Managing urinary/bladder problems

This is going to be long, but I'd really appreciate some advice on how best to care for my boy. So thanks in advance for any help people can give me!! 

Nearly two weeks ago one of my cats (Tank) became restless and was rushing to the litter box every few minutes but wasn't producing any urine. I work at the vet (I'm a dog groomer), so I gave them a call and asked whether I should be worried or not. I ended up bringing him in straight away in case it was a blockage. The vet said he is just inflamed (no crystals or anything else, just inflammation). We determined that the cause is most likely stress from a dog that we were looking after for a friend at the time. So we got a 10 day course of anti inflammatory medication for him. 

Everything seemed to be going well, he was almost back to his usual self when on the last day of his medication (10 days after first issues started), he suddenly relapsed. He started looking agitated again, licking at his privates and constantly rushing to the litter box, not producing much urine but what was coming out was filled with blood... and of course this happened on a weekend    I suspect it may possibly have been triggered by having one of my ferrets in a cage in the laundry recovering from desexing surgery... My ferrets are usually in their play pen outside... 

We rushed him back to the vet on Sunday morning. Vet said his bladder is small but felt very hard and sore. An ultrasound showed no stones or debris. Thankfully he wasn't blocked yet (although the vet was surprised that he wasn't blocked!). She wanted to put him on IV fluids to help flush everything out, but being the weekend she didn't want to leave him on fluids at the clinic alone in case he did block. So we dosed him up on pain killers, valium and injected some fluids under his skin to get the process going and I took him home for that night.

Next morning (monday) I brought him to work with me and they put him on a drip straight away. He's been on the drip now for over 48 hours and he's staying on it for tonight as well. As far as I'm aware, he is improving, slowly though. 

I'm pretty sure he has what they call FIC (or FUS or FLUTD... they're all basically the same right?)

I'm keen to have him home because Its a bit lonely around here without him. But at the same time I'm absolutely terrified of this becoming a regular issue.

He's 6 years old and has never had any issues like this before... Its all very sudden and unexpected! Since we've had him (4 years) he's been on dry food (Supercoat for the first while, Blackhawk for the last 6 months or so). 

The vet is pushing that I switch him to 'Hills Prescription diet C/D Multicare Feline Bladder Health'. I'm not so keen on it because its crazy expensive and also because the ingredients don't look very good at all! Everything I've read about cats with bladder problems says that water intake is key and putting them on a meat diet is a great thing to do!

What I'm thinking of doing is putting him on a BARF raw diet. Most likely this brand https://www.bigdogpetfoods.com/products/turkey-barf/ (they also have other flavours - Fish and Kangaroo). I'd also give him some of the Hills C/D food, but only small amounts, it definitely wouldn't be his main diet!

I'm also going to get a water fountain and possibly use Feliway to help keep him relaxed.

He loves being an indoor cat, he rarely wants to go outside, so to reduce the chances of fights with stay cats or being chased by dogs and such, I'm thinking of setting him up with an outdoor cat enclosure that he can go in when he wants to go outside. 

I'd appreciate peoples thoughts on if I'm doing all the right things and if there is anything else I can do to help prevent any further problems!

Thanks so much in advance everyone 

Hi! I am sorry you are going through this. I have firsthand experience with this with my own cat and know how frustrating it can be.  Unfortunately FLUTD/FIC is extremely difficult to treat and to get 100% under control, and to be honest with you subsequent episodes are likely even if you do everything right. I don't say this to discourage you but because I think it's helpful to go into the situation with the realistic understanding that this is very likely to be an ongoing problem and that, unfortunately, you may have to come to have a 'new normal' with your cat.

Some suggestions:

-Diet: It is good to start here, and it's good you've already thought about it .Keep in mind when transitioning him that, you should transition food slowly, over the course of an entire week, and also that he might not take to it at first.  I think all wet is essential in a cat who really struggles with this, be that raw or canned.  I used to be suspicious of prescription food (and my own cat isn't currently on it) but in cats where crystals are contributing to the problem on an ongoing basis, the prescription food can sometimes provide an answer that other foods don't.

- 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 (or in your case visiting pets), travelling, moving things around, 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 should 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.  

-If you have other cats, try giving them separate places to eat. That can reduce stress in some cats.  They should have AT LEAST the number of cats+1 litterboxes between them.  He should have multiple places he can get water from.  I see you are getting a fountain but I'd add a few water bowls at other places in the house.

-Regarding litterboxes, whether or not you have other cats, more is better. 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 so that is a good thing that you are planning to try it.

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

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

Thank you so much Tulosai! 

maddogdodge said:

 
Thank you so much Tulosai! 

One thing I'm not sure about when it comes to changing his diet is the fact that for the past 4 years of his life, he's had dry food available 24/7... and with switching him to a meat diet, that is obviously going to have to change. I'll be switching him to 1 or 2 meals a day... Is there a particular way to go about this without stressing him out? I suppose I could just start offering lots of regular meals throughout the day and slowly just offer less meals until its down to just 2? Or would I be best to just straight out start the routine of 2 meals a day so he gets used to that quickly?

Do you think having a catnip plant in his outdoor enclosure would be a good thing? I've never actually tried any of my cats with catnip, but now I'm thinking I'll definitely at least get some catnip toys for them to play with, as well as some other new toys to keep their (Tank in particular) mind's active.

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Aw, he is so cute! How nice that the vet gives him a little bed

Regarding changing from free-feeding to set meal times, it really depends on the cat- some react more strongly than others. I think here it is also important to be consistent- it will be easier if he knows he can'rely' on getting meals at the same time each day, so I would pick times you know you will always be home barring some extreme circumstance and commit to feeding him then.

Catnip probably can't hurt? Some cats react to it and some don't but I don't see a disadvantage at all to presenting it to him.

I hope you'll keep us updated- it sounds like you've thought a lot about this and are doing everything right. Many vibes for you and Tank!!