So it turns out my cat's very frequent urinary issues (3 episodes in 2 months) are not bacterial (culture done) but likely ideopathic cystitis/FLUTD. She has been on Gabapentin and a diet change to canned since her last episode. We may go the Prozac route next but taking it day to day. In the meantime, the vet said we can try sprinkling Cosequin on her food as a preventative. She said some have had luck with this and it isn't harmful to try. Just wondering if this has helped anyone's cat with FLUTD issues? Or other ideas?
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Cosequin for ideopathic cystitis
- Thread starter mishyg
- Start Date
Hi! I know that Cosequin contains an anti-inflammatory, which often can help cats with FIC. Cosequin is also good for joint health, just as an added benefit. There are other anti-inflammatories you can ask your vet about besides Cosequin. Adding water to her diet, such as through a water fountain, and multiple water dishes, to help entice her to drink more might not be a bad idea either. If she is amenable, you can add a bit of water to her canned food too.
Because stress is often behind FIC, making sure her environment is enriched with toys, cat trees/perches, and extra play time with you might help her as well. Calming products help some cats, but not all work on all cats, so you may have to do some experimenting. Just search the internet for 'cat calming products' to see which ones you might want to try. There is even music for cats to help reduce stress and, videos as well!!
Since this would appear to be a recent development (?), check for new stressors in your home - new housemates (human or animal), changes in furniture/etc., and also pay attention if there could be something going on outside your home that might be impacting her - stray cat, new noises in the neighborhood, and so on. Identifying and eliminating stressors, if you can, is a big key in helping to reduce FIC incidents.
Hoping other members will come along soon and have their own ideas to offer!!
Because stress is often behind FIC, making sure her environment is enriched with toys, cat trees/perches, and extra play time with you might help her as well. Calming products help some cats, but not all work on all cats, so you may have to do some experimenting. Just search the internet for 'cat calming products' to see which ones you might want to try. There is even music for cats to help reduce stress and, videos as well!!
Since this would appear to be a recent development (?), check for new stressors in your home - new housemates (human or animal), changes in furniture/etc., and also pay attention if there could be something going on outside your home that might be impacting her - stray cat, new noises in the neighborhood, and so on. Identifying and eliminating stressors, if you can, is a big key in helping to reduce FIC incidents.
Hoping other members will come along soon and have their own ideas to offer!!
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- #4
Thank you so much for your reply! Yes, this is a recent development. No new furniture, no new pets, no new humans, and I don't think anything extraordinary is going on outside. However, 7 months ago I started working from home and I know that is certainly a big change. But the bladder issues started only 2 months ago - seems like it would have started earlier if that was the stressor factor but maybe?? (And if that is the case I don't know what I could do to remedy that since I am home indefinitely.)
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It could take awhile for her to get to the point of causing enough stress to develop FIC, though that is coming strictly from my layperson's opinion. Routine changes could be enough to create anxiety in some cats. If you are in 'her space' because you are home, that alone could start a trigger point. If it was quiet before you started working at home, and now it is not, ditto. Changing up feeding times can even make a difference in skittish cats. Any changes in routine can stress a cat out, if they are prone to not adapting well to change.
How old is she? The older, the more likely, there could be another health related issue creating this situation. When was she last through a complete vet check (bloodwork, including a Chemical profile)? If all that has been done, you could consider a second opinion from a vet of an entirely different practice (to avoid colleague bias). You should be able to request a copy of all of her records (for free) to share with another vet to reduce possible redundant testing.
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- #6
Thanks again for your thoughtful and helpful response! She is 7, not that old but definitely skittish. They ran blood work when they did the culture but not sure exactly what they checked for, I should ask. The vet says she is "giving them a run for their money" in trying to get to the bottom of what's going on. She just got over episode 3 and right now I am hanging my hopes on the canned prescription diet, the gabapentin (which has some anti-anxiety effects along with pain relief) and the cosequin (just ordered). If an episode 4 starts (pattern has been every 2 to 3 weeks) it is either prozac (not sure how I feel about that, but if anxiety-related might be worth a shot ) and/or a specialist for another opinion. It's been a frustrating ride. This just seems to have popped up out of nowhere and keeps returning.
