My cat (7 yr old female) has recently been getting in and out of the litter box constantly. Because of past urinary issues (a bladder stone and a uti) I immediately took her to the vet. The vet did an xray and found nothing wrong. She gave her an antibiotic and sent us home with some painkillers. She seemed fine for a few days but now she's doing it again. There are clumps in the litter box so she is successfully going but she's using it every half hour. And now I just caught her peeing outside the litter box, which she's never done before. For context, nothing has changed in the environment. I've been keeping the litter box clean. And otherwise, she's acting normally. Still has a ton of energy and wants to play constantly. She's also eating (canned prescription food) and drinking normally. Before I dish out another couple hundred to the vet, does anyone have any ideas of what's going on with her?
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Cat urinary issues
- Thread starter Prancu
- Start Date
Did the vet do a urine culture to determine if your cat has a UTI and if so, what kind of bacteria she has? I know that she was given an antibiotic, but there are different kinds of bacteria as well as antibiotic-resistant bacteria so it’s important to know.
Or…could there be other animals either inside or out that are causing her stress? Or are you experiencing stress yourself? I had a male cat that started to have issues when I was having trouble at work and a sick parent.
Or…could there be other animals either inside or out that are causing her stress? Or are you experiencing stress yourself? I had a male cat that started to have issues when I was having trouble at work and a sick parent.
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- #3
No, she managed to pee in the carrier on the 3 minute drive to the vet, so the vet said she couldn't do a urine culture.
She's the only animal here so that wouldn't be it. I have been sick lately, but otherwise no stress. And it started about a week before I got sick anyway.
She's the only animal here so that wouldn't be it. I have been sick lately, but otherwise no stress. And it started about a week before I got sick anyway.
Sometimes a vet can get lucky, based on their past experience, about prescribing an antibiotic to resolve a UTI, but even then, it is likely it should be given no less than 7 days, and ideally longer 10 - 14 days, especially if a cat has had previous UTIs. It can take at least half the time of the duration of an antibiotic to begin to notice positive changes. I think the pain meds were the reason why you saw improvement, especially if they were stopped around the time her issue started back up. If she is still not receiving pain meds, ask the vet for more.
The fact that she peed before she got to the vet and there was no urine to collect means that not only wasn't a culture done, but there was also no urinalysis either. Things like blood, sediment, protein, bacteria in her urine would not be seen in an x-ray, and can only be identified via a urinalysis, followed by a urine culture if bacteria show up in her urine in order to determine what type of bacteria is involved. As mentioned above, that is the best way to determine the most effective antibiotic to use.
At this point make sure she has pain meds and ask the vet how long you need to wait to get a urinalysis/urine culture done once the antibiotics are finished.
You may not have other animals, but that doesn't mean they are not roaming about outside your home. Sometimes a new stray, or even other animals, comes into the area and that can provoke urinary issues in some cats. They can sense them even if she/you can't see them.
The fact that she peed before she got to the vet and there was no urine to collect means that not only wasn't a culture done, but there was also no urinalysis either. Things like blood, sediment, protein, bacteria in her urine would not be seen in an x-ray, and can only be identified via a urinalysis, followed by a urine culture if bacteria show up in her urine in order to determine what type of bacteria is involved. As mentioned above, that is the best way to determine the most effective antibiotic to use.
At this point make sure she has pain meds and ask the vet how long you need to wait to get a urinalysis/urine culture done once the antibiotics are finished.
You may not have other animals, but that doesn't mean they are not roaming about outside your home. Sometimes a new stray, or even other animals, comes into the area and that can provoke urinary issues in some cats. They can sense them even if she/you can't see them.
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- #5
They gave her a one time injection for the antibiotic, because it's very difficult to give her medicine. The pain meds worked out though because they were very tiny pills that I just mixed in with her food. I did wonder if the pain meds were the reason the symptoms went away. Do you think since it was a one time injection, it just hasn't had enough time to work? I don't know how long these things usually take.
The injection form of an antibiotic for UTIs is one of the most common used and is expected to last in her system for at least 2 weeks - some say longer than that. So, it is feasible that even if it were to work it just hasn't been long enough to do its job.
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- #7
UPDATE
She started peeing blood so I called the vet. The vet prescribed a different antibiotic. But like I feared, I can't get her to take them. I mixed them in her food the first day, and that worked. She ate it both times. But ever since then, she's literally eating everything except the pill. I've tried pill pockets and different types of food but she just spits it back out. I've tried the burrito method before to get medicine in her and it does not work either. And I live alone so I have no one to help me. At this point, I'm afraid I just wasted my money on the pills because she's taking them so inconsistently, I doubt they'll work. But she's such a brat, I doubt anything else will work either and we've already tried the injection...
I have similar struggles with my girl cat and medicine. I Live just down the road from my vet so I just take my girl there for a tech to pill her.
Are you crushing the pill, and then just giving her enough of her food with it before you give her the rest to ensure she takes it? Have you tried lickable treats, pill pockets, pill masker to mask the pills instead of her food?
That’s so frustrating. Here’s a link to ideas I’ve used with mine to mask the taste of pills. There are also ideas from other members in the thread.
Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!
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- #11
I also only live 3 minutes from my vet, but she does not do well in the carrier. Last vet trip, she peed all over the carrier in those 3 minutes. And she got super stressed from the dogs and cats there.
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- #12
I tried both a tiny bit of food and a lot. Neither worked. I came home today to find the pill perfectly clean in the middle of the empty bowl. The vet told me not to crush it, but in the past, I've crushed things on her food and she just goes on a hunger strike until I give in. Pill pockets haven't worked. She only likes crunchy treats so she turns her nose up at them. I have not tried lickable treats, because they tend to have more chicken than the pill pockets and she has a chicken allergy so I don't want to push it too much.
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- #13
Thank you for the link! The FortiFlora sounds doable, but do you know the best place to buy it? I looked on Amazon and it was $30. With all her other vet expenses, that's a bit out of my budget right now.
I'm also glad I read this list because I just bought tuna tonight to try tomorrow. But I didn't even think about the veg broth containing onions! So I'm glad I dodged that bullet!
I’ve bought it at either Amazon or Chewy, but it’s the same price pretty much everywhere I’ve looked. It’s expensive. But I don’t use it for its (limited, IMO) probiotic properties, only to entice reluctant eaters, so I’ve never used an entire packet at one time. One individual packet lasts me at least three uses, maybe four, so that cuts the “per use” price way down.
You could try bonito flakes which are much less expensive. I get mine at a local Asian store.
Another idea is to try sardines. They’re so extremely smelly that they might mask the scent and flavor of the meds. Try to find ones that have the least amount of sodium possible.
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I am going to agree that emptying the entire sachet of Forti Flora on a plate of food will literally cover it in powder and make it unappealing. I use Calming Care, which is a very similar product, and it lasts for several days. My cats will eat their food with a very small amount of it sprinkled on top.
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Hi,
Make sure they have checked for bladder stones. It would be through ultrasound or not as effective, x-ray.
Make sure they have checked for bladder stones. It would be through ultrasound or not as effective, x-ray.
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- #17
The vet did an xray to check for them because she's had one in the past. But she didn't see anything and since she's already on prescription food (after the first one), she didn't think an ultrasound was necessary.
I have a pill I have to cut into quarters for Feeby, and I don't crush it afterward. So, I use Tomlyn pill masker, which you can use as little or as much as you need to wrap the pill in. I then use some Forti Flora that I place in a condiment cup and shake the pill/pill masker in it, so it is coated. I add that to a few treats on a plate and so far, she is eating it (knock on wood) this way without issue.
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- #19
UPDATE 2
Using a combination of methods mentioned here, I got her to take the last 7 pills with no problems. And then she was fine all last week. No symptoms anymore. But now she's back to using the litter box every 30 minutes and going outside it in a cold smooth corner of my apt. I'm leaving on vacation in a couple days so I don't really have time to take her back to the vet. Plus, it always stresses her out more just for the vet to say she can't find anything wrong (and yes, she did check for bladder stones). Could this be stress induced? I read online that high anxiety cats (which she is) can have episodes of urinary issues brought on by stress. Or did the antibiotic just not work since she was taking it so inconsistently in the beginning? I'm just not sure what to do now since we've gone through 2 different antibiotics with no luck.
Using a combination of methods mentioned here, I got her to take the last 7 pills with no problems. And then she was fine all last week. No symptoms anymore. But now she's back to using the litter box every 30 minutes and going outside it in a cold smooth corner of my apt. I'm leaving on vacation in a couple days so I don't really have time to take her back to the vet. Plus, it always stresses her out more just for the vet to say she can't find anything wrong (and yes, she did check for bladder stones). Could this be stress induced? I read online that high anxiety cats (which she is) can have episodes of urinary issues brought on by stress. Or did the antibiotic just not work since she was taking it so inconsistently in the beginning? I'm just not sure what to do now since we've gone through 2 different antibiotics with no luck.
It could be either. Not going to help if you are leaving for vacation. Hope you have someone reliable to watch over her while you are gone.
