help sick kitten

ladyjuicy08

Hi
need help my 5month male kitten has what the vet describes as when you have cup tea wit 7sugar and sink to the bottom in his bladder.he got antibiotic but doesn't seem right to me the vet said to continue feeding him whiskas wet food but i dont feel right about it.can anyone suggest a good wet kitten food i can use instead i use James beloved dry food which i am hoping is good brand.
Thanks to anyone wit suggestion

Sassy58

I know royal canin do a kitten wet food in pouches as well have seen that in some petshops

The Sweeper

You need to get the vet to be specific and throw the sugar bollox analogy out the window.

Your kitten is extremely young to exhibit struvite and oxalate crystals in his bladder. Does he have cystitis?

If your kitten is suffering from crystals because of a problem with his urinary PH, you need to feed a prescription wet food and quickly get to the bottom of the reason for both the imbalance, the crystals, and any accompanying cystitis that could be exacerbating the condition. Bladder crystals can be fatal in a cat - they can cause a urethral blockage and the cat literally cannot physically pee around the crystal blocking the urethra, thereby needing emergency catheterisation.

Please go back to the vet and ask for an actual diagnosis and then press for a treatment plan. To the best of my knowledge antibiotics don't get rid of crystals, only a change in diet will do that.

In the meantime, please don't feed your kitten any dry food. It's been strongly linked to struvite and oxalate crystals in cats.

MsFifers

I just found a new pouch that has 49% meat in it - Tesco Luxury brand cat food. My two love it & it doesn't have any sugars listed in the ingredients list so it seems to be good quality.



I don't really understand your post though OP - does your kitten have kidney stones or something? It sounds odd - maybe you should go to a different vet. Any vet I've ever been to has advised against feeding Whiskas as its full of sugars.

ladyjuicy08

Hi
what was happening was i notice last Tuesday n weds he was drinking lot and then peeing lot now not so much but is eating way more vet gave him painkiller n antibiotic said wait couple days to see if he get better

The Sweeper

Did your vet take a urine sample and spin it? They take a sample and spin the sample to see if there are crystals in the urine. You need to find out whether they did that.

Antibiotic and painkiller sounds like treatment for cystitis.

If you call your vet and ask if there were crystals in the urine, and then ask if the kitten has cystitis, and come back on here, I can give you the low-down and give you various links to read, but you need to know for definite if this 'sugar' the vet was talking about is crystals in the kitten's urine, or if he just has cystitis.

ladyjuicy08

I called vet who said was mild case of cystitis which sounded like was clearing up since kitten not drinking loads peeing etc n he eating more now he seem much beta to me too he was back to waking me up 3times a nite last nite to lick my face n he suckles too am going keep close eye on him anyway definitely change his food since last month he had bad diarrhea which only cleared when i switched from whiskas dry to jw dry my poor little Alfie thanks for all your help though any suggestion bout food be great

The Sweeper

When his cystitis clears up, try a mix and match approach. Raw meat is good - strips of tough stewing beef so he has to chew them. A raw chicken neck is a great teeth cleaner if you can get your cat to eat one - mine won't eat them, but introducing them when the cat is a kitten can help a lot with that.

I've found a lot of success through feeding a mixture of raw meat, high end dry kibble and commercial wet food - good stuff some days, whiskas if it's on special other days. I just alternate what goes out at what meal and the cats are looking good on it.

ladyjuicy08

As soon as it clears will try that thanks so much for ur help. . . .

The Sweeper

All credit for collating this goes to cat-world.com.au, and the report itself is accredited at the bottom.

Cat Cystitis - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment of Cystitis in Cats

Overview:

Cystitis is defined as inflammation of the bladder. It may precede or be secondary to urolithiasis (stones in the urinary tract). [1]

There are several possible causes including;

* Idiopathic (no known cause)
* Bacterial infection
* Urinary crystals & stones


What are the symptoms of cystitis?

* Straining to urinate, only letting out a few drops (if any) at a time. This can sometimes lead the owner to believe that the cat is constipated.
* Hematuria (blood in urine).
* Increased thirst.
* Increased frequency of urination.
* Excessive genital licking, way beyond normal self cleaning.
* Sudden halt in litter box usage.
* Crying in the litter box. You may hear your cat crying near, around or in the litter box. This also involves the cat attempting to urinate & little or no urine is passed.
* Urinating in places other than the litter box, such as the bath or floor.


It is extremely important to note that difficulty urinating is a medical emergency & you should take your cat to the veterinarian immediately. Failure to act quickly can result in death.

How is cystitis diagnosed?

Your veterinarian will be able to give a tentative diagnosis based on physical examination & signs, such as straining to go to the toilet, licking genitals. He will feel the bladder through the abdomen, the bladder may feel large, full & distended or it may feel small & thickened.

He may also investigate further by performing an urinalysis, bloodwork, ultrasound or x-ray.
How is cystitis treated?

Treatment depends on the cause & severity of the condition. Finding & treating the underlying cause.

As stone build up is caused by urine which is too concentrated (and alkaline) it is important to try & get more fluids into your cat, to reduce the concentration of the urine. It is also beneficial to aim for a pH below 6.5. pH in a cat's urine usually ranges from 5.5 to 8.0, but diets which result in < 6.5 decrease the chances of struvite crystals forming.

Diet: Moisten dry food or change to canned/raw food. Dry food contains approximately 10% water, whereas canned or raw food contains approximately 70% water. Avoid fish flavoured food. Feed a diet which increases the acidity of urine. There are special diets which are created to increase thirst. When I was dealing with a cat with FLUTD several years ago it was fairly widespread that magnesium was quite possibly a contributing factor to the formation of struvite crystals, and therefore a low magnesium diet could help. However, it appears that this is believed to not be the case.*1

Increase water consumption: Encourage drinking by other means, such as providing a drinking fountain for your cat.

Urine pH: Try to feed a diet which keeps the urine pH below 6.5. Unfortunately long term use of an acidifying does carry some risks, one of which is the increased chances of developing calcium oxalate urolithiasis.*2

Antibiotics: This form of treatment is used for mild cases of cystitis. The decision to prescribe antibiotics to a cat who is affected by cystitis depends upon the severity of the case. Most cases of cystitis resolve themselves within 5 days. However, since cystitis has been known to cause severe pain & damage in many cats, it is better to be safe than sorry. Antibiotics can help in some cases.

Medications: Amitriptyline, which is an antidepressant and Analgesia (pain killers) are two examples of medications which may help a cat with cystitis.
How is Cystitis treated a the vet?

* Urine: If your cat is completely blocked then your veterinarian may extract urine by placing a syringe through the abdomen & directly into the bladder & draw our the urine. This is a fast & effective way of emptying out the bladder in an emergency situation. Alternatively he may choose to catheterise the cat immediately. See below for info on catheterisation.
* Fluid Therapy: This form of therapy is often used before catheterisation is attempted. It involves the feeding of fluids to the cat in order to continue to flush out the cat's urinary system (particularly the bladder).
* Catheterisation: This is the system by which a catheterisation needle is inserted into what is called the Cephalic vein. This vein is located in one of the front legs of the cat. After the intravenous needle is placed in the front leg of the cat it is wrapped. A urinary catheter is also placed in the cat’s urethra. This helps re-hydrate the affected cat and also helps flush out the crystals that have formed, as well as the excess potassium. Catheterisation on a cat takes place while the cat is under anaesthesia.
* Surgery: A procedure is performed on male cats who experience repeated bouts of cystitis. It is also performed on cats who's systems were not fully flushed during the catheterisation process. This surgery is known as a perineal urethrostomy, and involves partial amputation of the penis to the point where the urethral opening is larger. This will help reduce the risks of blocking, although it is still possible a small number of cats will become blocked even after the perineal urethrostomy.


References:

[1] The Cornell Book of Cats (p 227) - Edited by Mordecai Siegal.

ladyjuicy08

Poor baby now has a reassurance of cystitis brought to vet yesterday he has taken a urine sample am waiting on results. .In meantime little Alfie is soooo depressed tried everything to cheer him up bt nothing is working i feel really bad for him he seems so sad.:(