Preventative kitty health.

[Murphington1231]

Hi there!
2 years ago I adopted my cat Louie. He frequently gets bladder and ear infections. I have had to put him on antibiotics at least 4 times... and it difficult for me because I live 6 hours from a vet! I am in the far north of Canada. Every time Louie gets sick it involves days of travel for me and him and a massive bill.
I am less concerned about the money as long as kitty is not suffering... but I'm wondering if there is anything I can be doing differently to help prevent infections? It's hard on us doing these vet trips so often.
He is an indoor cat, 5 years old. I feed him high quality wet food and occasoinal healthy dry food. He's a rescue so I don't know what his life or condition was like before I adopted him. He was found with a broken right front paw which you can see in the picture. He has fully adapted to using it (vet says it has likely been broken for a long time).
He is very dear to me and want to keep him as healthy and happy as I can!

 

[Kieka]

What food specifically do you feed?

Ear infections might be from a sensitivity to the food, so that's an item worth exploring. Bladder infections could be he needs more water or more access to litter boxes.... maybe.

 

[Murphington1231]

I feed him Go! Solutions (Canadian brand) food. I give him only the seafood varieties as chicken gives him acne. We have 2 litter boxes (2 cats) and a pet water fountain that he loves.

 

[LTS3]

I feed him Go! Solutions (Canadian brand) food. I give him only the seafood varieties as chicken gives him acne.

The seafood could be in part causing the bladder issues. Seafood isn't good for cats as the only protein a cat eats.

Can I Feed My Cat A Fish-based Or Fish-flavored Diet? [Answered] - TheCatSite

It’s a question that often comes up in our cat nutrition forums. Many cats adore the flavor of tuna, sardines, or just plain old “fish” and will happily eat nothing but fish flavored meals. But is it good for them? What’s the Harm in Fish? Fish may contain an enzyme called thiaminase. As its...

thecatsite.com

Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats | Little Big Cat - Dr. Jean Hofve

The fish used in pet food may contain all kinds of toxins and drug residues, including persistent organic pollutants that actually stop the body from eliminating it and other toxins. Another common toxin, domoic acid, may be an unrecognized factor in chronic kidney disease.

littlebigcat.com

If chicken causes acne, try a different protein such as turkey or duck or rabbit. You may need to buy food with these proteins online if your local pet store doesn't have any. A rotation of meats is ideal. Seafood is ok only as an occasional treat or meal.

 

[Murphington1231]

Ok good to know! thank you! I will get some other kinds

 

[jen]

I give him only the seafood varieties as chicken gives him acne.

Seafood as mentioned could be causing the bladder issues. Keep him on as much canned food as possible of non-seafood variety, add water to it even if you have to.

Are you SURE that chicken is the cause of the acne? This doesn't really make a lot of sense as acne typically has more to do with the bowls and cleanliness of those bowls that he is eating or drinking out of.

 

[Jem]

You mention that he has adapted well to the broken paw, but is there a chance that it causes him pain? Cats hide their pain VERY well, so just because you may not notice things are amiss, does not mean the paw doesn't bother him on some level. If he has recurring pain or arthritis it could be stressing him out which can lead to a condition called cystitis. Cystitis can lead to infection because of the inflammation and issues with complete elimination.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. It is not an actual solution, but something that might help for when he does get an infection - if you have a good relationship with the vet, and there is a pet store around that handles prescriptions, the vet might be willing to call in a prescription to the pet store as needed? When Feeby was having recurring UTIs, it got to the point the vet would just let me pick up a prescription instead of dragging Feeby into see him. I knew what her symptoms were and he trusted me to know what I was seeing.

Does he have crystals in his urine when he tests positive for a bladder infection? If so, more water in his diet would be helpful. And, although many members might disagree, perhaps he would benefit from eating some urinary care foods too - to help reduce crystal production. Feeby (15+ yo) had stones so bad 10 years ago that she had to have surgery. She has since been on urinary care foods, and - knock on wood - has had no further issue with stones; and, until the recent bouts of UTIs - related to her poor cleaning habits/arthritis - she was also UTI free for all those years. If he doesn't have crystals, that would tend to lead toward stress/cystitis as a possible cause of the infections, as mentioned above.

The other thing besides food or environmental allergies that might be contributing somewhat to the ear infections - does he collect a lot of dirt in his ears? Some cats just need to have their ears cleaned routinely (which you could do yourself) in order for debris not to build up, which can lead to an infection over time.

 

[CatLover49]

Hi there!
2 years ago I adopted my cat Louie. He frequently gets bladder and ear infections. I have had to put him on antibiotics at least 4 times... and it difficult for me because I live 6 hours from a vet! I am in the far north of Canada. Every time Louie gets sick it involves days of travel for me and him and a massive bill.
I am less concerned about the money as long as kitty is not suffering... but I'm wondering if there is anything I can be doing differently to help prevent infections? It's hard on us doing these vet trips so often.
He is an indoor cat, 5 years old. I feed him high quality wet food and occasoinal healthy dry food. He's a rescue so I don't know what his life or condition was like before I adopted him. He was found with a broken right front paw which you can see in the picture. He has fully adapted to using it (vet says it has likely been broken for a long time).
He is very dear to me and want to keep him as healthy and happy as I can!



View attachment 307993

Beautiful kitty

 

[Murphington1231]

You mention that he has adapted well to the broken paw, but is there a chance that it causes him pain? Cats hide their pain VERY well, so just because you may not notice things are amiss, does not mean the paw doesn't bother him on some level. If he has recurring pain or arthritis it could be stressing him out which can lead to a condition called cystitis. Cystitis can lead to infection because of the inflammation and issues with complete elimination.

This is something I think about often. Vets in the past have brought up the idea of amputating but we have decided not to just based on how well he seems. He is typically a very happy boy, he runs and jumps and plays and doesn't flinch. He is often cuddling us and purring. He doesn't spend excessive attention licking or grooming the paw which I know can be an indicator of pain in cats. He uses the paw when he walks/ jumps/ runs, doesn't avoid using it. Would you say the infections could be related to pain? I am willing to amputate if it will make his quality of life better, but I fear something major like that might make it worse?

Thank you all for your helpful input <3 I will try other food. I have been watering down his food and I have a cat fountain he likes. He seems a bit more like himself today.

 

[Jem]

Would you say the infections could be related to pain? I am willing to amputate if it will make his quality of life better, but I fear something major like that might make it worse?

It's not that the pain "causes" the infection, just that chronic and acute stress can cause unfavorable conditions of the bladder and urinary system. That then can lead to increased risk of recurring infections.
As for advice on amputation. I have no idea, I've never dealt with that before, but I do know that cats adapt very well to the loss of a limb. I personally would investigate further into if Louis even has cystitis caused by stress. Then perhaps meet with an ortho vet and get a second opinion on the condition of the paw. If arthritis is mild at this time, more than likely it will worsen, and I would be inclined to consider amputation while he is young and his health is better equipped to heal well and adapt quicker. But that's just me.

But if a simple food change is all that it needed and he just needs to increase his water intake, then yay!

Has the vet checked for crystals?

Was Louis put on the same antibiotic every time? How long were each courses of treatment. It's possible you are dealing with the same infection that was never eradicated completely either because the antibiotic was not the right one or he was not on them long enough. And every time Louis gets put on a course, but it does not go away completely, it can come back stronger, build a resistance.
You could get the vet to do a culture to determine exactly which antibiotic would work best if that was not done. I find that most times vets don't do cultures they just see there is an infection and prescribe clavamox (the go to around here anyway) for UTIs for 10 days. Kinda the standard, but it might not be right for your boy.

As for chronic ear infections, do they perhaps just need to be cleaned more often? Some cats produce more ear wax than others which may be trapping bacteria????IDK.