Does homeopathic treatment for cats work?

[Bosca19]

Has anyone ever tried homeopathic treatments for their cats and if so for what and has the treatment worked?
I have tried taking my kitty to the vets locally and so far a few mistakes have been made in relation to ascertaining basic stats in order to decide whether or not he does or does not have a problem. For example in relation to having excess protein in the urine, according to my vet a normal protein creatin ratio should be below 0.2 but according to peer reviewed vetinary papers "some healthy male cats can have UP:UC values within this range (up to 0.6)". When I investigated further I found that the vets estimate was based on human not cat up:uc value. Unfortunately I did not realise this and went ahead with giving him anti biotics thinking that he had an infection and invasive tests that, were extremely stressful fot my cat. It seems that the antibiotics were unnecessary as the protein remained at the exact same level.
So far he has no other sign of cystitis and is a happy bouncy cat.
Has anyone got any idea what I should do next!? As I don't want to put him through another invasive test unnecessarily. Also has anyone
tried homeopathic treatments via a registered vet that have worked?

 

[Jcatbird]

Welcome to the site. I am so sorry you and kitty went through that. Not all vets are cat oriented but if that one messed up, maybe look for a vet that just works with cats. If you find a good one that uses homeopathic treatments and that has a good reputation then I think you could trust some of that kind of treatment. I do know of others who have used some natural remedies but I cannot speak to the success rate myself.
Did kitty exhibit signs of cystitis in the beginning? Other symptoms? Cats aren’t always great about drinking water. In nature they know that running water is the safest source so, if kitty does not drink well, you can either add more fluids to his food, give wet food or give him a cat water fountain. Some cats like a dripping faucet too. I give wet food and the water dishes are cleaned daily. I also use metal or glass water dishes. I have noticed that some of my cats prefer the glass water dishes. Not sure why but I accommodate them. I hope you find the vet you need and that kitty is okay. I am sure others will be along to add information.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi Bosca19 and welcome to the forum !

Those of us who have been 'around the block' with cats know very well - sometimes we have learned, and sometimes at considerable cost to our cats' health - that there are Vets, and then, there are competent feline Veterinarians.

The best of these will be open to holistic treatments and will offer options.

You can search for one through The Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) search page here: Find a Feline Veterinarian. Make sure you choose "Feline Only" for Practice Type and do not check the gray "cat friendly" bar at the bottom.

At the clinic, I would seek out the Veterinarian with the longest practice history, the most experienced - often they will be the owner(s) there.

I don't know what resource you consulted for those findings, but please do ensure you're using reputable reference points, i.e. recognized, credentialed sites. For a reliable plain-language, comprehensive coverage of feline urinalysis, my favorite is this Urinalysis. Now, two points: one, that site's focus is kidney insufficiency, but the basic info is generic to all cats, and differences are clearly delineated; two, if you need to validate the site, the references at the bottom of the homepage are explicit.

Hope that helps !

Keep us updated too.
.

 

[BlackCatOp]

Im sorry you have been unhappy with your vet visits. Unfortunately, not all vets are great communicators and its surprising how many veterinary professionals don’t really like cats. As suggested above, if a cat only practice is nearby that may be worth trying.

I’m a little confused when reading your post.

First, what kind of symptoms was your kitty having? You mention cystitis so I assume that was the initial reason for the vet visit?

In most cases cats have sterile cystitis (not caused by infection). I’m not sure why the vet focused on the UPC as that does indeed measure protein within the urine. Proteinuria is quite uncommon in cats unless quite azotemic/kidney failure. If your kitty had bloody urine (common with cystitis) that would also explain the “higher” UPC number as blood consists of many proteins. For accurate UPC results, the urine sample needs to be free of any potential contaminate (including inflammatory cells, bacteria, blood, etc.)

Cystitis in cats is now being managed with pain meds and environmental modifications to reduce stress. Using antibiotics is not typically warranted and is the “old way” of treating cats with cystitis.

As far as homeopathic or holistic medicine is concerned – I have no experience. I would just make sure that the homeopathic person you are seeing is an actual veterinarian.

 

[kittenmittens84]

Homeopathy is complete pseudoscience that was invented in 18th century germany before germ theory was even fully understood and accepted. It relies heavily on two incorrect ideas: one, that “like cures like” aka if you have a stomach ache, the cure you need is a substance that also causes stomach aches and two, that water has “memory”. If you think your cat has a medical condition, please don’t waste your money on homeopathy.

 

[oyster]

We have successfully treated our cat's crystals and urinary infections with homeopathy. The key is in finding a reputable, credible vet who will offer you these services. Our animal care provider was very clear in what she could do for our cat and advised us to turn to traditional science if the treatment did not work. In our case, like most others, we had turned to traditional science and none of it worked for our cat till we tried homeopathy out of desperation.
Also for our other cat who was diagnosed with lung cancer, we tried HEEL (closely related to homeopathy) and it helped give him a great quality of life. After that, we successfully treated him through natural, holistic methods and he lived another 3 years and had a great quality of life. He died in October because of tumors in his stomach. He had no signs of cancerous cells in his lungs when the tumors were discovered.Our vets still cannot believe his lung cancer was suppressed for so long.
I have used homeopathy successfully for my own issues, as well.

 

[Bosca19]

Welcome to the site. I am so sorry you and kitty went through that. Not all vets are cat oriented but if that one messed up, maybe look for a vet that just works with cats. If you find a good one that uses homeopathic treatments and that has a good reputation then I think you could trust some of that kind of treatment. I do know of others who have used some natural remedies but I cannot speak to the success rate myself.
Did kitty exhibit signs of cystitis in the beginning? Other symptoms? Cats aren’t always great about drinking water. In nature they know that running water is the safest source so, if kitty does not drink well, you can either add more fluids to his food, give wet food or give him a cat water fountain. Some cats like a dripping faucet too. I give wet food and the water dishes are cleaned daily. I also use metal or glass water dishes. I have noticed that some of my cats prefer the glass water dishes. Not sure why but I accommodate them. I hope you find the vet you need and that kitty is okay. I am sure others will be along to add information.

Welcome to the site. I am so sorry you and kitty went through that. Not all vets are cat oriented but if that one messed up, maybe look for a vet that just works with cats. If you find a good one that uses homeopathic treatments and that has a good reputation then I think you could trust some of that kind of treatment. I do know of others who have used some natural remedies but I cannot speak to the success rate myself.
Did kitty exhibit signs of cystitis in the beginning? Other symptoms? Cats aren’t always great about drinking water. In nature they know that running water is the safest source so, if kitty does not drink well, you can either add more fluids to his food, give wet food or give him a cat water fountain. Some cats like a dripping faucet too. I give wet food and the water dishes are cleaned daily. I also use metal or glass water dishes. I have noticed that some of my cats prefer the glass water dishes. Not sure why but I accommodate them. I hope you find the vet you need and that kitty is okay. I am sure others will be along to add information.

Hi fellow cat companions! I appreciate your reply! There have been no other symptoms. PH test results were inconclusive as I was told by one vet at the practice that there was a very high PH and another said it was low and therefore indicative of infection (this was from the same test!!!) since then the same test has been normal. So now I am stuck with the protein issue and having had him returned to me in a bit of a nervous state with a giant patch of hair missing, I'm not sure I want to put him through yet another blood test (which is apparently necessary as they were unable to get enough blood for a sample)
I have found this site useful https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center/testing/protocols/urinalysis#:~:text=In healthy cats, the urine,range (up to 0.6).

 

[Bosca19]

.
Hi Bosca19 and welcome to the forum !

Those of us who have been 'around the block' with cats know very well - sometimes we have learned, and sometimes at considerable cost to our cats' health - that there are Vets, and then, there are competent feline Veterinarians.

The best of these will be open to holistic treatments and will offer options.

You can search for one through The Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) search page here: Find a Feline Veterinarian. Make sure you choose "Feline Only" for Practice Type and do not check the gray "cat friendly" bar at the bottom.

At the clinic, I would seek out the Veterinarian with the longest practice history, the most experienced - often they will be the owner(s) there.

I don't know what resource you consulted for those findings, but please do ensure you're using reputable reference points, i.e. recognized, credentialed sites. For a reliable plain-language, comprehensive coverage of feline urinalysis, my favorite is this Urinalysis. Now, two points: one, that site's focus is kidney insufficiency, but the basic info is generic to all cats, and differences are clearly delineated; two, if you need to validate the site, the references at the bottom of the homepage are explicit.

Hope that helps !

Keep us updated too.
.

Thanks for the links, very helpful! My reference was Urinalysis | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine..

 

[Bosca19]

Im sorry you have been unhappy with your vet visits. Unfortunately, not all vets are great communicators and its surprising how many veterinary professionals don’t really like cats. As suggested above, if a cat only practice is nearby that may be worth trying.

I’m a little confused when reading your post.

First, what kind of symptoms was your kitty having? You mention cystitis so I assume that was the initial reason for the vet visit?

In most cases cats have sterile cystitis (not caused by infection). I’m not sure why the vet focused on the UPC as that does indeed measure protein within the urine. Proteinuria is quite uncommon in cats unless quite azotemic/kidney failure. If your kitty had bloody urine (common with cystitis) that would also explain the “higher” UPC number as blood consists of many proteins. For accurate UPC results, the urine sample needs to be free of any potential contaminate (including inflammatory cells, bacteria, blood, etc.)

Cystitis in cats is now being managed with pain meds and environmental modifications to reduce stress. Using antibiotics is not typically warranted and is the “old way” of treating cats with cystitis.

As far as homeopathic or holistic medicine is concerned – I have no experience. I would just make sure that the homeopathic person you are seeing is an actual veterinarian.

Good point. Actually now that you mention it, he actually has no symptoms now but did 6 months ago (over grooming leading to a sore nether region). The primary concern is just the protein level in urine. No pathogens have been found and he no longer has the grooming problem which happened to coincide with the onset of national lock down (a massive change).

 

[Bosca19]

We have successfully treated our cat's crystals and urinary infections with homeopathy. The key is in finding a reputable, credible vet who will offer you these services. Our animal care provider was very clear in what she could do for our cat and advised us to turn to traditional science if the treatment did not work. In our case, like most others, we had turned to traditional science and none of it worked for our cat till we tried homeopathy out of desperation.
Also for our other cat who was diagnosed with lung cancer, we tried HEEL (closely related to homeopathy) and it helped give him a great quality of life. After that, we successfully treated him through natural, holistic methods and he lived another 3 years and had a great quality of life. He died in October because of tumors in his stomach. He had no signs of cancerous cells in his lungs when the tumors were discovered.Our vets still cannot believe his lung cancer was suppressed for so long.
I have used homeopathy successfully for my own issues, as well.

That's amazing! Im really glad to hear that homeopathy has worked in your case. May I ask the age of the cat that was treated for crystals? I am assuming that this is more common in older cats?

 

[oyster]

That's amazing! Im really glad to hear that homeopathy has worked in your case. May I ask the age of the cat that was treated for crystals? I am assuming that this is more common in older cats?

Oyster was 6-7 when he was treated. He is 14 now. Never had a single incident after that visit to the homeopathic vet.

 

[molly92]

Homeopathy is NOT the same thing as natural or holistic medicine. Natural and holistic approaches can be helpful sometimes, but there is nothing natural about homeopathy. To be fair, there's nothing unnatural about homeopathy either... because it's literally nothing. I know that sounds crazy, because it is. Homeopathy is the completely ridiculous idea that treating something with nothing will work and I'm infuriated that anyone charges money for such a scam.

To elaborate a bit, homeopathy means taking a substance and diluting it with water. And diluting it again. And again and again until there's mathematically huge dilution. So huge that there are literally no molecules of the original substance left and it is all water. I am not exaggerating-the theory is that the water "remembers" the substance somehow. And this dilution gives it magical healing properties.

Lots of homeopathic brands add other ingredients too that sren't diluted like that, but that's not homeopathy. That's just holistic remedies (best case scenario). They just use the label homeopathy because it's developed this weird reputation. The problem is, because it's not actually science or medicine, it doesn't get regulated like medicine. Meaning quality control standards can be lax, ingredients might not be accurately represented on the label, and they might not always be safe. Best case scenario it's a placebo that you paid too much for (yes, interestingly enough there can be a kind of placebo effect for pets!).

I'm sorry your cat is not well. I think veterinary medicine has a lot of gaps and it's a huge failing. Products like homeopathy take advantage of people trying to fill those gaps when they feel conventional medicine has failed them, but it is a scam. An amazingly successful scam, but a scam nonetheless.

I am not very experienced with cystitis. All I know is that hydration is key. But, if you feel like your vet is not listening to you and not reassuring that your cat is getting the best care possible, I absolutely advocate trying different vets until you find one that does.

 

[kittenmittens84]

Homeopathy is NOT the same thing as natural or holistic medicine. Natural and holistic approaches can be helpful sometimes, but there is nothing natural about homeopathy. To be fair, there's nothing unnatural about homeopathy either... because it's literally nothing. I know that sounds crazy, because it is. Homeopathy is the completely ridiculous idea that treating something with nothing will work and I'm infuriated that anyone charges money for such a scam.

Thank you!
It makes me peeved to see companies promoting things like rescue remedy or bach flower remedies as “NATURAL” with photos of flowers and herbs and stuff alongside them to entice people. It’s alcohol or water, not herbs! The amount of acceptance of homeopathy in the pet world in general is bonkers to me.

 

[molly92]

Thank you!
It makes me peeved to see companies promoting things like rescue remedy or bach flower remedies as “NATURAL” with photos of flowers and herbs and stuff alongside them to entice people. It’s alcohol or water, not herbs! The amount of acceptance of homeopathy in the pet world in general is bonkers to me.

Exactly! I've also heard that a lot of Europeans, who tend to pride themselves on their scientific literacy, use a lot of homeopathy. I can't understand it.

 

[Bosca19]

Thanks for the insight into the pros and cons of homeopathy. I will keep you posted