Blackie in trouble again with his bladder

[Jan]

We found 2 puddles on the floor over the weekend - one in the hall, and another huge pee behind the sofa on Sunday morning. Alarm bells rang immediately - Blackie is an extremely clean cat - he'd rather pee in a tray with no litter in it than on the floor. He also jumped on top of a bush that would hold his weight to have a pee, whereas normally he'll squat on the garden soil.

However, after starting him back on the Hills urinary stress diet with plenty of added water, later in the afternoon he urinated as normal on the soil. I've also upped his Cystophan to 2 x day along with 2 x day Zyklene.

I rang the vet this morning who requested a urine sample - even if I had to syringe it up from the floor. Can I get this cat to pee on the Katkor - not I can't! Will he pee on the floor? No he won't. In the end, he was getting so stressed about not being let outdoors that he hid behind the sofa in the garden room and refused to come out even when I put food down for him. So I had to give in and let him outside, following him around with a bowl to see if I could catch some of his urine in it. No luck there either.

Until I manage to get this urine sample, we won't get any further forward.

[Lilith]

Is he still using his tray at all?

Because if so you can get some stuff from the vet, I think it's some sort of plastic granules; you put it in a clean tray, cat wees and you just pour it off, job done (pun intended.)

Oops edit - that is the Katkor - have just googled it as I hadn't heard of it and didn't know that I was talking about the same stuff.

Good luck with him

[elastu]

The vet can espress a sample if all else fails.

[Jan]

Good luck is what we need, that's for sure.

He has used Katkor before with no problem at all when a urine sample was required so am hoping that eventually he will co-operate. He may well have urinated outdoors somewhere today - least I'm hoping he did. At the moment I know he probably wants to pee because he's sitting at the patio doors after having a meal (with lots of added water) waiting for me to open them so he can go out again.

One good thing is that there's nothing wrong with his appetite and I've not long finished playing 'string' with him on the stairs.

I'll speak to the vet again tomorrow morning and see what she says about expressing a sample if there's nothing forthcoming overnight.

[JulieandBarney]

Hi Jan

I can so sympathise with you, as Barney has this same problem on and off a lot of the time..

I also could not get a sample from him in this way, when I took him to the vet, the vet managed to take a sample by manually pressing his bladder, he then flooded the table and sample tray !..I should think that your vet would be able to do this for you.....best of luck, I truly understand your dilemma !!...x

[Crewella]

All paws here crossed that you manage to get a sample. xx

[Jan]

Pleased to say Blackie provided a sample sometime last night which we whizzed round to the vets first thing this morning. Am awaiting results.

[Crewella]

Oh good boy Blackie! Paws crossed for the results now. xx

[Jan]

Helen .. you can now uncross paws! Result showed no infection, only a tiny amount of grit/stones in his bladder - nothing to worry about. His USG was slightly below normal but vet said result could be misleading because he has so much added warmed water to his food. She didn't seem concerned about it at all ... so neither must I

His 2 peeing on the floor episodes are highly likely to be stress related - whether due to change in environment (almost 3 weeks ago now) or being harassed by a particularly angry and aggressive thrush - or more likely a combination of both. But everything x'd, though I'd be happier to see some pee in his tray overnight - and this morning there was none - I watched him pee at the back of the garden in the normal manner.

The vet advised me to keep him on the RC renal + RC urinary s/o diets for the time being - especially since getting him to eat his favourite food (Felix) with added phosphate binder is difficult (very) - but more particularly because he's due to go into a cattery on Friday. I should ask the owner to keep a special watch on him and call the vet the minute she thinks anything isn't right - which I'd ask her to do anyway and to text me about it so we can come straight back. It could be that Blackie will be glad to get away from this bird for a bit of peace and quiet Though I'm not looking forward to hearing his howl as we walk away from his pen

[Crewella]

That's a relief, I'm glad the results were OK.

He'll be fine at the cattery, I'm sure. I reckon they lay it on a bit thick at times like that, just to make you feel properly guilty!
xx

[Jan]

Not sure whether Blackie's bladder issue is sorted or not tbh. He hasn't urinated on the floor again but is refusing to use his tray. I knew this morning he was desperate to go out and when I delayed opening the door, he got in his tray, left a few paw marks but nothing else. So I let him out and saw him standing on all fours, spraying behind him - not his normal squatting position.

I also had trouble getting food + water down him - very picky yesterday. But this morning I managed to get some more RC urinary s/o chicken from the vet and he ate it so fast, thought he'd be sick - and he waited at his mat for 'seconds'.

He's still licking down below and there's quite a bit of fur missing. I don't know how much more fur will be missing when he comes back from the cattery in a week's time

[JulieandBarney]

Jan

I so feel for you, I really do...we get the same issues with Barney, currently I have a Pet Remedy plug in and some Valerian drops which I drop into his food and onto his chair he sits in outside. It seems to have calmed him down a little, as his flare ups have been much shorter, though I may well be speaking too soon !

We are also going away in a week or so, Barney will be looked after at home by the in laws, but he is very clingy with me all the time, so I imagine we will return to the problem again.....x

[Jan]

We took Blackie into the cattery yesterday and he was put in the pen where he stayed for 3 months back in 2013 when my mother was in/out of hospital. He seemed to know exactly where he was as there were no howls from him and, best of all, as soon as his litter tray was put in the corner, he used it to have pee. Don't know about the cat, but it made me feel a lot better

Linda send me a text this morning to say 'all was well' and that Blackie was in a 'playful mood' ... perhaps he's glad to get away from me! He may have picked up on my stress about his bladder issue and hasn't liked it one bit.

By the way, Julie - I've not heard of the Valerian drops you put into food. I find Feliway doesn't seem to do much for Blackie and not convinced that 2 x Zyklene tablets a day do either.

[Crewella]

I'm so glad that leaving him wasn't the wrench you were expecting, it sounds like he'll be fine. I hope you enjoy your time away.

[JulieandBarney]

Hi Jan

Sounds like Blackie is quite at home !! Pleased to hear he settled so well.

I bought some Dorwest Valerian drops, which I pop in his food, its dark brown and a bit pongy, but he seems unaware. I also put some where he sleeps and between his ears now and then, it does appear to relax him a little, unless I am reading into it more ! I have been doing quite a bit of research and I noticed that when Barney is on Hills prescription foor for urinary stress, he is no different at all, sometimes even worse on occasion, so I switched him to James Wellbeloved Senior Turkey sachets, which are totally cereal free, no dairy, no eggs, no beef, no [pork and no soya...but most of all, the food contains cranberry and glucosamine, which is found in Cystophan, he loves it thankfully. I have also got a tube of Uri Balance Methionine gel, which I have just started giving half a teaspoon in his food a day, it balances the acdity level of the urine apparently. His flare ups have become less and are much milder, he used to sruggle for a day or even days at a time, now its usually less than an hour first thin g in the morng and he's right as rain again ! (Hope Im not tempting fate here !!) so I will stick to the regime for now, the Methionine should start to kick in after a week or so, so I will see how he progresses. We too go away next week, so Iwill see how he is when we get back.

Hope Blackie continues to get better, believe me I truly understand the worry this probem causes...xx

PS Zyklene and Feliway does absolutely nothing for Barney either !!

[Jan]

I'm so glad that leaving him wasn't the wrench you were expecting, it sounds like he'll be fine. I hope you enjoy your time away.

Thank you ... least I can go away feeling more relaxed though no doubt I'll be texting Linda several times

[Jan]

Hi Jan

Sounds like Blackie is quite at home !! Pleased to hear he settled so well.

I bought some Dorwest Valerian drops, which I pop in his food, its dark brown and a bit pongy, but he seems unaware. I also put some where he sleeps and between his ears now and then, it does appear to relax him a little, unless I am reading into it more ! I have been doing quite a bit of research and I noticed that when Barney is on Hills prescription foor for urinary stress, he is no different at all, sometimes even worse on occasion, so I switched him to James Wellbeloved Senior Turkey sachets, which are totally cereal free, no dairy, no eggs, no beef, no [pork and no soya...but most of all, the food contains cranberry and glucosamine, which is found in Cystophan, he loves it thankfully. I have also got a tube of Uri Balance Methionine gel, which I have just started giving half a teaspoon in his food a day, it balances the acdity level of the urine apparently. His flare ups have become less and are much milder, he used to sruggle for a day or even days at a time, now its usually less than an hour first thin g in the morng and he's right as rain again ! (Hope Im not tempting fate here !!) so I will stick to the regime for now, the Methionine should start to kick in after a week or so, so I will see how he progresses. We too go away next week, so Iwill see how he is when we get back.

Hope Blackie continues to get better, believe me I truly understand the worry this probem causes...xx

PS Zyklene and Feliway does absolutely nothing for Barney either !!

Hi Julie.

Not knowing any better, I followed the vet's advice after Blackie's first bout of cystitis and put him on the Hills stuff but it didn't prevent him from having a 2nd bout 2 months later. It was then that I was advised to give him 1 x Cystophan a day + lots of added warmed water to his food but still keep him on the Hills food. I read the contents of it and basically thought it was junk so took him off it.

He was free of cystitis until early January which the vet down in NSomerset believed was due to seeing us packing away the Xmas tree and decs in boxes (we never gave a thought to how this might affect Blackie as we knew we weren't returning to our own home in Kent for another month).

The reason for this latest bout could be due to a recent change of environment (from Kent to NSomerset) and/or being continually harassed by a very angry blackbird - this bird has got on my nerves, let alone Blackie's. This bird actually flew down flapping its wings at Blackie - almost goading him to lunge at it and I'm sure if I hadn't clapped my hands to frighten it off, it would have tried to peck at Blackie's eyes as he moved towards it. The noise is incessant. Blackie is probably enjoying being in the cattery where he can get some peace and quiet I could have choked this bird myself to stop its noise.

I will definitely try those Dorwest Valerian drops on Blackie though anything which to him 'smells not right' will be given a bypass But will do anything to stop his stress ... the gardener bent down to stroke him the other day and the way that Blackie jumped away from him, you'd have thought he was going to have his head chopped off!

Will also try that other stuff you mention Uri Balance gel .... such a difficult problem to combat when the cystitis is due to stress as we don't have the best lifestyle for Blackie, switching between 2 homes every so often.

[Crewella]

I did use a similar product to the Uri Balance gel called Uro Paste for Daz when he was having urinary blockage problems. The idea is that if you acidify the urine then it prevents the formation of, and dissolves, struvite crystals ....... however there is a danger that acidic urine can cause the formation of calcium oxalate crystals so you need to be careful in the long term and always take your vet's advice. I only gave it to Daz when he had a flare-up, and my vet wasn't too keen on using it at all - he kept stressing that the increased water intake was far more effective.

I'm not sure whether it helped or not, to be honest, but I was desperate to try and help him at the time and the couple of bouts of cystitis that he had when I was giving it to him did seem not to last as long as they usually did. Once he was better I stopped giving it to him, and thankfully the weight loss, Cystophan and increased water intake have kept him healthy since. Touch wood.

I found this page really useful in explaining how the acidifying pastes and the urinary diets work:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... 2&aid=2729" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As always, Daz and I send hugs and fusses to the lads with peeing problems and their very worried mums. xx

[Jan]

Wishing Julie a nice break away ... you'll be going just as we come back by the sound of it. Hadn't realised when we took Blackie on 2 years ago, just how much I'd worry about him - could never understand my mother ringing up every other day from our house when she came to stay

[Jan]

A belated thanks for that link, Helen.

We picked Blackie up from the cattery this morning - didn't get much of a 'warm' greeting from him, I must say! Think he rather enjoyed the peace and quiet of the cattery and no doubt the fusses that Linda (owner) kept giving him. Unfortunately she wasn't there when we picked him up but her texts while we were away indicated that all was well - he peed well, ate well. How she managed to give him 'lots of cuddles' I don't know - as this is a cat who doesn't like being handled much - clearly I don't have 'the knack'

He's miaowed quite a bit today - very unlike him - perhaps he's missing the peace and quiet of the cattery.

The next hurdle for him is having his lower left canine filed down slightly to stop it rubbing his upper gum - and trying to fathom out why he's taken off most of his belly fur.

[Crewella]

Well, I guess you could have done with a warmer greeting, but at least that means he's not been stressed whilst you've been away and that, at least, bodes well for the future if you have to go away again. Welcome home, all all paws here crossed for sorting out hos problems!

[Cussypat1974]

I haven't been on for a while, and was reading about Blackie's latest issues with worry, till I got the the results of the urine sample! I have to admit I laughed when I read about the bird though (sorry Blackie!). He probably has a nest with young in nearby, and is being a good Daddy! I wish the birds here would do the same to be honest!

Glad his holidays at the chattery went well too, and yours of course! It is so frustrating dealing with an issue like this, but you MUST try to stay relaxed, as your stress will affect him too. Not sure I have any faith in rescue remedy, but a glass of wine certainly works!