? Frequent UTI's. Seeking advice.

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KarrieK

KarrieK

Member Since 2019
My sugar baby is having his third UTI in 4 months. It's been a stressful evening for him - he's walking around meowing and howling, going to the litter box frequently with only little pink tinged dots of urine coming out, and trying to go in other places. Thankfully I have a new prescription for Clavamox in the frig so I started him on that this evening. Also gave him a dose of bupe for pain. Is there anything else I can be doing? BTW, I have been giving him the D Mannose powder daily, for a couple of weeks now - but I'm afraid that hasn't helped prevent these nasty infections in his case. Any and all help is appreciated!
 
The tiny dots of urine sounds like he may have a partially blocked urethra.
How small are the dots of urine? 50 cent piece? quarter? nickel? dime/penny? sized.

Can you call your vet?
 
They are nickel size.....some dime size. Wish I could call my vet, but he isn't availble after hours as far as I know. We have taken Simon to our area emergency clinic but it was not a good experience - it's like a factory. Also they don't see many cats.
 
Are you sure he hadn’t got FLUTD otherwise known as idiopathic cystitis?
I thought Sheba was getting constant UTIs when in fact it was FLUTD.
The symptoms are the same and she would get flare up of it every so often, mostly after stress.
She had constant blood in her urine. Not always visible. She had an ultrasound to rule out other things.
Here is a link and how to treat it
http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat...conditions-a-z/feline-idiopathic-cystitis-fic
 
Thank you - I just read that article and he sure has all the symptoms. Especially the restlessness. I have been wondering about the possibility environmental factors, as currently his sister is in end stages of cancer and we have all been stressed about that. Since I assumed we are dealing with an infection, I did give him a dose of an antibiotic earlier this evening. However, if it is cystitis that won't do any good (and may give him diarrhea) but I felt like I had to do something. Sounds like we need some tests to rule out infection, or stones - so hopefully we can get that done soon. Tomorrow if possible.

I appreciate your input very much. It's been a challenging evening with both of my fur babies.
 
KarrieK said:
Thank you - I just read that article and he sure has all the symptoms. Especially the restlessness. I have been wondering about the possibility environmental factors, as currently his sister is in end stages of cancer and we have all been stressed about that. Since I assumed we are dealing with an infection, I did give him a dose of an antibiotic earlier this evening. However, if it is cystitis that won't do any good (and may give him diarrhea) but I felt like I had to do something. Sounds like we need some tests to rule out infection, or stones - so hopefully we can get that done soon. Tomorrow if possible.

I appreciate your input very much. It's been a challenging evening with both of my fur babies.
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I’m sorry you have another kitty so ill. It is very hard?
It would not surprise me at all if that is what he has. Sheba would get a flare up if someone came to stay at the house or if something else different happened. But she wasn’t worried at all by the kids racing around the house all day and being noisy......it was the disruption to her routine that bothered her.

I would get a Feliway collar. I got one for Sheba and that really helped her.
I also increased her fluid.......I used an auto feeder overnight and gave her 10 mls every 2 hours overnight. SEB powder is also supposed to be good for the bladder wall. I made a slurry and gave it to her twice a day at least 2 hours away from any medications. You could also just use the powder.
There also a tablet that I gave her that supports the bladder wall....and I can’t think of the name of it at the moment but I’ll get back to you on that.
When Sheba got a flare up she often would start by weeing as she was lying there....most unusual for her.....I don’t think she knew she was doing it. Then she would be back and forth to the LB often doing a drop. This could go on for hours or a day. I always upped the water and it mostly settled within 3 or 4 days but she often still had blood in the urine when I tested it....not always visible.
 
KarrieK said:
My sugar baby is having his third UTI in 4 months. It's been a stressful evening for him - he's walking around meowing and howling, going to the litter box frequently with only little pink tinged dots of urine coming out, and trying to go in other places. Thankfully I have a new prescription for Clavamox in the frig so I started him on that this evening.
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Did the vet take a sterile urine sample, centrifuge a portion of it and look at the sediment (after staining) under a microscope? Was a urine sample cultured to check if there was an actual UTI?
My Patches, female, used to have same symptoms periodically. The first two times I went to the vet for urine sample. No bacteria was found. It was concluded that it was idiopathic sterile cystitis (inflammation of the bladder with no infection of unknown cause). It seems to occure with Patches was stressed. Treadment was pain meds and subQ fluids.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I’m sorry you have another kitty so ill. It is very hard?
It would not surprise me at all if that is what he has. Sheba would get a flare up if someone came to stay at the house or if something else different happened. But she wasn’t worried at all by the kids racing around the house all day and being noisy......it was the disruption to her routine that bothered her.

I would get a Feliway collar. I got one for Sheba and that really helped her.
I also increased her fluid.......I used an auto feeder overnight and gave her 10 mls every 2 hours overnight. SEB powder is also supposed to be good for the bladder wall. I made a slurry and gave it to her twice a day at least 2 hours away from any medications. You could also just use the powder.
There also a tablet that I gave her that supports the bladder wall....and I can’t think of the name of it at the moment but I’ll get back to you on that.
When Sheba got a flare up she often would start by weeing as she was lying there....most unusual for her.....I don’t think she knew she was doing it. Then she would be back and forth to the LB often doing a drop. This could go on for hours or a day. I always upped the water and it mostly settled within 3 or 4 days but she often still had blood in the urine when I tested it....not always visible.
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Thank you for your reply! I couldn't answer sooner as I was at work.....in an "essential" business. My husband was here with Simon all day so I wasn't too stressed.....but still I was preoccupied all day. Anyway, I have used Slippery Elm for both of my kitties for many years (for digestive issues) but I did not know that it could be helpful for bladder issues. Normally I keep a jar of the syrup in the frig, as it seems that one or both of them always have something going on. I have even taken it myself. Giving it to Simon now is going to be a challenge as he's on so many meds. The 2 hour apart thing might not be possible, especially since I work during the day. However, during the overnight hours I could give him some. I just hate to wake him up to give him medication. As far as Feliway, I have one of the diffusers but I haven't been able to figure out what room to put in it as we have an open floor plan in the house, so it wouldn't be as concentrated. I haven't heard of the collars, but thinking he might wear one as he's fairly cooperative.
I have been giving him D Mannose for the past couple of weeks but it looks like that didn't prevent this problem from recurring. Of course, we aren't sure what the problem is for sure and until we can catch a urine sample we can't rule an infection out. It really sounds like cystitis to me, though, especially since there seems to be an emotional component. I am an anxious person, and as I mentioned, Simon's sister is in rough shape which has me super stressed. He may be picking up on that.
Again, I so appreciate your input with this....it can be a very lonely time, so having virtual friends that understand really helps!
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Did the vet take a sterile urine sample, centrifuge a portion of it and look at the sediment (after staining) under a microscope? Was a urine sample cultured to check if there was an actual UTI?
My Patches, female, used to have same symptoms periodically. The first two times I went to the vet for urine sample. No bacteria was found. It was concluded that it was idiopathic sterile cystitis (inflammation of the bladder with no infection of unknown cause). It seems to occure with Patches was stressed. Treadment was pain meds and subQ fluids.
Click to expand...
They could not get a samply as his bladder was empty. I am thankful he didn't have a blockage, but the mystery remains. They sent us home with Clavamox under the assumption it is a UTI, and advised us to collect a urine sample to take to our regular vet. That is my mission now - follow him to the litter box and hope he can give me more than a dribble.
The more I read about idiopathic cystitis - and hear from other cat parents who have experienced it - the more it seems that is his problem. Hoping I can catch enough urine soon. Thank you for your input!
 
I have an open plan house too and that is why I went for the collar.
D Mannose is supposed to be very good for cystitis as well.
I used to give Sheba her SEB at 3 am and 3 pm to miss any other meds. I used an auto feeder overnight for the fluids and SEB.
I know how anxious you must be with your other sick kitty. It is such a hard time.:bighug:
 
Deb & Wink said:
How is your other kitty doing?
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Thank you for asking. She's doing OK, I guess.....her breathing continues to become noisier (her cancer is a nasal carcinoma) and her appetite is gradually declining, but otherwise she seems content. When she was first diagnosed, in September 2019, the vet predicted she'd last 3 weeks. Since then, I have been trying to appreciate every single moment with her and keep her as comfortable as possible. However, since I am a anxious person by nature I am always "on guard" - waiting and watching for signs that the end is near. Simon's diabetes diagnosis came in early December, so it's been a juggling act trying to make sure they both get the care and attention they deserve. They are my only children and my life pretty much revolves around taking care of them! Sometimes I feel very much "alone" in this journey but all I need to do is go on one of my cat group pages and realize that there are other people "out there" who feel the way I do about my kids.
 
Deb & Wink said:
I've had 2 cats with oral cancer. Heartbreaking to see them decline, and their jaw bones swelling.

Pawspice care worked for me, but there did come a time where I was doing daily assessments on health.
Making "The Decision": Help to know when and how

Those quality of life scales really helped me to decide when it was time.
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Thank you again for your input. I have been through this before, a few times, and it's never easy - but - if it was easy what kind of person would I be? I would never describe myself as a strong person but I believe that when faced with doing "the right thing" I am hoping and praying that I will summon up the strength as I have in the past. A while ago I came across an essay written by Dr. Jean Hovde (are you familiar with her?) about losing a pet. It was so well written, and made an impression on me as a more positive way to look at an incredibly difficult experience. I thought I had "saved' it somewhere in my computer but can't find it.
 
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