Cat Got Pu Surgery But Has Frequent Flare Ups

[toulousesmomma]

My boy cat Toulouse is turning 10 this year. He got the PU surgery when he was only 3-4 years old and has had flare ups at least twice a year since. When i first got him i was a teenager and my mom bought the cheapest dry food on the market. When he started having this issues I started getting him wet food (still low quality like friskies and meow mix) and feeding dry. it kept happening so i did some research and tried to get him some higher quality stuff. i fed a bunch of different things, wellness core, weruva, merricks, etc. and i cut dry out completely. occasionally he will get some kibbles of dry because my other cat eats dry and so does my dog and toulouse is a fiend for it. im wondering if that could be causing flare ups? or am i not feeding good enough food. when money is very tight i get him fancy feast because at least that is grain free. but i try to get him higher quality stuff. my question is does anyone have a post PU cat or a cat with chronic UTI’s have any idea what is the best food to prevent this? and please do not suggest science diet or royal canin. even if i trusted those companies and they worked i still cant afford it. are there any additives or supplements i could get him to help prevent flare ups?? thank you everyone

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I have read several threads on this site from members who have been through PU surgery with their cats, so I am sure that as soon as some of them have time to log on and read through new posts, they will be glad to offer their input! So, be patient and check back often for new responses.

In the meantime, has the vet checked for other possible causes of the recurring UTIs, such as unrelated urinary/renal issues, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or even cystitis? Any of these, along with other conditions, could be contributing to the UTIs. Does your vet routinely check for bladder stones as well, given Toulouse's history? Since it has happened pretty routinely since his surgery several years ago, I am wondering if it is cystitis.

I have also heard that if cats tend to eat only once or twice per day, then encouraging them to eat smaller amounts more often may help to prevent recurrences of UTIs - it seems to help with causing them to empty their bladder more often. So, perhaps you can try encouraging Toulouse to eat his daily food in 3 or 4 small portions instead of only 1 or 2 portions?

 

[toulousesmomma]

so he definitely had cystitis before the surgery. i get yearly senior blood work done on him since hes gotten older and blood work always looks good. every time he has had bloody urine since the surgery they check his blood and its always just a ton of bacteria but no crystals. not sure id they have checked him for stones. would they do that with an x ray or ultra sound? i can try the feeding thing!

 

[toulousesmomma]

also it just happened today so the vets are closed but im hoping to get him in on tuesday. he is walking around meowing eating drinking and cuddling like normal but if he becomes lethargic or stops eating before tuesday i will take him to our emergency vet

 

[FeebysOwner]

The vet can check for stones/crystals in the bladder via an x-ray. That is a tad bit different than checking the urine for crystals/residue, so you might want to ask about that.

But, the bacteria always showing up in his urine is weird. The key question there is why? Cystitis is generally an inflammation of the bladder lining, but in many cases it doesn't necessarily involve bacteria. Something is causing him to repeatedly have unusual amounts of bacteria showing up in his urine. I guess I'd ask the vet to explain that so that you have a better idea of what could be behind that. Maybe cats who have been through PU surgery are prone to bacterial issues?

This is when I hope other members who know more about the long term issues with PU surgery come to give their first-hand experiences. There has got to be some plausible explanations that they could give you as well!!

 

[toulousesmomma]

so my theory is that because of the nature of the PU surgery the area is open and more prone to infections? but im not sure i dont know anyone else who has a cat thats had the PU surgery so i cant ask if its common. im going to scrub his litter boxes and try changing them more frequently so there is less bacteria for him but other than that idk what to do

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am still hoping some other members can come along and offer some ideas. You may be in 'foreign' territory (which is very good! but somewhat bad) because many on this site have either not been able to accomplish what you have or are not as far along in terms of success. Ask the vet if your theory is plausible.

 

[Jem]

I don't have experience with PU surgery exactly, but have you thought about changing the type of litter you use? Sometimes chronic UTIs can be lessened by changing the litter to something that produces less dust and also NON clay types.

 

[toulousesmomma]

i dont use clay litter ever. i switched them to feline pine a while ago for this exact reason!

 

[rogue22912]

Hi my boy Gotham had the pu surgery last oct/nov and since then he has had 3 UTI. I had been feeding him royal canine wet food for urinary but that didn't work since he did get the uti while on that food I am also looking at different options for food. they use to get tractor supply 4 health dry food which is a really good food in my option and I just found out that the 4 health now make a urinary food with no need for an rx which I might be switching over too.

I have also thrown around the idea of feeding raw food I am still in the process of rescreching that. I have also been trying to reduce his stress which seems to help I have also trying CBD oil which I have noticed a difference in his stress level since using it

 

[toulousesmomma]

so update we went to the vet and he has crystals again he hasnt had crystals in a very long time! im not sure how to make it so he doesnt get them

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for the update, but sorry to hear about the crystals. Did he also have a urinary infection?

What did the vet suggest?

Would Toulouse and you be willing to try increasing the number of meals he eats (just smaller amounts each time)? And, do you think he would eat canned food with some water added to it for extra moisture?

Also, see if the Purina Pro urinary canned food is any cheaper than Hill's or RC - I believe it is, but by how much I don't know.

I am not sure what else to offer, as ever since Feeby had to have bladder surgery 10 years ago for stones, she has been on Hill's and RC, and hasn't had any stones develop since then. So, fortunately, I haven't had to try any sort of supplements. I am sure other members have and will offer their input soon!!

 

[toulousesmomma]

they also did an xray, no stones at this time. my vet did say that cats who get the pu surgery are more prone to getting UTIs in the future but idk about cyrstals

 

[toulousesmomma]

vet put him on some antibiotics even tho they wernt able to get a urine sample :/ they said his bladder was too small to get one but he wants to check back in aa week. i am currently feeding him small meals four times a day canned with extra water

 

[shadowsrescue]

The best thing you can do is get water water water into his system. I too have a cat who had PU surgery. It was 2 years ago. He had a flare this past March. He completely blocked again. He had a UTI that would not clear and then the blockage. I had cut out dry completely 2 years ago. Yet he was not a water drinker at all. For food I did homecooked and added a tablespoon of water to each meal. I believe it might have been too much complete protein for his system.

The vet wanted him on prescription canned food. Yet he doesn't like it. I have him on Wellness canned food only and now add 2 Tablespoons of water to his morning and evening meals and 1 T. to the small snack he gets at lunch. I monitor is urinary habits like a crazy person. I watch for urine output amount as well as any straining. I now have wireless cameras on the litter boxes as I have 5 other cats so I need to be sure he is going every day.

I found a wonderful facebook group called Feline Lower Urinary Tract. You have to be approved to join, but they are the most knowledgeable people on earth. I now have Cisco on a few supplements and he is doing so much better. This is a complete life altering change. He is at greater risk for blocking again and each time he blocks he has less and less chance of surviving since he already had the PU surgery.

I must stress again..... water water water. This second time he blocked he was at the emergency vet for 4 days. Once home he didn't want to eat or drink. I had to syringe feed him and syringe him water too. I continued to syringe him water each day for weeks. Do whatever you can to get as much water into his system. Many cats don't like to drink water on their own. I even tried a water fountain and he rarely touched it. Adding more water to his wet food is the answer for us. Also no dry at all.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I didn't think of it until I read shadowsrescue post and for some reason it crossed my mind then - I guess the water, water, water remark (which is true, true, true). Some cats LOVE to drink from dripping water faucets. Maybe you could try that and see if he is interested in drinking like that. Not to say to leave a faucet on all the time, but if he does like it that way, there are water fountain made for cat that mimic the leaking water from a faucet.

Also, shadowsrescue , can you share some of the supplements that are working for Cisco, just in case they might work for toulousesmomma and Toulouse?