Chronic Cystitis

My cat Monkey who is now 3 suffers from stress related cysitis. Hes on anatriptaline(sp) and a wet diet which I water down. I refuse to feed him a perscription diet from the vet. He's having another flare up prob due to the new kitten. Other than what I normally do put him on Phenoxy, give him fluids to flush the bladder and sometimes the vet puts him on pred is there anything else that maybe we are not doing?

He is peeing just very tiny amounts about the size of  a dime. He currently eats Merrick BG. I'm going to bring a urine sample into the vet.

You could try to address the stress issue with Feliway pheromone diffuser and something like Spirit Essences or Australian Bush Flower Essences or Bach's. Also more play time or grooming time alone with you may help.

I'm so sorry to hear about your boy's cystitis. My one cat has suffered from stress-related bladder inflammation in the past, which was uncomfortable for him and causing him to go outside the box. For maintenance, I kept him on Cosequin for Cats. It's actually a joint supplement, but there are claims that the active ingredients helps thicken/strengthen the lining of the bladder and keep inflammation under control. Of course, there's no research/proof at this point, but I decided to try it. Well, he stopped going outside the box. I have since switched him to a human grade joint supplement that is safe for cats with the proper dosage (and no fillers). Most joint supplements are sourced from mollusks and crustaceans, so it probably wouldn't be good for cats with allergies to fish. I also try to feed him more wet food for water intake, and he's seen by a vet regularly.

If this is, in fact, stress related, I agree that you should address the stress issue. Can you can pinpoint exactly what stresses your cat?

Sorry I was in a hurry typing this, this morning and I did forget to mention I do have Feliway defusers. I also use rescue remedy to keep his stress down. I make sure I spend time with just him and he loves to be brushed. I also have him on the cosequin and krill oil. Lots of things trigger his stress tho you wouldn't think by looking at him that he is stressed. I also forgot to mention hes also on bupernex I brought home from the vet.

He got his first one when my husband and I moved from his parents into our own home. His second one was a few months after we moved in when we had alot of people over for the holiday tho hes the first cat that will come out and greet them and he loves attention. He got one shortly after getting the new puppy and now after we got the new kitten.

It sounds like you are already covering most of the bases. The only other supplement I can think of that may be helpful is corn silk. It is known to help with bladder inflammation.

I'm usually pretty on top of hiim so I can catch it as soon as it starts. Poor cat can't even pee in private lol! Where would I get corn silk?

You can find corn silk at natural food stores. I found mine at Natural Grocers. I think Whole Foods has it as well. The dried powder (either in capsules or loose) is easy to use. Sprinkled on food, about 50mg 2x a day, up to 4x a day during flare-ups. The Yahoo FLUTD group recommends it for all bladder inflammation. As with all supplements, there's always the risk of side-effects, so it's best to do research on it and run it by your vet. However, it's pretty low risk from what I have read. I have given it to my cat without issues, but as always your mileage may vary.

Hes doing better today after just one dose of his meds. I gave him his bupernex and phenoxy last night and this morning he peed a good amount!!! I had him weened of the anatriptaline but I'm now putting him back on it. Its been about 8 or 9 months since his last flare up and I weened him off a few months ago.

Glad to hear your little man is doing better.