Please help make sense of these symptoms

[Teddybeard]

Hi, I have despaired of finding an adequate veterinary doctor in my region, though I'm still looking. But until I find someone, please help me understand what is going on with my cat.

She is 13. I fed her horribly when she was young. Dry food (Orijen and Acana), and when she began showing symptoms of gastrointestinal problems (blood in urine and maybe in stool - can't remember now), changed her diet to slightly boiled goby fish with occasional vitamin supplements. That ended badly too; the symptoms returned after a while. Then eventually (a few years ago) I found a website by Dr Lisa Pierson (catinfo.org) where she gives a recipe for homemade cat food. I've been feeding her that way since (I can provide the recipe or link to the page if you like). She seemed to be healthy for a while. Regular stool and urine, no blood or anything.

And now she has a new bout of I don't know what. The symptoms are these:

Makes her toilet every other day or less.
Urinated and defecated in the same visit for some time, then began doing it separately again.
Has been withholding or unable to pass urine, because her bladder was full but she didn't go to void it.
Burps.
Meows and visits her litter box multiple times before making toilet. Sometimes seems to change her mind and leaves, but doesn't seem to strain when she does urinate or pass stool.
Spends all her time between windowsills and heat pad.
One vet after a blood test prescribed her AmylaDol (digestive supplement) suspecting pancreatitis, and some commercial food because he suspected that she might be allergic to what I'm feeding her. She has no typical allergic symptoms.
Another vet thought she may withhold urine or stool because of pain. Gave her No-Spa and Papaverine injections to see if it helps her make her toilet. When I brought her home she repeated her fruitless visits to litter box, but eventually urinated, seemingly without issues.
Her appetite varies. Sometimes she eats well, sometimes leaves her food untouched.
There was once a bit of blood in her stool (red, undigested), but not since.
Has come to me to rub her belly at night a few times, but mostly stays away the rest of the day.

I have been giving her Fortiflora for the last few days, in case it matters. Also she is unspayed, and since some of the symptoms began at about the time when her last heat ended, I was worried that there might be a connection.

I can provide the blood test results and conclusion, but I'll have to translate it first since it's in Russian, and I don't know the medical terms and names.

I'm worried about my cat so much, I would appreciate any real help a lot.

 

[Kieka]

Immediate thoughts would be:

1. Diabetes
2. UTI
3. Kidney infection
4. Arthritis - painful to get in and out of litter box so avoiding/limiting litter box.

Did the vet check for those?

 

[Teddybeard]

I assume so. He said that most of her blood test indicators are within norm, but as I've just looked up, serum fructosamine isn't in the list (diabetes). UTI as in infection or inflammation? She doesn't seem to fit many of the symptoms. Her kidney indicators were within norm. She doesn't have any trouble getting inside her litter box. She jumps onto relatively high windowsills without apparent issues.

 

[Teddybeard]

Her glucose was within norm, but cholesterol showed 6.2 mmol/l, and maximal normal amount shows there as 3.7, but he made no comment on that.

 

[Kieka]

I'd think urinary tract infection or arthritis then. Arthritis would need an xray to check for but the age is right. Joint pain and general being in pain could cause all the problems mentioned. Especially if you add in the seeking warm places which helps joints feel better. I know litter box problems doesn't seem normal for arthritis but a cat having trouble getting in and out of one can hold it in too long causing problems. They can also associate the physical box with the pain from going in and out causing them to leave too quickly which then gives the apperance of frequent trips.