Cat fic again

[candie]

My cat has feline idiopathic cystitis.
What should I do to prevent this. 3rd time this year. My vet suggests the cat food , but she lacks drinking water and stubborn.

Do I need to buy prescription food after all ? . How can I encourage water intake? She hates fountain and adding water to her wet food she just ends up licking it. I tried broth and she is displeased.

I hate this and I'm frustrated
Are there budget friendly cat food for uti prevention?

 

[Furballsmom]

How can I encourage water intake?

HI, maybe there's something here - my angle kitty Poppy loved the baby food soup

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles

Feline Idiopathic Cystitis – How To Improve Your Cat’s Quality Of Life – TheCatSite Articles

Are there budget friendly cat food for uti prevention?

I'm not completely sure what all is involved from a physiological perspective, but would any of the Weruva varieties be acceptable to her?

Weruva | Because We Luvya

 

[candie]

Which food helps with Urinary care on that site?

 

[FeebysOwner]

What are her symptoms? Infections, inflammation, stones/crystals/blood in her urine/etc? You did mention UTIs, so are you saying she has had bacteria in her urine that warranted antibiotics? Did they do a urine culture on the bacteria to see exactly what kind? The article above, provided by Furballsmom explains FIC, so that may help you.

But things like anti-inflammatories might be helpful if that is part of her problem, which can be common in FIC cats. Bladder health supplements might be helpful as well - pure D-Mannose is known to help remove bacteria from the bladder and reduce build up that can lead to infections, and many on this site use it for overall bladder health. I know others on this site use cornsilk as well, but I am not as familiar with that, but also a bladder health supplement.

 

[LTS3]

Canned food has a high moisture content as is so you don't need to add additional water. Many people do but if the cat doesn't like to eat canned food with extra water, then don't add the water or other liquid.

Any canned food will provide necessary moisture to keep the urinary system working optimally. It doesn't need to be urinary specific or prescription.

Cystitis is inflammation of the urinary tract. No bacteria is involved. Stress seems to be the main cause of the inflammation. Some cats are super sensitive to their environment and any little change can be enough to cause enough stress and a cystitis episode.

 

[candie]

Well in a cat group and they think it's sign of kidney disease. But I won't know result until Thursday I think

 

[FeebysOwner]

In addition to my comments/questions in my post above (#4), but in direct response to your last post, Feeby has kidney disease and has never had 'cystitis' per se. She has had UTIs, all related to bacteria growth, mostly from e-coli. She also had oxalate stones at an early age (5yo) for which she had to have removal via surgery - no recurrence. She does not present with inflammation or any of the other symptoms of cystitis, but she does have kidney disease. Not saying that cystitis can't lead to kidney disease, just saying I don't necessarily think it is an absolute precursor.

 

[candie]

I hope not because I don't know what to feed her . And if this happens frequently then that means antibiotics every 3 months. This seems to be a 3 months. She's getting old it seems

 

[FeebysOwner]

Look into the suggestions above & read the articles, the more you know the better you can try to help. It doesn't have to mean antibiotics every 3 months, if you find and apply/try some of the advice you've been given to see if that can make a positive change for her. It certainly cannot hurt to see if they might make a difference.

It isn't all about the food, that seems to be an easy solution that rarely works, especially if there are no stones/crystals involved. Try adding a splash of tuna water from canned tuna to her water dish, some folks have success with getting their cats to drink more that way.

I don't know how old she is, but she probably is not all that old. (I have an 18+yo cat, just to let you know where my head is at.)

 

[candie]

OK I'll try, I probably ask for something for stress to see if stress is issue as well. She's 15 and 4 months to 16

 

[Furballsmom]

Which food helps with Urinary care on that site?

Given all the comments above, you don't need the Weruva WX (no prescription needed, ultra low in phosphorus) but any of their other varieties could be good.

 

[candie]

Well decided to see if she will eat Urinary care pro plan. So she eating it. Hope she gets to feeling better. Wish her meds work fast . Hate seeing her in pain

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[candie]

She's finally stop straining and resting. I got her to eating her Urinary care cat food. Gave her d mannose twice. Antibiotics. I'm hoping for good news for senior well blood check

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[catsknowme]

These articles are written for vet professionals and have a good list of considerations that may help you prepare for the upcoming veterinary appointment.
Nutrition and Behavior Therapy for Feline Idiopathic Cystitis

Moist Food, Environmental Enrichment Can Fight FIC In Your Cat Patients

An additional consideration is the water and delivery method. No water from plastic is a good rule but it's pretty much impossible to avoid if you are using bottled water. Filtered water by Zero water pitcher has worked well for my cats and me. Good fresh well water is ideal. Municipal water often has harsh chemicals that can be irritating to the kidneys and bladder; those chemicals will vary depending upon day-to-day possible contamination. This article lists good and less desirable brands of water.
PFAS in Bottled Water: What You Need to Know | Water Treatment
You can ask your vet about using herbs and supplements as well. D-mannose is becoming more popular with human urologists and the probiotic S.Boulardii is sometimes mentioned for bowel and bladder systems. Cornsilk, as mentioned earlier, might help with irritation itself. Other herbs popular for symptom relief include: marshmallow root (my personal favorite) ; slippery elm bark; red raspberry leaf. Marshmallow root, slippery elm bark and any probiotics should be separated by 2-4 hours from conventional medications so each can deliver optimum effects. Cornsilk needs to be organic - corn is one of the most "chemicalized" crops; if you or your kin grow corn in the garden, you can keep the silk and prepare a tea or it it fresh. You can dry it in a brown paper bag in a cool, dark place like a closet. Barks and roots are simmered, covered, instead of steeped; all the herbs can be powdered and sprinkled on food but teas & decoctions seem to bring fastest relief during flare-up. American Botanical Society offers free information online:
Marshmallow - American Botanical Council
Please keep us updated! Each situation is different and I am always eager to see what others have tried and what works!

 

[Alldara]

Hi candie

I have a 16 year old cat whose had FLUTD (now called FIC) for most of his life. His blood work is good and he doesn't have kidney disease.


Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) | International Cat Care

the VCA recommends these treatments: Feline Idiopathic Cystitis

Here are some questions for us to help you figure this out:
1) what litter are you using?
2) how many cats in the home and how many boxes?
3) what does she do all day? What's her favourite thing to do?
4) how is her mobility? Does she have arthritis? Is she on any pain medication?
5) if the litter box has high sides, or a top, can you provide one with low sides?

 

[candie]

Well the litter box is low . No idea if she has arthritis because I see her jump on the bed when I have steps for her. Is jug water OK?
I give her d mannose . I don't know if things are stressful because it's quiet and she relax all day. I gave her tons of scratches too

 

[candie]

I may have to buy rx good after all. But is dry ok if I mix in her food? If I feed her dry and a cheap wet food can that do well? How much should I give to make it work

 

[Furballsmom]

What kind of jug water is it? Its not distilled, is it?

I feed her dry and a cheap wet food can that do well?

This could work