Please read if you've had a cat with cystitis/urinary problems.

[JennaCastle]

Just from browsing through these forums it seems that this problem is frighteningly common. I've just started experiencing it with my cat. I adopted Loki 2 years ago. He is about 3 years old now. Neutered male. His previous owner had let him roam outdoors, but he has been an indoor kitty for 2 years now, and he's adapted very well to it. Out of the blue, on Saturday (Nov 29), I woke up to him meowing loudly. He was doing little pees all over the house. Peeing a bit, licking himself, walking a few feet, then peeing again. Over and over. He has never done this before so it freaked me out and I immediately took him to the vet. The vet checked him for blockage, no blockage, checked his urine, no crystals. Some white blood cells in his pee. Vet started him on antibiotics and a medication to relax his urethra. She called me every day to give me an update and they were able to express his bladder but he would only pee tiny amounts on his own. They kept him overnight until Monday. They did another urine test on Monday and found trace amounts of blood, which the vet said is normal for the condition (cystitis) she thinks he has. After a HEFTY medical bill, I took him home on Monday and he's on 4 different meds. An antibiotic, a medicine for relaxing his urethra, a pain reliever, and homeopathic medicine (saw palmetto) that is supposed to help with urinary health. Two of the meds are pills, and the other two are drops. All are to be taken every 12 hours. He hates taking the meds, meows loudly at me and squirms every time. He seems to hate it more and more each time I give them to him. It's Wednesday and he seems no better. He's not peeing outside of the litter box anymore, but he'll sit in the litter box trying to pee, will maybe get a quarter size out, then reposition and try again, for several minutes. He is not eating much at all, he's pretty much refusing to eat regular cat food, but he will eat canned food in very small amounts. I assume some of this may be related to all the meds making him lose his appetite. Other than that he seems in good spirits. He's certainly not as playful but he'll still purr and follow me around the house, sleeps fine. He doesn't meow when he pees or show any signs he's in pain. I'm just concerned that things are not improving in terms of him being able to pee. Has anyone else dealt with this similar issue and how long did it take your cat to recover?

 

[ManekiNekko]

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I just posted about our Sam cat's urinary problems a few minutes ago.

How often does he have the "small amount, try several minutes" peeing episodes? Are they constantly throughout the day? Since you brought him home Monday, has he *ever* gone to pee without an episode?
(with our Sam cat, his idiopathic cystitis had him in and out of the litter box for a few hours for maybe 1 day a month, though at its worse, he sometimes had 3 bouts of that in one day).

Will he let you water down his wet food to help with liquid intake, or could you try cat milk or tuna water? Does he drink well on his own? Did the vet give any subQ fluids or suggest water intake might be contributing?

 

[JennaCastle]

I'm sorry to hear about your cat as well. Loki hasn't had a normal pee yet. Every time he tries to pee this happens. I don't know how many times throughout the day that he tries because I just picked him up Monday evening and I've had to work Tuesday and Wednesday, so haven't been able to spend a whole day with him. I have tried watering down the dry food and he doesn't like that either. I'll try the tuna water. Vet did not give subQ fluids. He was not dehydrated. He has been drinking his water.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I just posted about our Sam cat's urinary problems a few minutes ago.

How often does he have the "small amount, try several minutes" peeing episodes? Are they constantly throughout the day? Since you brought him home Monday, has he *ever* gone to pee without an episode?
(with our Sam cat, his idiopathic cystitis had him in and out of the litter box for a few hours for maybe 1 day a month, though at its worse, he sometimes had 3 bouts of that in one day).

Will he let you water down his wet food to help with liquid intake, or could you try cat milk or tuna water? Does he drink well on his own? Did the vet give any subQ fluids or suggest water intake might be contributing?

 

[ManekiNekko]

Hopefully someone else will have more advice. Sam's cystitis bouts do not usually last more than a day, so I can't be helpful with that part. He did have them more often for a while two years ago when he had a herniated disc, but that was presumed to be stress from the pain of the injury. The time he did have a full urinary blockage, it definitely took a couple of weeks before he started acting more normal (but that included surgery, which was obviously unpleasant for him).

(Side note, we bought a cheap home surveillance camera, like $20, and pointed it at the litter boxes in our house so we could check on how often/when they go even if we are not around to see. That might not be helpful immediately for Loki, but possibly something to consider longer-term if you need to keep an eye on his litter or other behavior when you are at work)

 

[verna davies]

What tests did your vet do, did he do a scan or urinalysis? I use Cornsilk and D-Mannose when my cat has a flare up (stress related UTI) and after a few days it seems to settle.

 

[fionasmom]

I also use D Mannose and have used it for dogs and for myself as well. But it will not cure a bladder infection which is raging; it is more of a preventative. I am also wondering what tests were done....with a male cat who is not able to urinate normally I would be concerned. You already paid a lot of money but can you consult a specialist?

 

[Jem]

If he likes the wet food, just keep feeding him only wet food, the moisture is very important.

When my boy had cystitis, he had to be catheterized for almost a week. When we brought him home he was also on several medications. An anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, anti-depressant and something else that was supposed to help with muscle tone....don't remember what it was. Due to being catheterized for so long, he would randomly leak pee, and it took a good month before I can comfortably say that his pees were "back to normal size" and he stopped leaking and straining. At first his pees were about an inch to an inch and a half and gradually they got back to about a two/two and a half inch clump.
He would also sometimes pee out little clots, which is normal as the lining of the inflamed bladder and urethra sheds.
What the vet told me was that as long as the pee sizes weren't getting smaller, not to worry too much and just keep an eye.

 

[JennaCastle]

UPDATE. Since he is not improving (his bladder is very large and firm), he was taken in again, and the vet is going to put in a catheter, and run blood tests, maybe keep him overnight. This is going to put the total bill well over $1000

 

[posiepurrs]

I am dealing with a situation now with my Sunny. He has crystals though. I have had a girl who would develop cystitis when she was stressed. To ease the problem, you may want to consider if something is stressing him. I am glad you took him in if his bladder was full and firm. That can be a medical emergency.

 

[JennaCastle]

UPDATE from Vet. The catheter placement went super smoothly. She was able to empty the bladder. No sign of blockage when catheter was inserted. Blood work all came back normal. No sign of kidney disease. Vet is pretty baffled as to what has been preventing him from peeing. She has put him on every medication under the sun, except for Diazepam which she is trying one dose of today. I have been wracking my brain trying to think of any changes in the house that might have stressed him out and I can't think of anything. He's always been the chillest cat and this just seemed to come out of the blue.

 

[Grayson’s Mummy Julia]

Oh my goodness just reading this now! Your poor baby and poor you
I had this problem ongoing for years with Gray and have recommended to everyone on here with the same problem to try the Hills Urinary Prescription food. They do wet and dry. My vet recommended it and it has changed Gray’s life! No more problems at all. It costs more than regular cat food but worth every penny. And defo less than all the hefty vet bills too
I don’t want to frighten you but if your cat is unable to pass urine it really is life threatening and an emergency appointment like you have been doing is imperative.
BUT once under control and they can pass urine again it is manageable.
Wishing you all the luck in the world and keep us posted

 

[JennaCastle]

Thanks, Julia. That's wonderful that your Gray had a full recovery! I'll definitely look into that food.
Yes, I was in constant contact with my vet and she had advised me to take him back in as well. I was monitoring him and making sure he was at least peeing a little. I know that complete inability to pass urine is def an emergency.

Hoping I'll be able to pick him up from the vet today.

Oh my goodness just reading this now! Your poor baby and poor you
I had this problem ongoing for years with Gray and have recommended to everyone on here with the same problem to try the Hills Urinary Prescription food. They do wet and dry. My vet recommended it and it has changed Gray’s life! No more problems at all. It costs more than regular cat food but worth every penny. And defo less than all the hefty vet bills too
I don’t want to frighten you but if your cat is unable to pass urine it really is life threatening and an emergency appointment like you have been doing is imperative.
BUT once under control and they can pass urine again it is manageable.
Wishing you all the luck in the world and keep us posted