Cystitis/bladder infection ?

[purr]

The girl I'm getting Achilles from emailed me and wrote that Achilles developed a bladder infection over the weekend. She said it could be cystitis; he feels like he has to pee all the time. She said this is the second time he's gotten it, and is 1 year old.

I have a feeling she hasn't taken him to the vet, because she didn't know for sure what it was, and is giving him antibiotics she has on hand, as she gives all her cats their shots and stuff. I thought I read somewhere that a dry food only diet could cause bladder issues, and I think that's what she has her cats on. I would be giving him food with a lot of water, so maybe he would be better? She said that it is probably going to be reoccurring and she doesn't want to give me a cat with a reoccurring problem.

Well, I want to know what kind of special needs a kitty with a problem like that would have. Frequent vet visits? Frequent urination all over my house? I need to know if it's something I can deal with before I tell her anything. I already have a special-needs kitty, and I don't know if I could handle another one. If he is in pain or is uncomfortable, it would break my heart to watch him go through it.

 

[vinny]

I have had Kirim for 5 years now (that's how old she is)
March 2005 was the first time she developed cystitis. and it happened again in September 2005.
She would try to go to her box as often as 6 and 7 times in 10 miinutes. That is how I realized something was wrong.
Had to take to the vet both times for antibiotics and some cortisone for a period of 7 days and the antibiotic until finished, usually 10 days more or less.
She is on a dry food diet. I have tried to go half and half on her diet but there is no way she would eat it can food.
She was eating Meow Mix and since the problem started for the second time I have her in NEUTRO.
I am just keeping my fingers crossed and hope that this new food agrees with her. I also bought a water fountain and since then she has been drinking more water. She sits in front of the fountain and likes to drink water from the water fall it has.
It is not a terrible problem but when they get like that, you have to take them to the vet. Besides being uncomfortable I would not have my cat not been able to urinate, that could be dangerous.
Best of luck to you and Achilles.
PS. I never had a problem with her urinating outside her litter box.

 

[coaster]

She didn't take him to the vet because she didn't know what it was? I wonder how she hopes to find out.

If it's crystals instead of cystitis (the symptoms are similar) then the cat is getting inappropriate treatment, with possible serious health consequences.

 

[vinny]

Originally Posted by coaster

She didn't take him to the vet because she didn't know what it was? I wonder how she hopes to find out.

If it's crystals instead of cystitis (the symptoms are similar) then the cat is getting inappropriate treatment, with possible serious health consequences.

Definitely, the first thing to do is take him/her to the vet. I would not be guessing when my Kirim Health is on the line

 

[littleraven7726]

well, i sure hope she takes him to the vet. poor little thing.

Originally Posted by Purr

I thought I read somewhere that a dry food only diet could cause bladder issues, and I think that's what she has her cats on. I would be giving him food with a lot of water, so maybe he would be better? She said that it is probably going to be reoccurring and she doesn't want to give me a cat with a reoccurring problem.

dry food diet sure does contribute to crystals and cystitis problems. before ruling him out because of potential on-going issues, i just want to step up and say it's manageable. my raven and nabu (littermates), i got them when they were around 1 to 1 1/2 yrs old. they developed crystals within a year after i adopted them...and then as raven got older he developed the cat version of interstitial cystitis. i would say his worst year was when he was around 2 1/2 to 3 yrs old. he was at the vets 8 times in 12 months...but it took us quite a while before he was properly diagnosed. he has steady times, and then flare-ups. it's mainly been in the last year (and a few months) that we've really gotten a handle on it, with the help of our vet before we moved out of state, then a cat specialist after we moved. he eats at least 3/4 diet of canned food (i leave a measured amount of kibble out, cause my one cat is a die hard kibble eater). raven and nabu are 8 1/2 yrs old.

when stimpy came along...i went into the adoption *knowing* he had been blocked just a few weeks previous & he would also need his diet managed similar to raven & nabu's. funny enough, he's the healthiest cat i've ever known (been absolutely fine since 2002, except for an ear infection). stimpy is 5 1/2 yrs old.

editted to add:
raven and nabu each had different ways to tell me they had a UTI...nabu would go to the box multiple times til he just peed a very small amount, then would go on plastic bags, his bed, the couch, etc. but by the time he got to that point, it really didn't matter cause there wasn't much. his UTIs always progressed quickly. raven's UTIs usually are not bacterial or crystals. and he just runs back and forth to the box. they are both really good at getting my attention about it too.

 

[pat]

Originally Posted by Purr

The girl I'm getting Achilles from emailed me and wrote that Achilles developed a bladder infection over the weekend. She said it could be cystitis; he feels like he has to pee all the time. She said this is the second time he's gotten it, and is 1 year old.

I have a feeling she hasn't taken him to the vet, because she didn't know for sure what it was, and is giving him antibiotics she has on hand, as she gives all her cats their shots and stuff. I thought I read somewhere that a dry food only diet could cause bladder issues, and I think that's what she has her cats on. I would be giving him food with a lot of water, so maybe he would be better? She said that it is probably going to be reoccurring and she doesn't want to give me a cat with a reoccurring problem.

Well, I want to know what kind of special needs a kitty with a problem like that would have. Frequent vet visits? Frequent urination all over my house? I need to know if it's something I can deal with before I tell her anything. I already have a special-needs kitty, and I don't know if I could handle another one. If he is in pain or is uncomfortable, it would break my heart to watch him go through it.

We are currently dealing with this diagnosis for one of our fellows - Denebola. His urine had no bacteria but was positive for blood, his other symptoms, that prompted me to take him in, was frequent in and out of the box & peeing small amounts each time, plus a LOT of "personal attention" to his privates - he clearly did not feel good about voiding.
He is on a wet food diet only, with the dose of glucosamine that our vet recommended, daily. Leaking was never an issue however, and there are no additional issues with him, such as crystals.

 

[horatio]

Hi Purr,
Indeed the cat require medical attention n fast. obviously the cat having trouble to pass out urine n this makes the cat go to the litte box so frequent. Cystitis is indeed fatal if not treated early. It wud slowly caused the kidney to malfunction due to the pressure inside the bladder (urine accumulated & cud not pass out)

 

[semiferal]

A diagnosis is (obviously) the first step. The treatments are different for different problems. Infections require antibiotics. Anything that blocks the flow of urine is an emergency and must be first unblocked, then managed with a special diet and possibly surgery at some point. Interstitial cystitis is another possibility that is chronic inflammation without infection. This is mostly treated with painkillers. The symptoms of all of these are pretty much the same so a vet visit is necessary.

A diet of all dry food will exacerbate any of these conditions. For a cat with urinary issues it is necessary to keep the amount of dry food in the diet as close to zero as possible.