(Vanity) Cat lovers! Need aome advise re: male cat's urinary infection

Dec 01,2009 | Yankeedame

[yankeedame]

My 10 year old male/neutered cat went to the vet for a urinary infection. They did a catheter on him, he stayed over night, gave us Amoxi drops to Dx 7 days 2x a day.

This morning (Monday) he went back to the vet in slightly worse shape than he went in on Friday. Turns out his infection is not on the end tip of tact as is usually the case but in the center. They had broken it up (though I'm sure that's not the right word) with the original catheter but apparently it reclogged itself in no time. Tomorrow morning they will once more to run the cathader through the tract and try and "jiggle" (again, not the right word, I know) in the center/blockage there to see if that breaks it up.

My question is: Has anyone had a cat that has gone through this? Does it tend to work? If once blockage starts is it than a life long problem? What is the success rates? Any thoughts or advice would be MOST welcome.

The cat up till now has had excellent health, he has been an indoor cat all his life, and is fed IAMS with no change in food for maybe a year or so. We've had cats all our lives and came across only one male cat urinary infection (about 16 years ago) and it was the standard condition....so both hubby and I are completely flumexed** by this case.

{** and, alas, slowly being fancially bled to death by this. We've already plunked down $270 w/ no end in sight.sigh. Which why I am trying to get as much info on this condition as possible.)

[peggybac]

I just looked it up on this site:

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/fusfaqs.html

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

I haven’t. It sound as tho you are following dietary recommendations. How old is your cat, again? I have also heard that particular types of cat litter can cause urinary probs. Just my $.02.

Hope he gets to feeling better.

[Fantasywriter]

I’ve never heard of this problem and I’ve never dealt with it. I will say this, however; not all cats can take oral amoxi. All my cats got sick a few weeks ago, and the vet gave me enough oral amoxi for the whole crew. All of them did great and improved except my favorite, a young buff-colored tabby. He started throwing up and wouldn’t eat. I took him back, and they figured out that he was/is allergic to oral amoxi. He got an injection, recovered from the cold, stopped throwing up, and went back to his usual extremely healthy appetite. I wish you all the best. It’s a bad feeling (as I know from experience) when a dear pet’s illness starts undermining the finances.

[Sherman Logan]

I’ve found a cordless drill with a 1/4” bit to be effective.

[Truth29]

It sounds like you cat may have FUS (Feline Urological Syndrome). Part of the condition is the formation of crystals in the urine that block the urethra. Once the blockage is cleared and the inflammation and infection is treated, the PH factor of the urine must be changed to stop the formation of the crystals. There are diets (you vet can advise) that are both low in ash and change the ph. Many cats with FUS can live for years with proper management and monitoring of this condition, testing of the urine and the proper diet.

[Bernard Marx]

Get your cat to the vet ASAP. Our cat nearly died from this and it’s not easy to diagnose in all cases except the cat can’t void. In our case the cat needed surgery and then was placed on a special Rx urinary diet that relieves the problem. I tried another cheaper cat food and within 24 hours he was catheterized again. Hope your cat makes it but don’t expect a cheap solution.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

... should have got a mac

[hole_n_one]

The cat I've had for 17 years has recently decided to wake me up every morning @ 4:00am.

I don't need to get up until 5:15 am.

Anybody want a cat?

[Stentor]

Has anyone had a cat that has gone through this? Does it tend to work?

It happened to our cat. He was on Hills' C/D prescription diet for 4 years and is now on Purina UR as he seemed to be unable to tolerate the C/D anymore. No further problems on the right diet. Forget milk and table food forever. His party is over.

[cripplecreek]

Yeah, pencils break off in there and your troubles are just starting.

[Blackhawk]

Our very sweet little girl tabby had the same problem couple of years ago. Like the others here have said, we now have to get special food to change the ph of the urine. Its just a little bit more expensive than IAMS but she is so much happier and loving now its worth it. We didn't know she had problem for about two years. Not as serious as your's so we had no “urgent” symptoms. But the difference once we started the new food is amazing.

[GSP.FAN]

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DC759KA-Heavy-Duty-18-Volt-Cordless/dp/B00008WFT3/ref=pd_cp_hi_2_img?pf_rd_p=413863601&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0002AJKOU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1K2BQTCMWZEGVMFS3CV0

1/2bit would be better ...

[Kirkwood]

My cat got better for a day after going to the vet and I thought the worst was over. Then the poor thing just died in my arms. I hope yours pulls through. Cats are usually reclusive and seem to hide their sickness more than a dog.

[The Cajun]

Get him on Science Diet (brand name) Prescription Diet C/D (name of particular type of Science diet). Not that an expensive dry cat food that solved the problem for our cat. He has had no recurrences since we have had him on Prescription Diet C/D (about 3 years so far). Only bad thing is you have to buy it from the vet.

[Son House]

Sounds like this diagnosis is close, General Buster(10) just had a UTI, but it was something cleared up with 2 weeks of pills 2X a day, now his Master, had a kidney stone this summer, and for that, after a night of pacing(all I could do, as had to pee every 2 minutes, and couldn’t make the car ride to a emergency room), hot tub + lots of water + mowing the lawn finally got it passed

recommend a cat drinking fountain, a second opinion from another Vet(if your not confident in this one) and

http://www.catforum.com/

Health & Nutrition section;

http://www.catforum.com/viewforum.php?f=3

[Slings and Arrows]

IMO, posts #6 and #7 are on the money.

[PackerBoy]

One of our male cats had a similar problem. Surgery fixed him. $2500. He still has some issues from time to time, but with meds and a special diet, we can manage it.

I wish you luck. It may come down to how much you can afford to spend addressing this health problem.

[voiceinthewind]

The advice here sounds like you need to talk to your vet about a diet change. I know we tried a pricey vet suggested kibble only to have our cat balloon up and get sicker. In the end we found for our kitty that a higher quality commercially available cat food did fine. You are on the right track, you have to find out the cause of the crystals forming so you can avoid as much as possible the consequences for kitty and wallet. I got our cat to drink more by buying one of those water gurglers, entices them to drink.

[who knows what evil?]

Watch the ingredients in cat food...especially the so-called ‘good stuff’ like ‘Science Diet’. 99 times out of 100 you will see some sort of grain right up front, such as corn meal.
When is the last time you had to chase your cat out a corn field? The dry food is responsible for many of these problems; such as kidney issues or diabetes. Most ‘mass market’ cat food is crap, and most vets are clueless.