I'm having so many problems! Please help!!

Hello All!

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve posted on here before about my cats problems with peeing outside the litterbox. What was happening was sometimes sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d go in it, other times elsewhere. We brought her to the vet and found out she had a urinary tract infection. He gave her antibiotics, and said that he wanted to do blood work to find out if its her bad kidneys, the infection, or a bad neutering job thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s causing it. The only problem with that is, outside of the cost, finding out whether its kidneys or the surgery wont matter because thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s no treatment for it. However we just found that sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s STILL peeing (or the other cat, but like I said, weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re locking her up tonight to find out for sure)! This has to mean the antibiotics arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t working, or that itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s one of the other two problems – but HELP!!! How can it be possible for her to have urinary problems and just not be able to keep her from peeing around the house?!?!

All our vet says it to keep bringing her in, but nothing is working and we canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t keep affording to bring her there, get all the meds, and still have no results!

The litterbox is almost always clean ( I was cleaning every other day now to every day), we spilt them up so there are 2, she got the new one so that there were no “bad memories,†weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve kept her on her special diet from the vet (which sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s thrown up 2 days in a row) and never missed giving her her meds, but there is STILL PEE IN THE HOUSE!!!
We've cleaned previous spots with cleaner, she's finding new ones, now I'm going to try my mom's old cure - taking their dry food (that they cherish) and putting it in piles in places they went and haven't gone yet. She said they will see the food, and smell it after it's gone (even if we won't) and will never go on that spot. This is my last resort, but if she's till going to pee somewhere, I'm sure she'll find another spot

Can ANYONE help me!!!!! Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m at my wits end!

Have you thought about a cat behaviorist to come in and give you an assessment of the situation? Sometimes, a knowledgeable third party can give you a perspective that you can't see.

Another alternative is to take the cat to a specialist, and feline only vet and have them look at her.

URI's can be reoccurring if it is severe enough, and life-threatening if not treated.

Well I'm sure this is still from the same infeciton, this has all been within MAX 2 weeks time, since she started peeing more, brought her in got her meds, and found she's still peeing while still on meds and still on special diet, but her behavior has gotten better, whereas before she was sleeping a lot and not interested in much, now she's playing all crazy again and seemingly back to normal, except for the peeing.

Hi,
I don't understand your comment that if it's kidney's there is nothing that could be done about it. In terms of a cure if she's now developed chronic kidney failure, that is true, but there is a lot that could be done to manage the condition.

Perhaps I mis-understood?

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Hi,
I don't understand your comment that if it's kidney's there is nothing that could be done about it. In terms of a cure if she's now developed chronic kidney failure, that is true, but there is a lot that could be done to manage the condition.

Perhaps I mis-understood?

Click to expand...

Well, the vet said that doing the blood work would determine that cause of the infection, bacteria, bad kidneys, or a bad surgery, but that there would be no treatments for it, no way of "fixing" her, if you will, so that she wouldn't be peeing all over the place.

That's not true at all. I had one kitty that kept peeing all over the planet. We could never figure out why, ran all the blood work, did all the expensive tests, and still she kept peeing. So finally we went into her world (cat's are very mental) I started keeping track of when she would miss the litter pans and took notes as to what was going on at the time. Turned out that the appearance of one of my cats from the outdoors- my cats are inside/outside would throw her into a tizzy and she would stress out and start to pee. I rehomed her after a lot of thought and consideration. In her new home, she is an "only" cat and will remain so. They love and adore her and she has never missed the pan, not once. She did have (while with me) reoccuring infections of the bladder (which I now believe was brought on by stress). So sometimes you have to reconsider what one professional is telling you and go to another that is more equipped to help you. Sounds to me like this vet just doesn't want to bother, possibly because he understands that money is a hardship for you.

Originally Posted by RogueAngel

Well, the vet said that doing the blood work would determine that cause of the infection, bacteria, bad kidneys, or a bad surgery, but that there would be no treatments for it, no way of "fixing" her, if you will, so that she wouldn't be peeing all over the place.

Click to expand...

I'm sorry but I just don't agree with that.

I suggest a second vet opinion, and going ahead to get a diagnosis, so what is wrong *can* be treated.

If it's an infection & that is why she's peeing outside the box, it can be treated, if one antibiotic isn't working, then maybe a second one will.

If it's bad kidneys, there is a lot that can be done, and it may help with the inappropriate peeing, please check out Tanya's site...sorry that I can't put in a clickable link, I'm getting an error message, so just go to:
http://www.felinecrf.org and especially check out the sections on urinary tract infection, and on inappropriate urination.

If she has a cystitis, perhaps a different dietary approach is what is needed along with supplementing with glucosamine (which is what my vet had me do with my Lyra who had cystitis).

If it's a bad surgery, I don't know what could be done...but in any case, as I am not a vet or vet tech, I am asking that the TCS vet tech advisor come read over and comment on this thread. If I've been incorrect, she'll correct me, and she may have additional comments.

Please...if you haven't already done so with this vet, I would get a second vet opinion.

I just went through this with my oldest cat, Hans. My entire family was under the impression that if a cat starts peeing all over the house, there's nothing that can be done but put it to sleep - which just isn't true! He was misdiagnosed two times until the vet finally had a chance to express his bladder and find a bunch of teensy-tiny stones. And in that second the "why" was answered and a solution was presented that saved his life.

I know that blood work can be pricey. (Believe me, I know!! I've had it done multiple times in the past 6 months because my cat's keep getting sick.) But look at it this way - if the only other option is to put the cat to sleep to stop the behaviour, wouldn't you want to do everything in your power to know that it's something that can't be fixed? If it's her kidney's, that's one thing. But if it's an infection that can be treated and she's made healthy - then that's wonderful! (Because infections and bacteria CAN be treated, and easily in most cases, as soon as the culprit is identified.) Would you really be comfortable living with the knowledge that you haven't done everything in your power to make her better? I'm not trying to guilt-trip you, but I want you to think about it now so you won't regret it later.

You and your vet don't really seem to be forming a very good relationship; I think a new vet is in order. You can get your vet's office to photocopy or fax kitty's records to another clinic.
"The only problem with that is, outside of the cost, finding out whether its kidneys or the surgery wont matter because thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s no treatment for it.""
I don't understand what your vet is talking about, saying he can get results from the blood test but then do nothing about it. There is treatment for kidney disease; as for a 'bad surgery' I'm not sure what he means?
Has she been on the same antibiotic both times, or has it been 2 kinds? Also, what drug was it?
Keep us posted!

How old is your cat? When was she spayed?
Your vets reasoning just does not make sense. If she is young- CRF seems unlikely. If her inappropriate bathroom habits started just after her spay then that is a possibility, but if it has been a lonk time since her spay then a "bad surgery" seems unlikely.
It basically comes down to a lack of diagnosis. Your vet cannot treat her without a diagnosis. Your vet has treated once with antibiotics but has not narrowed down the LONG list of differentials:

Infection (Treated with antibiotics)
Crystals (treated with diet changes)
Behaviour (treated with behaviour modification and sometimes anti-anxiety drugs)
Idiopathic cystitis (treated with anti-inflammatories and sometimes anti-anxiety drugs)

Trying to treat her without working her up is just shooting blind and will probably cost more in the long run. I agree with all of the advice you have been given so far- including possibly finding a new vet.