Inflamed Bladder Treatment

tachyon

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I have a very friendly and affectionate male cat, courtesy of neighbors who had moved on.

A couple of days ago the cat seemed to growl at odd times and at nothing obvious (no cats, dogs other people etc.). Took him to the vet who determined that he has an inflamed bladder and could not readily urinate.

A catheter was inserted to help empty his bladder.

He was and still is fine in all other respects (eats, drinks, no vomiting, no diarrhea, normal temperature, no involvement in any known accidents, no injuries etc.)

Various tests and examinations (to minimize expense at this time, no X-Ray and no ultrasound have been done yet, although they may be done later if really necessary) indicated no infection, no crystals, no blood in the urine, no lumps or masses etc. He is currently being given medication such as antibiotics (precautionary), pain killers, and anti inflammatorys.

Based on the above findings, it was suggested by TWO vets that the more likely cause of the inflammation is/was due to stress. This may seem to be an accurate assessment.

The cat moved into the neighborhood two years ago with the previous owners. Shifting homes can be stressful. The neighbors took on a dog which the cat didn't like, which made the cat eventually come to my home. Some other neighbors cats used to have scuffles with him. He had ear mites which caused him to almost have fits at times!

All the above (potential) stress inducers have now gone. The neighbors and their dog have shifted. At least one of the other cats has gone. And the ear mites have been treated.

It was hoped that today the inflammation would have subsided but it is still quite apparent. One of the vets thought that the inflammation was caught early on, so a few more days rest is going to be needed together with the on going need of the catheter. It is hoped in a few days the inflammation will have at subsided to have the catheter removed and allow the cat to urinate normally and possibly allow him to come back home with on-going medication as required.

Anyone else experience similar issues? How long does it take for inflammation to subside? Other constructive comments?
 

jazzmin_flower

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Is he a nice big tomcat? Give your cat Uva Ursi herb caps or Vetri-Science Bladder Strength for Cats or Dogs. There are many dry foods that are at the market or places like Petco or Petsmart that are specifically for cats with persistent bladder problems.
The only thing you need to figure out is how much Uva Ursi herb or Vetri-Science Bladder Strength to give your cat.
He should have the remedy at least 3 weeks. Get started right away and get him another shot at the vets of anti-inflammatory and another round of antibiotic. This worked wonderfully for my two big tomcats and they have never had another symptom.

 
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tachyon

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Thanks for your advice!
I'll keep this in mind next time I speak to the vet. And, yes, he is a big cat!

I forgot to mention in my first post that my cats urine pH was slightly out normal range. The vet expected to see some evidence of crystals, but no crystals were found.

The suspicion that my cats inflamed bladder is/was due to stress may still be valid given that there are no obvious physical causes at this time. However. My cat is friendly and relatively easy-going, so I would have thought that stress would not be an issue to the extent that it would cause him to develop an inflamed bladder!? But this is just a guess on my part.

I searched the internet and these forums for further information on causes and treatment for inflamed bladders. I found on these forums a similar case where there was no obvious cause of inflamed bladder in another cat. But, ultimately it was determined that that cat had drunk shower water which had soap and/or shampoo residue in it which caused the inflammation! Case solved!!

For my cat, I'm beginning to wonder whether he may have drunk and/or eaten something that caused his inflamed bladder? I'll mention this to the vet next time.

The shower box door is usually closed, so it is unlikely my cat got in to drink any shower water. But, the shower door has been slightly ajar briefly after the box was thoroughly cleaned about 2~3 weeks ago, and after a couple of showers recently also, so I wonder if he did manage to get in the box and drink the shower water??

A few days before he showed signs of distress, he did lick a plate after tea where there had been cooked bacon. Maybe the bacon preservatives and/or high salt content contributed to his inflammation??

He was being fed on a "name" brand of wet canned feed, but again I wonder if there's something in the feed that upset him?

By the way, his food bowl is always washed with hot water only. No soaps or detergents are used in the washing process, so there is no chance of problems there.

So I'm thinking at this stage, his inflammation may be more due to something he ate or drank rather than due to stress alone, or maybe a combination of both stress and drink/food?
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Jazzmin_Flower

Is he a nice big tomcat? Give your cat Uva Ursi herb caps or Vetri-Science Bladder Strength for Cats or Dogs. There are many dry foods that are at the market or places like Petco or Petsmart that are specifically for cats with persistent bladder problems.
The only thing you need to figure out is how much Uva Ursi herb or Vetri-Science Bladder Strength to give your cat.
He should have the remedy at least 3 weeks. Get started right away and get him another shot at the vets of anti-inflammatory and another round of antibiotic. This worked wonderfully for my two big tomcats and they have never had another symptom.

Please be careful in recommending herbs and supplement s online... NO one here is a vet and NO Competent vet puts info like that on the net as they NEED to see and touch the animal



To the OP
What is the cat eating? What tests were done?

a PH of 6 is ACIDIC and could produce struvite crystals , most vets want the ph between 6-6.8... a PH of 8 would nearly guarantee oxalate crystals
 
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tachyon

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Yes, you're right! pH of 6 is acidic. I've amended my earlier post.

I may have misunderstood the pH value the vet quoted (was it 8??; there was mention of pH 6 also somewhere in the conversation), but the vet clearly indicated that the pH value of my cats urine was slightly out from normal range.

Cat ate canned wet food almost exclusively (one of the "lower grade" name brands available here in NZ, but by no means rubbish) with plenty drinking water available. No dry feed. He did not drink much water. For an occasional treat he might have a few small scraps of shaved ham from my lunch-time sandwich. I wonder if the ham could cause him bladder issues??

Recently I did notice that he seemed to be going off a bit from the canned feed despite changing flavors frequently. So I started using "higher grade" brand canned wet feed mixed in with the lower grade feed. Maybe something in the lower grade (and/or higher grade?) feed caused him problems??

Apart from pH test, he had temperature taken (normal result).
Tested for crystals/stones (none found).
No blood found in urine.
White and red blood cell count I think was normal also.
No bacterial infection (from culture?).
No lumps or masses felt.
Bladder is sensitive and feels enlarged a bit.

X-ray and/or ultrasound may be done if there are on-going problems. I'm trying to minimize expenditure (currently owe approximately $800 already for the emergency vet and the home vet!!) so will only use the other tests if really necessary.

Just remembered that I've seen my cat eat a few crumbs off an oldish (about month old) newspaper near to his food bowl on the odd occasion. Could newspaper ink cause his problems? I believe newspaper ink can be toxic.
 

sharky

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can you put up a link to the sites for both foods? or name them as we have a few NZ members who may be able to help me with ingrediants and %s
 
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tachyon

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The lower grade canned feed is "Rival". The higher grade feed is "Chef".

I've just added a note to my previous post about the possibility of newspaper ink causing my cats' problems.
 

sharky

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In the US newprint ink is soy ... which is a known cat allergen but not usually causing this
 
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tachyon

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I had a look at the labels on the two brands of canned food and they claim the following content -

Chef
Protein 7%
Fat 3%
Fiber 0.5%
Salt 0.5%

Rival
Protein 7%
Fat 3%
Fiber 1%
Salt 0.5%

The other ingredients vary a bit according to flavor, and there is no indication of other ingredient percentages.

The content between the two brands appear to be similar.
 

sharky

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I am thinking both are tinned foods?

Rival has double the fiber but it is still in the average rage when I do a dry matter analysis...
 
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tachyon

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Yes, tinned (AKA canned) foods.

My cat is back home recuperating! Problem was due to bacterial infection.

Initial examination by the vets missed the infection, but they noticed it later. My cat was treated with antibiotics anyway.

He's much better, but still slightly sensitive when urinating on occassion. With ongoing antibiotic treatment he should be good as new soon!
 

sharky

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Buy him new potty boxes... many kittys will avoid going in the old after an episode as they remember pain
 
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