Calico cat going through a rough patch

smichelle88

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Hello everyone -
I usually come to this website when I’m at a loss. I take care of four cats total. Two live with my dad and I make sure they have enough food, litter and up to date with their immunizations and physical. The other two are brother and sister and live with my boyfriend and myself. My issue is currently with my calico cat, Jyn. It started this past weekend. She was fine Saturday but towards the evening she didn’t eat dinner and resorted to just dry food. (I give them wet food during the day and a small amount of dry food to hold them over at night). Sunday she ate nothing for most of the day. I became concern when she didn’t even want the dry food or treats. She would smell the food and lick her lips. She used the bathroom fine. Her energy level was lower than normal but she regained it after she pooped which wasn’t her dark brown normal color but tanner. We assumed she might’ve ate something bad and was having stomach issues. We gave ourselves a timeframe: if she didn’t eat or pee by night fall we would take her to the ER. (The vet I go to is closed on Sunday’s) Luckily she pee’d (although it was a small amount) and she ate some wet food that night. This morning she ate breakfast fine but when she went to the bathroom she strained to poop (smallest little pebble ever but it wasn’t tan anymore) and she attempted to pee but nothing. I’ve had experience with a clogged cat before so I called the vet to discuss her signs and symptoms and they recommended I drop her off for a urinalysis and X-ray. The X-ray wasn’t done because they stated her physical exam was generally unremarkable. She had no tenderness everywhere, they couldn’t feel any poop in her large colon and were going to do an ultrasound guided centesis to get urine. Her UA came back negative but they said we could send for a urine culture to confirm it isn’t a UTI. And they weren’t concerned for any stones or crystals and said her kidneys and bladder looked fine. The plan was to monitor her and give her some gabapentin for stress? Stress might be causing her to strain in the litter box? Only thing that has changed recently is I started my job and it’s remote but I lock myself in a room and don’t allow her in because I have to place calls and she can become extremely needy and super vocal when I’m not paying attention to her. I don’t mind giving her the attention she wants as she is my baby and cuddle buddy but I don’t want to talk to patients while having a super loud cat in the background lol.
she was brought back home where she pee’d a good amount and devoured her food so I was hoping she was feeling better. She slept after but now I’m noticing she keeps going to the littler box to pee but pees a very tiny amount and goes back to the litter box a few min later. She gave up after a third attempt and is sleeping next to me but I’m just so worried for her. I haven’t given her the gabapentin. I tried giving it to her for dinner but she didn’t finish her food where I placed the pill like the vet told me to. I wasn’t going to force feed her since she ate a good amount when she came home and she’s been through enough. Should I be concerned that she keeps straining to pee even though the vet said they can’t find anything? That’s my huge concern. I know a blocked cat can be fatal and she’s barely 1 year old I couldn’t fathom the idea.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
(I attached a picture just to show her off because she is gorgeous and I love her to bits)
 

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smichelle88

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Hi!
Do you have a different vet you could talk to?
Honestly? No. I’ve gone to the same vet since I got my second cat back in 2014. I’ve never had issues with them and they’ve always been supportive and helpful. The only difference is today the vet was not the usual one I request since it wasn’t scheduled.
 
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smichelle88

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I’ll call the vet again tomorrow for more input
 

fionasmom

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Short answer, yes. The straining is not normal and she is still in discomfort. She is a beautiful little girl and needs a second opinion.
 
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smichelle88

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So I did call the vet today and spoke to the usual vet that I go to. He told me because her urinalysis was completely normal and there were no signs of blockage, crystals or stones, as long as she’s eating and takes the gabapentin he wants to wait for the urine culture to make sure it is 100% not a UTI. If it’s not a UTI then I can bring her in for further work up - X-ray and blood work and if that comes out normal then ER for ultrasound of her abdomen to make sure the X-ray didn’t miss anything. He told me to give her another day and if she’s not progressing then bring her in. He says it might be interstitial cystitis if everything comes back normal and reducing stress and giving medications for it will help alleviate her discomfort until the inflammation decreases. :(
 
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smichelle88

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Thank you! I will take all the positive energy and vibes I can get for my poor girl.
 

verna davies

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Have a look at cornsilk. It is a natural product. It's a diuretic, helps the urinary tract and aids inflammation. I give it to one of mine who has stress related cystitis when he has a flare.
 
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