7. Month old male cat with crystals and suspected FLUTD - HELP!

Hi all,

I have a 7 month old male cat named Bandit who has been having some urinary issues since about Dec 20. He's been to the vet been on antibiotics as well as muscle relaxers and was switched to Royal canin urinary so cat food. He started to urinate blood so I took him to the vet on Monday as soon as it happened and he was fine though distressed and in pain. He went back on another course of antibiotics and anti inflammatory pain killers. It's been just over a week and he seems better but I'm having a hard time monitoring his urine because I also have a female cat in the house. I tried to separate them so I could monitor his pee better but that just stressed him out being separated from Nunu. There is no blood in any of the urine though. He finished his antibiotics today and I'm terrified he will start to get worse and start bleeding again like he did the last time he finished his meds. I'm reading that the dry Royal canin isn't good for the urinary issues but the wet food gives him diahreah. I have a water fountain for them that he seems to enjoy and always looks hydrated.

Does anyone have any tips I can use to maintain his health? I'm so worried as he is so young and the vets are concerned there may be an underlying cause that is making him susceptible to crystals so young and they suspect he has FLUTD.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

First, have they been doing urinalysis?  I want to emphasize that I am NOT a vet, but my kitty has struggled with FLUTD too, and from everything all the vets I've seen have told me/that I've read online, my understanding is that is is VERY unlikely that a young cat would have a UTI due to strong urine concentration.  What this means in layman's terms is that antibiotics would not help/be needed.  If your vet has run urinalysis and told you he has had UTIs, then he must just be a very unlucky/unusual one, but FLUTD isn't an infection and can't be helped with antibiotics. Crystals similarly are not a UTI and can't be helped with antibiotics. So I'd clarify this with your vet since if he doesn't have a UTI the antibiotics aren't helping, are a waste of your money, and could possibly make your cat less receptive if he does need antibiotics in the future.

Second, I am sorry you are dealing with this.  I understand firsthand how difficult it can be to deal with and treat.

Some suggestions:

-Diet: If at all possible you need to get him onto a wet diet.  Diareha is normal when switching foods in general and is not an indication he'd always have diareha while on wet food.  It may be an indication you are trying to switch foods too quickly.  In general, you should transition food slowly, over the course of an entire week.  The first day, at the first feeding, you should have 95% of the old food and just a bite or two of the new food.  At the next feeding, it should still be 90% old food and a few more bites of the new food, and so on.

- Schedule and environment: You have to keep this consistent to the extent that you can. He should be fed at the same time every day,and to the extent that your life permits it you should try to be home at around the same time(s) every day, etc.  To the extent that you can, avoid things that 'trigger' him.  This will vary depending on the cat, but some typical examples are having guests, travelling, and so on.  Obviously you are not going to be able to 100% plan your life around a cat, but the more consistency the better the chances that he will have fewer episodes.

-You have to play with him every day, absolutely as much as you can. I'd recommend a minimum of twice a day, a minimum of 15 minutes each time, but if you can do more that's great, and if you can't do that  much just do as much as you possible can. Rotate his non=interactive toys so he's less likely to get bored.

-Make sure he scratching posts, window perches if possible, and places to climb., Also give him some hiding places in case he wants them.  

-In terms of the other cat, try giving them separate places to eat. That can reduce stress in some cats.  They should have AT LEAST 3 litterboxes between them.  He should have multiple places he can get water from.  I see you have a fountain but I'd add a few water bowls at other places in the house.

-The boxes should be cleaned every day at a minimum.  If you can clean them more than once a day, that can help some cats too. 

-Feliway helps some cats.

-If it is a stress issue, anti anxiety meds can help when he is having episodes or seems stressed.  Anti-spasmodics aalso help some cats during episodes.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you so much for your reply! We have done a urinalysis and he does have crystals as well as a staff like UTI that came back in his urine culture. They're assuming it's FLUTD because he is so young and there are so many crystals. They're concerned that he may have a underlying cause like leukemia or feline HIV because he's such a little guy and it's so rare. Praying it's just an unlucky bout and he will just get better but have blood tests booked next week to confirm.

I didn't know that about the food! Thank you for letting me know I'll try that. The diahreah has been difficult to deal with because he is pretty fluffy and having to wash his bum off isn't fun for him especially while dealing with this issue as he doesn't like to have his lower half touched.

I'll definitely add the extra bowls and see if feeding in separate rooms helps. I really appreciate all the advice