Cystitis

[Seunie9]

Hi TCS members , I have some questions hope u can help me
My cat ( male , 5 yrs ) had problems to urinate 2 weeks ago and we went immediately to the vet and the vet said he wasn't blocked but he was diagnosed w cystitis and prescribed antibiotics and prednisolone
Yesterday he had flare up , couldn't urinate and tried many times in the litter box so we called the vet and got an appointment and he wasn't blocked this time too , the vet did urinalysis and it was infection that caused cystitis and the vet prescribed broad spectrum antibiotics and prednisolone
So I wanna know is this has good prognosis , will it reccur ? Should I be worry ?
I asked our vet and she said if this recurred
more tests will be done

 

[maggie101]

My vet thinks she might have this. She is getting an ultrasound

 

[Stargirl0623]

Prognosis for urinary issues really depends on the animal! I'm not a vet but I just went through this wringer with my own cat, so I can offer some advice from that perspective.

My understanding is that some cats clear a flare-up and never have another problem, others continue to have recurring minor issues every now and then, and some cats will recur dramatically and have repeated life-threatening obstructions. Unfortunately, mine was one of the latter, and he did ultimately need a PU surgery to open his urinary tract and save his life, but that's absolutely not representative of a typical case!

At this point, it sounds like your vet gave you good advice. If he's been sent home to recover I would also recommend talking about placing your cat on a urinary support diet to help prevent recurrence, asking if he should be on an anti-spasmodic while the flare resolves, making sure he has access to as much water as physically possible to flush him out, working to manage his stress at home, and continuing to monitor him closely (with the understanding that if he doesn't get better, he goes right back to the vet).

Of course, this comes with the caveat that, if you see him straining and he can't pee at home, it doesn't matter how "not blocked" he is in the clinic--just because the vet can manually express urine doesn't mean he's out of the woods, he still needs to be able to pee on his own. A urinary obstruction is really the biggest threat here, so you want to make sure you're keeping an eye out while he recovers.

If it's any reassurance, you 100% did the right thing by getting him into the vet immediately. A complete urinary blockage can turn very dangerous very quickly, so you need to make sure he receives adequate care if that happens! It's not a "wait until morning" kind of issue, it's a "3am visit to animal ER" kind of emergency, and unfortunately it's usually best to err on the side of caution if you're not sure.

THAT SAID, many cats do clear a bout of cystitis with conservative treatment, make lifestyle changes to avoid or minimize recurrences, and go on to live long and happy lives without additional problems. I'll be keeping fingers crossed your little guy just didn't get the right antibiotics the right time around, and now he'll heal fast without any further issues!

 

[Seunie9]

Prognosis for urinary issues really depends on the animal! I'm not a vet but I just went through this wringer with my own cat, so I can offer some advice from that perspective.

My understanding is that some cats clear a flare-up and never have another problem, others continue to have recurring minor issues every now and then, and some cats will recur dramatically and have repeated life-threatening obstructions. Unfortunately, mine was one of the latter, and he did ultimately need a PU surgery to open his urinary tract and save his life, but that's absolutely not representative of a typical case!

At this point, it sounds like your vet gave you good advice. If he's been sent home to recover I would also recommend talking about placing your cat on a urinary support diet to help prevent recurrence, asking if he should be on an anti-spasmodic while the flare resolves, making sure he has access to as much water as physically possible to flush him out, working to manage his stress at home, and continuing to monitor him closely (with the understanding that if he doesn't get better, he goes right back to the vet).

Of course, this comes with the caveat that, if you see him straining and he can't pee at home, it doesn't matter how "not blocked" he is in the clinic--just because the vet can manually express urine doesn't mean he's out of the woods, he still needs to be able to pee on his own. A urinary obstruction is really the biggest threat here, so you want to make sure you're keeping an eye out while he recovers.

If it's any reassurance, you 100% did the right thing by getting him into the vet immediately. A complete urinary blockage can turn very dangerous very quickly, so you need to make sure he receives adequate care if that happens! It's not a "wait until morning" kind of issue, it's a "3am visit to animal ER" kind of emergency, and unfortunately it's usually best to err on the side of caution if you're not sure.

THAT SAID, many cats do clear a bout of cystitis with conservative treatment, make lifestyle changes to avoid or minimize recurrences, and go on to live long and happy lives without additional problems. I'll be keeping fingers crossed your little guy just didn't get the right antibiotics the right time around, and now he'll heal fast without any further issues!

Thank you so much for your advice , yes I am thinking abt asking my vet abt urinary support diet and I am trying to watch him as much as I can but I barely get sleep so yesterday after coming home he couldn't pee as he didn't take his med yet but after taking it I don't know if he peed or not but he is more relieved , he didn't go to litter box many many time so I guess he did , idk I am at lost and my vet told me to watch him again today and this scares me alot tbh , I am trying to stay awake most of the time

 

[Seunie9]

My vet thinks she might have this. She is getting an ultrasound

My vet didn't mention anything abt ultrasound tbh ? Is it for crystals/stones

 

[maggie101]

My vet didn't mention anything abt ultrasound tbh ? Is it for crystals/stones

She does have crystals which may have come back since I took her off prescription food. He did a urinalysis and thinks it may be something else. She had a bad flare up last week and throws up mornings from acid reflux,hair balls, or something else. It's a mystery that hopefully an ultrasound can solve

 

[Seunie9]

She does have crystals which may have come back since I took her off prescription food. He did a urinalysis and thinks it may be something else. She had a bad flare up last week and throws up mornings from acid reflux,hair balls, or something else. It's a mystery that hopefully an ultrasound can solve

Oh poor baby , I hope ultrasound will show what it is , I hope she will be okay too , urinary bladder problems are really mysterious and need alot to do

 

[maggie101]

Prescription food looks aweful but I do believe it is the best way to dissolve crystals. He thinks she may have ckd which is not the same as LUTD

 

[fionasmom]

The bottom line to any urinary issue, as the other members have pointed out, is that you have to remain vigilant. Watch your cat, go to the vet if something seems wrong, consider imaging or other diagnostics if this is not resolving. I don't want to upset you, but with male cats blockages can be extremely serious.

Fiona, obviously a female, had continual UTI's with blood and finally, after one major issue on Mother's Day at the ER, had surgery to remove stones. In her case, that took care of everything.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. In a lot of cases, a urine culture should be performed following a urinalysis to determine the best antibiotic to treat the bacteria found. While a broad spectrum antibiotic can help reduce the infection, it may not entirely eradicate it. However, that being said, your vet is indicating cystitis resulted in creating an infection, which often occurs as a result of the inflammation in the bladder from crystals/stones or stress, among other issues.

Sometimes anti-inflammatories or anti-spasmodic meds can help - both are fairly common in certain types of cystitis. What kind of cystitis does your vet think your cat has? Anything in this TCS article that might help?
Feline Idiopathic Cystitis – How To Improve Your Cat’s Quality Of Life – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Seunie9]

The bottom line to any urinary issue, as the other members have pointed out, is that you have to remain vigilant. Watch your cat, go to the vet if something seems wrong, consider imaging or other diagnostics if this is not resolving. I don't want to upset you, but with male cats blockages can be extremely serious.

Fiona, obviously a female, had continual UTI's with blood and finally, after one major issue on Mother's Day at the ER, had surgery to remove stones. In her case, that took care of everything.

I am trying my best to stay awake and watch him but he is fine now hope after the end of his meds this won't recur and my vet mentioned if this happened again more tests will be done , I contact my vet abt any change but I don't want him to be in pain again

 

[Seunie9]

Prescription food looks aweful but I do believe it is the best way to dissolve crystals. He thinks she may have ckd which is not the same as LUTD

Did he run blood tests to know if he has kidney diseases ?

 

[Seunie9]

Hi. In a lot of cases, a urine culture should be performed following a urinalysis to determine the best antibiotic to treat the bacteria found. While a broad spectrum antibiotic can help reduce the infection, it may not entirely eradicate it. However, that being said, your vet is indicating cystitis resulted in creating an infection, which often occurs as a result of the inflammation in the bladder from crystals/stones or stress, among other issues.

Sometimes anti-inflammatories or anti-spasmodic meds can help - both are fairly common in certain types of cystitis. What kind of cystitis does your vet think your cat has? Anything in this TCS article that might help?
Feline Idiopathic Cystitis – How To Improve Your Cat’s Quality Of Life – TheCatSite Articles

The vet told me that the cystitis is due to infection in the bladder idk if this a type or there is something more specific , she told me abt the culture for the next visit , I was in vacation for 4 days and left my cat w my dad and this really makes me think that was the reason idk really

 

[maggie101]

Did he run blood tests to know if he has kidney diseases ?

I don't remember details except that her kidneys are fine. But something else is going on. Just very small kidneys so it doesn't make since why he said ckd though I don't remember things right sometimes. He also mentioned this.
Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC)

My mom will come with me for the ultrasound. 80 yrs old but a much better memory than me

 

[maggie101]

Her appointment isn't til Wednesday. Hopefully no inflammation

 

[Seunie9]

I don't remember details except that her kidneys are fine. But something else is going on. Just very small kidneys so it doesn't make since why he said ckd though I don't remember things right sometimes. He also mentioned this.
Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC)

My mom will come with me for the ultrasound. 80 yrs old but a much better memory than me

I hope it's smth controlled , if it is discovered early it's always better my vet always tell me this

 

[maggie101]

Did he run blood tests to know if he has kidney diseases ?

I just looked at the bill. He ran cbc thyroid tests and urinalysis. I just downloaded an app to record voices. Simple to use