Milla might have developed some sort of cystitis

[Joe_Danger]

She is as active and happy as a clam but yesterday morning around 7AM I noticed she hadn't peed all night, she normally goes 2-4 times a day depending on mood I guess, 3 usually.
She didn't seem interested in the litterbox at all and was more focused on playing and hunting some insects.
I waited for a while and nothing, so I picked her up and put her in the litterbox, as soon as she ploped down she peed with ease.

The day went by normally except she never went again, at around 10:45PM I got worried, she missed her 4-5PM pee that she normally does so I once again put her in the litterbox and then and there she peed without any obvious symptoms of discomfort or distress, yet wouldn't go on her own.
The night went by, she was active and all yet didn't so much as touch her litterbox, this morning she pooped normally around 7AM but didn't pee, I cleaned the litter nice and good with her watching to hopefully stimulate her but nothing.
So just now almost 12 hours since she last went I gently put her inside myself and sure enough she peed, burried her pee and all with ease.

I called my vet and she said it's most likely cystitis, but not to bring her in as it will just cause further stress on her and just to take some pills which should hopefully resolve the issue in 5-10 days or the issue should go away on its own.

Is this a serious thing to worry about? I've never had a cat do this before, right now she is on my CRT TV hunting something tho I don't see anything flying around but apparently she does
Milla should be a year old on the 24th I believe and I don't want her going through bad stuff like this, she doesn't appear to be in pain but I know these things can get painful.

She eats both wet and dry food, drinks water and overall is a very playful and active cat...too active if you ask me

edit: I read this whole article
http://www.icatcare.org:8080/advice/cat ... stitis-fic" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and it didn't really make me feel better, it seems like one of those issues where vets shoot in the dark until it fixes itself

[JulieandBarney]

Hi Joe

My Barney is just getting over a bout of cystitis, so I totally understand, I find it really quite alarming that your vet has told you not to bring Milla in to be examined !! This sort of problem can develop into something more serious unless diagnosed correctly. My fella had blood in his water and my vet insisted on seeing him immediately and took a urine test there and then and then, yes, Barney hates the vet and gets stressed, but NOT seeing the vet would cause even greater distress, he was given a steroid injection and an anti biotic injection Convenia, he then told us to return within 4 days as he wanted to see him again. Please, please get Milla to a vet, though it may be wise to find another vet with a more educated attitude !!!

Best of luck...xx

[Joe_Danger]

Thanks
Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about that, vets and doctors in general in my country are very laid back and making them do stuff they don't think is necessary only upsets them in the long run, I already dropped one vet the one who was supposedly Anastasia's vet and who refused to check her up properly when I told him I suspect kidney failure in 2012 and laughed in my face that I was being paranoid just to prove that I was right. As some of you might remember, Anastasia died in 2014 from CRF due to poor veternary care and vets refusing to administer sub-q fluids or not even know what those are, refusing IV and such.
To make things even more complicated I can't drive because I'm legally blind, I do get around with taxi but some cab drivers don't like pets in their cars, it's also very stressful for the pets themselves and what not so this lady who handles Milla now is the only other vet within walking distance from where I live.

The vet lady said that if she eats and is active there's no need to bring her in and to wait and see if the issues go away in 5-10 days. Now I don't know what to think.

[JulieandBarney]

Goodness Joe, you are up against it there, I don't envy you !

It appears that dry food can be a culprit at times, when it comes to cystitis and wet foor and more liquid intake should be encouraged. I mix Barneys wet food with warm water, so its almost soup like, but he loves it. Take a look at the info below:-

Dietary modification for cats with FIC

Encouraging more frequent urination and producing urine that is more dilute (and therefore potentially less irritant to the cells lining the bladder) appears to be helpful in FIC. This can be achieved, at least in part, by modifying the diet. Changing to a wet (tinned or sachet) diet rather than a dry diet is an important management goal, along with other measures to increase water intake.

In addition to the water content of the food, some veterinary therapeutic diets (only available from your vet) are designed to help in cases of FLUTD. These diets include things like added polyunsaturated fatty acids which potentially may help reduce inflammation in FIC, although any additional benefit over routine 'wet' foods is as yet uncertain.

Cats will often develop a strong preference for particular diets, and this means changing cats to a new diet can sometimes be difficult. These tips may help:

Always make a change in diet gradual – for several days at least and sometimes over a few weeks if your cat is quite fussy
Start by mixing a very small amount of the new food with your cat's old food, and make sure it is well mixed
Only increase the amount of the new food slowly, once your cat is happy to eat the old mixture. Make each step where you replace old food with a greater amount of new food slow
Warming the food to body temperature (around 30°C) may help increase the palatability
If necessary, talk to your vet about using drugs to increase the appetite to make the transition easier
Other measures to increase water intake

Making sure a good supply of fresh water is always available – cats should be encouraged to drink by offering water from different bowls, etc
Using flavoured waters (chicken or tuna, for example) or water fountains to encourage drinking
Adding further water to the food (if tolerated without affecting the appetite)
Environmental modification – drinking and urinating

To encourage cats to drink, it is important to provide water in different places, where the cat is comfortable to spend time and drink. Avoid noisy places or anywhere close to a litter box. Ideally provide water (and food) in several locations and use ceramic bowls rather than metal or plastic which can leave an unpleasant odour or taste. Try using shallow bowls rather than deep-sided bowls so that the cat can see what is going on around at the same time as drinking and so that the whiskers do not brush against the sides of the bowl (which can be irritating for cats). Also try flavoured or running water (pet fountains) as these are preferred by some cats.

Make sure your cat has every opportunity to urinate frequently. Make sure there is at least one litter box for every cat in the household (and ideally more than this). Try putting litter boxes in different locations and use different types of litter in the box to find the location and type of litter your cat prefers. Avoid putting the litter box in noisy or busy areas as cats will generally try to avoid these places.

[Joe_Danger]

Thanks
I got all the water stuff covered, so now I have to hope that this vet is right about not bringing her in just yet. I called another vet I randomly found online and he said not to worry and that my vet is a good vet and if she isn't overly concerned I shouldn't be either.

I really don't know what to think.
Talking to my vet put me at ease, but now I'm just not at ease anymore at all lol Everything is always so different here compared to what I read online.

[Kay]

the main symptom of cystitis is peeing very small amounts at very frequent intervals, so it doesn't sound as if Milla is suffering from this

obviously it's difficult to be sure about anything on a forum, but I personally would suspect this is more a behavioural thing than a physical one - peeing when you put her in the litter tray is probably instinctive, as it's what a mother cat does with her kittens - I also find mine never poop and pee at the same time, even if they need to, but will make two separate visits to the tray

I think peeing less frequently is common as they get older too - my two never go more than twice in 24 hours - so I really do think you can trust your vet this time - unless you see her trying to pee and unable to do so (signs of a urinary blockage which is an emergency, but uncommon in females) or peeing very small amounts all the time - you can, I think, relax, and follow her advice

[Joe_Danger]

yeah initially I thought it was her just peeing less due to getting older but it kinda happened overnight and to not go in 15 hours just didn't seem right to me at all. I did try putting her in the litterbox earlier just to see if she'd go instinctively and since she already did her business when I made this topic she just calmly walked out and went to finish off some food she had.
Hopefully she isn't psychologically messed up and refusing to pee on her own in the litter, I have no room to put up another litterbox just for peeing if she turns out to be one of those cats who like different ones for different activities lol But I've had her since July with no issues regarding this.

I made sure she hadn't done her business outside and all is well, plus she is always by my side like a puppy so I'd notice if she was doing something bad

I really hope this gets resolved, I love this cat so much

[Joe_Danger]

Milla doesn't like the pills, even though they apparently have no taste or smell she refuses to eat anything with the pill even if the pill is smashed and nicely disguised by food and such.
We did manage to get some of it in her mouth but she refused to swollow it and spat it out, other than that she eats normally though she seems to now prefer dry over wet food but that happens ever so often, what matters is she eats and drinks her water to compensate for the more dry diet of the day.

Of course she doesn't go to pee on her own, she plays, hunts, grooms herself, eats, sleeps and everything but won't go on her own no matter what. so I put her in the litter box every 3-4 hours, if she doesn't feel like peeing she calmly walks out but around 9:30PM she peed nice and easy, no discomfort no nothing and neatly burried her pee however she didn't go on her own I had to put her there.

This is very strange
Since she won't take to the pills the vet said to bring her in tomorrow for shots but I don't think she is going to want to give her a thorough check up, they never do and insisting too much only leads to conflict since you act like you're undermining their knowledge and such.

edit: It's as if she forgets to pee, like she has no urge to do so

what would the lack of urge to urinate be a symptom of?

[Joe_Danger]

Should I take the risk and not put her in the litterbox to pee to see if she is going to go on her own? Last time I waited on Monday it took over 15 hours and she never went by herself until I put her in. Other than this she seems perfectly fine, just ate her dry food..actually she is more on dry food now than wet but that happens sometimes so I'm not sure if they're related.

She is nice and active too, woke me up at 6AM because she couldn't catch some moth and was screaming at it like she normally does or wanting me to pick her up so she could reach it.

[Kay]

I think so, Joe - otherwise you risk teaching her that she must hold on until you put her into the litterbox

at the same time, I think you should have a really thorough search indoors just in case she is weeing in some hidden corner you haven't yet discovered

[Joe_Danger]

I cant seem to find anything tho this morning after asking that I caved and put her next to the litterbox, she went in by herself and did her business.
I will be taking her to the vet in 3 hours or so but I know she is going to refuse to do a thoroguh check up and will just end up feeling her bladder and looking at her even if I inisit I'd rather she does more

I'll take her to the vet with a full bladder though, see if that alarms the vet to look deper into it


Other than that she is so...normal in every way

[Joe_Danger]

Well whaddya know
apparently Milla is in heat and my vet's son determined after giving her a thorough examination that her odd behavior is due to her being in heat, he was firm about not doing any bloodwork or x-rays and such now but from his examination he detemirned she was in excellent health, tho she might have a bit of a cold so he shoved a pill down her throat for just in case and said to keep coming until Saturday for more pills.

She was very well behaved there, curious and seemed to be having fun, even let the vet took her temperature without throwing a tantrum over it, guess as long as there are no shots involved she doesn't mind going to the vet's.

I don't know what to think or whether to trust this dude or not given my past experience with vets, but I was very happy with the way he handled her, his mom is great with animals too just a old fashioned in her views on when a pet should be neutered/spayed and such.

We'll see how this progresses, could she really be doing all this just because she is in heat?

[Joe_Danger]

Milla's pill therapy worked wonders, for starters she was back to normal bathroom usage two days ago, but what's even better, her nose isn't stuffed up anymore.
I kept telling my vet for a while now that I think she has an upper respiratory infection or something and my vet kept saying she was fine, she'd start panting and stuff if she'd go overboard with playing and now that's all gone it seems, not to speak too soon but it's all gone for sure these past few days.

The vet said her heat cycle should be over today or tomorrow, so we should take her in for spaying next week or the week after.
I am NOT happy about this at all, I know it's right to spay a cat before she reaches sexual maturity in order to prevent breast cancer and stuff but reasoning with the vet was impossible back then so in order to maintain good relations I had to agree to this.

Thank god the cat's back to normal