Cat urinary tract problems

8 years ago

I have a cat that has had several bouts of urinary tract issues-- once he ended up blocked, but the other few times it was just frequent straining to urinate, and twice with a tinge of blood in the urine. My cat has had numerous urinalysis and no crystals have ever been found? My vet had me put him on prescription food (royal canin SO) after he had the blockage about 5 years ago, and I fed him that for about a year and a half/2 years-- the problem though, is that he HATES that food, while my other cat LOVES that food, and there ended up being a ridiculously complicated feeding routine that neither cat, nor myself, was really happy with. So I started mixing his food with Blue Buffalo cat food after almost 2 years of feeding him the food he didn't like, and he seemed fine. So I put them both on Blue Buffalo, and that's what they both ate for a little under 3 years. Several times a week I'd feed them a can of Purina Pro Urinary Health food, with their regular food. No problems with this until very recently--he began straining to pee in different spots in the house one day, and producing little drops of urine with a blood tinge to them. So I took him back to the ER--luckily, he wasn't blocked. Went to the regular vet, who said to put him back on the urinary prescription food, which works by eliminating crystals. Does this make any sense? I feel like the issue must not be with crystals, since he's had 6 urinalysis, 3 of which were done at times he was experiencing the symptoms of straining and having blood in his urine. The vet said that it could be that he has crystals, but they just aren't being sucked into the syringe in the sample when they take urine from his bladder? This seems like really freak odds, doesn't it, that this would be the case 6 different occasions? He generally drinks a lot of water, more than the cat that has never had a problem. I also add water to his food sometimes. I don't know if he just recently began drinking less water because he was spending a lot of time sleeping on the second floor in the bathroom because there's a really warm spot on the floor from the heating pipes-- both cats love it there, and maybe he hadn't felt like getting up and drinking water. or maybe he was too comfy and didn't want to get up to pee so he was holding it more? I put a water dish in the bathroom now, in case this was the problem.

But as far as the prescription food goes-- it's insanely pricey, and he doesn't like it. When I feed both cats in the same room, they just switch dishes, and eat each other's food. If I feed them in separate rooms, he walks away from his food and paws at and cries to get into the room that the other cat is eating her food in. And she doesn't usually finish all her food at once so she doesn't get to eat as much because I can't leave her food out for her to pick at because he will get into it, and she will go eat his food because he won't eat more than a few bites before he walks away. It's impossible unless I feed them BOTH the urinary tract food- which, btw, that food is not really the best quality ingredients, and on top of that, I'd be paying for TWO cats to be eating that food which is more than double the price of the expensive brands of cat food.

I understand that repeat urinary issues in male cats is fairly common. Does anyone have experience with a cat having repeated urinary tract issues without any evidence of crystals in urinalysis? Or any successful long term feeding strategies off the prescription food, without any recurrences?

Featured Answer

palmbob

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Comments about cystitis in younger cats (no idea how old any of the cats in the above discussions are, but for now I will just assume they are all under 10 years?).

Cats with urinary issues under 10 years of age are almost always due to a non-infectious condition currently referred to as FIC (feline idiopathic or inflammatory cystitis). Less than 5% of these cats (male or female) actually have UTIs (urinary tract infections). For years and years we assumed these cats had infections... and when the evidence finally proved us wrong, we then assumed it was a dietary issue (most vets still believe this fallacy to this day)... but recent research has been showing that though canned food is generally recommended, the actual diet often has no bearing on the cystitis (still hard for me to get my head around this as this has been drummed into our brains for over 20 years now). It is STRESS that is the cause of 90-95% of these cases of FIC... there is a very complex physiologic reaction to stress in some cats (not all obviously, or all cats would be having FIC half the time... turns out genetically only 5-10% of all cats tend to have this abnormal reaction to stress... the other 90% of cats will NEVER have this condition no matter what happens to them. The actual physiologic responses that lead to bladder inflammation are not clear to me, but they obviously exist.

Not all these cats with FIC have crystals in their urine... in fact, most do not. The presence of crystals in dog and cat urine is, most of the time, meaningless and considered normal (though some crystals are more common than others). We used to think it was always crystalline plugs that caused male cats to block, but sometimes it is just mucus plugs- no crystals at all... and sometimes it is little tiny oxalate stones (these are the worst as they do not dissolve and even pushing them back into the bladder just delays the inevitable... having to surgically go in and remove them).

Female cats get cystitis as often or even MORE often than do male cats, but thanks to their wide urethras, are far less apt to block up (and as a result are far less worried about when they have urinary issues).

All these cystitis cats are in pain. All need pain meds (male and female) along with whatever other treatments are used to relieve them of their cystitis. So be sure if you have a cat with cystitis (straining to urinate, blood in the urine, frequent urination) they need to be on pain meds, sometimes for extended periods of time (weeks sometimes). Alleviating these cat's pain will often alleviate their stress as well and can sometimes 'cure' them (temporarily or permanently) of their cystitis. But the goals now for treating cystitis are aimed also at decreasing these cats stress levels (not always that easy since most of the time we have no idea what is stressing these poor kitties out).

Stressors that we can manipulate include not having enough cat boxes in the house (always should be one more cat box than there are cats)... and cat boxes need to be in open areas (not corners or between objects)... in other words, easy to get in and out of (in at least two different directions- so NO lids, either). Also pheromones are often recommended now (in the form of diffusors or sprays)- most common brand is Feliway. These pheromones make the kitty relax and be less stressed and the resultant physiological response will be less inflammation in the bladder.

Believe me, it is hard sell sometimes, particularly as most clients assume their cat has a simple bladder infection and only want antibiotics... not all these 'stress crap' that actually is the cause. Historically cats given antibiotics often get better, but only because this disease is a normally waxing/ waning condition that gets better often on its own, though the owners conclusion is the antibiotics are what worked. Can't blame them as most dogs and many people with cystitis have UTIs, so why not cats? No one knows for sure, but turns out cystitis in people is sometimes stress related, too.

On top of all this 'revolutionary' thinking about cat cystitis is the realization that not every bacteria in urine (dog, cat AND even people) needs to be treated- also a 'new' idea in veterinary medicine. We used to ALWAYS treat any bacteria found in urine assuming urine is supposed to be sterile always... turns out that is not the case. So when we find bacteria in urine in cats that are asymptomatic, we are now told we should not necessarily put them on antibiotics. Yikes! Medicine is getting MORE complicated as I get older, not less.

Now, cats OVER 10 years of age have a rapidly increasing risk of real urinary tract infections (the older the cat, the more likely UTI IS the cause of the cystitis... but still not always). So for any of the above cats that are OVER 10 years of age, the chances are 50% or more that they DO have an infection... particularly if there is another disease process (renal failure, diabetes, hyperthyroidism etc.).

Sorry for the long story, but just wanted to chime in the above discussion so you can understand why sometimes food is NOT the issue and crystals are NOT the issue, and bacteria is NOT the issue. Hope this helps.

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Comments (16)

User
8 years ago
I'm thinking the best thing you can do at this point is get copies of all his records and do one of two things, you can ask to be referred to a feline specialist for urinary issues or take him to a vet that treats only cats. If you have the funds go to the specialist, but if you don't, working with a vet that only treats cats may give you the edge you need to figure out what is really going on.
PRO
MDLN
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Yes, have experience with same. On the advice of a board certified feline specialty vet, switched to all canned food diet, with added water - completely cured the problem. Keeps the urine dilute.
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I had a cat that was 11 yrs old. Vet diagnosed him with kidney failure after $$$$$ of test. I was advised to bring him back every month to get blood test done to see how it was progressing. I myself have interstitial cystitis, and I drink aloe vera juice. It does help, not heal. I am able to tolerate with meds. So, I brought Jasper home and started giving him aloe vera juice. At first I had force it down him with a syringe without needle. Then he must have began to feel better. I would say Jasper, do you want your juice. He would come running. Then I just took a bowl and kept it full of juice. When it would get empty, he would let me know. He lived to be 15 1/2 yrs old and I never took him back to the vet after the diagnosis. Now, I am not a Dr. and do not recommend you not use your vet or do what you feel is right for your baby. I am just telling you what I did for mine and it worked and was a lot less cheaper. With my IC, antibiotics make it worse. I DO NOT take antibiotics unless it is an emergency. I have given my other dogs and cats aloe vera juice as well when I notice they may feel bad and it has kept us out of the vets office. This is just my humble opinion. Again, you do what you feel you need to do for yours. Creek
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My kitty has had obstruction problems as well. First doctor recommended the prescriptions diet as well as the be-all, end-all, as in "noting else will work." Cat didn't like the (crappy) food; he was back to the practice within 2 mos. Happily, there was a "relief" vet there covering for the bully who owned the place. He recommended extra fluids with his regular food (raw), SPRING water (distilled pulls needed minerals from the body; the minerals in spring water are NOT what cause the blockage) AND, prophylactic use of sub-q fluids, tapering down to prn. It had been more than 18 mos now and all has been well until my prescription for sub-q fluids rand out. Can't seem to find another vet who uses that philosophy and can't find the "relief" vet. I am getting worried. We're going to 6+ weeks since his last sub-q fluid administration (125ml/day for 8 days at beg of each month). Anybody know how to track down a "relief" vet in the central Florida area? Thx.
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Your friend's cat may have a UTI or he may have urinary crystals or stones. The latter in male cats can be life threatening VERY QUICKLY (like within hours) if the crystals/stones create a complete blockage of the urethra. This is absolutely an emergent situation in a male cat. Even if he currently has only a partial blockage, he is clearly in pain while trying to pass urine. He will likely require catheterization if that is the case. There will be nothing your friend can do at home to help her cat if he is dealing with a partial or complete blockage. UTI can be treated with antibiotics, but the cat will still need to be diagnosed by the vet in order to get them. Laurie
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annztoo
8 years ago
Totally agree with the two suggestions above...........
Tracey Perez
8 years ago
Hello I am new to this forum and so happy I found asI can so relate to the multiple UTI with my cat Midnight Male 6 yrs old 1 of 4 cats I have. What happened with him was the straining to poop so I thought but in fact it probably was both. I added another box and Midnight actually was the one cat that hated wet food only dry so I tried all kind and upgraded all of their wet food to a more pricey diet and started there. After his first antibiotic treatment about a full 8 days he seemed better but he one more time started same thing but this time it wasmore intense and my vet wanted to do a full urinalysis and culture blood work ect. Well this was about 5 weeks ago results showed he had bacterial enterococcus.which she felt he has had since probably birth or long time . His Mother was very dirty from what I learned and although she fed midnight as baby she also had two more cats Junior and Punky both 5 that she did not feed they were nottlefed. The father of all 3 is Buddy and he is the 4th cat healthy. Same antibiotic as pearsami's pet and he has been on for 4 weeks now ending the 29th , On March 7th he will get retested and recoultured with blood work to see whats the end result. However she said she saw traces of diabetes in his blood work and at his exam to see if he was blocked she could not believe that he was so inflamed and red on his lil peepee that he made his own side tracks on his peepee just to pee in pain! Crystals were not in his urine thank god however what I am experiencing is this.. He lost weight enough for me to notice he is normally 22 pound and I feel he is like 18 my opinion. He is prescribed the urinary dry food which is pricey as well and all 4 eathave that as well. Prewsently he drips urine everywhere and I am with mop in hand at least 5 times a day to clean and santitize . He is peeing alot! but more so he is eating like a strarved child and he literally is eating in afull day himself Medley White Chicken Tuscany 3 cans with dry food but he stopped liking the prescribed all a sudden so I bought the garden delights by Purina and mixed it/ I also give treats afyer breakfast and after dinner I feed my cats 2 x day wet food . The litter boxes I have tried to keep new and clean them at least 4 times day but noticed the urine is very sticky. He is not gaining weight yet seems to cont losing. do yu think its a possibility he has HyperT4 thyroid issue? And what I do so he takes his pill for antibioyics is I get one scoop of tuna in can I crush one pill with rolling pin, mix that to the tuna and I have great results as my cat was impossible to administer through plstic syring the first time/

thanks

Tracey
zzackey
8 years ago
My cat, Zachariah, had a UTI about a year ago. I was scared I would lose him. The antibiotics were very expensive and he had to

keep going back for shots. I finally realized he got the UTI from a new cat litter. It was very fine and very dusty. I never bought it again. He's been fine ever since.
Debbie Downer
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
What handsome fellas (above)! My cat had symptoms of straining to pee, blood in urine etc. after a few days with no or very little water. Stupid me, his drinking fountain was out of order and it was about 4 days before I realized I haddn't seen him drinking out of the bowl of water Id put down instead. Since my usual vet was out of town I took him to another who gave him subcutaneous fluids to flush him out (since he was dehydrated) and a prescription for antibiotics even though, as Iater found out, she hadnt even tested to see what if any pathogens were in the urine. My usual vet later pointed out that whats called UTI is very often more correctly called INFLAMMATION rather than infection - she wants me to feed him wet food only, watered down. We're working on it! Got him down to mostly wet food, plus a handful of kibble at night - had to go gradually or he'd go on a hunger strike. Thankfully he has not had a relapse - my vet confirmed that there is indeed a connection between inflammation and developing crystals - esp with male kitties. Oh, and I also heartily recommend a pet fountain - best $50 I ever spent. Some cats just do not like putting their face down into water- apparently they don't have the greatest vision and they may not see exactly where the water is - and the sound of the water also encourages them to drink more.
annztoo
8 years ago
Tracey,

I wouldn't wait for the March 7 appt but would call the vet Monday morning and let them know what's happening. It could be the med he's taking isn't working.........btw, what is the antibiotic? . He shouldn't be dripping urine and may be dealing with a partial blockage.
Tracey Perez
8 years ago
i actually did call annz and she told me that she mentioned in the bloodwork that he was possibly diabetic and now she will confirm it after she retakes the urine and blood cultures but yes I agree it is possible it was the antibiotic but he is all done with that as of the 29th of Feb
Tracey Perez
8 years ago
his antibiotic was clavonax
Tracey Perez
8 years ago
Wow! I truly think you are on to something here! I can relate to everything your saying and I must add for example that Midnight is the most private, very clean, and very schedulized of all the cats. Trust me I know he makes sure Im on schedule lol but he is so sensative as well and when I first came into their lives not one of them were friendly socialable at all. Midnight was the worst and he was the one I was afraid to pet for at least 6 months. Do you know that today each cat is a so loveable and Midnight is closest to me as he trusts me and he never had that kind of interaction with his previous mom I do not think. I am going to change the cats boxes back to original spot as I redecorated their room where they eat and my Punky is on the other half of room with her own theme being the only girl lol. Well I think that I should treat Midnight as if I had a sensory child lol. They are very particular with clothing, food and all that so I hope yiur therory is correct but on the flip side my pediatrian stated that she did find traces of diabetes in Midnight and this is what my scare is presently he lost at least 2 pounds and he is starving I mean eating all day and thats not normal. Thank you so much for your opinion. Here are the other three cats of Mine and from top is my Punky girl ( I call her Chubs) then Middle is Jr who looks like his father Buddy who is next. Buddy is father to all
parczel
Original Author
8 years ago
He was given a pain med in addition to a muscle relaxant by the urgent care doctor-- he seemed to be improving by the end of the day after giving him the meds (still urinating little bits at a time, but less frequently and no longer straining). I wish I could identify what the issue is-- I have a feeling it isn't his diet. I've been feeding him the prescription diet--which is actually stressing him out more, I think-- he won't eat it in the wet food version and leaves it and then paces around when I'm in the same room as the food and cries for me to feed him. When I feed him the dry food version of it, he eats it, but he's been more likely to vomit when i give him that and has softer stools. He seems to drink a lot of water just of his own accord, but i've been adding water to his food a lot of the time too just to be safe. It's seems so impossible to say if something works or doesn't, considering it was almost 5 years before having a recurrence. Who knows if something is having an impact, or if it's just a coincidence.

So now I just have to figure out would could possibly be stressing this guy out. He always seems so chill.
annztoo
8 years ago
pearsaml,

As mentioned earlier, you should find a feline specialty vet and try to identify what it going on with your cat. Pain and muscle relaxants are a temporary fix.

Until you find a cat clinic, I would eliminate all dry and switch to a quality grain-free canned food. But, if your cat is like mine, he may not eat anything except the cheaper Fancy Feast brand!

As for Blue Buffalo brand, my dog was on it for awhile but would always have bouts of throwing up. I switched him to another brand and he hasn't vomited since.
parczel
Original Author
8 years ago
Yea, I switched to some grain free brands and only the cat who doesn't have urinary tract problems likes it. The one with the problems cries and whines for food as if there isn't food out for him already...
lam702
8 years ago
Switch to a moist food instead of dry. I also add a bit of water to it. No problems since I've done this. Also a grain free food is a good idea too.
bkydrose
8 years ago
Sorry I didn't read all of the responses, but I just wanted to say please be sure that the vet has done all of the possible tests before assuming that it is caused by stress. In Sept 2012, one of my cats, Desi, was peeing 7 or 8 times a day and I saw a tinge of blood once. The vet who does house visits said that it must be caused by stress and she prescribed amitriptyline which had no effect on Desi. After a week and a half of no change, I took her to the animal clinic. The vet did x-rays which clearly showed that Desi had bladder stones and one of the stones was stuck in her urethra. This is what caused her to pee frequently. I felt really badly about letting her suffer for a week and a half with the pain. Oxalate stones have sharp edges. She had to have surgery to remove the stones since this type of bladder stone would never dissolve by itself. Since then she has been on Medi-cal urinary SO dry and canned (gel). Recently I started feeding her the medi-cal urinary SO moderate calories (dry) and wet SO food (small can) which Medi-cal refers to as "tasty morsels in gravity." She loves the "tasty morsels." I take her for an ex-ray every year to ensure that the stones haven't come back. Even though she is on the urinary SO diet, I want to know for certain that the crystals haven't returned. So far, her bladder x-rays have been perfect.

Recently I heard that friend's cat started peeing constantly and peeing blood. This cat was found to have 2 tumours in her bladder. I don't know what tests were done. She had surgery on Tuesday and both tumours were removed. She isn't home yet but they hope she will be able to come home soon.

Cat urinary tract problems

palmbob

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