Someone reassure me....

[SiameseMummy]

My baby girl, Hedy, was taken to the vets in early December with frequent urination + blood in urine. Urine sample was done, e.coli found and she ended up on a four week course of antibiotics. Urine culture said the e-coli was sensitive to the antibiotics presecribed.

Symptoms went away almost instantly with antibiotics + antiinflammatary. She had another little flare up later in December but this was treated just with anti inflammatories and symptoms again went away. She had a 10 day course of cystease and nothing since.

Took her back last week for follow up sample and the vet has just rung to say that ecoli is still there and in the millions so can't ignore it. He's going to take another urine sample for a full analysis in a few weeks and if nothing found we'll move onto abdominal scans for stones.

I am absolutely freaking out. This was meant to be simple as she's only 3 years old. I lost a cat a couple of years ago at the age of three having taken her into the vet with slightly fast resting respiritory rate (28-30bpm) and she was gone 18 months later from heart failure. I just see history repeating itself.

I've convinced myself this is going to be something terminal and I'm going to lost another baby. I can't stop crying! Someone please tell me the chances of this being a terminal condition. I need to know what I'm dealing with and can't be blindsided by another terminal diagnosis and i can't lose another baby, I just can't cope with this.

 

[MissClouseau]

He's going to take another urine sample for a full analysis in a few weeks and if nothing found we'll move onto abdominal scans for stones.

I lost a cat a couple of years ago at the age of three having taken her into the vet with slightly fast resting respiritory rate (28-30bpm) and she was gone 18 months later from heart failure. I just see history repeating itself.

But you say that they suspect of stones. That's not terminal?

I don't know about E.Coli in cats much but I do know--and remind myself-- the list of treatable health problems is a significantly longer list than the list of fatal health problems. Especially for adult cats.

 

[SiameseMummy]

But you say that they suspect of stones. That's not terminal?

Stones aren't, but my worry is that the ecoli or maybe stones are a symptom of something else going wrong somewhere else like her kidneys.

Ecoli doesn't seem to be fatal if treated but my mind is racing and I just can't stop it

 

[MissClouseau]

Stones aren't, but my worry is that the ecoli or maybe stones are a symptom of something else going wrong somewhere else like her kidneys.

Ecoli doesn't seem to be fatal if treated but my mind is racing and I just can't stop it

If it was something else, that would be more likely to be something treatable/manageable. I will repeat there are more treatable and manageable conditions than fatal. We all get sick sometimes, humans too. I know it’s still hard to shut down the anxiety.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Feeby (15+ yo) has had multiple bouts over the past 2 years of e-coli related UTIs. Our vet said it can be very hard to completely eradicate it once it is in the bladder, but never once told me it could be life-threatening!! The most effective antibiotic for her was Orbax, and it does clear up the infection. However, I didn't want to keep putting her on antibiotics, so I talked with the vet about using pure D-mannose powder as a preventive measure. It helps clear e-coli from the lining of the bladder, reducing the odds of a build up that can lead to an infection. I bought some, but have not used it yet due to her having some other issues I wanted to take care of first.

Other members on this site have used D-mannose for this purpose as well. It will not clear an infection once one has started, but the goal is to keep the e-coli down to manageable levels in order to avoid an infection.

Feeby's e-coli most likely came from her lack of proper cleaning and so e-coli from her feces (which is a normal bacteria in the intestinal tract) was able to enter her urethra and travel into her bladder. I now do what I call 'booty duty' to help her clean 'back there'. I use unscented, hypoallergenic wipes a couple times a week. I don't know if that would be the cause in your case, since you cat is so much younger, but you could try both the D-mannose and helping her clean her behind to see if that reduces the UTIs.

The urinalysis that was initially done on Hedy should have shown whether or not there are stones in the bladder, as there is usually sediment identified as such during the analysis. Feeby shows no signs of stones when she is tested. She had bladder stones so bad 10 years ago that she had to have bladder surgery. After that, she was put on urinary care foods and - knock on wood - has been stone free since. So, while they may be a correlation between e-coli and bladder stones, it certainly isn't the case for Feeby. She did not have e-coli when she had the UTIs associated with her stones.

Sorry for the long response, but hopefully it is somewhat helpful to you.

 

[SiameseMummy]

If it was something else, that would be more likely to be something treatable/manageable. I will repeat there are more treatable and manageable conditions than fatal. We all get sick sometimes, humans too. I know it’s still hard to shut down the anxiety.

It's just my anxiety. I was so blindsided when I found out Tesla had a terminal heart condition that I massively over react everytime the cats go to the vet. I know I do it but I can't seem to stop it so thanks for your kind words .

FeebysOwner - the original urinalysis showed no crystals and this follow up test was just checking ecoli. We're going to do another test - I think he called it a cytology? Which apparently shows a more complete picture and then if there is still no answer a scan to see if there is a stone where ecoli could be accumulating. I'm not sure what tests show what symptoms.

From what I understood its basically ruling out everything else before saying she's just an ecoli carrier as the amount of ecoli was far far higher than a carrier.

The vet has prescribed cystease, is that the same as D-mannose? Sounds like I've got a whole lot more research to do.

Thanks for all the info - it does make me feel a lot better. Hedy has no issues cleaning herself but I did used to have to clean her a bit when she was younger (always in too much of a rush) so maybe that's when she picked it up in the first place

 

[FeebysOwner]

From what I know, cystease is more for helping with suspected cystitis. It supports the natural composition of the bladder lining and promotes overall bladder health, as well as helping relieve stress that can adversely affect the bladder lining. Your vet is probably using this treatment since it is likely more broad-based in its goals than D-mannose. Feeby was never suspected of having cystitis, so your vet is using a wider-scaled search/testing with Hedy - probably because her flare up in December was treated successfully with an anti-inflammatory/cystease and no antibiotics.

Feeby never had a cytology, her stones were diagnosed through x-rays/ultrasound, after a series of UTIs where sediment was identified in the urinalysis. Here is an article on cytology should that help any.
Cytology in Cats

 

[SiameseMummy]

That does sound logical.

There was no sediment in either urine sample so I guess that's why we're branching out to other tests. I guess he reckons that there may be a stone or few stones that aren't picked up in the sample

I'm going to sit down with a glass of wine and try and calm myself down. I may end up with a cat needing long term bladder health support through food or supplements (or both) but that's super manageable. No life shortening conditions to be suspected at this stage.

 

[SiameseMummy]

You wouldn't know this little squishy face could be so problematic

 

[kittenmittens84]

As far as I know, e.coli is one of the most common causes of UTIs in cats (and in humans too!) and it would have to progress very very far to even reach the possibility of being fatal - it may require meds or longer term supplements but a cat with an attentive owner is not going to die of a UTI!

 

[SiameseMummy]

As far as I know, e.coli is one of the most common causes of UTIs in cats (and in humans too!) and it would have to progress very very far to even reach the possibility of being fatal - it may require meds or longer term supplements but a cat with an attentive owner is not going to die of a UTI!

I think if you ask Hedy I'm overly attentive .

Thanks

 

[Hannah518]

I know it’s hard to ease the anxiety, especially after losing a cat. I just lost my 13 yr old baby this past Saturday and I’m constantly worried about his brother (who is also 13) and his health even if everything seems okay. It’s okay to be overly attentive to cats. There is no such thing really though because they are so good at hiding everything. I just want to tell you that you’re being a great parent to your baby. We usually bare the burden of worry so they don’t have to. Hoping for a speedy recovery

 

[SiameseMummy]

I know it’s hard to ease the anxiety, especially after losing a cat. I just lost my 13 yr old baby this past Saturday and I’m constantly worried about his brother (who is also 13) and his health even if everything seems okay. It’s okay to be overly attentive to cats. There is no such thing really though because they are so good at hiding everything. I just want to tell you that you’re being a great parent to your baby. We usually bare the burden of worry so they don’t have to. Hoping for a speedy recovery

Thank you, lovely words! I know people here understand