Kitty has his first UTI, what to do from here?

Hi all, 

We had to take my 10 year old male kitty into the emergency vet on Tues. night (the 19th) as I noticed him squatting and trying to pee, but nothing was happening. (This is the first time this has ever happened) The emergency vet said he had crystals present, and a UTI (some other things but I was so stressed I can't remember the details). Anyway, she sent us home with a 14 day supply of Zeniquin. 

On Thursday night I noticed he was doing it again, so before the actual vets office closed we took him over there. Our vet put a catheter through to see if he was blocked, and said he was inflamed so there, he emptied out, got shots of fluid under his skin, an antibiotic shot, and a 3-day anti-inflammatory pill which he is done with now. We also came back home with the Hills Prescription Diet c/d multicare Feline bladder health dry food. The vet said that since he's used to dry food there was no sense in changing that. 

We also make sure he has plenty of fresh water 24/7, so that hasn't changed.

Since then, he has peed, which I have been keeping track of. He's still licking and a bit uncomfortable, as to be expected, still has the urgency to go, but every time he goes, he at least dribbles (if he's already emptied out everything). 

I just have a few questions for those who have gone through this before:

-How long will it take before he doesn't have blood in his urine? I know it will take a bit for the antibiotic to work fully, and of course get rid of the infection, but I've never gone through this so just wanted to know. 

I know we should probably stick to this type of food, because from what I have been reading, other foods are bad and this will prevent this from happening again, but: 

-Should we keep him on the Hills c/d dry food? Or go for another trusted brand (I've read that the Purina One Urinary Tract Health is a good one?) Should we stick with dry food? or switch to canned? or both?

-Are there any treats that I can give him that won't harm him or that won't cause him to get crystals again? He loves his treats, and I haven't given him many at all since coming back home (he didn't get an ungodly amount before, just what is recommended on the package) but is there any recommended kinds for kitties prone to UTI's?

-Should we switch to distilled or bottled water for him? The vet didn't say anything about what kind of water to give him, but I have read that distilled is the best? 

Even though we are following what our vet has recommended, and we go back after his round of antibiotics, I just want to know what I can do to prevent this from happening again, and do what I can to make him happy! 

Thanks!!

Daisy

Sorry your cat isn't feeling well.

Did the vet analyze the crystals/urine?  There are two types of crystals, one can be treated with diet, and the other have to removed surgically (sturvite/oxalyte respectively).  And a third kind, bacteria.  It is important to know what kind of crystals to know how to treat.  And do try to find out what other things the vet found.

Ritz is pone to stress-induced UTIs.  I use to fed wet/canned but now I feed raw, so she is eating the best possible food to prevent UTIs.

In my opinion, dry food is contraindicated for a cat who has had/has UTI issues.  Water flushes out the crystals and of course wet food has LOTs more moisture/water than dry food. 

I know your cat is use to dry food, but I would try at the least see if he will eat the wet version of the Hills.  (And, I'm not fond of the dry UTI Rx foods because of lot of them contain very little protein and a lot of carbs.  And just enough l-methionine to qualify as prescription. That said, sometimes the ONLY thing that works is Rx food.   Rant over.)

In so far as treats, because I fed raw and because turkey breast has the highest amount of L-methionine in meat, I give Ritz freeze dried turkey breast treats.   They are crunchy like other kinds of treats, so may he'll like them.   
There are treats for UTI problems but I do not know how effective they are.

Regarding how long it takes for the antibiotics to kick in:  in Ritz's case, a couple of days.  She did not have blood in her urine, only sturvite crystals.

Good luck.  And vibes to your cat.

I too think that dry food, even specialised UTI dry food is at odds with trying to heal or prevent a UTI. Wet food all the way for me. Wet food is something like 80% water and probably means that it's got more water than your cat would ever drink while eating dry as cat's are not good drinkers. 

My cat had a stubborn UTI that took quite a few weeks to get more comfortable for him. As he doesn't drink very much - rarely. I gave him more food than he should have for a few weeks and kept trying to flush it all out. I added more water too to his food I also made chicken broth which he happily lapped up - fabulous with all that water. He stopped yelping when having a pee and his pee's became much longer which was good to see.

As for tap or bottle, I think it's whatever he will drink that's important. I too looked that up and bought him mineral water which he didn't touch, not even once.

Sorry your kitty has gone thought this.. I hope whatever you decide the little un is better soon.

Ritz: The vet did a urinalysis and from what the paper says, he has sturvite crystals. I am going to try and incorporate wet food into his diet. I think maybe having some dry kibble out for him to munch and then wet food for meals might help (if I can find some he likes). Is there any specific brand of wet food to try? I know that certain ingredients (in dry food, not sure about wet) can form crystals, so I'm not sure where to start, other than the prescription stuff, which I might try anyway. I have given him wet before as a "treat" but he didn't dig it too much. Maybe trying different kinds will kick start a good routine.

And thank you for the treat recommendation!! He really loves turkey so I will have to get some of those!

Fleabags Mom: I will try out the wet food! And chicken broth sounds like something he would absolutely love too! Is there a certain kind you use or make? My kitty has always drank what looks like plenty of water, even though I know its probably still not enough. But if I could get more liquids in him, then that would be great! And I tried some distilled water that we had in the kitchen, but he seemed to drink less of it, so I am still switching between that and tap, to see if he'll drink either one equally. 

And thank you both for the advice and good vibes! I will be very happy when he's back to his normal self! (as will he!) 

Heya, yeah - home made as shop bought broth can contain too much salt or onions etc. Not so healthy for kitty! It's simple really, I just boil up a couple of chicken thighs or whatever in a couple of cups of water - scooping off as much as the white stuff that will float to the top as I go. . Then, not a job I enjoy as a veggie, lol, but I pick off the meat, making it bite size, put it back in the broth and let the pussycat have some!  He does seem to like it, but not every day. As with most cats, he gets bored!!

Good luck again :-)

Grain Free is best as there have been some studies done that say carbohydrates can aid in forming crystals.  Wet food is definitely best,  I have my cat Munchie who is prone to crystals on wet food and I add a tablespoon or two of water to his food each time I feed him.  You want to encourage as much drinking as possible.  I also have a kitty fountain for my cats.    This link has a lot of good information on it.  http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

I agree grain free canned is the way to go.  If price is a concern, Fancy Feast Classic or Friskies Pate are okay brands.  Oh, and avoid fish. 

Fleabags Mom: Ooh, okay I will have to try it then! I kinda figured the boxed stuff wouldn't be so good, checked the ingredients earlier in a box I  have and just has way too much other stuff! But I will have to try this ) I think he would really appreciate it as a treat here and there! And thank you!!

cprcheetah: Thanks for the link! And adding water to the canned food it a good idea! I will definitely have to  get some and try out different kinds for him to try. Thanks!

Ritz: Thanks for the tips, and yes! no fish (unfortunately for him since he loves tuna lol) But I did read that. And I will check out those brands! Hopefully we have some luck!

I have a crystal kitty, and its been 6 yrs now, and no more probs. 

You have 2 issues going on, crystals and a bladder infection. If he is blocked, you have 12 hours to get him to a vet, or its too late. The bladder infection, if you ever had one, I have, its very very painful.

The crystals are caused by many factors, the biggest one, is grains, which the grocery store brands are full of, all of them.  The urinary feed that the vet recommends, is also full of grains, and the only thing it helps, is the clever marketing people, and the food co. All, it does, is add alot of salt, so the kitty will drink more, which is the object of the game, but, can be achieved in a better way, without, contributing to the cause - the grains. 

I already been thru this, he was put on Hills, the crystals came back, so I did extensive research, Hills is full of grains, grains is one of the biggest causes of crystals, its the biggest one.

You have to feed a grain free feed, I feed Blue Wilderness, but there are other grain free feeds out there, you get them at Petsmart or Petco. It has to be wet, and you mix it with water, so its like a soup. This keeps them flushed out, its imperative, with a crystal kitty.

You have to use purified drinking water. Not tap water, it has too many minerals in it. Not distilled, not spring, but purified drinking water. I get the store brand, gal jug, its $1.00.

Other causes of crystals, are stress in the household, kitty boxes not clean, bedded too shallow, not big enough, hooded boxes, not enough boxes, boxes near a washer/dryer/furnace that may come on suddenly and scare kitty, being picked on by another family member or family pet, being prevented from getting to the box - all of these are stress related. Some kitties will avoid using the box, as they think it causes their pain, so they pee elsewhere. 

Being that you have had him 10 yrs, and he has been fine, you might want to look at your household situation, has anything changed, has it been stressful lately.

Boxes should be large and deep and well bedded, and picked every day. There should be as many boxes as there are kitties, and I have even 1 more.

Mine are trained to pee on command, per say, so I know they have peed before being loaded for a show, its also a good way, to check, that they are peeing a good amount, it should be about the size of a golf ball, mine are more like baseballs, I kept them very flushed out.

The bladder infection, is because the bladder walls are inflamed, so he thinks he has to pee, even if he doesn't, hence, the getting in and out of the box, and peeing only a little, or blood in the urine. This is because the urine is too concentrated, as in, he is not taking in enough water, thats why you have to feed him wet, and mix it with water, so its like a soup. Bladder infections are very very painful, it feels like you constantly have to pee bad, and when you pee, it burns, so he needs to be on antibiotics, having to be on it for 2 rounds, is not uncommon. 

Read the catinfo site that cprcheeth gave you, its a great site, for explaining the urinary issues and why you should feed a wet grain free feed. Hope kitty feels better soon.    

FlintMcCullough: Thanks for your reply. Like I have said, I will incorporate wet food into his diet as well, but he has never eaten it so I have to go and get some and probably try many kinds to see if he'll even eat it. I will look into other dry food as well just to keep for nibbling; hopefully I can find one with more protein and less of the other stuff, but add of course the wet food with water, and other suggestions from the other ladies to make sure he's getting plenty of fluids. 

I don't want to completely stop the dry food right away though, as this could stress him out as well. As for his litter box and other stress, he's in the same environment he is always in, and there hasn't been any unusual loud noises or visitors lately, and his box gets scooped every day and is upstairs away from everyone and all noise, so I don't think there was an issue there. I always keep an eye on how much he's going to the bathroom, rather the amount that is there and he always has quite a bit of pee in his box. 

But I will keep everyone updated if anything else arises and once our two week vet appointment comes up. He'll have another full urinalysis done to see how he's doing, and we will go from there.