Cat with UTI/still shaking

marissam16

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Hello

I've had my cat for about 9 years now and he means the world to me. After a few visits with the vet, the vet said it looks like he is showing signs of a UTI on Monday. His urinalysis indicated the presence of a UTI and struvite crystals. I did everything possible to make him feel better and took every step possible to make sure we know exactly what is going on. I'm still waiting on his urine culture results to hear if she wants to prescribe a more specific type of antibiotics for him. She did send me home with some Clavamox chewable antibiotics (1 every 12 hours for 10 days) and 6 Onsior pain pills. They did abdominal x-rays and an ultrasound and said their findings were normal he just had some sediment. His bloodwork came back fine as well. He also had full anal glands but she was able to easily express them and the content inside looked normal.

I've been giving my cat his antibiotics every 12 hours ever since we returned from the vet on Monday (1/24) and feeding him his special diet for a UTI (mostly dry and some wet. He prefers dry). I've also increased the amount of waterbowls around the house and mix some water in with his wet food diet. After 10 days, she wants me to collect a urine sample to see if it's gone or getting better.

So, this is the first time I've had a cat get a UTI and I am beside myself. I am an extremely anxious person anyway and worry a lot, but I can't get any sleep for worrying about my cat. He is my entire world and I just want him to be okay. The vet said it was treatable with antibiotics and this diet, but I am still beside myself and am trying to not call the vet every day to ask if he'll be okay. I'm waiting for her to call me back with his culture results then proceed to ask questions since they're always extremely busy and I'm embarrassed for the amount of times I call them all worried. I am doing everything I can and everything she recommended so I don't know if there's anything else I can do besides wait.

How long does it take for a UTI in cats to clear up usually? I hope his antibiotics are helping but I will feel better once his culture results come back and hear whether the current ones are fine or if she'll give me more antibiotics. Also, is normal for cats to be a little sore after having their anal glands expressed? I've noticed he has a hard time getting in a comfortable position to go #2. He doesn't yowl or show any signs of lots of pain but more so discomfort. Is it possibly a combination of the anal glands + UTI? Or just the UTI? I'm sorry if it all sounds silly but I am just so worried for him and have no experience of cats with UTIs. My cat still has a normal appetite and no barfing, sneezing, or other signs of illness. He still wakes me up every morning to come sleep on my stomach and get some cuddles in.

She wasn't acting like his case is extremely serious and everything she saw seemed okay besides some sediment and a UTI. I just view things in my head to be extremely bad and it pains me to know my cat isn't 100%.

I apologize if this sounds crazy or isn't the right place to post but I just would love to hear people's opinions and hopefully see other people whose cats had UTIs and cleared up and how long it took. I just found this website after searching my dozens of anxious questions and decided to just post here.

Thanks a lot.
 
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marissam16

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He also got some fluid on Sunday since he was a little dehydrated. Forgot to add that if makes any difference.
 

Kat.

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Hi! I'm not an expert but I'm also an extremely anxious person and my cat had a UTI a couple of years ago. I think it's a pretty common problem and very treatable. It took awhile for it to clear up though (I only did one round of medication but had to keep the special diet for a while). I've been told it's likely to reoccur but so far it hasn't. Just keep up with his diet and make sure he's drinking water and it should clear up soon enough
 
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marissam16

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Hi! I'm not an expert but I'm also an extremely anxious person and my cat had a UTI a couple of years ago. I think it's a pretty common problem and very treatable. It took awhile for it to clear up though (I only did one round of medication but had to keep the special diet for a while). I've been told it's likely to reoccur but so far it hasn't. Just keep up with his diet and make sure he's drinking water and it should clear up soon enough
Thanks so much for responding!! I tend to blow everything out of proportion due to my anxiety and it's good to hear people's opinions and similar experiences with it. It makes me feel less alone and way better. I'm glad it hasn't came back yet! I will keep up with it all and just patiently wait it all out. Thanks so much!
 

fionasmom

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Welcome to The Cat Site! What your vet is doing is very standard. It is also standard practice for humans with UTIs. The correct antibiotic has to be used in order to successfully treat it. If the second best antibiotic is used, so to speak, you will probably see improvement, but it may not get to the hardest to treat or most resistant bacteria. In that case, it can recur and then you are back to square one with another vet visit, etc. It sounds as if you have had a number of tests show that nothing more sinister is going on, so that should be a relief.

Talk to the vet about diet in general and you might consider a fountain if you think that your cat would use one. He may be sore from having been given an ultrasound and having the glands expressed, although neither of those is a painful experience. Keep your eye on him and make a list of your concerns; when the vet calls bring up all the points that worry you. Don't apologize for this as you did, if nothing else, just pay a lot of money for this experience and the vet can certainly take some time with you.
 

kittyprincesss

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Welcome to TCS! :rock: :heartshape:
So sorry to hear about your sweet boy. My girl was prescribed Clavamox for a UTI and it is a wonderful antibiotic. Rest assured you are doing everything right, and he has all the possible care he can have right now. I second what fionasmom fionasmom says about a water fountain, they are wonderful investment and truly help a lot with hydration. He will be okay, I have good faith in your vets treatment plan and in your care. We are always just a chat away if you need any help or suggestions, you are not crazy, you just care about your love. Best of luck. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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marissam16

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To recap, he was diagnosed with a UTI back on January 23rd at my vet. I gave him 2 clavamox antibiotics every day for 10 days and bought all the special diet food. She said his urine culture results came back sterile and clavamox should do the trick. The radiologist looked at his x-rays and said all is well except for a slightly enlarged kidney and heart. My cat has shown signs of discomfort and shaking and the vet said it could be because of his enlarged kidney.

It’s been about a week and a half after he finished his antibiotics and he just tried to get on me to sleep but was too uncomfortable. He was slightly shaking and uncomfortable. He keeps moving around trying to relieve the discomfort. My vet isn’t open right now so I was wondering if anyone here could give their advice or opinion.. or even similar experiences. I try to avoid taking him back into the vet as it really really stresses him out and I am trying to pay off the large bill from January.

I’ve never had a cat with a UTI so I can’t tell what’s normal or not. How long does it take for it to go away? How long does it take for his enlarged kidney and heart to go back down? I am just beside myself again and don’t know what to do. I really want to avoid bringing him back to the vet as I took him in about 4-5 times in January and it was extremely stressful on the both of us. I sent in a form to the vet and will wait for them to open and respond.

Also, my cat still eats fine, drinks fine, plays, walks around, has lots of energy, etc… he just is uncomfortable again and I am beside myself. I did everything possible and it still seems to be an issue.

Thanks so much.
 
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fionasmom

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Kidney and heart conditions can be related; they are not always as I have a boy with both and the cardiologist firmly believes that they are free standing conditions, but it is not always the case.

The problem with generally being told that there is an enlarge kidney and heart is that there can be numerous reasons. Yes, a UTI can be one of them, so it may resolve with the antibiotics. However, there can be other causes which might need investigation. The same is true for an enlarged heart. I don't want to alarm you further, but it is another condition which had to be evaluated. If I were you, I would call the vet and ask for as much information as she can give you from any diagnostics which have been done. The discomfort you describe is concerning and could be from the enlarged kidney, which is not a great sign, or from the heart, also not good. Do you notice trouble breathing or do you think that he is trying to position himself in a place where he can breathe easier. Be up front with the vet about your expenses.

It is a good sign that he is normal in his every day life. My Jamie was dxed at 2 with the kidney and heart condition and is now 5. He is doing well and sees a cardiologist who was much more reassuring than the regular vet. You have to know what you are dealing with in both of these areas though.

Typical duration of antibiotics for a UTI is 7 to 14 days and it can take that time to clear up. Don't discontinue the meds even if things appear to be normal as they have probably only resolved the obvious symptoms.
 
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