Snicker's UTI recheck, what they said.....

3 weeks ago we had Snickers who is only about 6 or 7 to the vets because he was doing the "litter box dance", going in and out of the box driving himself crazy and not going much, turns out he had some crystals, got a shot of Convenia and some other things that I posted about here, was doing fine but had to go back Monday night for a recheck. We had a heck of a hard time catching him, so he was VERY stressed. They said his temp was 104.3 which they said was very high, so they did bloodwork and of course couldn't get a urine sample, but gave him fluids and he came home. Today they told me his bloodwork is pretty good, there was a bit of an elevation in certain white cells that she said could be either a glucose issue or intestinal parasites, but then said if he was very stressed which he was that could be the reason for these things including his temp being up? They said they could do a different glucose test and of course we could bring in a stool sample but naturally that would be another $168 and we have spent a small fortune lately on him plus all Sebastian went through, so I am going to ask my wife tonight what we should do. They would like us to get him and bring him in Saturday morning to try to get a urine sample so they can check that. A woman at work here said "if he is feeling fine and acting normal (he is) I would just see how he is the next few days", but they have the blood sample and it is only good for 5 days. What would you all do, let him go and see how he is, or have these tests run? They did show us how bad his gums were irritated and bleeding, and said he would need to have dental work and have some teeth pulled! Yikes.....

It sounds like you're dealing with a lot.  Get a copy of the blood work results and get a second opinion.  They should be able to get a urine specimen with a needle, not be expressing his bladder, which to me seems very painful.  With a temp that high, it wouldn't surprise me if he's got some kind of infection going on.  Do you have an ear thermometer?  You can use one to take his temp.  It's not quite as accurate as an anal thermometer, but it will give you an idea of what his temperature is.  (I had a conversation with my vet about this and she said that while not as accurate, at least you get a close reading and it's so easy to do on the kitty.)  Since he's eating well, not having litter box problems right now, I'd wait it out. 

Well Deb took him in to the vet yesterday morning and dropped him off in hopes that they could get a urine sample; he was so stressed out we hated to do it but we should see what if any UTI issues there are remaining, but he is acting just fine. Well, after about 3 hours they called her and said "we can't get any, his bladder is very small", so she picked him up and we learned nothing. The poor little guy gets so worked up when we have to catch him we don't want to take him anywhere now! I think we'll just let him alone, although his gums were really bad-do you all have your cat's teeth cleaned regularly?

I had cats for many years and didn't worry about regular cleaning because I didn't know it was important. However, then I adopted Polly age 8 and learned what a mistake that was. Long story short - after 3 years, she developed very expensive dental problems that might have been avoided with regular cleaning. She was probably in pain but never showed it - I felt just terrible. Now I have Paul and Chula who are almost 3 and am going to be looking into it when they go for their annual check-up in Feb.

Many vets run a dental special in February.  You could do it then and while he's out, they could try to get some urine.  Or, you could take him to a different vet for a second opinion.

Les26 said:

 
Well Deb took him in to the vet yesterday morning and dropped him off in hopes that they could get a urine sample; he was so stressed out we hated to do it but we should see what if any UTI issues there are remaining, but he is acting just fine. Well, after about 3 hours they called her and said "we can't get any, his bladder is very small", so she picked him up and we learned nothing. The poor little guy gets so worked up when we have to catch him we don't want to take him anywhere now! I think we'll just let him alone, although his gums were really bad-do you all have your cat's teeth cleaned regularly?

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I'm so sorry for Snickers not feeling well.  My Tiger often used the litter box just prior to vetty visits which meant she had an empty bladder and would frequently need to stay at the vet. But my vet would always administer sub Q fluids so she never had to stay very long and never left without a cystocentesis.

I was ignorant of the importance of dental cleaning until such time that Tiger became a senior with diabetes and ckd, plus I had a different vet clinic back then. Now I have a dental specialty clinic all ready for my two kittens. And yes,  I have heard February is often the month for "specials" on dental cleaning.

Thanks all for the heads-up about dental cleaning in February! He seems just fine right now, so we'll give him a rest from the stress of going for awhile unless he needs something!