We're new and Diesel is ill, we really need your advice

Hi everyone,

Found this site while researching cystitis online.  It looks like everyone on here is really friendly and some other threads have great advice.

Diesel is 10 now, i've had him since he was a kitten.  My mum bought him from a pet rescue centre for £10 and he's the best present anyone has ever given me!  When I first took him to the vet they said he was much younger than mum was told and I don't think he was properly socialised as he was one in a litter.  He's always been very bulshy and i've put that down to my boyfriend at the time I got him playing rough with him.  He's such a character but certainly has some behaviour problems. 

In January this year he got cystitis.  I took me a while to figure out there was anything wrong with him as he only ever played up in the night... digging in his dirt tray, meaowing really loudly to wake me up (didn't sound like he was it pain), tearing around the house like a maniac, attacking the cat flap, pooing in the bath etc.  I thought he just wanted to go out to do his business so thought best to ignore him so he didn't learn that things like that would get me up to unlock his cat flap and hoped he's use his litter tray, which he's never been very keen on doing.  Then one morning I found drops off wee in the bath and saw that he was going into his tray all the time and then just weeing a tiny bit coming back out.  I called the vet to make an appointment and left my boyfriend with him for a few hours while I had to go in to work.  when I got back to take him to the vet I found more little drops of urine and a blob of blood in the bath which really worried me.  The vet said he had cystitis which i didn't even know happened in cats.  She gave him an injection of Metacam there and then and oral Metacam liquid for me to give him every morning until he was better.  She said antibiotics wouldn't help as it was probably caused by stress not infection.  So I took him home, did what she said and kept an eye on him all the time, fed him mince and water mixed into his wet food, took his biscuits away and within hours he was going to the toilet normally and was better in just a few days.

I did some research and found that a) it's really dangerous for male cats and b) it normally reoccurs.  But kept my fingers crossed that it wouldn't happen to him again...

It's struck again.  The night before last I woke up at 5am to the noise of him digging in his dirt tray and found 3 really small bits of poo in the bath.  I gave it the benefit of the doubt as he has done his number 2 business in the past before his first bout (although maybe he's had it before and i've passed it off as bad behaviour).  Last night I woke up at the same time to his squeaking around in the bath but didn't want to disturb him so laid in bed and listened... he went downstairs and after a few minutes of silence started digging around in his dirt tray.  I checked the bath - nothing, then went down to find 4 or 5 really small balls of poo in the tray.  I thought maybe he was actually trying to urinate and started freaking out that he might have a blockage so sat with him in the living room until morning then took him to the vets at 9am.  I saw a different vet this time who felt his belly and told me there's no blockage because the bladder is only about a third full.  Gave him Metacam and Clavaseptin injections and sent me on my way with a Katkor urine test kit to get a sample.  

I'm really worried and fell like i'm getting no information, decent advice or support from my vet.  My insticts say that if his bladder is only 1/3 full then why is he trying to urinate?  Will he need to go?

We've been at home for almost 4 hours now.  I went to the butcher and got him minced beef, mined lamb and kidney as I know mince has a high water content.... i've also put down tuna chunks in spring water and mixed his normal whiskers with water.  He's touched nothing and hasn't drunk anything.  He just went in his tray and squatted but nothing happened.  He's gone upstairs for a sleep.

I really don't know what to do and have lost trust in the vet.  If anyone can help me i'd really appreciate it.  Sorry this post is so long but i'm feeling pretty desperate.

Amy & Diesel

Cystitis is sterile (no infection) bladder inflammation. It is very painful to pee. There really isn't a lot of info on what causes it, but diet and stress reduction are the keys to long-term treatment and prevention. The best diet for a cystitis prone cat is an all wet meaty diet (canned or raw). No grains, starches or fish as these are all possible inflammation triggers. An all wet diet is critical to getting enough moisture into the cat to keep his system regularly flushed out. www.catinfo.org has more information written by a vet on why moisture is so important.

Apparently, stress reduction and environmental enrichment really helps cystitis kitties. Try to remove any know stressors, stick to a routine as much as possible, provide a good environment and have regular play time. I know it sounds a little strange, but cats can be very sensitive creatures, and stress alone is sometimes known to cause cystitis flare-ups.

Finally, I would stop giving your cat any more Metacam. Metacam is an NSAID that can be very hard on a cat's kidneys, and is actually FDA labelled for one-time use only in cats here in the US. Vets like to use it on cystitis cats because of its anti-inflammatory properties, but it is not worth the risk in my opinion. A safer (but more long-term) thing to use is corn silk. It's a dried herb that you can sprinkle on his food.

Oh, and it's not clear but were urinalyses done each time? It's important to have a full picture as the treatment needs to be specific to the cause. It is very hard to deal with recurring cystitis but it can be done.

Agree with vball91.  For stress reduction,  you can try Feliway plug ins or something like Bach's Rescue Remedy.  Something similar should be available in other countries (I take it you're not in the USA).  Also, to reduce stress, trying playing with him more.

If blood on his poop or urine?   If poop, that may be another issue entirely, perhaps constipation.

Hello. I am new here as well. My first post was also seeking some advise on a different issue but cystitis I know something about. As mentioned above it is inflammation of the bladder but can also be the result of a urinary tract infection. Your vet should have done a urinalysis before telling you its just stress. Often country vets don't have a lab or if you expressed cost concerns they won't do a urinalysis. Yes cystitis can be very serious if caused by a UTI that goes untreated. A course of quinolone antibiotics may be needed if a UTI is the problem. Be very concerned about his compentcy if he goes straight to steroids without labs. Encourage you cat to drink. Fresh water is the key. Pet fountains if you can afford it.

I think you should find a vet you trust and feel comfortable with. It's an important long-term step. If you're unhappy with your current vet, find another one and start afresh, would be my advice. 

Here's an article about the topic - 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-do-i-choose-a-veterinarian-for-my-cat