Need Advice With Cystitis Cat And Dogs In The Home

[SalemSweetie2013]

Has anyone had a cat with stress-induced cystitis AND cohabitated fine with a dog?? I am a desperate animal lover needing help, advice, or maybe someone to point me in the right direction with our situation:

We have 2 cats. Our younger cat, Salem, is 5YO and has had mild urinary tract issues since we adopted her at age 1. After a few tests we switched to a wet food diet, supplemented with Cosequin to help with the lining of her bladder, filter-only water, etc. That did the trick almost instrantly and she was just fine for almost a year. Problem solved. THEN...

We adopted our first family puppy (yay! so exciting!). Long story short, we did everything the internet experts tell you to do to prepare for introducing a dog to a kitty household. (Separate rooms at first, high perch spots, etc). Well about 1 month later our cat started having urinary issues again and (long story short) she was diagnosed with stress-induced cystitis by 3 different vets *due to the stress of the puppy in the home* and was put on prescription Science Diet CD Stress food PLUS prescribed anti-anxiety medication to help her. The food eliminates 90% of her symptoms (thank goodness!) but I was unable to give her the medication. So we had no choice but to give our 9mo old puppy back to the rescue. We were so heartbroken. The problem seemed to be when the puppy was unoccupied, that he would want someone to play with and he would go sniff her and she would flip out.

Fast forward 1 week later (today) and our cat is doing fine on just the food. And even a bit lazy bc the food has tryptophan in it. But now I am faced with a choice of either (A) possibly never having a dog in the house as long as we have sour cat Salem, or (B) rehome our cat in order to continue our lives. Neither of those feels right.

Has anyone else had a cat with stress cystitis AND had a dog in the home? I am wondering if a super mellowed out dog would work with our cat, or if a blind/deaf dog would be good (if the dog doesn’t really know where she is most of the time), or maybe a super tiny dog, or adopting 2 dogs at the same time so the dogs occupy each other and aren’t interested in the cat?

I am feeling stuck and don’t know where to turn... help??

 

[Furballsmom]

I am wondering if a super mellowed out dog would work with our cat, or if a blind/deaf dog would be good (if the dog doesn’t really know where she is most of the time),

Hi! I would try one of these options, and older, not a puppy, and trained. Can you foster?

I wouldn't try two dogs, and smaller dogs can be overly filled with ego so if you try a small dog, maybe a foster situation would be good?

 

[Wile]

Hi! It is hard to know what might happen because stress triggers are very individual. If I were considering getting a dog with a cat prone to getting stressed I would take a 2-pronged approach.

First I would look for a quiet (doesn't bark) dog with a calm, respectful, and predictable personality. Get an adult that is generally disinterested in cats, not a puppy. Do not get any terriers or dogs that are driven to hunt small things. The size of the dog is also something that you might want to think about. My own cat is intimidated by big dogs, but seems to feel comfortable with dogs that are his size or smaller. Get a dog that you would feel comfortable leaving a newborn baby with.

Second, I would make sure to be on top of treating the cystitis. My own cat gets periodic cartrophen shots for this, and the C/D stress diet is helpful though I no longer use it myself. I believe you feed this already? Some anti-anxiety meds can be compounded into a topical form, so you might want to ask your vet about alternate delivery systems for the medication.

You also need to make sure that you are on top of environmental enrichment for your cat because pandora syndrome is heavily influenced by environmental factors. Cats who do best are those who get a lot of exercise / attention from their owners. Catify your house with climbing towers and shelves so that your cat can climb and get away from the dog if they feel unsafe. Have a dog-free space or room in your house that you train the dog to stay out of. Play hunting games with your cat (wand toys) and exercise Salem to help her/him work off the stress. If Salem is willing it can be helpful to also take a cystitis cat outside on walks in safe places to gain confidence. From the reading that I have done this condition is aggravated in indoor cats who aren't allowed to hunt or go outside and do all the normal things that cats naturally do, so you will want to introduce these things to Salem's life.

That's all I can think of for now, but I will post again if I can think of anything else.

 

[SalemSweetie2013]

Hi! I would try one of these options, and older, not a puppy, and trained. Can you foster?

I wouldn't try two dogs, and smaller dogs can be overly filled with ego so if you try a small dog, maybe a foster situation would be good?

I was also thinking the same thing with the smaller dogs, they’re too hyper. I am willing to foster or “trial” adoption first to make sure we are making a good decision. I don’t want to go through this again....my heart is still shattered from giving away my puppy, my furr baby

 

[SalemSweetie2013]

I was also thinking the same thing with the smaller dogs, they’re too hyper. I am willing to foster or “trial” adoption first to make sure we are making a good decision. I don’t want to go through this again....my heart is still shattered from giving away my puppy, my furr baby

And my husband’s suggestion was: we can try again with a dog that is SMALLER than our cat (at first) but it could be a dog that still grows to 50lbs again. And I said, ummmm we aren’t going to adopt a dog that is 2 weeks old!! Sigh...

 

[SalemSweetie2013]

Wile: Thank you for the response. Not sure if I am replying to the right message here or not.

I am looking into installing more climbing towers around our living area. Before puppy came home, we did nominate our basement (where the litter box already is located) to be the cats’ dog-free zone. We installed a kitty door to the basement, kept their food down there, put special comfy bedding down there. But after this whole thing happened I am thinking the comfortable areas should (additionally) be located in our living areas. Because she would often just go downstairs and stay down there all day. I am looking into installing kitty wall mount hammocks and peekaboo boxes and things in our living area.

Both of our cats are indoor/outdoor cats but both our cats are not eof snuggle-buddies than playmates. I will try more toys around the house too. I do buy them toys but they seem to get lost under furniture within a day or two hehehe Thank you for all the suggestions. Much appreciated.

 

[Furballsmom]

I am thinking the comfortable areas should (additionally) be located in our living areas. Because she would often just go downstairs and stay down there all day. I am looking into installing kitty wall mount hammocks and peekaboo boxes and things in our living area.

I think this is a wonderful idea, let us know how it all goes - we'll be thinking of you

 

[SalemSweetie2013]

Thank you everyone.

 

[stephanietx]

Since the issue is chronic for your kitty, I would make sure you're using calming agents to help decrease the stress level. You might also find it helpful to use D-Mannose and cornsilk to help control flares.

 

[SalemSweetie2013]

Thank you everyone who has posted with helpful advice!!

Yesterday we completed phase 1 of 3 of our living room kitty utopia/hideout for Salem It was very easy actually: Home Depot has decorative brackets, pre-finished wood shelves, and we added an anti-skid carpet piece (manufactured for stair steps but it was the perfect size) and it was only about $40 total. She is sleeping in it now and it’s only been installed since yesterday! Very happy about that. We all know that cats don’t use half the shit you buy for them lol

I hope the pictures upload right.