Help! I think my cat has a UTI...

..and I can't afford the vet!

I just joined this community very recently because I think one of my cats is diabetic. I have a testing kit coming in the mail and hopefully I'll get some answers but I think I have another problem. One of my other cats is displaying signs of a urinary tract infection. She's going to the litter box over and over and over again with very little success and when she does manage to pee, she meows slightly in pain, this just started yesterday. I'm very worried because I'm unemployed and don't have the money to afford even a basic vet visit. My area has been hit hard by the recession, we currently have a 19 % unemployment rate so a lot of people are out of work.

Does anybody have any idea of what I could do? I'm really stressed about this. I know UTI's can kill a cat if not treated in a timely manner. Like all of you, I consider my cats part of my family so I am going crazy with worry. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.


-Frank

 

Actually, I do not believe there is anything you can do except go to a vet. Female cats can block and it must be very painful for her. Any chance of borrowing some money from someone?

 

Hi Frank,

Are there any shelters in your area that offer low-cost medical care? Some might only offer altering and shots, but it's worth a look see. Also, maybe you can talk to your vet (or if you don't have one, a vet) about a payment plan. There's also Care Credit and similar programs offered through the vets for people who can't afford heavy vet bills at the moment.

Also, this is from a PM I sent to another CA member recently concerning finding financial aid.

 

Thank you both for the input.

There is a possibility I could get a little money from a friend for the basic exam but she seems to be getting worse by the hour, she can only manage a few drops now.

I don't believe the shelters around here offer health care. My credit is terrible so I wouldn't qualify for care credit, as far as the other services, I'll look into them but I'm not really sure how much time I have.

 

Frank, call the shelters......ask them for help......some shelters have vets that work with them. She must be in quite a bit of pain. Years ago I had several bouts of cystitis and believe me, you go through hell to pass one drop of urine yet you feel like you haven't urinated in 24 hrs.

 

Hi Frank,

If your girl is getting worse by the hour, she most likely is very dehydrated, and suffering immensely. I hate to say this, but unless you get her to a vet, she is going to either die, or have to be put to sleep. I have had several cats with urinary problems, and last August, I lost my 5 year old Proto when he blocked and the vet could not save him. I had even been treating him for 8 months, but he had more problems, since he was a male, and he had other health issues.

Right now, I have my Ketchie girl, who is going to be 15 this year, but so far, she is stable. I had her to the vet's in February when she was running around going in and out of the boxes, crying like crazy, and bleeding. She had to only have some fluids, and pain meds right at that point.

Your girl needs some Buprenex, which is not that expensive, and she needs fluids, probably sub-q.

Is she eating? Drinking water? She needs to be on all canned food or wet food. No dry. Lots of fresh water, and if she is still in this kind of pain, please get her to a vet. There has to be someone that will have a kind heart to treat your girl who is suffering in immense pain.

I had cystitis and a kidney stone last year, and I was in EXTREME PAIN. Just as Hope said, please try to take her somewhere TODAY.

Please keep us posted. Bless her heart, I hope and pray that you can help her in time. I am NOT a vet or vet tech, but have had quite a lot of experience with urinary problems in cats as I stated. She needs help today.

Jean and Charcoal (GA)

 

Frank, I sent you a PM with my phone number. I will see what I can do to help financially. If you can't call long distance, return my PM with your phone number.

 

OMG! I fell asleep.

I'm sorry that I haven't been on the board sooner everyone but my girls problem was disrupting my sleep, I didn't manage to get to sleep until around 6 this morning when I gave her to my aunt so she could sleep in the other room with her, watching her going to the litter box over and over was too painful for me.

Jean, she does appear to be eating, though I haven't seen her drink much water but I'm not sure how abnormal it is for her just yet.

Venita, I'll respond to your PM after I get off line.

I can't thank everyone enough for their kind words and concern, it warms my heart.


EDIT: Just so everybody knows, I have something pending but there are still wrinkles to iron out.

 

My persian has had a couple of UTI's over the years. With the inflammed bladder they feel the urge to go to the bathroom all the time. That is why she keeps going to the LB. If you see anything, even drops that is a good sign that she is not blocked. Do you see any blood in the little bit that does come out?

 

Even with red blood cells in the urine frequent urination is not always a UTI. My Patches used to periodically have episodes of frequent, bloody urination with little urine being produced. No bacteria were found in the urine and it always cleared up in a day or so. A pain med like Buprenex helps since the frequent urination is supposedly painful. This type of condition is sterile cystitis. If no cause is determine it is termed idiopathic sterile cystitis. I think my Patches was due to stress since it also happened when she was violently chased by my Smokey.

 

I'm hoping that whatever it is that it's a straightforward case.

Paige, her drops have decreased to very little over the past day. I don't see any blood though so I guess that's a good sign.


-Frank

 

Frank,

If her drops have decreased and she is not producing much urine, chances are it is because she is very dehydrated. Can you pull her skin on the back of her neck and have it 'spring' back as it normally should? Or does it just kind of feel 'limp' or not spring back? That is a sign of dehydration. Plus look in her mouth and at her gums and see if they appear to be dry or very pale.

She 'possibly' could have a UTI, but chances are also that she has Idiopathic (meaning no real explanation, sometimes nervous cats, or stressed out cats such as Larry mentioned, can have this) or Interstitial Cystitis.

Please see this website:
http://www.uvma.org/cats/urinary-problems.htm

I hope you will have some good news for us later today, and that your kitty will get some medical care.

I truly can empathize with how you are feeling and lacking sleep also doesn't help. If your aunt is living with you, is there a way that you both could try to get her to a vet?

What is your cat's name? I will keep you and your furbaby in my prayers.

If I sounded harsh in my first post, I only wanted to let you know how urgently this disease needs to be addressed.

This disease IS PAINFUL, no ifs, ands, or buts. Until a human has suffered cystitis or kidney stone problems, you cannot begin to comprehend the kind of pain that this disease causes. Stress only makes it worse. And the fact that your cat repetitively is going in and out of the litter box is a sure sign that she needs help. I hope that she has been helped by now as I am writing this post.

Jean and Charcoal (GA)

 

Sorry I have been around everyone, I've been running around today and setting things up. Thanks to Venita, I was able to get her to a vet this morning ( I just got back.) The vet did a urinalysis, a blood test and an x ray. The urinalysis and blood test wont be ready until tomorrow morning so those are still up in the air. The x ray showed no evidence of stones. The vet said that translucent stones that arent visible on x ray do exist but that they are rare. The blood test should rule things out and the urinalysis will check for bacteria. The vet said that her urine did "look cloudy" so it will be interesting to see how that goes.

Though the test results need to come in, I want to say that I feel fortunate to be part of this community, you are all wise, helpful and generous. I belong to several other online forums and have never been received so warmly . Thank you all. Venita, I totally need to give you a kidney or something...

Oh, and my cats name is Helen for those of you who are curious. I've never been too crazy about the name but my aunt gave it to her, naming her after my godmother who was apparently a big flirt. :lol:


-Frank

 

Hi Frank,

Thanks so much for posting about your trip to the vet's today with Helen. What a blessing too that Venita was able to help you get her to the vet's.

Did the vet say if she was dehydrated, or did the vet give fluids to her? Did he give any pain meds for you to have on hand for if this should happen again? I suppose he won't give antibiotics unless an infection shows up.

Make sure to get a copy of the blood work to have at home. I asked my vet the last time I took Ketchie, and when the vet looked at it more closely when she was handing the copy to me, she realized that Ketchie's white blood count was quite elevated which meant that she could have an infection, so she sent us home that day with some Baytril for ten days. That really seemed to help, plus giving Ketchie fluids also.

I hope you will be able to keep Helen or at least try to get Helen on to an all canned diet. Friskies is okay, or even 9 Lives if you can't afford too much at this time. Try to give mostly turkey and chicken types, rather than too much fish. That is not good for urinary issues in cats. Too much phosphorous I believe. I try to give my cats mostly all wet food and make sure they have plenty of fresh water.

Please let us know how the blood work is and also the urinalysis. I sure hope Helen is feeling better this evening also. Plus I know you must feel a great sense of relief in just being able to get her to the vet's.

Once I got my Ketchie to an all wet diet, she seemed to stablize and I try to also keep her from getting too stressed out. She is pretty old, and she gets upset easily from loud noises or music or when the other cats look at her cross eyed. Hehe....

Take care!
Jean and Charcoal (GA) cat_pet_icon

 

Thanks for the concern Jean, I really appreciate it.

The vet didn't seem to have any concerns other than her bathroom habits. She noted during the x ray in fact, that Helen had eaten quite well prior to coming in. We didn't get any pain meds but I suspect that any and all medications will be handed out in the morning when the rest of the test results come in. I remain confident that Helen was examined very closely, we had to leave her at the vet for 4 hours so they could accurately run some of the tests.

I wont actually be at the vet anymore unless something comes up, I'm getting the bloodwork results via phone call.

I've always tried to keep my cats away from too much fish, mostly because I heard that they can get hooked on the strong taste and refuse to eat anything else. While I was waiting, I went to a local Pet Smart, they told me that they have a high protein dry food that is similar in protein content to wet food, it has something like 40% protein or something like that and it's grain free. I admit that I have yet to compare labels and prices with wet food, it's something I need to do.

Yes, I am relieved my kitty went to the vet but I'll feel better once the results come in the morning and I'll be sure to keep you guys updated. Helen was nervous at the vets office, she never meowed once which is unusual for her, she stared meowing almost immedietly after leaving.


-Frank

 

((Frank)) How wonderful that Venita was able to help you get Helen to the vet :mrgreen: I hope the results show nothing more than a UTI and some antibiotics will kick it! dancing_cat Cloudiness of the urine could be due to bacteria....

Have a wonderful weekend and take care of Helen cat_pet_icon

 

I'm so glad you were able to get Helen to the vet! Hopefully you will get good news and medicine to help her feel better today =)

I'm going to chime in here on the food. If you can get her on a canned diet... do so. My Tugger has had UTI problems for years, dry food (even grain free) is not good for them. The problem is that cats can't get enough water when they eat dry food. They just can't drink enough to make up for the water that was removed in the dehydrating process. Which leads to very strong, concentrated urine, which can lead to the UTI's. Dry food (even grain free is high carb due to the drying process) could also cause her to become diabetic, and you already have one of those. Canned would be best for both of your kitties at this point.

If you can't switch them both over completely right away, keep offering canned food every day. Add water to it every single time, at the very least you may find that she/they will lick the liquid even if they leave the food part behind. It will get hydration into them and they'll still be taking in some of the canned food. Over time you will probably have success. Offer less and less kibble as you offer more and more canned. They will probably always choose kibble first, but if you notice that they are eating canned at all... give it and let them eat it before offering kibble. Then they'll be too full to eat the bad bad kibble It sometimes works anyway lol.

Canned food is really what you need for them both now though, so do try. Mine resisted for a long time, but with persistance, we've finally made the switch completely. You can too =)

 

Fundraising for Helen

Just to let you know, Frank, the help was provided by Diabetic Cats in Need, a project that an incredible number of people on this and another diabetic cat Board support.

**********************************************************************************************************

Hey FDMB Folks!!

DCIN only rarely helps non-diabetic cats. However, I got a few PMs asking whether DCIN could help Helen. So far, DCIN has spent ~$250, and there will be more if medication is needed. If you can contribute, please do. Even $5 helps. Donation instructions are linked in my sig line below. Be sure to mark your donation for Helen.

 

Hello everyone. Well...for some reason, the vet never called me, I'm going down there tomorrow in person to see what's up. I could have called them but I figured that I had to go down there anyway to grab the prescription. Strangely enough, Helen hardly touched the litter box today, maybe the vet emptied her bladder when they did the urinalysis but I really don't know.

I'll start looking at canned food tomorrow, if that's not possible I'll do the do the water trick you mentioned Marvie. I actually only have a suspicion that one of my males is diabetic due to his past symptoms, I really don't know, but he seems fine now TBH.I actually have three cats, two males and a female. My cats actually like canned food, they prefer it. I've given them canned food in the past and they just scarfed it up, they didn't want to go back to their dry food at first.

Thanks again you guys for everything. I'll let you guys know how everything goes tomorrow.


-Frank

 

Hello everyone.

Apparently Helen has a condition called feline ideopathic cystitis. According to the vet it is a inflammation of the bladder without the presence of bacteria. The blood results to test her organs came back normal, the urinalysis did contain blood but the vet didn't seem concerned. The vet cited an allergic reaction as the possible cause due to fleas...


Ummmmmmm....my cats don't have fleas, they are indoor cats exclusively, the vet even mentioned to me that she didn't see any fleas during the examination. I've done research on FIC and from what I can gather it tends to be more common in indoor cats who are on a dry food diet, just like a lot of you guys have said. The vet tech even said something similar to me about this being more common in indoor cats.


The diet explanation makes more sense to me but it's not what the vet focused on when she talked to me so I'm not sure what to believe at the moment. Helen IS more sensitive to diet than my two boys, I've easily noticed this over the years as she's become physically sick to a bunch of stuff I've given her that the boys did not.


I'm perplexed a bit. Helen hasn't really used the litter box since leaving the vet so it's hard to gauge at this point especially since her behavior never really changed. It makes me think that she may be allergic to her food but I don't know. The vet didn't prescribe her anything. I need to do more research.

 

Frank,

This is a comment Larry had made.

It may not be a flea reaction (although in certain parts of the country even indoor cats get fleas), but a food reaction or a stress reaction as Larry cites. You did mention to me that she is in heat so that could cause stress. Please do look into the wet food and maybe even additional hydration. Maybe you cold look around for a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for all three of them. Many rescues/shelters do them; mine just did 40 cats last Tuesday, four were peoples' pets. DCIN will help. Let me know.

Venita

 

i have a kitty diagnosed with idiopathic cystitis, most likely brought about by stress. vet put him on prozac and he's been fine ever since, probably about 3 years now. he gets a very small dose of it every night and there's been no personality change on such a small dose.

eta: forgot to add that we also took him off dry food and onto all canned with this diagnosis too

 

for a little light reading
http://www.petplace.com/cats/feline-idi ... page1.aspx

for herbal support, you can look into cornsilk and marshmallow root both of which help with inflammation.

Did the vet give you a PH of the urine? often cats on dry food have a very high PH due to all the plant material - as it is alkalining. Meat is acidifying, and cats need a standard urinary PH of around 6.0 - 6.5 if it was too alkaline (above 7) getting rid of the dry (with all it's plant based ingredients) and switching to a meat based canned food (read the ingredients and buy one with as few plant based proteins and fillers as possible) should also help.

I had one cat block twice and another once before I got them on a raw diet which fixed the issue completely. Figured a more expensive diet was cheaper and easier on all of us.

Connie

 

Venita: Helen's symptoms started a day before she came into heat. Maybe I'm just not educated enough but she doesn't seemed stressed to me. I think the most likely culprit is her diet.

There is a traveling low cost clinic that comes around every so often but I can't, for the life of me, track down when they're here. I really do need to get Helen fixed, her constant yowling probably bothers my neighbors. This might sound a little strange but I've never really been too keen on fixing my males, I heard that neutering males can make them calm and nice and all...my males are rambunctious and curious troublemakers and I like them that way, I know that's odd.

Connie: My vet didn't give me any paperwork. Thanks for all the info, this subject is beginning to really grab my interest.

I'm curious about a few things though: If cats are supposed to be on a meat based diet, why do cat food companies go out of their way to promote indoor food that has a higher fiber content? Outdoor cats eat grass to clean out their systems so shouldn't an indoor cat require at least a little fiber in their diet? If they do, where is the balance? Why market things such as cat grass?

 

Frank, have you had a chance to read Dr Lisa's nutrition page? That might answer most of your feeding questions. I've been reading about cat diets for about 5 years now and her site is the best I have found.

There is more information here on Janet and Binky's food page including some stuff on phosphorus, which will be important with Helen's issues. There is a lot of really good stuff on Dr Lisa's page about feline urinary tract health as well. It's long but it's important info.

I think you'll have to ask the vet for a copy of the test results, I don't think they generally offer them unless you do. They'll just tell you what they think you need to know.

 

Hi Frank,

Hope that Helen is doing well right now, as far as the urinary issues go. All I can chime in here, is how I have handled my Ketchie, who is a very nervous cat, and she can easily get stressed which can start up another wave of cystitis issues.

Ketchie has been diagnosed with Idiopathic Interstitial Cystits. She is on an all wet (canned food) diet and she does enjoy drinking from my bathroom faucet quite often during the day.

With Helen not being spayed, and your boys not being neutered, I am surprised that they have not gotten her pregnant by now. Doesn't matter that they are 'related'. Cats don't know that. Before I had my mother cat, Gracie (she died though, sadly last year at 15 years old of cancer) spayed after she had her kittens in my house, my other cats, who were males and had been neutered, still decided they could get on top of Gracie and "go to town" so to speak.

Before the males were neutered, they would try to mount the female sister (these were three other cats I had, that did not get 'fixed' until they were over 9 months old). This is what happens to feral cats outside and why so much inbreeding can occur and cause health issues and poor quality lives for these cats.

Believe me, neutering will NOT take away the playfulness of your male cats. My cats were all eventually neutered, and Jibber (my avatar picture to the left) is the most playful of all. He came to us as a stray in 2002, and was fully intact. We got him neutered, and he was as playful as ever, and he still is.

It is extremely risky leaving your boys un-neutered with an un-spayed female in the house. Unless they are totally being kept apart at all times, she could become pregnant, and then you will be in a real pickle.

Please do the right thing, and get your three neutered. Plus, an un-spayed female is more prone to getting cancer than one who has been spayed. A female who has had kittens or been pregnant is also more likely to get cancer than one who has never been a mother.

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet ... euter.html
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet ... facts.html
http://www.americanhumane.org/protectin ... ering.html

Also about Idiopathic Interstitial Cystitis:
Dr. Lisa's experience with this disease is very good. She believes that the pain these cats suffer needs to be addressed with Buprenex (narcotic pain killer) when they have flare ups. Also, your cats' litter boxes need to be kept very clean. Best to use 'clumpable litter' also. You should have at least 4 or 5 litter boxes for your cats, preferably in different areas of the house/apartment where you live. I have 9 boxes right now for 5 cats, and five of the nine have hoods. Some of my cats prefer 'privacy' and others don't mind the open boxes.

Marvie gave you the links to Dr. Lisa's site, and there you will find excellent advice.

You will consistently see that most all of us here will continue to encourage you to give canned food only. Keep a few treats of dry food, if you MUST, but get your boys, and especially Helen onto canned food. Plenty of water, and if you see Helen start to go in and out of the boxes over and over, get her to the vet's for fluids and pain meds. Ask you vet if you can keep some Buprenex at home for the times when Helen might be crying in pain and need a small dose of pain meds, to get her through an episode, or till you can get her to the vet's.

With Helen not being spayed, that can also be contributing to the urinary problems also.

I had posted other information in my earlier posts, and I hope you will do a lot of research of this disease on your own also.

Jean and Charcoal (GA) p.s. I like your new name in your signature (Frank & the Tuxedo Gang).

 

Dear Frank,

When Helen 'comes into heat', that alone can be causing enough stress to trigger the urinary issues. She may not seem 'stressed' to you, but a lot of my cats over the years didn't seem 'stressed' to me either, until I realized that just having more than one or two cats in a household can cause stress factors that we are not even aware of.

Little things can trigger stress in a cat. Loud noises, a knock at the front door, a thunderstorm, heavy rain, things that might be dropped on the floor, another cat chasing her out of the litter box when she is trying to pee or poop, and the list could go on and on.

My Proto, whom I lost last August 8, when he totally blocked, had been to the vet's the night before to have his anal glands expressed. I thought Proto was soooo laid back on our trips to the vet's as he would just sit in the carrier, sit on the vet's table to be examined, and ride home in the carrier and he would NEVER utter a sound. I didn't realize till later, that this was his way of trying to deal with the stress he was feeling in these situations. Not long before he died, my son started bringing my grandson to my house for me to watch him, and my son would bring in the baby's playpen, and usually I kept the cats in the back two bedrooms, but this one time, Proto was out here when they came in. When he saw that playpen, he literally FREAKED OUT! Why??? I don't really know. Proto was a kitten when we adopted him, and I did keep him in a large crate for a while after he was neutered and he also was suffering from pneumonia type symptoms. Perhaps his memories took him back to 'crate days' and he was a nervous wreck after that.

Proto was given Amitryptiline by the vet, and I really regret that I ever started him on that. He gained a lot of weight, and he was not a water lover. He was a Tuxedo with a white spot on his nose, and if you can watch my little slideshow below, you will see how cute he was. My heart is torn when I think of how quickly he blocked, within hours after having been to the vet's. The vet could not save him. Only 5 years old. He certainly deserved to live a longer life, but we never know until we go through these things, what we 'might' have done differently to help our furbabies.

Take care!
Jean and Charcoal (GA)