Interstitial cystitis a behavioral issue?

mrsh

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2012
Messages
60
Purraise
17
Hi gang,

Zach (age 5-ish years) went to the vet today as he has been crying in the litter box and leaving small tinkles on the carpet right outside the box. He is also back to howling at night as soon as we've all gone to bed, which he hasn't done in a couple of years. The vet wasn't able to get a urine sample because his bladder was so small and so empty so we can't completely rule out an infection, but she suggested he has interstitial cystitis and prescribed an NSAID for 3 days and gabapentin as needed to ease the discomfort in the mean time. I will have to bring him back in later this week when his bladder is more full. Full disclosure: he has had struvite crystals in his urine in the past. He also doesn't take kindly to any added moisture in his food.

She said that interstitial cystitis is typically a stress-related issue and gave me an article called "environmental enrichment for confined cats." We haven't had any changes in our lifestyle or environment so it seems a little odd that he would be stressed out now. We have one other cat (age 8+) and two small dogs. One of the dogs is a little smaller than Zach and they are good friends.

I have reviewed the forums about dietary and medical interventions. What kinds of things can I do to create a more relaxing (or more stimulating?) environment for him?

Mrs H
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Oh, I'm so sorry. :(

I don't know what information your vet provided, but this has recommendations:

http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/assets/pdf/education/courses/vcs724/lectures/buffington/fic.pdf

And here are several case studies, with what was looked for at home, and recommendations for what to try:

http://vetgrad.com/show10MinuteTopUp.php?type=&Entity=10MinuteTopUps&ID=36

And I don't know if this will help or not, but it's a long discussion of the problem, written for a vet audience: http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=743091&pageID=1&sk=&date=

I hope these help! :hugs: :rub:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

mrsh

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2012
Messages
60
Purraise
17
We took zach back to the vet so they could get a urinalysis. He didn't have stones or an infection but the pH and specific gravity were high. They sent him home with a couple cans of Royal Canin SO urinary formula wet food and say he has to be on it for life. It's $1.90 a can which for my family is not economically sustainable for the next 10 years. Plus, he's beyond unimpressed by it and won't eat it. I picked up some Friskies Special Diet (because really, who isn't tempted by junk food?) which has comparable ingredients but without corn or fish and he's not a fan of that either! He is a die-hard fan of Kirkland Super Premium kibble (chicken formula; no corn, wheat or soy). He's not normally a picky eater but he just doesn't like wet food. Any advice?
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Maybe these will help:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade

The problem with the Kirkland dry is the high carb content and the lack of moisture. If he's going to keep eating kibbles, he needs a food that has the lowest carbs possible and you need to ensure he gets the proper amount of water into him. High protein kibble includes Nature's Variety Instinct, EVO, and.... those are the only ones that come to mind.

Here are tips to increasing his water intake, with information on how much you need to get into him (which is why it's probably easier to transition to canned) : http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake

For a vet's take on the problem: http://www.catinfo.org
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

mrsh

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2012
Messages
60
Purraise
17
Welp. Shortly after we were told to put zach on rx wet food for life, I lost my job. Adios, good intentions and $2 a can. I did find another job which will start in 3 months but for now we are tightening our belts. In the mean time I bought Friskies special diet cans for urinary cats, and both cats are eating it with gusto. Good news: no more crying in the litter box, and no new stains on the carpet in the room where we keep the boxes!
Not so good news: still wailing at night as soon as we turn the lights off, and the other day I woke up to him humping me. Super creepy.
One crisis at a time, I guess. I will take the bladder control as a small victory.

We are working on decreasing our stress level around the house. We just renovated the kitchen ceiling and lighting so I'm sure that had something to do with his incessant need for attention lately. Now that everything is back to normal maybe he will calm down. I hope. Is it possible for cats to see poorly in the dark? Zach has a cataract in one eye that gets more and more opaque as the months go by. I wonder if that causes him anxiety.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

mrsh

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2012
Messages
60
Purraise
17
P.S. Zach is neutered and we sleep with the bedroom door open at night, baby gate up (to keep the dogs from wandering out and getting into trouble). He can jump the gate. The other cat sleeps in our bed. Zach doesn't come into the bedroom until much much later to kick my glasses/jewelry/clock/phone onto the floor and chew on silk plants.
 

donnajean

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 9, 2013
Messages
117
Purraise
12
I have a slightly different case.

Spook is 4 years old (male, neutered), we also have two other male cats around the same age.

Spook has been diagnosed with FIC (feline interstitial cystitis) and is prone to sometimes struvite crystals and sometimes no struvite crystals but a high ph (has been up to 8.0).

He doesn't cry or vocalize at night, my IBD cat Boo however does that when he is in pain I have observed .

I have tried so many things for Spook and found that right now anyway keeping him separated from the other cats works best just because the other two can be a little aggressive towards him and Boo will stalk him from time to time. This causes anxiety for Spook, also keeps him from using the litter box probably when he should (I have 5 litter boxes for 3 cats).

As long as I socialize with him and make frequent trips upstairs he is comfortable with that.

When his ph goes up that is when trouble starts. I have ph strips and monitor his levels which are holding steady at 6.25-6.5...

I push the fluids, he has a glass of water that I fill up to the top, two other glass bowls which I keep filled everyday. I gave him purified water, no tap water.

I also open a bottle of water in front of him, sit the glass right beside him and fill it. this sometimes encourages him to drink. I never have any water right by his food bowl because I have found and have read most cats won't drink adequate water amounts if right by their food bowl. I station them around the house since cats are curious and will stop to investigate.

I also have a pet water fountain but he is not interested in it and i have only seen him drink from it on rare occasion so i put it away for now.

I don't know if this is right or wrong but vet said to add a little bit of water to his dry Royal Canin S/O.... Since I only give the dry in the morning and a little at night and it isn't a bowl full I sometimes do add a little water to it since i know he will eat most of it in a very short time.

Spook is not a very big fan of wet food either but I do manage to get him to eat it at least twice a day. He is currently on the RC S/O wet. I take a couple teaspoons of it, add a little water to it, pop it in the microwave for about 6 seconds, stir it up and it has the consistency of gravy. He usually will eat it that way, he will not just eat it the way it is out of the can.

He has his own two litter boxes upstairs, I have purchased feliway diffuser and I also have the spray (got it on sale at a very reasonable price a while ago)

He has toys, a couple of scratchers, several windows to look out and I play with him at least twice a day for 15-20 minutes with a long shoe lace that he prefers over all his toys.

Spook has anxiety issues and this is what I believe leads to flairs of his IC... He was on Amitripiline (elavil) for a short while at night but as soon as I pilled him he would run to the litter box so I cut that one out. It does help cats with anxiety issues, Interstitial cystitis, inflammation supposedly.

Right now he is on his RC s/o, some dry with a little added (he does get a dry treat of it once a day) and the canned S/O.

He is also on Duralactin , for chronic inflammatory disorders with the blessings of his vet. He has been on this twice a day for steadily the past month and a half, I really think it has helped a lot. It can be purchased online fairly cheap for about $13 but I have seen where a few people have bought a powdered version of Microlactin (same ingredients as duralactin) at Swansons online and give an 1/8 th of a teaspoon twice a day for less than $20 and it will last for several months. Of course since it is in a powder and if your cat won't eat canned this is tough. You can purchase empty capsules and put the powder in them and pill your cat. Spook has no problem eating the duralactin mixed in his food it really doesn't have a nasty taste.

When it comes to Crystals and Interstitial cystitis the biggest two things are water, water, water.... Canned food, fluids. This keeps them flushed out.

When it comes to anxiety and IC issues, socialization, play time, Feliway spray or diffuser helps. Also if there are other cats involved perhaps causing anxiety, stress, perhaps keeping him secluded from the others for awhile may help.If it is some form of anxiety the Elavil may benefit your cat although i am not a big fan of prescription medications but there is a place and time for them when all else fails.

Howling when the lights go off, perhaps a low wattage light left on and a few night lights might help ????

Purina Pro plan focus makes a urinary dry, perhaps a little cheaper than the Rc S/O, they also have a canned version but it is slices with a sort of gravy, not pate.

perhaps putting a little wet food over the dry might work ????

I know from all I have read and been told that dry is not a very good choice when your cat has urinary issues simply because it contains less than 10% moisture and cats do not have a very high thirst drive. Cats will sometimes only drink when they have already become 3% dehydrated.

Like i said I have a cat who howls and vocalizes sometimes but only usually when his IBD or something else is flaring up and he is probably in pain. If your cat has always done this i would say it is just their way of talking. I have seen cats do this when there is alot of anxiety involved too.

Since you are on a fixed income for the time being perhaps the Purina pro plan focus urinary would be an alternative ?? Check with your vet always.

Push the fluids, show lots of attention and if it is in your budget try the feliway spray or the diffuser and perhaps try leaving a light on at night.
 
Top