possible cystitis

I have a 1.5 year old cat who I noticed was acting strange.  At first I thought he was constipated, but after doing some online research, I decided he might have a UTI or something similar.  The visit to the vet said he had bacteria in his urine, so possible cystitis.  The vet gave him an antibiotic shot and sent him home with some pain relievers and some pills with glucosamine (which he hates taking).  Here is what I'm doing:

I've eliminated all dry food (to which he's not happy as he was the one who would ignore the wet food, wait for our 9 month old kitty to eat all the wet food and then go back and eat all the dry food).

I've set up a water fountain (which I think he's afraid of).

I've set up other water bowls throughout the house.

I add a tablespoon of water to each serving of his wet food (typically he gets 4 small servings of wet food per day).  I feed Fussie Cat and Wellness primarily with a little WeRuVa from time to time.

I mix the powder from the glucosamine table into some fur ball treatment and put it on his paw and he eats most of that.

I've found another UT treatment which contains glucosamine and cranberry and he gets that twice a day.

Here are my questions:

1--what can I do to get him to drink more?  He seriously never drinks except what I add to his wet food.  Is that enough?

2--what is the benefit of glucosamine for UT health?  I thought it was for joint health.

Thanks for any advice you can give!!!

alinnell said:

The visit to the vet said he had bacteria in his urine, so possible cystitis.  The vet gave him an antibiotic shot and sent him home with some pain relievers and some pills with glucosamine (which he hates taking). 

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Did the vet send the urine out for culture and sensitivity testing? That's really the best way to determine which bacteria are present and what antibiotic would be most effective against them. Was the shot that he got Convenia? It does come with some risk, just so you know: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=convenia

I'm also curious about what pain meds he's getting, as some of those can also be risky (like Metacam, for instance). 

And finally, what brand of glucosamine are you giving him? My experience is that most are odourless and tasteless and the powder can easily be mixed into wet food or baby food, unless they have some added flavouring. For instance, I would pick the regular Cosequin over the feline specific version, which contains chicken and tuna flavour and may not appeal to all cats. 

If your cat is eating 100% wet food with added water, he probably won't drink much additional water, if any, from a bowl. That means he is getting enough moisture in his diet and is actually a good sign. 

Glucosamine (and chondroitin sulfate) are glycosaminoglycans which are thought to help strengthen and heal the lining of the bladder, making it less permeable to solutes and reducing inflammation. http://www.uracyst.co.uk/hcp/product-information/rationale-importance-of-gag.html

I forgot to mention: if you want to get your kitty used to the water fountain, don't turn it on for the first couple weeks. Sometimes the noise or action of it puts cats off. Get him accustomed to its presence first, maybe even put some floating balls in it for him to play with (if you don't mind a wet floor!) and then try turning it on at a later date.

Sugarcatmom said:

Did the vet send the urine out for culture and sensitivity testing? That's really the best way to determine which bacteria are present and what antibiotic would be most effective against them. Was the shot that he got Convenia? It does come with some risk, just so you know: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=convenia

I'm also curious about what pain meds he's getting, as some of those can also be risky (like Metacam, for instance). 

And finally, what brand of glucosamine are you giving him? My experience is that most are odourless and tasteless and the powder can easily be mixed into wet food or baby food, unless they have some added flavouring. For instance, I would pick the regular Cosequin over the feline specific version, which contains chicken and tuna flavour and may not appeal to all cats. 

If your cat is eating 100% wet food with added water, he probably won't drink much additional water, if any, from a bowl. That means he is getting enough moisture in his diet and is actually a good sign. 

Glucosamine (and chondroitin sulfate) are glycosaminoglycans which are thought to help strengthen and heal the lining of the bladder, making it less permeable to solutes and reducing inflammation. http://www.uracyst.co.uk/hcp/product-information/rationale-importance-of-gag.html

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Thank you so much for the information!!!

Yes, he got Convenia.  They did not send the sample out, it's a vet hospital so they must have had the right equipment to do the urinalysis there.  The pain reliever was Buprenex--he only got 6 doses for the next three days.

The glucosamine is Dasuquin.  It comes in a capsule that you can open and put on his food, but he refuses his food if it's on there.  It's chicken and tuna flavored.  The other stuff I found on Amazon is called UT Strength Everyday bite sized chews.  Each contains D-Mannose 100 mg, Glucosamine 100 mg, cranberry extract 50 mg ,bromeliad 50 mg, corn silk 30 mg, and bacillus coagulans 50 million DFU.  I really appreciate the link on the glucosamine to strengthen and heal the lining of the bladder.  That REALLY answers my questions!!!

And I'll unplug the fountain to see if that helps at all.  He used to just drink from the dog's bowls, but he doesn't even do that any more.

alinnell said:

The pain reliever was Buprenex--he only got 6 doses for the next three days.

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Good choice. Buprenex is one of the least noxious pain meds for cats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alinnell  


The glucosamine is Dasuquin.  It comes in a capsule that you can open and put on his food, but he refuses his food if it's on there.  It's chicken and tuna flavored.  

I would tell your vet that your cat doesn't like the feline version and that you want to try the regular dog version (hopefully he'll give you a refund). Cosequin might also be a better choice cause it's a bit cheaper and doesn't contain avocado/soybean unsaponifiables, which you may not need when dealing with urinary tract issues rather than arthritis ones. Cosequin DS with MSM would be my preference (MSM is a natural anti-inflammatory).

Quote:

Originally Posted by alinnell  


Each contains D-Mannose 100 mg, Glucosamine 100 mg, cranberry extract 50 mg ,bromeliad 50 mg, corn silk 30 mg, and bacillus coagulans 50 million DFU.  I really appreciate the link on the glucosamine to strengthen and heal the lining of the bladder.  That REALLY answers my questions!!!

D-mannose is a sugar derived from cranberries which binds to 2 of the more common types of bacteria implicated in UTIs. Can be great at preventing an infection from developing (maybe not as effective at stopping one that's already started). The cranberry extract might help acidify urine to create a less hospitable environment for bacteria. Corn silk is soothing to the bladder lining. This product is pretty good as long as you don't have a cat that's allergic to brewer's yeast.  

Hope your kitty is feeling better soon!

Thank you so much!  You have been so helpful and have given me such good information.  I really appreciate it.

I think, based on what I've learned, I'm going to continue to give the kitty the UT Strength everyday and give it to my younger cat as a preventative measure.

New development:

I've been buying a variety of premium canned foods--trying to stay away from fish based foods even though fish is his favorite.

He's thrown up three times in three days (Wed night, Thurs night and Fri morning).

He's still frisky and doesn't seem sick.  The vomit is just food--no hair, so I don't think it's a hairball.  This morning, he ate a 5 AM, threw up at 6:15 AM and ate again at 7 AM.  I had to leave for work at that point so I don't know if he threw up again.

Any ideas of why he might be throwing up now?  Do you think all the canned food is too rich for his system?  Should I consider doing some homemade food (he loves chicken that I either bake or boil).