Frequent UTI and diarrhea - prescribed anxiety med

[Nicolew]

Hi everyone! My sweet boy is 5yrs, rescued at 3mo. He’s never had very solid stool. Here’s the background: he moved with me to my college apartment in 2019, back home 2020, next apartment fall of 2020, back home 2021 and to a more permanent apartment recently. He adjusts pretty well however in the last two years he was down to 6.7lbs, chronic diarrhea (a loose IBD diagnosis, unfortunately a college budget can’t buy all of the necessary diagnostic tests), frequent UTIs and he’s a pretty anxious kitty. We tried a prescription urinary food with a steroid injection and vitamin B12 drops. Not much of a change. We did a hydrolyzed protein diet with distilled water for drinking. Not much of a change but he is now just over 7lbs. There was a scare he had been straining to poop and was going every 10 minutes dropping the tiniest amount so I took him to the emergency vet and they said he was dehydrated. Since moving to a completely different area I had to find a new vet and concluding our first visit Leo is now on a GI biome prescription diet (Hills), an antibiotic to clear up the current uti and he started amitriptyline for anxiety. Vet said cats with severe anxiety can often have the issues that Leo presents. Leo was already a very relaxed cat, not too much playing, more of a cuddler but after starting this medication he’s been very lethargic. Google says it’s a side effect but since he was so relaxed before, it worries me seeing him like this.
Just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences. I just want my sweet boy to feel better and I cannot imagine the discomfort he’s felt for so long. I need to have peace of mind that these things can be solved. I need him to live a long happy life. I will do anything for this cat, but my pockets are hurting

 

[stephanietx]

He's had a lot of turmoil in his life. Kitties are creatures of habit and thrive on routine. I would suggest Feliway or Comfort Zone diffusers, which can help kitties de-stress. You can add saccharomyces boullardi to his wet food to help firm up poops. Start with 1/2 capsule 2x a day. Look for Jarrow brand S. boullardi + MOS. Also, try to get on a schedule and develop a routine to help him de-stress.

Did the vet give him a Convenia shot (antibiotic) by any chance? Extreme lethargy is a hallmark side effect of the shot.

 

[Nicolew]

he’s on a liquid antibiotic (usually gets a pill), I forgot the name but it’s his common one. Never had any side effects. I try to make taking his meds the least traumatizing as possible, a small peanut butter coating on his pill seems to help. The anxiety med he’s on apparently causes sedation as a common side effect though. I’m calling the vet Monday just to make sure everything is normal, but it worries me seeing him this relaxed. Like same two spots all day, no nighttime snuggles like usual. 10pm was bedtime every night like clockwork.

 

[stephanietx]

You might need to change the dose on the anxiety med or try a different one if it's making him extremely lethargic. Start working on a calm home environment and get some calming agents.

 

[Elvisrocks]

Hi everyone! My sweet boy is 5yrs, rescued at 3mo. He’s never had very solid stool. Here’s the background: he moved with me to my college apartment in 2019, back home 2020, next apartment fall of 2020, back home 2021 and to a more permanent apartment recently. He adjusts pretty well however in the last two years he was down to 6.7lbs, chronic diarrhea (a loose IBD diagnosis, unfortunately a college budget can’t buy all of the necessary diagnostic tests), frequent UTIs and he’s a pretty anxious kitty. We tried a prescription urinary food with a steroid injection and vitamin B12 drops. Not much of a change. We did a hydrolyzed protein diet with distilled water for drinking. Not much of a change but he is now just over 7lbs. There was a scare he had been straining to poop and was going every 10 minutes dropping the tiniest amount so I took him to the emergency vet and they said he was dehydrated. Since moving to a completely different area I had to find a new vet and concluding our first visit Leo is now on a GI biome prescription diet (Hills), an antibiotic to clear up the current uti and he started amitriptyline for anxiety. Vet said cats with severe anxiety can often have the issues that Leo presents. Leo was already a very relaxed cat, not too much playing, more of a cuddler but after starting this medication he’s been very lethargic. Google says it’s a side effect but since he was so relaxed before, it worries me seeing him like this.
Just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences. I just want my sweet boy to feel better and I cannot imagine the discomfort he’s felt for so long. I need to have peace of mind that these things can be solved. I need him to live a long happy life. I will do anything for this cat, but my pockets are hurting

I started my cat on amitriptyline about 3 months ago for stress induced cystitis. The vet started her on 2.5 mg daily and I have kept her on that dosage. She was sleepy for several weeks but now that has subsided. What dosage are you giving your cat? Maybe the vet can reduce the dose and work up to a higher dose once her body adjusts.

 

[Joelle and the kittens]

I'd be anxious too with all that upheaval!

a small peanut butter coating on his pill seems to help.

I would use pill pockets or something other than peanut butter as that is poisonous to cats.