Stress bladder & an anxious owner

Firstly, I have to say thank you to a lot of you, as over the past few weeks the posts on these forums have helped immensely!

I have a two (nearly three) year old tabby. Starting a couple of months ago, she started showing signs of an UTI. I myself have terrible anxiety, and naturally fretted. My cat, like all of you, is my everything. Puss was off to the vet within a matter of hours. The diagnoses was a UTI, and a urinalysis confirmed this. We were sent home with two types of medication. The days were tough, seeing her straining broke my heart. She was however, back to normal within about five days.

A few short weeks later, I heard some distressed calls coming from the litter box. I immediately panicked and new the infection was back. Again, we were back at the vet within hours, and this time the physical examination lead to the diagnosis of stress bladder. A proposed causes was my anxiety and stress. This broke my heart. The being that I was responsible for was in pain because of me. The vet's suggestion was to have Puss stay the day for examination at the vet. We agreed. They would attempt a urinalysis during this time. Come 5.00pm, I receive a call to say that Puss has been extremely stressed all day. Crying, and hissing from the fear of being in an unfamiliar place. I could hear her crying as soon as I walked through the door. I collected Puss from the back, -and was told no urine sample could be taken given her distressed state. I understood. The vet confirmed that having a stressed cat, stay the day, was probably not a good idea. We were sent home with anti-inflammatory medication. A few anxious days later, we were back to normal.

We made some environment changes following this. I had been informed of many holistic approaches to dealing with stress bladder. We added an additional litter box, extra water dishes and Puss was treated with a new set of fun toys. A few weeks went by, and again I noticed some frequenting of the litter box. Similarly to last time. I immediately assumed Puss was stressed. Rather than rushing to the vet, we thought we would give it some time. I gave Puss very small doses of apple cider vinegar, as a homeopathic remedy. Within two days she was completely fine. We identified that removing grains from her diet could assist, and immediately did so.

Now here we are, Friday night, and the horrible cry at the litter box appeared again. This started when Puss noticed I was cleaning her litter. I had just started when she can to come over (this was common). This time, she jumped in and attempted to urinated. I had moved away to give her space of courSe. I could tell at this stage that the problem could be back. I cleaned and changed her litter, and rest assured, she is frequenting and straining.

I feel so bad for my girl and now really don't know what to do. Puss still has her appetite, that's for sure. She is approx. 1kg overweight. She is fed two cans of fancy feast Royale a day. She has free access to a small amount of grain free dry food throughout the day. She also enjoys some grain free treats. We have cut back portions slowly over time, and are actively trying to reduce her weight, without stressing her out. We have increased play time a lot to assist. Also to keep her happy. She is a very active, playful kitty! Puss does, in my opinion drinks a lot of water, and would urinate a lot when not unwell. I would say during my time home, four decent amounts. I know that sounds odd to know, but this entire ordeal has made me anxious of her litter habits.

I am unsure what I should do now. I am willing to switch to prescription diets however this hasn't been offered or suggested. If I am being completely honest, I know I need to do better with the cleanliness of her litter box. Puss will certainly be going to the vet first thing tomorrow. I don't know what I should say. I feel as tho this issue could be bigger than what they think. I know that it is probably my anxious personality, but her usual drinking habits and urinating habits cause me concern also. The frequency of these issues must be terrifying for my poor girl. Our vet is great and very accommodating to my panicky calls requesting urgent appointments. However I was to make sure she is going to be okay.

If any body has had any similar situations and can provide some clarify it would be extremely appreciated. Thank you all.

I am sorry you and Puss are going through such a hard time with this issue.  Have you checked to see if there are any mobile vets in your area?  I am thinking that might be a better option for Puss if it is possible.  If you feel comfortable posting more information about where you are located I would be happy to do some research for you to see if this would work for you and also check if the Feliway products I mentioned below are available for purchase locally in your area.

I do have another idea you could try if the mobile vet is not an option too.  Perhaps you could try to see if you could find Feliway Spray or wipes and use them on the carrier today before you take Puss to the vet.  I have a cat that hates the carrier and is terrified of car rides.  My current vet gave us a sample feliway wipe to use on her carrier for her next visit.  My hubby had to take her to the vet while I was at work and it usually takes both of us to get her in the carrier.  My hubby wiped down the carrier with the Feliway and it really helped calm Starbuck down.  She only fought him a little bit going into the carrier but was much calmer once she was in it.  She also only complained a little bit in the car.  She used to scream like she was being murdered and pee on herself.  She is also scared of people other than us. She was much calmer during the vet exam. After the appointment she actually took a nap in her carrier on the way home.  When she got home she hung out with my hubby instead of hiding under the bed for hours.  Starbuck has always had issues with being in the car.  She was abandoned out a car window when she was a baby.  I have had her for 9 years and this fear has never completely gone away.

One thing I did with one of my cats when he had to go to the vet for a UTI was to increase his water intake before the appointment. I gave him a can of watered down wet food and also gave him his own cup of water.  Sonny loves to drink out of cups and glassed but I do not normally leave them out for him since he also likes to spill them.  I did this based on advice from a friend who had dealt with UTI issues in one of her cats. Also if Puss is hard to medicate ask about medicines done by injection. I went this route with Sonny because he is a large cat who is impossible to medicate.

I second the idea of getting Feliway!  AND adding water to her wet food, just to get more water in her. 

Now let's address her litter box.  Does she only have one?  If so, I would get her another one.  And just make it a habit of scooping it out in the morning when you get up (say right before you brush your teeth or some time when you can just make it part of your daily morning routine), and right before you go to bed.  That way they will always be fairly clean. 

Sounds like you are definitely on the right track about how to reduce her stress.  Play, play, play.  Do you have any climbing posts or elevated areas for her?  That can be helpful.  There are also cat "CD's" with music made specifically for cats!  Maybe there's also something in this article that you'll find helpful:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/six-surefire-strategies-to-reduce-stress-in-cats

You really need to cut out all the dry food out of her diet, especially with cats that have a history of urinary issues you really need a strict no kibble policy. Look at giving her d-mannose. 

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/urinary-tract-disorders-in-cats/