Feline Idiopathic Cystitis And Urethral Blockages Male Cats

[jhenafire]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and really need help. I am not sure my vet is the right fit and I am having major anxiety with these issues.

I have a one year old male tabby named Barnabas. I have had him for about 9 months. This is the first cat I have had as a real adult, although I had one in my 20s I do not consider myself as grown at that time and I really didn't have problems with him(Trooper kitty of 13 years RIP).

I noticed Barns peed on his toys. That was the first I noticed of a UTI. Later on that day I noticed he was straining to urinate. I am not sure if that is the right wording. He was squatting like normal, but his stream went up vertically like he was spraying, so I figured he was straining it out. He wasn't flinching, but I had to move him and press his butt down. This happened twice then I called the vet.

I went to the vet on Monday and immediately the doctor said it was feline idiopathic cystitis. Suggesting to me I get feliway calming spray and another litterbox(I have been told that at a previous appt treating a upper respiratory infection, but my apartment is 690 square feet I figured my apartment is too small for two boxes) Well I got the box and had already ordered the spray prior to the appointment. She also prescribed gabapentin 50mg twice a day for his bladder pain.

They did a blood test and urinalysis and the urinalysis came back with 1-3 struvite crystals and 0-1 Amorphous crystals. The doctor called me and told me I needed to immediately put him on Hills science diet C/D(this is the second time I have been prescribed Hills - The first was for juvenile gingivitis). I thought ok thats what I will do.

I went out and bought it even though it hurt financially. I was filled with anxiety she told me he needs to be on this forever. I told myself I got to do what I got to do and I immediately got rid of all his other food. I didn't want to be tempted to give him it and make this worse.

So I have been documenting EVERYTHING he does, but Friday comes and he is still straining. There is something wrong. Is he blocked? Is he headed towards a blockage? Does he really have an accumulation of crystals in his bladder?

So I have to work that day and I was able to drop him off at noon and pick him up at 4:30. I was hopeful. Maybe they will do an xray see what is going on. No they didn't she told me his physical exam was good and I need to get a second litter box. Seriously. I was kind of annoyed because I did that immediately after the appointment. I went with the cat to the store. She prescribed Prazosin 0.5mg twice a day for urethral spasms saying she wasn't concerned until the cat could not pass any urine.

So I'm annoyed and I am stressed out and I think Barnabas feels it to. The whole weekend I am researching UTI, Urethral blockages, diets and learning a lot, but also getting very anxious. I decide the dry food has to go and cut that out, but then I start reading about how bad Hills RX is and I don't know what to do.

Sunday comes along Barnabas is going to his litterbox himself not spraying(for the past few days I was coaxing him to pee, I was so scared) I ended up going to the pet store and getting him homeopathic UTI medication, I had some cranberry treats I was giving him and that night I bought a bag of Stella and Chewie Raw food.

He improved after that, he is also still getting his prazosin, but now this week he is starting to strain again his behaviors are up and down. One minute he will be playing the next minute he will be hiding or sitting hunched over.

My question is what is your experience with a blocked urethra? How much warning did you have? What kind of testing did the vet do? Did you change your cats diet?

I want to prevent a complete blockage because duh this can hurt him internally. The doctor I have that I may be firing seems to want to wait til an emergency. I don't think that is right. I am doing everything in my power to prevent a blockage is it inevitable?

I do not know if he has a buildup of crystals it just may be flared up cystitis.

I did make an appointment at two different vets this week and next. I won't go to both but I think I need a second opinion. If he's back to normal on Friday I may wait.

I am turning into the potty police and it is making me crazy paranoid. Please share your knowledge and experience!

 

[catsknowme]

Your poor kitty - I am prone to kidney & bladder problems myself so I feel for your boy. The only cat in my experience was my Maine Coon & lots of exercise, wet food and good water has really helped. Also, be sure to avoid scented litter and harsh cleaning chemicals. You can ask your vet about herbal supplements such as marshmallow root and slippery elm.
I am hoping to keep this thread at the top of the forum because I know that there are some very knowledgeable and experienced members here who can add valuable input on this subject.

 

[duckpond]

First off, i personally would put him back on the prescription diet. It may not be something he ends up being on for life, once he is out of crisis you can talk to the vet about different wet foods for him. But the prescription food does work for many cats in his situation. I would not feed him anything else without talking to the vet. The prescription food in wet would be optimum, but many feed the dry as well. There may be bad reviews on the food, but it works wonders for so many cats.

And with a cat if you think he is blocked, its an emergency. If a male is blocked it can turn deadly, quickly. Never wait when they are straining, or seem to be in pain while peeing. that is an emergency and they need the vet now, not in a few days. Dont wait, if you think he is blocked, go in.

Keeping you guys in my thoughts, and do keep us updated on him. I will worry about the little guy.

 

[jhenafire]

Thank you both for the information.

I am still feeding him Hills Rx C/D chicken stew. He doesn't like it much, but that is all I have besides a few small cans of some other grain free. I did buy him the salmon flavored(grabbed the wrong bag wanted to get chicken) dry too, but I gave him a little dry two days ago and he seemed to get worse.

I did want to go hard core on the raw, but I know he needs some time and I should talk to a vet so I am giving him a little bit at night with his homeopathic drops.

The issue is he is urinating. A decent amount too at least twice a day, so that is where I am doubting myself. The vet's recommendation was she isn't worrying if he is urinating. He isn't dribbling there is a stream, it just seems like he strains to a spray 50% of the time. He will go squat a few times and have no problems and then next thing you know he is straining his stream again.

It doesn't help that I have major anxiety with medical issues, so with the advice this vet gave me and the fact he is urinating(haven't seen any blood either) I feel like I may be overreacting.

I read that the UTIs usually last about 2 weeks? It has been 1 week and 2 days since he went to the vet. I am not anti-vet in anyway, but I really think I should find a new vet. I am just frustrated at them.

Currently he is sleeping. His behavior is off, but a lot has changed. His diet, no more of his favorite treats. I am giving him pills. I am usually at work from 8-5, so I am not sure if he sleeps around this time normally.

 

[duckpond]

Well its good that he is peeing. When is his next vet check? I know this can all be scary, and frustrating. If you do not think your vets are doing the right thing, then by all means get a second opinion.

We do have a raw subforum under the nutrition forum, that may be a good place to start. I dont feed raw, but i know a lot of people do with good results. I would continue working with a vet to get him through this.

 

[silkenpaw]

I love the name “Barnabas.”

I think if you are questioning your vet then you need to get a new one. You need a vet you trust. Did your vet think the crystals in his urine were normal? I’m assuming there were no white blood cells (WBC) or bacteria, as that would indicate an infection. Idiopathic cystitis is a diagnosis of exclusion. In other words, you need to exclude other causes of cystitis, such as infection. Myself, I would have liked to see a urine culture even without any white cells or bacteria, just to make sure.

Good luck with Barnabas and let us know what happens.

 

[lalagimp]

I don't blame you on the paranoia. The one boy that had the FLUTD issues and blockages and got the PU procedure always has a urine stream like a horse. The other boy does not. His father worries about him when he takes a little while longer in the litter box than we'd like, but he gets done and walks away calmly, and never keeps returning to the box with any urgency. It was very upsetting recognizing that Tommy was blocking. It just looks like they are pooping, except they can be in that box for several minutes, until I would tap him on the shoulder *I'm not kidding* and ask if he was okay. He'd walk away, but within 5 minutes he would go back to the box and do the same thing, and hang around in there for minutes. He'd try to take a break and rest right outside the box, and then when something reminded him he still needed to pee, he'd perk right up with urgency and go squat in the box again. The first blockage, I was completely ignorant, and I thought it was severe constipation again. (again) **because he can get so constipated that he starts vomiting from strain**
His daddy came home that evening and touched the side of his belly and Tom SCREAMED and ran to the box! He told me to take him to the hospital right now.
I felt so stupid. Ugh how I cried driving home without my cat because we had to admit him.

But he usually pees like a horse. Stewart does not. Stewart does not pee at high velocity or high volume (both audio and quantity). It's always worrisome.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

I have a lot of experience with blockages and my boy eventually ended up having PU surgery (after multiple ER trips).

First of all, please keep him exclusively on prescription food! Royal Canin SO is probably the equivalent of Hill's CD. Either is fine. It makes me so angry that people demonize prescription food - sometimes it can save a life and "just wet food" is not always the answer. For the record, my boy gets only dry SO for over a year now.

Secondly, please do NOT mix UTI supplements with prescription food! They may contain a urinary acidifier which is already in the food!

Third, it was my understanding that FIC has no known cause. In Barnabus's case, he had struvite and another type of crystal. That was the cause. An ultrasound should be able to tell. The ER vet said my boy's bladder looked like a "snowglobe". Prazosin is good and a standard med for this. The gabapentin will relax him.

I agree with your assessment of finding a new vet.

Thank you for taking such good care of him! I know how scary this is. He will be okay!!

 

[Tnd128]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and really need help. I am not sure my vet is the right fit and I am having major anxiety with these issues.

I have a one year old male tabby named Barnabas. I have had him for about 9 months. This is the first cat I have had as a real adult, although I had one in my 20s I do not consider myself as grown at that time and I really didn't have problems with him(Trooper kitty of 13 years RIP).

I noticed Barns peed on his toys. That was the first I noticed of a UTI. Later on that day I noticed he was straining to urinate. I am not sure if that is the right wording. He was squatting like normal, but his stream went up vertically like he was spraying, so I figured he was straining it out. He wasn't flinching, but I had to move him and press his butt down. This happened twice then I called the vet.

I went to the vet on Monday and immediately the doctor said it was feline idiopathic cystitis. Suggesting to me I get feliway calming spray and another litterbox(I have been told that at a previous appt treating a upper respiratory infection, but my apartment is 690 square feet I figured my apartment is too small for two boxes) Well I got the box and had already ordered the spray prior to the appointment. She also prescribed gabapentin 50mg twice a day for his bladder pain.

They did a blood test and urinalysis and the urinalysis came back with 1-3 struvite crystals and 0-1 Amorphous crystals. The doctor called me and told me I needed to immediately put him on Hills science diet C/D(this is the second time I have been prescribed Hills - The first was for juvenile gingivitis). I thought ok thats what I will do.

I went out and bought it even though it hurt financially. I was filled with anxiety she told me he needs to be on this forever. I told myself I got to do what I got to do and I immediately got rid of all his other food. I didn't want to be tempted to give him it and make this worse.

So I have been documenting EVERYTHING he does, but Friday comes and he is still straining. There is something wrong. Is he blocked? Is he headed towards a blockage? Does he really have an accumulation of crystals in his bladder?

So I have to work that day and I was able to drop him off at noon and pick him up at 4:30. I was hopeful. Maybe they will do an xray see what is going on. No they didn't she told me his physical exam was good and I need to get a second litter box. Seriously. I was kind of annoyed because I did that immediately after the appointment. I went with the cat to the store. She prescribed Prazosin 0.5mg twice a day for urethral spasms saying she wasn't concerned until the cat could not pass any urine.

So I'm annoyed and I am stressed out and I think Barnabas feels it to. The whole weekend I am researching UTI, Urethral blockages, diets and learning a lot, but also getting very anxious. I decide the dry food has to go and cut that out, but then I start reading about how bad Hills RX is and I don't know what to do.

Sunday comes along Barnabas is going to his litterbox himself not spraying(for the past few days I was coaxing him to pee, I was so scared) I ended up going to the pet store and getting him homeopathic UTI medication, I had some cranberry treats I was giving him and that night I bought a bag of Stella and Chewie Raw food.

He improved after that, he is also still getting his prazosin, but now this week he is starting to strain again his behaviors are up and down. One minute he will be playing the next minute he will be hiding or sitting hunched over.

My question is what is your experience with a blocked urethra? How much warning did you have? What kind of testing did the vet do? Did you change your cats diet?

I want to prevent a complete blockage because duh this can hurt him internally. The doctor I have that I may be firing seems to want to wait til an emergency. I don't think that is right. I am doing everything in my power to prevent a blockage is it inevitable?

I do not know if he has a buildup of crystals it just may be flared up cystitis.

I did make an appointment at two different vets this week and next. I won't go to both but I think I need a second opinion. If he's back to normal on Friday I may wait.

I am turning into the potty police and it is making me crazy paranoid. Please share your knowledge and experience!

Hi there. I am totally right there with you! My boy has been dealing with crystals since Wednesday. My vet has me in the same boat. I’m over anxious/paranoid, and not that I don’t advise actual medical help, but this site has helped a lot. My cat was peeing everywhere couldn’t control it, I was seen and given prazosin, antibiotics, and a pain medicine. He seemed a little better the next day but the day after he started to block. Believe me you will know too, they don’t pee at all and my little guy was just moaning and howling I knew something was super wrong. I took him to the vet again for another emergency visit and upon that visit they said, “he is not fully blocked just mostly inflamed, so he just feels like he has to go that is why he is straining”.. but they were still going to admit him and give him the catheter, but I was super worried about him being alone for the weekend. (My vets not 24/7) but I felt like I had to do that for him to get better, and as I was about to say goodbye to him, bam, pee came out and the “crystal” that was blocking him. He kept peeing after that so much too, so much for “NOT” being blocked. Anyways, I ended up being able to bring him home. We are still a work in process and still taking our meds. But the best advice I think I’ve come across so far is making sure their diet is adequate ( I just switched mine after this to the wet food, cheddar my boy is eating the Royal Canin SO as doctors orders.. and making sure they have lots of FRESH water. I just keep adding it too some spoon fulls of the wet food in his bowl and he just eats it all right up. Hope some of this helps, believe me I know your pain. Hope all gets better!!