Uti keeps coming back

ollietuxedo

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Hi all,

I posted here back at the start of the year about my 7 year old male cat who had a mystery problem, which turned out to be a urinary tract infection, and I remember people being helpful so I thought I'd try again,

The urinary tract infection came back in July, he was put on Clavamox for a month and vet told me he has to be on a wet food diet only. they wanted me to do Hill's or Royal Canin special urinary diets but he wont always eat it and it's too expensive to be wasted. So I've just been feeding him normal wet food. He was also put on Gabapentin and Metacam for pain/anxiety.

He got retested when the antibiotics were finished and was given the all clear. Yet only a week later he was straining in the litterbox in and out in and out several times then finally went on the couch and what came out was pure red.
So off to the vet and yep he has it again!

This time we did a culture test to find out what bacteria it is - it was e coli, which Clavamox should have worked for, but vet thinks better try to another one.
She said either 3 Convenia injections every 10 days or Zeniquin tablets for 30 days. I chose Zeniquin because I read too many stories about Convenia causing bad reactions and being hard to get rid off them.
I'm praying that it works because 1.I hate seeing him in that much pain I want him to be be happy. 2. I cannot afford to keep going to the vet all the time - I'm on disability pension so I'm going to be completely broke if this continues for much longer.

I don't understand how can he get it again so quickly? Or was the retest a false negative and he actually still had it? Is there something I can do to stop it from recurring?
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Did the vet say if he has stones/crystals, or just the bacteria? Sometimes an antibiotic will help to clear an infection, but not eradicate it entirely, so that might be what happened. Try adding pure D-Mannose powder to his food. It will help clear bacteria from his bladder, reducing the odds of recurring UTIs. It works to clear many forms of bacteria, including e-coli.

Feeby was having recurring UTIs, and I started her on pure D-Mannose powder and she remained UTI free until I made the mistake of not giving it to her on a daily basis. So, I started it back up again just recently, and will not skip a day from now on! Other members on this site also use D-Mannose for overall bladder health. This is the one I buy and I give Feeby 1/4 tsp daily mixed with her canned food.
Amazon.com: UTI Pets Pure D-Mannose Non GMO Organic Source Powder 65gram jar : Pet Supplies
 
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ollietuxedo

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Thank you Furballsmom and FeebysOwner for your replies 🙏

Yeah I've been a bit worried about water because since he's been on the wet food only diet he doesn't drink much water at all. I read it's a good thing to put extra spoonful of water in the food so I've been doing that. I don't know if that's enough or not.

No stones or crystals were found on any of the times he has been tested. it's always bacteria, blood and other signs of inflammation such as white blood cells.

I'll look into that D mannose, I hope it's available in Australia.
 

Alldara

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Hi all,

I posted here back at the start of the year about my 7 year old male cat who had a mystery problem, which turned out to be a urinary tract infection, and I remember people being helpful so I thought I'd try again,

The urinary tract infection came back in July, he was put on Clavamox for a month and vet told me he has to be on a wet food diet only. they wanted me to do Hill's or Royal Canin special urinary diets but he wont always eat it and it's too expensive to be wasted. So I've just been feeding him normal wet food. He was also put on Gabapentin and Metacam for pain/anxiety.

He got retested when the antibiotics were finished and was given the all clear. Yet only a week later he was straining in the litterbox in and out in and out several times then finally went on the couch and what came out was pure red.
So off to the vet and yep he has it again!

This time we did a culture test to find out what bacteria it is - it was e coli, which Clavamox should have worked for, but vet thinks better try to another one.

I don't understand how can he get it again so quickly? Or was the retest a false negative and he actually still had it? Is there something I can do to stop it from recurring?
UTIs in cats can be hard to fix up. E-coli itself is frequently found on pet food bowls if not washed between use. It can also be in the water or in something else your cat got in to. It was not likely a false retest as per the red urine.

Here's some things that worked for us:

1. Over the counter urinary food: less expensive and available at PetSmart or other pet stores. Purina has one that comes in 3 protein types.

2. Switched from not-clay litter to corn. We now use paper but also had good results with but shell based litter.

3. Got an extra litter and put it in a different area from the first once we had space to do this.

4. Increased Nobel's enrichment. There are many sites and videos to give you ideas :)

If you live with people, you'll have to assess if they are doing anything to increase your cats stress.

PS. Some disability benefits include the right to vet care for your pets. Depending on where you live, you can request financial help with vet bills.
 
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ollietuxedo

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Thank you Alldara for your reply 🙏

To address your points:

1. I wash his food bowls after each use, but I admit I am slack with the water bowls. I will try washing it more frequently.

2. I will have a look in our local pet stores

3. He already uses paper based litter

4. He's does have 2 litterboxes although they are in the same room - not much space for stuff in my 1 bedroom flat

5. Yeah enrichment is where I have a lot of difficulty - he refuses most toys, rarely will use cat tree or scratchers, prefers to scratch the carpet, not interested in cat TV, doesn't respond to catnip, the only thing that worked was hiding freeze dried chicken in food puzzles and clicker training but the vet said no dry food so I can't do that anymore.

6.I don't live with anyone, but people and things outside are noisy sometimes (high rise apartment). I'm not sure what to do about that.

7. I don't think that's a thing here but I could be wrong I will have to research
 

verna davies

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I feed my cat wet food and add water just to get a little more moisture into him. The NOW d mannose is the one I use and when my cat is having a flare I give him cornsilk. If the flare is bad then 7 drops in a couple of ml of water four times a day and syringe it. When the clumps of pee get better reduce to three times a day, bigger still twice a day then when back to normal once a day for several days. Cornsilk is a mild pain relief and diuretic.
Nature's Answer, Cornsilk Extract, Alcohol-Free, 2,000 mg, 1 fl oz (30 ml)
 

Furballsmom

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You could try that baby food soup recipe, adjust the water as your cat likes it. My Poppycat loves this !! :)
 

verna davies

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I give one quarter of a teaspoon daily or one eighth twice a day. Mix in a very small amount of water, enough to dissolve and syringe. Some mix it in with the food but maybe your cat will smell it and not eat all the food.
 

FeebysOwner

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I give one quarter of a teaspoon daily or one eighth twice a day. Mix in a very small amount of water, enough to dissolve and syringe. Some mix it in with the food but maybe your cat will smell it and not eat all the food.
Same dosage as I give Feeby with the 'cat' version. It seems to be tasteless (and odorless) and so far, I haven't had any problem getting Feeby to eat it when mixed with her food. Hopefully, it will be the same with your cat.
 

Alldara

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Thank you Alldara for your reply 🙏

To address your points:

1. I wash his food bowls after each use, but I admit I am slack with the water bowls. I will try washing it more frequently.

2. I will have a look in our local pet stores

3. He already uses paper based litter

4. He's does have 2 litterboxes although they are in the same room - not much space for stuff in my 1 bedroom flat

5. Yeah enrichment is where I have a lot of difficulty - he refuses most toys, rarely will use cat tree or scratchers, prefers to scratch the carpet, not interested in cat TV, doesn't respond to catnip, the only thing that worked was hiding freeze dried chicken in food puzzles and clicker training but the vet said no dry food so I can't do that anymore.

6.I don't live with anyone, but people and things outside are noisy sometimes (high rise apartment). I'm not sure what to do about that.

7. I don't think that's a thing here but I could be wrong I will have to research
I'm glad you were able to answer Ollie. It's so hard to know what advice to give when we can't see all that someone else does.
Is your cat on a good that's got some blueberry or cranberry in it to acidify the urine?

Ah yes it can be really difficult. The only thing I can say is don't give up, and go ahead and be creative. Magnus doesn't really like toys, but he's happy with tearing up a paper bag or some tissues in a box.
Silvervine is a bit stronger than catnip so we've had good luck with those sticks. Calcifer doesn't respond to catnip but yes to silvervine. (Can check on Buy Nothing to find your local group as well to try some thing a for free).

Basically, we've had to keep playtime really consistent for awhile (routine wise and within a few hours time wise) and just push for them to play.

The favorite toys have honestly been a cardboard tube with the ends cut to make frills. The plastic zip strings waved under a door. Silvervine sticks. Thick hair scrunchies (so cannot swallow...started as our cat steeling them), and a bottle cap. Literal trash...we also got some recycled rabbit fur toys of Etsy that were a hit but they were expensive and did not last long.
 
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