Urinary issues

rileyb

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I just noticed yesterday my 9yr old cat was peeing on my couch pillow. I removed her to the bathroom where her litter is. I then thought back to the last couple of days and noticed that she had been taking a lot of trips to the litter the last few days. She also vomited yesterday as well...though that isn't out of character.

Immediately I changed her litter, washed her food and water bowls in scalding hot water, and filled her water bowl with bottled water. I also cut some vitamin C in half and massaged it down her throat.

She seemed fascinated with the coconut oil, and lapped it up when I put it on a plate for her.

Then I gave her diluted ACV a few times, and have since moved from oral application to the base of her skull and her paws.

I purchased some wet food, but she only likes licking some of the grease off, and then won't touch it again. I have given her two kinds of flavors. She has eaten a small amount of dried food as well.

I was forcibly feeding her water, but have since stopped because I don't want to stress her.

It's Labor Day weekend. My vet tech friend from my old town told me NOT to go to Banfield tomorrow ( her exact words were to find a REAL vet). They have such a bad reputation, so I want to avoid it. I plan to call around tomorrow to see who is open Labor Day at least to set up an appointment for Tuesday.

Question is....is there anything else I can do in the meantime? I feel so helpless!!
 
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stephanietx

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If that was my cat, I'd be at some vet that was open or the ER vet tonight.  Urinary issues can be fatal in cats.
 
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rileyb

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Went to the vet, she had REALLY high foreign bacteria in her urine, so it's a uti. They have her a sub-q for her dehydration, and are injecting her with antibiotics and giving me an anti-inflammatory to give to her for the next few days. I'm going to continue with the ACV because that is supposed to help. If she'll eat the coconut oil, I'll give that to her too. Does anyone else have any other ideas to help speed her recovery along? Vet didn't want to change her pet food unless this happens again. She's stressed enough.
 

peaches08

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Be careful cutting human sized pills in half and pilling your cat; this can do a lot of esophageal damage. Or worse, tracheal. I don't know what externally applied ACV does, but taken internally is usually a waste of time since the bacteria responsible for most UTIs can survive a lower pH than what an acidic diet can do for urine pH. I would just administer the meds and make sure she is drinking enough water on her own and urinating appropriately.
 
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rileyb

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Great point!! For the vitamin c I'll see if I can just grind it up and put it in her food. I'm not sure what externally applied ACV can do, but some people swear by it for their cats so I figure a diluted form can't hurt unless I overdose her (which I won't). At the very least it should help heal some of her scabs :)
 

peaches08

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My understanding is that cats make their own vitamin C, but with vitamin C being water soluble there's a reduced risk of toxicity so you'll probably be OK. Be careful not to give so much that kitty rejects food though. Kitty needs food to heal.

Scabs??
 

vball91

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If a bacterial infection is the issue, I don't see how Vitamin C, ACV, or coconut oil is helpful. I would stick with the meds the vet gave although I am slightly concerned because you wrote the vet injected antibiotics which I think means Convenia. Also, what's the anti-inflammatory med that was given?
 

stephanietx

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The stress she's been under may have triggered the UTI.  It did with my girl.  To reduce any stress, you might want to look into Feliway or some of the other calming stuff like Rescue Remedy or Spirit Essences.  I don't see the need for either the Vit C or the ACV since she's on meds now.
 
 
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rileyb

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Ok, so now she is drinking relatively regularly, and peeing regularly (past 18 hours or so). However, she now has yet to poop. She eats a little of her dried food, a little of her canned food, and drinks the water from the mix of dried food with water (I also have a clean water dish, so when she goes to eat/drink, she has four choices, since 2 was apparently not good enough). I've cleaned her litter every couple of hours and I see a healthy stream of urine. However, now I see no poop, whereas before I at least saw a little. I know this can be from her low food intake, but I expected to see at least a few turds. I assume from the antibiotics/pain meds I gave her yesterday?

I added a bit of pumpkin on her plate, since I read that a few vets recommend that...but is there something else I can do to move her along without stressing her out? It's been less than a day since her shot, so I'm not sure if I'm jumping the gun with being worried.
 
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rileyb

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Metacam - which made her lethargic, more constipated, and not hungry. The warnings say to discontinue use if extremely tired - so thats what I'm going to do.
 

denice

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I would not give Metacam to a cat.  They have added a warning to it about repeated use in cats but I wouldn't use it at all.  I know a lot of vets still prescribe it but I wouldn't use it.  Buprenex is much safer for cats.  
 
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ritz

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Agree with Denice about the Metacam; not a drug of choice for pain.

Also, I'd try to wean your cat off any/all dry food, and transition her to all wet. 
 

stephanietx

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Another one who's not a fan of Metacam, so stopping that is a good thing.  I have it on all my cats' charts to NEVER give it. 

She may not be pooping because she's either constipated or because there's nothing in her system to eliminate.  It's common for kitties with urinary problems to become constipated.  Adding the pumpkin is a good idea. 
 
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rileyb

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Thanks. I was curious and I read about Metacam and I was like "oh heck no!" Apparently half of the sample tested had renal failure, died outright, or had to be put down. Lots of the side effects seemed worse than the pain.

I think I'm going to mix the probiotic cat treats ground up with the pumpkin.
 
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rileyb

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My cat has GOT to be the pickiest eater - and not just right now, but in general. I have to force some probiotic/vitamin cat chews ground up (REALLY HARD TO DO) in some pumpkin and water, and put it in a syringe because she hardly ingests anything right now. She's just as lively and complain-y, but just not taking in enough.
 

ritz

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My go-to food for getting Ritz to eat supplements is baby food, the kind that has ONLY meat and water. The label usually says "turkey and broth" as opposed to "turkey and gravy".
You might try that; it contains a fair amount of water, too.
 

feralvr

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Metacam - which made her lethargic, more constipated, and not hungry. The warnings say to discontinue use if extremely tired - so thats what I'm going to do.
Buprenex and Tramadol would be safer choices for cats. I have not ever used or allowed a vet to inject my cat with Metacam. I know of too many serious health complications to ever risk it.

Something to be aware of: Onsior is a prescription drug that the FDA just approved in April of this year for use by cats on a very LIMITED basis. It has been used for dogs since 2009, but not approved for cat until recently. It is a NSAID, like Metacam and the other NSAIDs that cats have not tolerated well. It is a tablet and is approved for use for post-operative pain for specific surgical procedures. . It can have adverse side effects, and is not recommended for kitties with renal, heart, or liver diseases. My concern is that vets may now start to prescribe Onsior to cats with pain other than from surgery. I would be very hesitant about this one as well.

I would get your cat on a wet/canned diet right away. Try to get her off of dry food completely, over time. In our Nutrition Forum we have a resource thread with excellent advice on how to transition a cat from dry food to wet food. http://catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_ and another to give your some guidelines on fussy cats, I think we all have one of those. ;) http://healthypets.mercola.com/site...nsition-your-cat-to-raw-food-diet-part-1.aspx

For enticements I use the following crumbled on food: Halo Freeze Dried Chicken, Whole Life Freeze Dried Chicken, Bonito Flakes, Fortiflora (just a dusting), tuna juice, and some say parmesan cheese works, crumbled dried liver or even mushed up sardines.
 
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rileyb

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Thanks! I will look into the food enticing! The only thing so far is she lightly munches on tuna flavored cat food, and drinks the water from the dry food/water mix. She's given up the straight dry completely. I've also given her pumpkin mixed with 200mg of cranberry extract and water. She seemed to not mind it so much.
 

feralvr

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Thanks! I will look into the food enticing! The only thing so far is she lightly munches on tuna flavored cat food, and drinks the water from the dry food/water mix. She's given up the straight dry completely. I've also given her pumpkin mixed with 200mg of cranberry extract and water. She seemed to not mind it so much.
That's great that she likes the cranberry extract! Can't be that fussy then. :lol3: Question though: Are you mixing dry food with water? If so, don't leave it down for too long because I think it can go bad rather quickly. I have heard from others that this is not a safe thing to do because of the risk of bacteria. I would recommend canned only for your kitty who is dealing with urinary tract health issues. Continuing the vibes!! :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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