UTI (Unhappy tigger indeed)

Greetings! Another newbie here and trying not to be a worry wort over my gorgeous little cat.

Rehomed a 5 year old Bengal a year ago - he lived with other cats and this didn't suit him. He came to live with us as a single cat household and has settled in really well. We go for walks together every day. He eats fine, very cuddly (will sell his soul for a belly rub) and seems a happy, adventurous cat.

Until over month ago that is. First of all he got a cut or a bite infected and had to have a little op to drain it. Kudos to the vet, I took him in to have it looked at and they cleaned it straight away. No hanging around getting stressed and he was home after a few hours. The next week he was doing ok, not quite the cat he was, but seemed a little brighter. The only thing that really gave me concern was he was over-grooming. No hair loss yet, but he'd stop every yard tor two on our walk out and lick some part of his body.

Then after about 10 days he went downhill fast. Took him to the vet and the vet said he had a high temp. Gave him a NSAID shot and told me to bring him back in the morning. Cat went home full of beans for a few hours, while the painkiller did it's thing. Next morning he was terrible. No interest in food, no life in him whatsoever. Took him back to the vet and his temp was even higher, dangerously high. So I then drove him to their kitty hospital and he was hooked up on an IV for 48 hours.   They did tests - all the major tests came back clear and they found blood in his urine.  Thing is, they couldn't find a cause. After two days, sent him home with me with some antibiotics.

When he came home he was stressed. And seriously hungry (I think it was stress eating).  Lots of cuddles and tlc got him used to the house after a day, but then he wouldn't come indoors. I had feliway's plugged in to help too, which did nothing. I have a little wooden cat den in the garden which he insisted in staying in all day long. He lives in the UK, it's cold and wet out there! Spent a week outside, me taking blankets and hot water bottles to him, and bringing him in at night much to his distress.  I tried taking away all his comfort out there to drive him home but he just went further to try and find somewhere else to sleep, so I relented and kept him cosy in the garden where I could keep an eye on him and feed him.

Thing is, it's been nearly 3 weeks since then. He is indoors happily now, but he still has a UTI I think - he occasionally yelps when he sprays outside, and he always licks his bits after. And he's still over grooming. It can be 30 mins of grooming all over, to then starting all over again. If I touch him when we are out on our walk  (I always given him a quick pet) he then licks the area I have touched. He never when he's feeling sleepy or relaxed so I think this is stress related.

I've mentioned the grooming to the vet twice and nothing was offered. I phoned the vet about his pee stinging (and smelling strong) and asked for more antibiotics. I was told to go back in a week, which I did. I now have another weeks worth of pills.  He eats wet food which I add water to (he's not much of a drinker) and am giving him as much food as he wants which is quite a lot, to keep flushing out his kidneys.  I don't know how else to help him.  He's unhappy, little interest in anything other than his walk with me. I know Bengal's are highly strung, but I yearn to see him a happier bunny.  Anyone know how else I can help? How long does a UTI last? Will the grooming calm down when he's not in pain?

Sorry, this was such an essay!

Hugs

Aw, I'm so sorry for Tigger. :rub:

Did the vet culture the urine? Was a urinalysis done? If not, those really need to be done. The vet should be able to use a needle to get a urine sample - either that, or express his bladder. (Good idea to keep him inside the night before the appointment and up to the appointment, helping to ensure he's got a full bladder).

Male cats rarely have actual bladder or urinary tract infections. The most common cause of urine/bladder/urinary tract problems is the formation of crystals in the urine. Stress can also cause bladder wall inflammation and thus pain and irritation. This can actually be dangerous for male cats, as they have very narrow urethras, and they can block, preventing urine from leaving the body. So if a urine analysis and culture have not been done to determine just what is going on there, I would find a vet that will do this.

Here is more information on the subject of urinary tract / bladder "infections" that I think you may find helpful: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

I don't mean to scare you, but with the bite and subsequent abscess, was he already tested for FIV / FeLV? (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and Feline Leukemia Virus). After being bitten, it can take 6 weeks or so for the antibodies to develop enough to be detected on the test. So even if he was tested, and it was negative, it ought to be done again 6 or 8 weeks after the treatment of the abscess, just to be sure (since you don't know if it was a cut or bite).

With the skin sensitivity and overgrooming... was a skin scraping done to look for yeast or mites? If not, I'd make sure that gets done. Demodectic mange is not uncommon - and all of these things can manifest as you've described. I would want to rule out all potential medical reasons before chalking his behavior up to "stress." I think his immune system is stressed, not his mental state. It's "too coincidental" to the timing of the cut or bite, IMO.

There are some things you can do to provide him with immune system support that won't interfere with any treatment. If he likes sardines (tinned, in water, no salt), you can feed him one 2 or 3 times a week. This is an excellent source of omega 3s. Just freeze the sardines from the tin individually, and take them out to thaw as needed. Omega 3s are very anti-inflammatory, and excellent for skin and coat. Other options are salmon oil, 500mg daily. Many cats like it just squished on their food.

If you order online, or if there's a health food store, you can look for a Thymus Glandular, or Thymus extract supplement, 250mg - 500mg daily. I don't know this product, and the study is obviously sponsored by the manufacturer, but this link at least explains the importance of the thymus, and why a thymus glandular supplement should help support immune system function: http://nutritionreview.org/2013/09/restoring-thymus-function-enhanced-immune-response/

Another supplement to consider is bovine colostrum (again, likely available from a health food store): http://www.holisticvetpetcare.com/Bovine-Colostrum.htm

All of these will provide support no matter what course of action needs to be taken medically.

Vibes for your Tigger!

Thankyou so very much for your helpful and kind advice, I really do appreciate it!

OK... when he was in hospital I was told they did a test on his urine, looking for an infection or possible signs for crystals. However, when I phoned later on to find out what or if anything caused his blood in his urine, I was told it was all negative. Being naive and stressed out, I didn't push the issue.  I pretty much presumed that the next stage will be an xray or ultrasound to see if there is anything there.  I did ask when given antibiotics that if there was no infection, then why was he taking them and was told that they can help with the irritation of the bladder lining so we stuck with it.  I guess the only thing I have now is the vets guidance (although vague) as to when we take him for an xray and how long we leave him to get better.

Yes, his skin was checked when he was under having his abscess drained.. they found no sign of anything untoward. His skin is clear, and his fur lovely as normal, no bald patches, but he just will not stop grooming.  Originally it was on the side of the abscess, which made sense to us because it must've been sore, but now it's all over.

Thankyou for the diet tips with the sardines and salmon oil. I will get the first tomorrow and hope the UK sells the second one!  Thanks too for the other supplement idea's. WIll do my research. 

And hopefully he doesn't have FIV / FeLV. He was vaccinated (tho I know it doesn't cover cats 100%) and the tests came back clear with his stay in hospital - as did all tests. Will get him tested again if he goes in for an xray for sure.

Anyway, thanks again for your help an vibes - cheers!

Hugs.