Ongoing UTI. Vet suggesting putting to sleep.

bevy1990 · Jan 3, 2015

Hello everyone. Just joined this site to seek some advice.
I have a female, 1 year old, ragdoll cat from a breeder. She has been very healthy her whole life up until 3 months ago when she got a UTI.
She has been to a vet nurmorus times now, we have tried many kinds of medication, even trial stuff.
The vet says the next step is an X-ray to see if if she has crystals and estimated me $400 then thousands for surgery if that's it.
I have gone through my vet savings these last few months with vet visits and different medications and can no longer afford anything else.

Weird thing about the medication, it will work for a few days then she is right back to pain.

I am a college student and live with roommates who want her gone NOW because she is peeing on absolutely everything. I love her so much but I just don't know what to do. She is becoming even more miserable every single day because she is having to stay locked up in her travel kennel every day I am gone at school and then when I'm at home she has to stay on a short leash by my side to stop her from being able to pee on everything. I already owe all my roommates hundreds of dollars for things she has peed on and ruined.

I am to the point that I just can't keep her as it's not even healthy for her.
I've asked my vet and he said maybe just take her to a shelter and see if she finds a home or think of having her put to sleep and I really really don't want to do that, not to mention I can't even afford it.

denice · Jan 3, 2015

If you are truly at the point of giving her up I would contact the breeder. If your kitty's breeder is a good responsible breeder he/she will take her back. You say you are at the point you can't do anymore financially, if you can swing some more vet care I would take her to a feline specialist. There is a huge difference between a feline specialist and a general vet.

Are you doing things to reduce stress like running feliway diffusers? Some people have had good luck with cosequin supplements, it replenishes the bladder lining.

bevy1990 · Jan 3, 2015

I have contacted her breeder, they will take her back if I can get her to them. The breeder will keep her in a cage the rest of her life or until she can find her a new home. The problem with that, the cost to ship her back is around $1500 since it's from a different country.

I actually have looked up a feline specialist and they will see her and let me pay in installments but the closest one is 3 hours away and I do not drive or know anyone with car.

I have tried feliway and the suppliments. They work for a few days and she's back to being her normal self, then they stop working.

catpack · Jan 3, 2015

I'm sorry that you and your kitty have found yourself in this predicament.

Did the vet send off a urine culture to see if the cause is bacterial? If bacteria is the cause, sending the culture off would tell you which atibiotic to use to cure the infection. My concern is that she has been on multiple medications and she might have developed a resistance to antibiotics.

Also, rather than confining her to her crate while you are away, can you confine her to a bathroom or your bedroom instead?

bevy1990 · Jan 3, 2015

the vet did send off the urine sample and the antibiotic worked for a few days, then stopped working. That is when we tried a different dosage, and then different medications.
I personally think she is already immune as she was on antibiotics with first 5 weeks of her life because she was hand fed. Her birth mum wouldn't nurse.

I wish there was a place like that I could close her up in. I share my bedroom with another roommate and I share the bathroom with 3 other people. When I tried closing her in my bedroom she peed on mine and my roommates beds so many times I had to replace them.

Norachan · Jan 4, 2015

Hi Bevy,

I'm so sorry to hear that you and your cat are going through this. First of all I have a few questions I'd like to ask you;

Did the vet determine that the cause of the UTI was bacterial?

How long does she take her antibiotics for?

How long between finishing a course of antibiotics and the UTI flaring up again?

What kind of food is she being fed?

I also have a few suggestions that won't solve the problem, but might make things more bearable for now.

Cut out all fish from her diet, feed her wet, canned food.

Get an enzyme cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle or Fizzion, to clean the places she peed. This could save you a lot of money as things such as clothes, pillows, carpets etc can be cleaned rather than have to be replaced

If you could persuade your room mates to let her stay in the bathroom while you're not there this would make her a lot less stressed. Remove all the towels, bath mats and other things she might pee on and put puppy pads down on the floor to soak up any accidents. Leave a tap running so that she has a supply of fresh water. Lots of cats prefer running water and the more she drinks the healthier her bladder will be.

Please don't turn her over to a shelter. Most cats that are taken to shelters for litter box issues end up being put to sleep as it's so hard to re-home them. If the worst comes to the worst (And I really don't think it will do) make sure you are there with her. You don't want her to spend her last moments scared, surrounded by strangers.

sarah ann · Jan 4, 2015

Have you tried Pentosan? It is a form of glucosamine that is injected. There are many studies debating whether glucosamine even works if given orally.
Glucosamine is a large molecule so in order to work it must be digested, broken into smaller molecules, absorbed than reassembled by the body...

Pentosan is given orally in people but there is very little absorption ( like 4 percent). The injection is available for horses and other pets from Wedgwood pharmacy. It is $200 per year for a horse, so should be much cheaper for a cat! It is mainly used for arthritis but is helpful for urinary problems as well.

Inflammation of the bladder is a physical defect in cats, as cats with this disorder have smaller kidneys than normal cats and what one could call a chemical imbalance in the body. This means when they become stressed it manifests as a bladder problem!

Unless your cat truly has a antibiotic resistant infection, I would guess this is not an infection. Antibiotics are often used as clavamox has some anti-inflammatory properties so can sometimes help regardless.

The most useful treatment at this point is probably antidepressants. I would try amitriptyline to start. Antidepressants are not simply for depression. There are receptors throughout the body that are influenced by these drugs. The key is they must be used long term..

sarah ann · Jan 4, 2015

Buspirone may be helpful as well.

hexiesfriend · Jan 4, 2015

Has the vet told you the culture came back positive for bacteria? because It looks like your cat does not have a UTI but probably an inflammatory disease since no antibiotics are working like, Sarah Ann suggested. I am very surprised your vet has not gone in this direction. I had to find out my cats problem by getting educated by a cat specialist. If your vet is suggesting you put your cat to sleep because he or she can't find out what the problem is that's a clue on its own that you may need to look elsewhere. The exam with cat specialists is usually $20 or $30 more expensive but it is worth it. Im sorry you are hearing this after spending your vet savings but with issues that are unique to cats, most vets do not have a clue,because they treat mostly dogs. Also the prices you are being quoted for X-rays and surgery sound very high and you don't need to perform surgery on a cat to find out if there are crystals. After the antibiotic did work for the first month the vet should have suggested this possibility not now, after hundreds of dollars being spent, your cat suffering, your roommates suffering and you suffering. I don't mean to ruin your relationship with your vet but something is missing in your cats care.

goonie · Jan 4, 2015

please check out the info on http://www.catinfo.org Dr. Lisa Pierson has some great info on UTI diseases. most of them are not bacterial. make sure she gets plenty of water and cut out all dry food

chromium blues · Jan 4, 2015

What kind of litter are you using? Sometimes switching to something like Mewsprint pellets can help, as there is very, very little dust.

shandi · Jan 4, 2015

I'm sorry to know of this situation with your kitty. I've been going through something similar with my female kitty.

After anti-biotics, the vet recommended Royal Canin DRY Food. I'd been doing a lot of research, and had

decided to get my kitty weaned from dry food because it's known to cause a lot of problems. Also, I read

about 200 complaints on Consumer Affairs about sick and dying cats on RC food.

Look at Lisa Pierson's website www.CatInfo.org as recommended. She's a very smart vet, and interested in

saving kitty lives. Another good website is www.NaturalCatCareBlog.com

I also found a resource there called www.VitalityScience.com, and after reading reviews from several people, I

decided to try them as my last hope. I sent an email with a brief description of my kitty's history, what the

vet did, and what I was feeding her. Stephen Becker, the CEO, called me and we talked for over half an hour!

He recommended Uro-Cleanse. It's fine powder that I've been mixing with a high quality wet food for the past

two weeks. She's improved, and is back to normal elimination.

Something else you might try is homeopathy. There's information online if you google: homeopathy for UTI

in cats. If you can't find these little pills at a local health foods store, you can order them online.

Stress can cause a lot of health problems in cats and dogs, just like in humans. You kitty must be under

a lot of stress, which is aggravating her health issue.

If you're feeding any dry food, you've got to begin to wean her. At first I used a "bribe" to get my cat switched

over: a little of the dry crushed and sprinkled over the wet. You see, dry cat food has been sprayed with

"animal digest" so it's like candy coated cereal for kids, and very addictive! It's cheaper for the pet food

companies, and profit is the bottom line.

I also learned that vets "nutritional education" consists of a couple of hours by a pet food rep, namely

Royal Canin and Hills (Science Diet). There is a collusion between vets and the pet food companies. Vets

are no different than doctors who get rewarded for pushing drugs. It's a very hard realization that we

can't really trust most general vets. At this point, I'd only take my cat to a holistic vet.

There are sites online that offer financial help for pet owners, so that's another avenue you might try.

chromium blues · Jan 4, 2015

Shandi said:
I'm sorry to know of this situation with your kitty. I've been going through something similar with my female kitty.

After anti-biotics, the vet recommended Royal Canin DRY Food. I'd been doing a lot of research, and had

decided to get my kitty weaned from dry food because it's known to cause a lot of problems. Also, I read

about 200 complaints on Consumer Affairs about sick and dying cats on RC food.

Look at Lisa Pierson's website www.CatInfo.org as recommended. She's a very smart vet, and interested in

saving kitty lives. Another good website is www.NaturalCatCareBlog.com

I also found a resource there called www.VitalityScience.com, and after reading reviews from several people, I

decided to try them as my last hope. I sent an email with a brief description of my kitty's history, what the

vet did, and what I was feeding her. Stephen Becker, the CEO, called me and we talked for over half an hour!

He recommended Uro-Cleanse. It's fine powder that I've been mixing with a high quality wet food for the past

two weeks. She's improved, and is back to normal elimination.

Something else you might try is homeopathy. There's information online if you google: homeopathy for UTI

in cats. If you can't find these little pills at a local health foods store, you can order them online.

Stress can cause a lot of health problems in cats and dogs, just like in humans. You kitty must be under

a lot of stress, which is aggravating her health issue.

If you're feeding any dry food, you've got to begin to wean her. At first I used a "bribe" to get my cat switched

over: a little of the dry crushed and sprinkled over the wet. You see, dry cat food has been sprayed with

"animal digest" so it's like candy coated cereal for kids, and very addictive! It's cheaper for the pet food

companies, and profit is the bottom line.

I also learned that vets "nutritional education" consists of a couple of hours by a pet food rep, namely

Royal Canin and Hills (Science Diet). There is a collusion between vets and the pet food companies. Vets

are no different than doctors who get rewarded for pushing drugs. It's a very hard realization that we

can't really trust most general vets. At this point, I'd only take my cat to a holistic vet.

There are sites online that offer financial help for pet owners, so that's another avenue you might try.

The Farley Foundation is a group that does a lot of good work.

Willowy · Jan 4, 2015

Yeah, it's sounding more like chronic cystitis than an infection. She needs more water, more meat, less stress, etc. Simply switching to canned food may clear up the problem, or a painkiller may be necessary (only from the vet; OTC painkillers are very toxic to cats!). If you've ever had cystitis, you know it's very painful, but it is manageable so don't give up on her!

Ongoing UTI. Vet suggesting putting to sleep.

bevy1990

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denice

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catpack

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