Female cats private parts inflamed

I am posted this for a friend.... I told her about this sight and I am sure someone here will possibly know what's going on with her cat....she has a 7 year old overweight female cat...who has been fixed since she was a kitten...About one month ago they noticed Mookie's privates were swollen and red....They took her to the vets....they ran blood work and a urinalysis..all came back normal...They gave pain meds and some kinda cleansier to clean her parts afterward..cause she pees all over herself....she gets very wet to the point they need to bathe her cause she smells so bad...they have to do this several times a day...
The redness went away for alittle while...but she was still peeing all over herself...so back to the vets and they shaved her so it would be easier to clean her up...
They thought maybe her weight was causing this cause she can't reach to wash herself...so she went on a diet and so far lost one pound...however the redness and swelling is back...She was back at the vets today...Again the vet said its NOT an infection with her urine ...however gave her an antibotic shot and more pain meds..(meta cam )...
Anyways my friend is thinking she might have to put her down cause she can't keep spending the money and they can't find what's causing this....so I thought I'd post here and maybe someone has an idea of what is going on with this poor cat...I'd hate to see her put down because of this...so I hope someone can help...thanks

If she's always peeing on herself, I'd be inclined to lean toward yeast infection and not bacterial.

I would be inclined to think yeast too?! Poor kitty. If she is so overweight, do you think she is not able to clean herself properly? Hope she gets better very soon

I also think a yeast infection could be the culprit. Have they tried to treat her with antifungals? My dog has problems with an itchy anal area and I use triple antibiotic ointment as well as Summers Eve on him to help the symptoms. That may work for your friend's cat too.
I would also recommend that your friend gets a second option for the cat. It's possible that it's something her vet has missed. Once she gets a proper diagnosis treatment should become much easier. If there is a cat specialist in the area that would be the best option.
This is no reason to put a cat down. This should be treatable if she can just find out what it is.

She may also want to verify that her spay was complete and nothing was left behind. It can happen that a spay is not done properly which can cause all sorts of problems.

Losing more weight could very well help the problem a great deal as well. Has any blood work been done on the cat to try to pinpoint what could be going on and to see if there is any kind of infection?

If the issue is incontinence your friend could try using diapers on the cat. They do make diapers for cats, believe it or not.

Yep to the above posters, and, if it is yeast, antibiotics just makes it worst.
Just as an FYI, Metacam can be very very dangerous especially when given as an injection - it is an anti-inflammatory, used for pain in case of high pain only, by some vets. I won't use it due to high risks of kidney failure.
If oral, I would tell your friend to stop at at once.
I would seek a second opinion asap

Yes.. the metacam is oral in already filled syringes..I've told her about it already....she actually mentioned it to the vet yesterday and was told its the same with any drugs u give pets or humans they all have side effects...
I told her about it possibly being a yeast infection but she feels if that was the case wouldn't the vet figure that out ?
The only things she did was switch her food....because she was eating alot of "kitty junk" food...hence why she weighed 16 pounds....she has lost 1 pound in a month....She is mostly on a wet diet now....This also was talked about with the vet and again the vet didn't think this could be the cause...BUT to me I thought it could be....her urine has changed and possibly to strong and because she can't clean herself she is getting scaled..?
The cat vomited last night after returning from the vet...could have been caused by the metacam or the antibotic injection...She said she was going to call the vet today and ask about a new pain killer and the chance it could be a yeast infection...
What do u guys think about the food change...the swelling actually started to happen around the same time....she is on wellness grain free canned now...and sometimes get a hard kibble I believe also grain free as well...However this is the second food she tried in a month AND just switched....she didn't even thinking about doing it gradually...She wondered if she should change back to the old food...I told her she should hold off switching again just yet...

Originally Posted by Nance

Yes.. the metacam is oral in already filled syringes..I've told her about it already....she actually mentioned it to the vet yesterday and was told its the same with any drugs u give pets or humans they all have side effects...
I told her about it possibly being a yeast infection but she feels if that was the case wouldn't the vet figure that out ?

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Well... yeah, evidently this vet is not figuring out which is why IMHO she should get a second opinion... or, she has the choice of keep going back there, for no answer, spending her money, until she runs out of her options... Wasn't she even considering putting her down due to lack of funds and lack of answers from this vet? Hard to understand to me - sorry.
Also, sure, some medications have more side effects than others - this is one - known to cause kidney failure and death... does she want that because of a possible yeast infection?
here is a link for you to give to her - maybe this will open her eyes to choose another drug and vet - she is dealing with a itch... if this was at least a big surgery or a broken limb with an extreme amount of pain.... Here you go: http://www.metacamkills.com/

Metacam is an NSAID and they don't really provide that much pain control. They're mostly used in situations where there is pain and inflammation(swelling), specifically where inflammation is causing the pain.
There's other meds that are better for just pain control.

I agree, though, the vet isn't doing enough in this situation. Help the the friend find another vet. I don't know how close you live to this friend, but going with her may be a good idea if possible.

I have told her how I felt about metacam...its her cat I can't force anything on her....the cat is in pain it cries out when it urinates and I suppose with the reddness and swelling the vet choose this med...NOT saying I agree but all I can do is give my opinion..
She has been to the vet about this 3 times in one month...spending 300 each time....I also don't agree with putting her down...and she also knows this...but again not my cat..I have enough of my own vet bills ...and I think all of us have some kinda limit we can or are willing to spend...I have a limit and I also won't spend 1000's on something that isn't going to get any better kwim ( ie cancer those kinda things )...But I'd really hope this doesn't turn into that kinda tread..
I posted here hoping to get some ideas on what could be causing this...
The next step the vet said would be xrays and exploratory surgery for a possible yeast infection ???
She actually likes this vet ...she spent 30 mins talking to her yesterday about her cat and its care...and is expecting a call back today about any kinda testing for a yeast infection..
The cat is still eating and drinking so thats a good sign...
Anyways..does anyone have any suggestions about the changing of food causing this ?

Here is the thing... you got some ideas... yeast infection... change vets... metacam (which is an anti-inflammatory used for some kinds of pain, usually extreme, i.e. surgery, broken limbs, not recommended for cats) rest to know if she will listen
It is not about spending thousands - she can break her bank on this vet with no answers IMHO, or, go elsewhere and try get answer. Take her $$$ where it will actually be put for good use and get her cat a good treatment...
Exploratory surgery for an infection on her privates? I would run away from this vet so fast his head would go out on a spin. Xray makes no sense either? Weird.
For yeast, cutting carbs is a good idea, so if it is yeast, she seems to be on the right path.

^But grain free in some cats effects urine pH too much which can cause issues, too.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

^But grain free in some cats effects urine pH too much which can cause issues, too.

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True, that's why I said "if it is yeast"... I think you must be referring to UTIs? Not sure if pH would affect yeast too, what I know is that carbs are not good for yeast, and cutting it from you diet is a good step in reducing yeast infection occurrence.

If the problem started with the new food, I would recommend trying some other canned foods (you can usually switch canned foods with no tummy troubles). Maybe try a brand with some grain in it. I do think she should stick with canned food, because the extra moisture will dilute the kitty's urine to minimize scalding. But it is true that grain-free foods can acidify urine too much in some cats, so trying a different canned food makes sense to me.

Just because the vet didn't think or discover yeast, does not mean vet is correct or on the right (or any) path.
Somebody has to graduate at the bottom of their class.

My last dog was treated for a bacterial infection of the ear for three months without results, new vet discovered yeast infection, cleared it up within a couple of weeks.

When something fails to respond to treatment, it is time to think outside of the box, and/or turn to a specialist, otherwise, you are just simply throwing money away.

Originally Posted by Carolina

I think you must be referring to UTIs?

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Then you're thinking the wrong thing. Urine and even blood pH can effect yeast growth in the body.

Grain in the diet, or more specifically starches (and sugar) have more to do with stomach and intestinal yeast growth.

My keyboard is broken so if this post is screwy or unreadable I apologize, I'm trying to keep an eye on fixing any mistakes.

My vet suggested trying Metacam all of once. I can't even remember what it was for with Attitude, I think it was her never ending unilateral bloody nose(never did figure out what caused that) because it was an anti-inflammatory. He said the name asked if I had heard of it and I told him "yeah, it causes kidney failure." He said I could think it over and that he'd have the order standing in case I decided to want to try it. I decided to try Benedryl instead.

Attitude at this point was essentially dying(I just didn't know it yet and neither did the vets) and I refused to give it to her(after consulting everyone here, even though I already knew I couldn't give it to her in good conscience.) She was FeLV+(which I had known since she was 8 weeks old) and was a very frequent visitor to the vet's office(luckily she traveled well, loved car rides and wearing her harness and leash and didn't mind seeing the vet) because she was sick more than she was well. I refused to give Metacam to a cat that I already knew had less than a year left in her, just not worth the risk.

She would rather kill her cat than get a second opinion? If it comes to that I'd hope she would at least see if a rescue could take the cat first, before just having her put down. My boyfriend wanted a second opinion on Attitude near the end, who told Paul exactly what I said, our vet was doing everything right.

Sugar/carbs can encourage yeast growth and can cause/encourage yeast infections in some people, so I'm assuming it could do the same in certain animals.

A second opinion would be cheaper than surgery and might yield answers that don't involve cutting the poor cat open(I'm not even sure what the point is in operating on the cat, if my vet recommended that I'd run away so fast his head would spin), and I wouldn't hesitate to get one the second a vet(even my own who I fully and completely trust and have used since 1984) mentioned surgery, other than spay/neuter, teeth cleaning or something that obviously required surgery. Do you know why her vet wanted to perform surgery or take x-rays?

Taryn

I think she recommended surgery because she doesn't know what causing the swelling and the peeing all over herself and thinking it was a bladder issue...I talked to her this morning and the cat seems to be doing better....being more social so she figures she must be feeling better....However this happend a month ago as well...She got the same treatment then ..actually she told me the name of the cream the vet did give her and its panolog..I googled it and it says its used for bacterial infections as well as yeast infections ...however the vet doesn't think its yeast ? She called as ask how much to swab for yeast...and was told $180..my friend said just give me the swab and I will do it at home...the vet said no the cat needs to be put out to do the swab hence the price...My friend is starting to dislike this vet and has said she was going to call around and see if she can get the swab done cheaper else where or if she could do it herself...she is loosing trust in this vet...She stated today that she feels this vet is out for the $$$..She is very upset about this...she doesn't want to put her down either...its causing her alot of stress ...