FIC in an FIV

I have a cat who is FIV+ and has recently had trouble with urinary issues. He was going to the litter box often but would not produce much, if any urine. When I took him the vet, the first time, he was not blocked and a urine sample was taken and sent to the lab. The urine sample was red with blood. It came back negative for crystals and with no remarkable problems except for a few white blood cells. The vet said that his urinary issues might be a result of infection or stress, since crystals were not present. So, I started him on Clavamox to take care of any infection that might be present. He did not get worse, but also did not get better. I mentioned this to the vet and he said that the issue might be FIC caused by stress. I must mention at this point that Johnny was a neighborhood cat who I was taking care of. He was used to having the run of the neighborhood. When I got him vaccinated, I had him tested for FIV and FeLV since these have been found in other cats in my neighborhood (whom, by the way, I am also caring for). He was positive for FIV, so goodbye to his free roaming days. I built a catio for the three FIV cats who I am now responsible for and they have been living on my back porch for a few months. Johnny is only about 2 to 3 years old and he is chafing at the confinement, so I thought stress might be an issue. He paces like a caged tiger in the catio. I would LOVE to let him out, but I just can't, for the well being of the other free roaming cats in the neighborhood. The other two have found companionship in each other and seem to be more content. But, Johnny, so far, has not shown any friendly vibes toward the other two. He is in a section of the catio by himself, although, occasionally I do let them intermingle with my watchful eye on what happens.

The vet said that maybe adding "kitty Prozac" ( I am not sure what the med is called) might help the Clavamox work since Johnny would not be licking himself or visiting the litter box constantly. It might help him relax a bit. I had only given him a couple of days worth so I could not tell if it was helping.

Anyway, he got much worse on Monday. He would squat, both in the litter box and out, for 5 minutes at a time and nothing would come out except a few drops of red tinged urine. So I took him in to the vet. It turns out that he was blocked and now he sits at the vet, waiting for his condition to get better. The latest urine sample showed a few struvite crystals. The vet said that stress probably caused the crystals or the problem in the bladder. So, I will be switching him from a part wet and dry food diet to an all wet food diet. However, I am not sure what can be done about the stress. Has anyone else encountered this kind of issue? What can be done for cats who are highly strung? How long can he be maintained on the med to regulate his mood? What do I need to add to the catio to make it more palatable for him? I have bought a ton of balls, catnip toys, etc. and I do go out and spend time with him, but I cannot be out there all day. I have taken responsibility for this animal, for however long he has, so I want him to be as healthy as he can. Advice or personal experience with FIC and especially FIC in FIV+ cats would be appreciated.

Oh, and before you tell me to just take him inside, I have 19 more cats who live inside with me. Although I know that FIV is not highly contagious, I do have a delicate balance of personalities inside already and the stress on Johnny might be greater living in the house.

And, if no one has any advice or personal experiences to share, I thank you for just letting me vent a little.

First of all, thank you so much for all you're doing for so many. :heart2: We have five FIV+ cats, four of them outside and 1 inside, with (now) 11 total cats inside. We just relocated 7 ferals with us, and brought 3 inside rather than release them back out. So we definitely understand the balance of personality issues. :rub:

Second, the FIC has nothing to do with the FIV. I have three boys that blocked due to crystals, and one female with FIC.

Kitty prozac is usually just that - actual prozac. You can try it, but I personally prefer less ... medical approaches, when possible.

When it comes to bladder issues - whether crystals are there or not - it's all about pH and inflammation. So the main thing - whether crystals are there or not - is to keep them REALLY flushed. Add water to his wet food. If he'll drink more out of a fountain, add a fountain. Just get as much water moving through him as you possibly can. I give my FIC cat 50ml of sub-q fluids every few days, though that probably isn't really necessary. I don't know how friendly or cooperative he is. Spooky happens to love "brushies," so we have a "brushies" session in the bathroom while she gets her fluids - so for her, it's a wonderful thing.

As to the wet food... it has to be low carb. Carbs increase the pH. What he needs is a high protein, low carb food. Fat is OK, but without the ability to exercise much, you probably want to stay away from the really high fat foods. Although, with that many cats, you probably can't afford to feed those. :lol3: Buying the Fancy Feast classics on sale is good; Friskies pate, although it has rice flour, is also low carb. (FYI, I feed my cats raw. Yes, even my FIV cats).

There is a natural diuretic you can use, corn silk tea. This will help keep him flushed. In fact, it helps flush out excess minerals. It's got to be used carefully in cats with kidney disease, but if they're otherwise healthy, you can use it. During a flare, use 3 or 4 tablespoons over the course of a day. It smells like grass, most cats like it. I just add it over the raw food (which isn't ground, LOL), so mixing it into canned food or some baby food shouldn't be a problem at all. For maintenance, add a tablespoon a day for several weeks, and then use a tablespoon every 2 or 3 days.

I buy this:
And I steep it for 15 minutes or so in one cup of water. I store it in the fridge.

You can read about its use in cats here: http://www.holisticat.com/en/acute-conditions/36-feline-lower-urinary-tract-disease.html

And you can read about the science here: http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/17/8/9697/pdf

And its benefit in UTIs here: http://www.scopemed.org/?mno=19924

Now as to the stress. :rub: I work with an animal communicator / energy healer that makes custom essences. I would absolutely recommend Bach's Rescue Remedy as a starter for trying first, instead of jumping straight to prozac. You just drop a few drops in each meal. It's that easy. It works great for some cats, doesn't do anything for others. I used it with great success with the feral cat relocation (we just moved in November), but I also used it for Spooky when she first had issues with FIC and it didn't help her at all. But with the custom essences, we have had really good results, which is why I recommend them. Of course, many try the Jackson Galaxy stuff - things like Safe Space or I don't really know what, as I've never used them. I don't like them because they're so full of alcohol, which is not good for kitty cat livers.

This is Rescue Remedy:
This company has non-alcohol stuff, but I've never used any of it. They may be helpful if you call to talk about what formula would be best: http://www.greenhopeessences.com/

And this is my animal communicator (Ellen Kohn) that makes custom Bach's Flower essences: http://www.enlightenedanimals.com/services.html

You can also try calming treats - with essences or without - before medicating your cat. Some have good success with suntheanine (L-theanine) based products. I've had good success with many Vetri-Science products. FYI, the large dog version is the exact same ingredients, just larger for less, so you can buy the dog version and give the cat half. But this link is to the cat version:
Hope this helps.