Looks like another UTI

Heroditas

A few months ago, one of our cats was diagnosed with a UTI after we spotted some blood in the litter tray. It cleared up after she was given some tablets and she's right as rain now.

The problem is that her brother is now showing the same symptoms and is peeing in various corners of the house, the poor guy. He seems to be in quite a bit of discomfort so it'll be off to the vets with him.

I'm just wondering if it's stress that is causing it.
He's been in foul form recently and starting fights with the other two. They're indoor cats so maybe he's itching to get out into the garden. We've given them some supervised play time in the garden recently.
They are given dry food twice a day and wet food once a day. They also always have loads of water in a number of bowls.

I feel sorry for him because he's been quite grumpy recently and not half as affectionate as he usually is.
I'm sure a few other cat owners have experienced the same problems so any advice would be gratefully received!

lorebringer

Struvite crystals in the kidneys and bladder are a common problem in cats, particularly those fed exclusively on a dry diet. If your cat is having recurring UTIs you will need to talk to your vet about bladder issues, how to prevent them and such. There are specific food designed to prevent and/or reduce the formation of crystals, or getting your cat to take in more water can be a big help. One of the best ways to do this is to feed a mixed diet of wet and dry food (that is, all in one meal - so some wet and some dry in the bowl together so that the cat eats it all). Cats are not big water drinkers, so even if there is loads of water available to them they may not be drinking it. Adding some apple cider vinegar to the water may also help with preventing crystal formation.

If he is grumpy, out of sorts, and peeing a lot (or straining to pee, or have blood in his pee) he will need to see a vet. In very bad situations, struvite crystals can block the urethra or ureter and prevent the cat from being able to pass pee - this is an emergency situation and if the cat is unable to pee you need to see a vet asap. Ask your vet about special food and/or diet changes to help prevent UTIs and crystals.

Heroditas

Thankfully he has no problem peeing, he's just peeing a lot more than normal and there's blood in it. Poor guy also looks like he's got a dose of the runs.

Vet first thing in the morning.

The Sweeper

The formation of struvite and oxalate crystals, and idiopathic cystitis, are two separate issues. Crystals are a problem that appear to be related to diet and bladder PH and can be fatal if they cause a urethral blockage.

Idiopathic cystitis is quite common in cats. In terms of what causes it - well, that's why it's idiopathic (of unknown cause). It does tend to manifest as a result of stressful situations, and often is then self-perpetuating - the more stress, the longer the flare up of cystitis; the worse the cystitis, the more stress it causes.

It is good to see your vet so they can take a urine sample and spin it, and possibly do some blood work - this will reveal for once and for all whether there are crystals in the cat's urine, and whether there is any strain on internal organs.

If it's just cystitis, the vet can try a number of things to clear it up. They may prescribe an antibiotic to help clear up the infection. Cystitis, untreated, will usually clear up within a week to 10 days on its own. However, it will almost certainly come back. I try to get my cat an anti inflammatory painkilling shot if he has cystitis - or I use Metacam, which is an anti inflammatory painkiller - but Metacam is NOT suitable for long-term use and is harsh on the kidneys, which isn't something you want if your cat's kidneys are suffering from his UTIs. (I have a cystitis-prone cat. When his flares up, I can get rid of it by administering one oral dose of Metacam - two over two days maximum. It stops the vicious cycle where the pain stresses him out and the stress worsens the cystitis.)

Cats are complex emotional creatures who hide most of their emotions, but as you say, your guy has been beating up the other two, starting and continuing fights and generally been out of sorts. What's changed recently? Has he always lived with these cats? (Didn't you have a stray who you adopted - is it him or your established male that's having cystitis?)

There are a number of things you can do to create happier cats. Feliway diffuser and feliway spray can have a calming effect. Rescue remedy can be very helpful dropped onto paws and the backs of ears and rubbed in. Environmental enrichment is important - cat trees, cardboard box condos if you can't afford cat trees (and sometimes even if you can), hidey spaces, games with various toys where you join in, scratching areas, individual attention for each cat, and a variety of treats.

Stress reduction is another important factor. If your cats are craving the outdoors, see if you can give them some access through using a netted cat run, or cat-proofing your enclosed yard, or harness and leash training for supervised outdoor time. Often cystitis flares up when a territorial cat passes through your yard and sits outside the house windows staring in at your indoor cats. This causes immense stress and can include redirected aggression, where every time the territorial cat appears your cat becomes so agitated he'll attack anything within reach, including you.

If you can figure out what's stirring the cat up, you can take steps to create a calmer, more harmonious household, and hopefully that will have a good effect on his cystitis.

audreyp

Heroditas wrote: »

Thankfully he has no problem peeing, he's just peeing a lot more than normal and there's blood in it. Poor guy also looks like he's got a dose of the runs.

Vet first thing in the morning.

I feel so sorry for you, a very stressful situation. Our female cat had a UTI where she couldn't pee at all. She was fine one day, then the next day after I came home from work she was out of sorts. I was very worried so it was off to UCD for her. We were lucky to catch it in time. It was very scary and she was hospitalised for 3 days. She actually never was a dry food fan and we struggled to get her to like it. She even had teeth problems because she wasn't eating enough (though I know now, dry food may not necessarily help that) The vet swapped her to a Hills Science C/D diet, to help prevent the formation of crystals and she was never given dry food again.

We also got a Feliway Diffuser. Just a note if you do have pet insurance, if your cat has a UTI or cystitis, insurance companies will let you claim for a Felliway diffuser as part of your insurance claim for meds or any hospital stay if necessary. You can also claim a month's worth of the prescription diet too! Our vet told us this which really helped as the prescription diet can be expensive.

Good luck and I hope your kitty is ok!

Heroditas

The Sweeper wrote: »

It is good to see your vet so they can take a urine sample and spin it, and possibly do some blood work - this will reveal for once and for all whether there are crystals in the cat's urine, and whether there is any strain on internal organs.

Yeah, I left the little guy there so they could collect a urine sample from him. Typical though, he'd just gone to the toilet before I brought him over. :rolleyes:
The good thing was that his bladder was empty so there doesn't appear to be any major problem with peeing WRT a blockage.

The Sweeper wrote: »

Cats are complex emotional creatures who hide most of their emotions, but as you say, your guy has been beating up the other two, starting and continuing fights and generally been out of sorts. What's changed recently? Has he always lived with these cats? (Didn't you have a stray who you adopted - is it him or your established male that's having cystitis?)

They really are complex little creatures. He's always lived with his sister (they'll be three in October) and the new arrival cat came last November. To be honest, he's always got on very well with the new arrival but he's just a bit of a bully and picks on them every now and again.
Rocky is the established male and the other two are females. He's much larger than them so I think it's a domination thing. Also, he and his sister were abandoned as kittens - that's how we got them. So I don't think he leanred how to behave properly from his mother.

The Sweeper wrote: »

There are a number of things you can do to create happier cats. Feliway diffuser and feliway spray can have a calming effect. Rescue remedy can be very helpful dropped onto paws and the backs of ears and rubbed in. Environmental enrichment is important - cat trees, cardboard box condos if you can't afford cat trees (and sometimes even if you can), hidey spaces, games with various toys where you join in, scratching areas, individual attention for each cat, and a variety of treats.

The frustrating thing is that they have cat trees, the run of the whole house, boxes, toys, everything!
I think we're definitely going to try and use a diffuser now.

The Sweeper wrote: »

Stress reduction is another important factor. If your cats are craving the outdoors, see if you can give them some access through using a netted cat run, or cat-proofing your enclosed yard, or harness and leash training for supervised outdoor time. Often cystitis flares up when a territorial cat passes through your yard and sits outside the house windows staring in at your indoor cats. This causes immense stress and can include redirected aggression, where every time the territorial cat appears your cat becomes so agitated he'll attack anything within reach, including you.

I think this is the problem. He really wants to go outside, as does his sister. The adopted stray legs it when we open the back door - probably because she's afraid we're trying to throw her out!

We'll just have to give them some more supervised outdoor time before they have their dinner.

Heroditas

Quick update - the little brat sat in the vets all day and didn't pee once. I collected him yesterday evening, brought him home, gave him dinner and loads of water ..... and he still wouldn't pee.
The vet had given me a small handful of gravel to stick in the litter tray to try and encourage him to pee but he was having none of it.
Meanwhile the other two were getting cranky because they couldn't go to the loo! Actually, one of them went and used the toilet bowl.... but that seems to be becoming a regular thing.

Eventually at 10.30 last night I filled up the tray with regular litter and he was in it in a shot to have a pee. I had to lift him and hold him so he peed on the floor. The poor guy was a bit unhappy about this but at least I was able to syringe up enough of it and stick it in a sample bottle.

Anyway, got a phonecall a few minutes ago and there are no crystals in his urine. However, his pH is a bit high so they've recommended we put him on a diet for cats with cystitis - Hills CD to be precise.
He's also on some medication which we pour on his food for a few days and also a tablet we give him once daily.

Thankfully, no crystals but we need to keep a close eye on him to make sure he still continues to go to the toilet.

Zapperzy

My little lady went through something similar, never got to the bottom of it despite 2 different antibiotics, metacam, hills c/d and various tests. The stuff your putting on his food is probably metacam, a pain reliever, be careful that you stick to the recommended dosage and be careful to leave 24 hours between each dosage and not to use it for more than 4 days as it's very severe on the kidneys.

I think mine (well my cat's not mine obviously!) was stress related as there was a lot going on around the time it started up. I have since bought a feliway diffuser and put her on zylkene (kitty valium ) and while she pee'd on my bed about a week into both there hasn't been any peeing accidents since. Iv since taken mine off the c/d and I'm trying to get her onto an all wet diet. Also bought a water fountain for her. It's best to get as much fluids into them as possible.

Hope your fella recovers soon! It really is stressful when there not well.