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Shaun Tucker

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Well I know just about every other topic has been addressed on this board so I thought, "what the hell, might as well see what the guys and girls of myst.com have to say about this one..."



My cat is FAT. He's gone down in weight over the past year from 22lbs to 15lbs (give or take). He's had a few urinary tract problems in the past and last year it cost me $1600 to have some crystals surgically removed from him so that he could get the "flow" going again. Well Since then I've been buying this really expensive food that is supposed to deter these infections and until now, there have been no problems.



But recently he's been showing the classic symptoms of the infection again. Straining to urinate, licking "himself" alot, and he even tried to pee in my laundry basket.



this is his third infection now (im taking him to the vet this afternoon to confirm that). So Im wondering what (if anything) I can do to eliminate the possibility of this happening again...



Its costly and I hate to see him in pain. After so many $1600 vet bills eventually I have to decide when enough is enough. I'm not a rich man and I love the little bastard with all my heart, but is a cat worth continuous $1600 vet payments?!
 
Hey Shaun, sorry to hear the news. You do have a tough decision to make. I wish I could say it would be easy for me, but I have a fat cat that I love too much too. When I take my cat to the vet, and I may have even received junk mail or email on this, but more companies are offering pet insurance these days. I want to say it is about $100-$200/yr, but I can't remember the exact amount. I had thought about it, but my cat just goes for checkups and has no other problems. (not really worth it for me) I am not sure if they give higher rates for pre-existing conditions, (they do for us). Maybe the yearly amount of insurance will be better then the one-time blow to the bank. Just a thought.
 
Have you changed anything else, cat litter reaction maybe causing it? Not enough water to drink? BTW my cats only water intake is to drink from a bathroom sink. That still sounds like a LOT of money just for an infection though. Hopefully there is an antibiotic alternative to surgery this time!



 
Shaun, You shouldn't be paying anywhere near that much unless you wait too long to take your cat to the vet. Usually, the biggest cause of crystals is feeding a cat food that is too high in ash contact, but since you have prescription food that shouldn't be the case. The next thing to try is making sure that the cat has water available all the time. And if that doesn't work you may need to switch to a wet food, if you're not using it already.



Unfortunately, some cats are just more prone to getting urinary infections that progress further to crystals. BTW, unless the food you are buying has medicine or a special formula to control pH, you should be able to use any premium brand you like. Just compare them and use the one with the lowest ash content. We use an all natural (read no preservatives) food for our cat because she is allergic to the preservatives and they give her the runs.



Hope that helps.
 
Thanks for your responses guys..



I do have Benson on wet food and it is exellent stuff. I buy it right from the vet. He's got water available at all times, but I rarely see him drink it. Its been that way since hes been on this wet food.



Doug,



The vet bill last year was so high because I didn't notice anything was wrong with him until it was quite late in the process. He was laying on the floor in pain. He had to have a couple nights stay at the Emergency clinic and thats why the bill was so pricey.



I was able to identify this infection quite easily as I've had some experiences with it now and know what to look for so that I can get him in before it becomes a problem.
 
Hope this help:



Cat Urinary Tract Infection Home Remedies

By Tess Thompson



Urinary tract infection in cats and dogs is a serious problem, often leading to serious repercussions if not treated in time. There is, however, a different approach to the entire matter of pet-UTI, as more and more veterinarians are adopting a holistic approach to use herbal and homeopathic bladder infection treatment for canines and cats to resist infection and correct imbalances in the body that allow bacteria to thrive.



When it comes to home remedies you would naturally want to know more about them in order to lend a helping hand to your cat to avoid the trauma of having to go through UTI.



You can help your pet in many ways by taking recourse to the following simple methods.



Pain Relief: Among remedies in homeopathic bladder treatment for canines and cats, cantharis is very useful for pain relief. It is very useful for pets who are straining to urinate. Dosages of two to three pellets twice or thrice a day, which will be easily absorbed by the pet’s mucous membranes, will relief pain.



Control Infection: Cranberry juice, that is, pure cranberry juice and not formulations that contain synthetic elements, controls infection by stopping bacteria from adhering to the surface of the bladder and also acidifies the urine.



Increase Body Strength: Vitamin C is natural anti inflammatory and strengthens the lining of the bladder. Depending upon the weight of your pet, you can administer a dose of 250mg to 500mg twice a day. However, vitamin C is known to cause diarrhea and it is important to arrive at the correct dosage by trial and error so that you know how much your pet’s bowels can tolerate.



Stick to Chemical Free Diet: Many commercial pet foods contain harmful chemical additives, preservatives, and artificial colors that weaken the pet’s immunity system. Instead, home cooked food is the best to reduce the risk of body imbalances and minimize chance of infection.



Fluids: To ensure that the bladder of your cat is emptied regularly in order to flush out bacteria, it is imperative that your pet has sufficient quantity of fluids. However, you cannot force your pet to drink. The better way is to resort to moist foods and dipping dry foods in some water or chicken broth.



Clean Water: Chemicals in some drinking waters make animals avoid drinking, which in turn, results in thickening of urine. Thickened urine hinders regular emptying of the bladder. This makes them more prone to developing UTI. Filtered water or spring water will go a log way in encouraging your pet to urinate and reduce the risk of urinary tract infection in cats and dogs.

In addition, simple methods like providing your cat adequate opportunities to urinate will ensure that his bladder gets emptied at regular intervals will encourage your pet to urinate that is an integral part of its health. Moreover, females that have been spayed early tend to develop loose tissue that lets urine to pool around the urethra. Female urethra is small and makes it is easier for bacteria to travel up to the bladder quickly. Wiping your cat’s bottom frequently will help in tackling this situation effectively.





Rachel Z

 
shaun t.



I know exactly what you are going through as it happened to us years ago with our beloved cat. He had the surgery as well, but in the end (the last surgery) he just wouldn't wake up from the anesthesia. At least he went calmly and in no pain..... except in our hearts. Our cat was overweight as well, and we found out too late that his diet was really bad for him. He would eat anything with tuna in it as well as tuna from the can. He hated dry food, and he too would not drink enough. The vet said at that time he had just too much of the chemicals that are used to process the tuna in his system and he felt that that had caused his condition.



We now have another feline that has adopted us and has become part of the family. We will not feed him anything but dry Science Diet (as recommended by the vet) and provide him water at all his locations. We watch carefully and check his litter box carefully. He is checked frequently by the vet.



It's heart-breaking to go through and a feeling of helplessness comes over you. You have done everything possible so far. I can only wish you and Benson the best for the future.



Just wanted to share our story with you. God bless.
 
thanks everyone..



just got back from the Vet, boy Benson was not happy there. We are hoping that it is just a mucus blockage, and that he'll be out of there by the end of the day. if not, he will be going to the emergency clinic and staying there for the weekend ($$$$)



Im so mad. The quote runs anywhere between $600-$1000 at this point (and thats just their guess)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
We moved and our cat did the same thing, infection and crystals. Our vet said it was the change in water (chemicals). We went from municipal to spring water when we moved. Since then (2002) we only give her distilled water (cheap) and haven't had any problems since. Although I think our spring water is as good as it gets.
 
I have a cat with this same problem. It started when he was about a year old. First incident cost me right about $1500. He has had some reoccuring issues but I am really intune with his actions and have been able to catch them early enough to avoid another costly vet bill. A couple of years ago when we moved here to Phoenix we had a mild incident with him and our new vet changed his prescription food that we were giving him. Previously we were feeding him Hills brand cat food and now we are on the Iams urinary s food for the last few years and have absolutely no issues. Like you we tried everything from wet cat food to r/o water and even tried a litter change all to no avail. This new food seems to have taken care of it. I understand your pain with the vet bills though, one of our dogs was in 2 months ago and had to have a cancerous tumor removed to the tune of $2000, unfortunately we had to put her down last Saturday, worst day of my life. Point is take care of em becasue you'll miss em when they are gone. Have you considered the option where they remove the penis(assuming it is a male cat as they are more prone to this problem than females). If you keep having this reoccuring problem then that usually solves it when all other options have been exhausted.
 
Have you considered the option where they remove the penis(assuming it is a male cat as they are more prone to this problem than females). If you keep having this reoccuring problem then that usually solves it when all other options have been exhausted.
Click to expand...



OUCH!:eek:
 
yea they presented me with that option last time and I but I didn't want to give him a sex change :lol:



looks like if it keeps happening he will need it.
 
yea they presented me with that option last time and I but I didn't want to give him a sex change



looks like if it keeps happening he will need it.
Click to expand...



At that point I would rather be dead.



I would then let the 'youth in Asia' take care of him.
 
I have a huge cat as well......27lbs at last weigh in. He's black and white and my friends like to call him cow cat. He is loving as anything, but crushes my insides when he lays on my chest.
 
You might also search the internet for your cat issue. I say this, because I used to have a ferrit that lost almost all of it's fur. The vet thought it was some skin issue and tried to treat him with no luck.



I searched the internet and found that the cause was a gland prob which was causing this. I printed out the 40 page doc on the condition and took it to my vet and he agreed that surgery was needed in removing the gland.



The ferrit recovered completely within a few months after the surgery. From what I learned, this is a common issue with ferrits.



So, my point is I know most vet's know their business, but there is alot of info to be found on the net for various conditions and sometimes the vets overlook some of these issues.



Good luck with your cat, I know what it's like to spend alot of money in taking care of our pets and how hard it is when we have to put them down.
 
You won't find any additional info on the net about this condition. I have had my cat to 5 different vets in diferent states all with the same results. My mother who raises championship Persian cats for the last 20 years now is well aware of this problem as she has had to deal with it on more than one occassion. It's basically just the luck of the draw, there hasn't been enough research on the issue to nail down any one specific casue or for that matter find any viable treatment. that's the way it goes with animals, there isn't enough interest...more like enough money....for any person or group of people to do any kind of long term studies on the issue.
 

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