Tuxedo started litter box hopping back in September. Couldn't find crystals or bacteria or anything to cause it. Doc put him on Cosequin to build up the lining of his bladder wall. A few weeks later (3?) he seemed better.
Last week he started litter box hopping again. Took another trip to the vet. Doc was mystified. A mobile ultrasound unit visits the hospital weekly and it has a much higher resolution than the one at the hospital. So we dropped Tuxie off this morning. He was sedated, they filled his bladder - and found the cause of the irritation. He's got a small clump of crystals and "calculi" embedded in his bladder wall. It causes him no pain, but makes him feel like he has to go to the bathroom all the time.
They can't be dissolved with Albeta (which we use for Shelly's struvite crystals). He's got to have surgery. It is, thankfully, not emergency surgery. So he goes back in Monday (Doc let us bring him home, even though the sedative hasn't worn off. He's wobbling around, kneading, purring and bumping up storm - such a loving guy he's turned out to be!). He'll likely come home Tuesday afternoon.
What is it with our male cats and crystals? Shelly has been prone to colonitis and struvite crystals since he was a year old! Lazlo has been to the vet to be catheterized 2 times in the last 1 1/2 months with blockages from calcium oxylate crystals - next time he gets blocked, the vet wants him to have surgery to enlarge his urethra. The entire household is on a Science Diet X/D diet (for the calcium oxylate crystals). But before that all we had out was either Royal Canin Sensitive Stomach, Science Diet Sensitive Stomach or I/D, Purina NF (for kidney health) or Purina Urinary Tract Health formula. And for the past two months we've been putting out only distilled water.
Poor kitties! And poor Tuxedo!
Last week he started litter box hopping again. Took another trip to the vet. Doc was mystified. A mobile ultrasound unit visits the hospital weekly and it has a much higher resolution than the one at the hospital. So we dropped Tuxie off this morning. He was sedated, they filled his bladder - and found the cause of the irritation. He's got a small clump of crystals and "calculi" embedded in his bladder wall. It causes him no pain, but makes him feel like he has to go to the bathroom all the time.
They can't be dissolved with Albeta (which we use for Shelly's struvite crystals). He's got to have surgery. It is, thankfully, not emergency surgery. So he goes back in Monday (Doc let us bring him home, even though the sedative hasn't worn off. He's wobbling around, kneading, purring and bumping up storm - such a loving guy he's turned out to be!). He'll likely come home Tuesday afternoon.
What is it with our male cats and crystals? Shelly has been prone to colonitis and struvite crystals since he was a year old! Lazlo has been to the vet to be catheterized 2 times in the last 1 1/2 months with blockages from calcium oxylate crystals - next time he gets blocked, the vet wants him to have surgery to enlarge his urethra. The entire household is on a Science Diet X/D diet (for the calcium oxylate crystals). But before that all we had out was either Royal Canin Sensitive Stomach, Science Diet Sensitive Stomach or I/D, Purina NF (for kidney health) or Purina Urinary Tract Health formula. And for the past two months we've been putting out only distilled water.
Poor kitties! And poor Tuxedo!