Feeling so stressed and exhausted over my cats UTI

Fluffyfatty

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A rant. It’s beginning to feel like an endless battle.... :frown:

2 weeks ago, my cat was blocked for the first time. They cathed him and sent him back to me. Finally he recovered and was peeing beautiful streams of clear pee. I was also taking extra care of his diet and making sure he was hydrated. It was obviously working because his pee got clearer and clearer by the day, there was no more blood and he was producing bigger clumps of pee day by day. I was beyond ecstatic.

2 weeks later, I caught him straining to pee again and dripping slow drops of pee. This time, the poor boy strained so hard he even pooped bloody stools. Almost jelly-like blood clot looking.

My heart sank. Went to the ER and surprisingly the vet didn’t think it was grave at all. Vet told me his bladder is empty and small so technically he didn’t have a second blockage.

He just thinks my cat keeps getting stressed by SOMETHING and it keeps causing his urethra to become inflamed hence making him pee in tiny amounts and in drops. Basically, my cat isn’t always blocked...he just KEEPS having utis. I’m terrible at feeling for his bladder so I keep rushing him down to the ER whenever I see him peeing badly ($$$) just for the vet to send me home saying “oh your cat is just stressed, nobody knows what the hell is happening but here take this medication and go home. Call us again when you want to schedule the PU surgery.”

I’ve exhausted all options. It just feels like a never ending battle with reoccurring UTIs that nobody can fix or find the cause. I feel so heartbroken but probably the next time I would go for the PU surgery. For his sake and mine.
 
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Fluffyfatty

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This is crazy. Imagine a cat keeps having UTIs every month. How much medication would that poor cat be taking his/her whole life?? Is that even healthy or logical?
 

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I probably don't have much to say that will help, but I absolutely get your concern and need to rush your cat back to the vet after all that you have been through. Over the years, I lost two ferals to a blockage and while I was unable to trap either in time to help, it stayed with me and all male cats I have owned get little privacy in the bathroom.

Fiona herself has this issue and ended up having bladder stones and surgery to remove them, which ended the UTI's. Has your vet checked for anything like that?
 
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Fluffyfatty

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I probably don't have much to say that will help, but I absolutely get your concern and need to rush your cat back to the vet after all that you have been through. Over the years, I lost two ferals to a blockage and while I was unable to trap either in time to help, it stayed with me and all male cats I have owned get little privacy in the bathroom.

Fiona herself has this issue and ended up having bladder stones and surgery to remove them, which ended the UTI's. Has your vet checked for anything like that?
Yes he ruled out stones. I think for my cat it was a case of UTI gone wrong and then some crystals formed secondary. I caught it Super early for my cat so his bladder and kidneys are still good. It’s his urethra giving him all the problems.....
 

fionasmom

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I get it......depending on where you are, is it possible to find a cat only vet or a referral center or other specialized clinic where someone might be able to help you once and for all?
 

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What medications is your kitty on right now? Does kitty have a UTI (bacteria present) or is it cystitis?
 

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Does kitty have a UTI (bacteria present) or is it cystitis?

:yeah:

Is kitty on wet or dry food or both? If both more wet or more dry?

My Charlie has had a bad bacteria UTI and now twice crystals *know on wood* no blockage and like fionasmom fionasmom no privacy when he goes potty. I helicopter him.

Getting extra water into your baby will help. Add a bit of water to wet food, add pumkin (no spices jsut plain pumkin) if he'll eat it. Water is his friend.

Charlie is on this:


However as the price just got jacked up to nearly double - I'll be rethinking but it is good stuff. It does make them pee more and that helps to flush the crystals out.

FeebysOwner FeebysOwner was dealing with one of her babies with a reoccurring UTI and has been giving kitty D-mannose with great success. Maybe she has some suggestions as well.
 
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Fluffyfatty

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I get it......depending on where you are, is it possible to find a cat only vet or a referral center or other specialized clinic where someone might be able to help you once and for all?
I will look into bringing him to another ore specialised vet on Monday. I’ve already seen 3 vets for him and none of them have any idea. Flutd is just a big umbrella term and even spending all that money running tests doesn’t give me an definitive answer to what is causing it. My boy is only 2..... it could be FIC and stress related but really who knows they all present the same symptoms
 
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Fluffyfatty

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:yeah:

Is kitty on wet or dry food or both? If both more wet or more dry?

My Charlie has had a bad bacteria UTI and now twice crystals *know on wood* no blockage and like fionasmom fionasmom no privacy when he goes potty. I helicopter him.

Getting extra water into your baby will help. Add a bit of water to wet food, add pumkin (no spices jsut plain pumkin) if he'll eat it. Water is his friend.

Charlie is on this:


However as the price just got jacked up to nearly double - I'll be rethinking but it is good stuff. It does make them pee more and that helps to flush the crystals out.

FeebysOwner FeebysOwner was dealing with one of her babies with a reoccurring UTI and has been giving kitty D-mannose with great success. Maybe she has some suggestions as well.
I put an order for UroMAXX awhile ago, still waiting for it to arrive. Currently my boy is taking Cosequin (it was the first to arrive from amazon) but I see it doing more for his energy level than his bladder health imo.

FeebysOwner FeebysOwner I’m looking at amazon now for D mannose (honestly doesn’t hurt to try at this point) but there are several options....

There’s one by Wellness partners, one cranberry one and then one intended for humans. Which one should I get?


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FPZFNBQ/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HQOLTUS/?tag=&tag=thecatsite
 
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Fluffyfatty

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What medications is your kitty on right now? Does kitty have a UTI (bacteria present) or is it cystitis?
1. anti spasm tablets
2. Meloxicam (metacam) for pain/inflammation

I honestly don’t know and neither does the 3 vets I saw know. It’s driving me nuts. I remember they tested his urine and found some crystals in it so they deduced that it must be what’s blocking his urethra. After the obstruction was removed, my boy still has trouble peeing and NOBODY can tell me why.

Honestly the feline lower urinary tract disease is such a big umbrella term and the symptoms are all the same. I wish there was some way to know.. I’ll be seeing a new vet (my 4th one now) for “second” opinions. What should I ask her to do? Any tests in particular can at least lead me in the right direction to find the cause?

My boy has already done urinalysis, X-ray for bladder (which did nothing except tell us his bladder is small and empty at that moment) and blood tests that shows his kidneys are all good. I’m completely at a loss now.
 
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Fluffyfatty

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From what I’ve been reading, everyone’s cats seem to only show these symptoms when they have their UTIs:

frequent urination
Straining
Blood in pee etc

But I can’t find anyone else that has a cat like mine that pees in drops each time he flares up! No vet can tell me WHY he is peeing in drops, they cant tell me if it’s his urethra that’s inflamed or his bladder that’s inflamed. I’m not even going to inexperienced vets btw, all 4 I visited, although not specialists, are still very highly rated vets.
 

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Sadly I can't answer about the D-mannose as I'm looking into it myself. I'll do some more homework and searching here and see what I can find out. Hopefully FeebysOwner FeebysOwner will be around soon.

Have the suggested an ultrasound, though I would think that an xray should show inflammation maybe. I know for Charlie they did both.I'm trying to remember which one showed the inflammation. I think it was the ultrasound.

Is he clear of the crystals now?

*hugs*
 
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Fluffyfatty

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Sadly I can't answer about the D-mannose as I'm looking into it myself. I'll do some more homework and searching here and see what I can find out. Hopefully FeebysOwner FeebysOwner will be around soon.

Have the suggested an ultrasound, though I would think that an xray should show inflammation maybe. I know for Charlie they did both.I'm trying to remember which one showed the inflammation. I think it was the ultrasound.

Is he clear of the crystals now?

*hugs*
Couldn’t wait any longer I got too anxious. Haha. I went ahead and ordered the human one as well as some cornsilk. I read a thread here and a user suggested these. Seems to have very good results! Fingers crossed!

This was the post hope it helps you with your homework and kitty :)

I Have More Trust Issues Than This Feral..

Yes one of the vets did suggest an ultrasound. I think I will get that done on Monday just to see what’s up. I’m really hoping it’s stress related....and not infection related or whatsoever. The X-ray didn’t do much, only showed shadow sizes of how big or small his organs and fecal matter are.

Not sure if he’s clear of the crystals. I should do an updated urinalysis on Monday too, shouldn’t I? I went into the ER last night and the vet advised me not to do so many non-emergent tests as it can cost a fortune so all he prioritised was the X-ray.
 

FeralHearts

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Than k you for the link! I'll check that out.

I agree not to toss money around (unless you are independently wealthy and yes then - go for it lol) - but if it's been more than 2 months (close to 3) and he's still barely peeing I would have it checked. Ask the Vet while you're there if they would recommend it. I know Charlie had to have follow ups Every 3 months for his crystals and bacteria. Was not fun. He'll have to go back in January for a check.

Poor kitties. Wish they could jsut tell us!

XOXO
 

Jem

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Sorry if I repeat anything anyone said...

OK, so my boy developed cystitis. It was purely stress induced. We had a really bad bear season and poor Chewy was terrified of the intrusion of the bears in our yard.
He did have crystals present in his urine, but it was explained to me that stagnant pee will crystallize (incomplete urination). We did put him on the prescription food for struvite crystals a short time. In HIS case the crystals were not the cause but an after effect of the cystitis. But we still wanted to treat the crystals as well, as they are painful and will further cause stress on top of what he was already stressed about. As much as I really don't like vet food as the ingredients aren't the best, it works, so for the short term I would really look into getting him the CD stress formula food. You could also look into the RC Calm food as well. The CD will dissolve the crystals present and help with stress. The RC calm also helps with stone management and stress. (I personally found that for struvite crystals the Hills CD was better but for stress the RC Calm was fantastic.)

There was some evidence of infection, but the vet was also sure that the minor infection was also an after effect of the cystitis. He was placed on an antibiotic just in case.

He had to be catheterized for 5 days and was then placed on an antidepressant, an antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory and an anti-spasmodic. It took OVER A MONTH for him to regain normal function of his bladder. How long was your boy catheterized for? Sometimes they need to be catheterized for longer than 48 hours (which tends to be the standard) to make sure the muscles don't constrict again, and to allow the "inflammatory cells" to be able to come out.

The ultrasound showed a thickening of the bladder, which is the inflammation (cystitis) as well as in the urethra.
In the urine analysis, it also showed "inflammatory cells". When kitties get cystitis, the lining of the bladder will shed it's walls, this can also contribute to blockages. It will look like little slimy blood clots in the pee if you happen to be able to see them, if they come out.

If you look at your boys wiener, does it move/jump a bit, even when he's not trying to pee? That will indicate that there is indeed still spasming of the urethra. Perhaps, the dosage of the medication is not enough?

I think you really need to explore what it is that might be stressing him out. In the environment (outside and inside) and his overall health. Has the vet only been focusing on his urinary system? It could be that (for example) he has a tooth problem, and that is causing him to be stressed out, which is causing the cystitis. When it comes to the environment, it can be the most insignificant thing that triggers stress in a cat, so you really have to put your sleuthing hat on. Is there a chance that you have an intruder coming into your yard and marking? If it's nocturnal, you would never see it unless you do a stake out or set up cameras. What is your cats personality? Can you think of ANY time that he seemed off before this happened?

One thing that also helped with my kitty was playing relaxing music for him. While he was recovering, we set up a safe room for him and played a relaxation CD, specially made for cats (sounds like music you would hear in a spa). With his meds and being catheterized for so long, he was pretty stoned and incontinent sometimes so the safe room was good for him. Perhaps a quiet safe space would be good for yours too?

I haven't finished my coffee yet, so I'm drawing a blank on other things that happened with my boy. :paperbag: Please feel free to ask me questions, it might help bring back my thoughts! :thumbsup:
 

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Oh! What are his pooping habits at this point? How often? Constipation?
 

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This time, the poor boy strained so hard he even pooped bloody stools. Almost jelly-like blood clot looking.
Was the jelly clot around the whole poop, or was it separate from the poop?
I wonder if he was straining to eliminate the inflammation cells in his bladder and ended up pooping from pushing so hard. That could be why his bladder was empty. He did not have to pee but still felt that "something" needed to come out.
If it was around the whole poop, then that could indicate that he could be constipated.
 
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Fluffyfatty

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Sorry if I repeat anything anyone said...

OK, so my boy developed cystitis. It was purely stress induced. We had a really bad bear season and poor Chewy was terrified of the intrusion of the bears in our yard.
He did have crystals present in his urine, but it was explained to me that stagnant pee will crystallize (incomplete urination). We did put him on the prescription food for struvite crystals a short time. In HIS case the crystals were not the cause but an after effect of the cystitis. But we still wanted to treat the crystals as well, as they are painful and will further cause stress on top of what he was already stressed about. As much as I really don't like vet food as the ingredients aren't the best, it works, so for the short term I would really look into getting him the CD stress formula food. You could also look into the RC Calm food as well. The CD will dissolve the crystals present and help with stress. The RC calm also helps with stone management and stress. (I personally found that for struvite crystals the Hills CD was better but for stress the RC Calm was fantastic.)

There was some evidence of infection, but the vet was also sure that the minor infection was also an after effect of the cystitis. He was placed on an antibiotic just in case.

He had to be catheterized for 5 days and was then placed on an antidepressant, an antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory and an anti-spasmodic. It took OVER A MONTH for him to regain normal function of his bladder. How long was your boy catheterized for? Sometimes they need to be catheterized for longer than 48 hours (which tends to be the standard) to make sure the muscles don't constrict again, and to allow the "inflammatory cells" to be able to come out.

The ultrasound showed a thickening of the bladder, which is the inflammation (cystitis) as well as in the urethra.
In the urine analysis, it also showed "inflammatory cells". When kitties get cystitis, the lining of the bladder will shed it's walls, this can also contribute to blockages. It will look like little slimy blood clots in the pee if you happen to be able to see them, if they come out.

If you look at your boys wiener, does it move/jump a bit, even when he's not trying to pee? That will indicate that there is indeed still spasming of the urethra. Perhaps, the dosage of the medication is not enough?

I think you really need to explore what it is that might be stressing him out. In the environment (outside and inside) and his overall health. Has the vet only been focusing on his urinary system? It could be that (for example) he has a tooth problem, and that is causing him to be stressed out, which is causing the cystitis. When it comes to the environment, it can be the most insignificant thing that triggers stress in a cat, so you really have to put your sleuthing hat on. Is there a chance that you have an intruder coming into your yard and marking? If it's nocturnal, you would never see it unless you do a stake out or set up cameras. What is your cats personality? Can you think of ANY time that he seemed off before this happened?

One thing that also helped with my kitty was playing relaxing music for him. While he was recovering, we set up a safe room for him and played a relaxation CD, specially made for cats (sounds like music you would hear in a spa). With his meds and being catheterized for so long, he was pretty stoned and incontinent sometimes so the safe room was good for him. Perhaps a quiet safe space would be good for yours too?

I haven't finished my coffee yet, so I'm drawing a blank on other things that happened with my boy. :paperbag: Please feel free to ask me questions, it might help bring back my thoughts! :thumbsup:
Your response is amazing and SO helpful! I got a lot of information from you and I have a hunch that our boys are dealing with the same!

I put on my thinking hat and you know...I think he started peeing tinier clumps ever since I stopped separating him and another male housecat. They both have had some beef a year ago, my male house cat used to bully him and attack his eyes whenever I wasn’t looking. Poor boy. I have since separated them for over a year. It was difficult for me and the cats because they had to take turns to free roam the house.

A year passed and I thought it’d be ok to reintroduce them again. Guess not. He first started with a UTI and we gave him antibiotics for it. He did get better after that and at that time, I didn’t know anything about FLUTDs, blockages or stress-induced peeing problems. I thought he really made a full recovery from his first UTI so I didn’t pay attention to his diet or his stress factors. I even went away on a vacation. That seem to really flare him up and within a month, he had a blockage. The ER vet said I caught it super early so he only cathed him for 24hours instead of the standard 48hours because:

1. they cathed him super easily it’s like his blockage was not severe at all.
2. his bloodwork all came back good. Kidneys in good health. Levels all within range.
3. urinalysis only showed some struvite crystals but he couldn’t say it was definitely what caused the blockage.
4. The pee bag attached to him came out clear pee within an hour of catherising him

Poor boy still had problems peeing properly a few days after they sent him home. The antibiotics and anti spasm meds didn’t seem to work. It was Meloxicam that really helped his inflammation and allowed him to start peeing nice normal streams of clear pee.

Up till that point I was only overly obsessed with his diet. I started changing his diet and introducing supplements and homeopathic remedies. Yet 2 weeks later (last night), he had a relapse, started straining and frequenting the box again!

Fortunately, vet said he is not blocked. He did an X-ray to show me that the bladder was looking small and good. I went home with more stress, questions, Meloxicam and anti spasm med. :confused: At this point the vet was like “we don’t know why your cat keeps peeing in drops...but he can empty his bladder so he’s not blocked but you should still do the pu surgery anyway because cats should not pee in drops for long periods of time.”

That was when I put 1 and 1 together and suspected perhaps this is more stress-related because the cats were still not separated. I just refused to believe this could be stress related it sounds so crazy to me that a cat can be THIS sensitive. Furthermore, my cat never hides whenever the bully cat came around. He was always out in the open playing and many times even approached the bully cat first. In my mind a stressed cat would’ve been more fearful and always hiding. Guess not! My cats personality has always been super chill and not vocal. He is almost furniture.

Well today my cat is completely normal again (only one day of medication administered thus far), he is peeing normal streams of pee again like as though last night’s ER visit never even happened. I’m so confused...... this is why I think it’s stress-related. Otherwise how can the symptoms come and go this quickly? I think my cat got stressed by the bully cat yesterday and his urethra got inflamed and constricted that’s why I found him straining to pee. His Weiner only moves when he’s peeing.

I’m just happy he’s ok now. It’s been a crazy month.... I do hope this is more stress-induced FIC because I can try some things at home to help him relax better.
 
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Fluffyfatty

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Was the jelly clot around the whole poop, or was it separate from the poop?
I wonder if he was straining to eliminate the inflammation cells in his bladder and ended up pooping from pushing so hard. That could be why his bladder was empty. He did not have to pee but still felt that "something" needed to come out.
If it was around the whole poop, then that could indicate that he could be constipated.
I have a picture of that. Check it out. He was straining to pee and suddenly the bloody clots just came out of his rear end! I panicked so badly and rushed him down to the ER.

The vet’s explanation was that perhaps he was straining to pee so much that bloody stools came out. Later the X-ray showed some fecal matter all along the idk what (sorry it was so much medical jargon to remember). He did say it was strange the fecal matter were not all in the same area. There were some spaces between each fecal matter, likely because he has a lot of gas in him. But the vet didn’t really think much of the bloody stools.
 

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