worked. She didn't act doped up either, like I was afraid of. I had her on it for a year and that worked. She does still spray at certain times of the year. You gotta remember even if you keep the curtains closed, cats can smell each other. They know who is in the neighborhood. It sounds like with the blood, your cat has some issues going on. I hope you get them figured out with the new vet. Best of luck to you.

 

[ma.cro430]

Well, we kind of finally have some answers. After those two good days she had, she reverted right back to pacing and whining in pain. The only thing I've been connecting is her food. SO, I've been trialing her on homemade cooked food the last couple days - chicken and beef liver specifically - and she's been getting a little EVO 95% canned, just to help the transition. As part of this little trial, I took away ALL forms of fish, including her lysine supplement which had hydrolyzed fish in it too.

I'll be damned. Since taking out all the fish, she's nearly back to her normal self. I've read multiple times not to give cats with IC fish, but I kept reading other sources stating it had something to do with the calcium. Her issue is struvite crystals, not calcium. And she really wasn't getting much fish anyway, aside from what was in her lysine supplement. In the last 24 hours she has not paced or whined in pain and has only peed on plastic once. All other times she's using her litter box as normal. Still straining a little, but all that volume! Her pH is still high, but at an 8 now rather than 9.

I'm debating on going to the specialist tomorrow for her scheduled ultrasound. I'd like to be cautious of any stones, but yet I really do not want to spend the $400+, especially after my regular vet told me that they probably wouldn't find anything. So, should I go or just keep her fish free and testing her pH and see if she normalizes within the next couple weeks?