Hi everyone, so on Friday my cat Henrietta just randomly showing signs of being uncomfortable or in pain - meowing weakly, hiding, not wanting to be touched, tail tucked - she ran to the litter box and squatted but nothing came out, and she was sort of grunting. I grabbed her and took to the emergency vet in a panic thinking she might have a urinary blockage that could be fatal (only later found out it's not really common in female cats...). The vet did a urinalysis that came back clean and a rectal exam in case it was something to do with her slightly hard stools. She didn't do an xray but told me that they would have seen signs of stones in the urinalysis so even though that bugged me trying to believe that. She decided it's probably stress-related FIC and sent me home with gabapentin to use 3 times a day for a week and then as needed.
It's true that Henry is an EXTREMELY anxious cat - my home is very calm, very rarely gets visitors, is "catified" to the best of my ability. Hell, I won't even throw out the cardboard and packing paper she loves playing with or get rid of old furniture if she likes it! She had a difficult past, being born on the street, only rescued at 5 years old and then getting attacked and having her leg broken by a new dog that came into her last foster home
But even beyond that, I was reading about how FIC cats often just have neurological differences that give them a heightened stress response to, well, everything. I have a Feliway Optimum diffuser, stick as best as I can to consistent times for her care routines and play with her for 15 minutes 3-4 times a day.
But now with this urinary flare up, I think I need to get serious about treating her anxiety. The Gabapentin is helping her with the painful urination for now but I don't think it's ideal long term since it's so hard to get her to take the pills. I got her the Zylkene calming supplement the vet recommended, but she hates the taste (can't believe they say it's tasteless - I tried a tiny bit of the power and it's very bitter). A vet friend recommended the urinary + stress foods they make but she is extremely fussy and I'm tired of wasting hundreds of dollars on foods she won't touch. (my vet only sells them in 24 packs!). I considered the Purina Calm Priobiotic Supplement since she likes the taste of Fortiflora... does anyone have suggestions for supplements that really work (things I can get in Canada)? Maybe something I could put in her ear since she's so fussy with food, maybe a tasteless CBD oil? Or any other really effective treatment options, whether it's medicine, supplements or environmental things.
There's also part of me wondering if I totally misinterpreted her trip to the litter box as being the cause and what if it's actually something else? Any advice for this stressed out cat mom is super appreciated
It's true that Henry is an EXTREMELY anxious cat - my home is very calm, very rarely gets visitors, is "catified" to the best of my ability. Hell, I won't even throw out the cardboard and packing paper she loves playing with or get rid of old furniture if she likes it! She had a difficult past, being born on the street, only rescued at 5 years old and then getting attacked and having her leg broken by a new dog that came into her last foster home
But even beyond that, I was reading about how FIC cats often just have neurological differences that give them a heightened stress response to, well, everything. I have a Feliway Optimum diffuser, stick as best as I can to consistent times for her care routines and play with her for 15 minutes 3-4 times a day.But now with this urinary flare up, I think I need to get serious about treating her anxiety. The Gabapentin is helping her with the painful urination for now but I don't think it's ideal long term since it's so hard to get her to take the pills. I got her the Zylkene calming supplement the vet recommended, but she hates the taste (can't believe they say it's tasteless - I tried a tiny bit of the power and it's very bitter). A vet friend recommended the urinary + stress foods they make but she is extremely fussy and I'm tired of wasting hundreds of dollars on foods she won't touch. (my vet only sells them in 24 packs!). I considered the Purina Calm Priobiotic Supplement since she likes the taste of Fortiflora... does anyone have suggestions for supplements that really work (things I can get in Canada)? Maybe something I could put in her ear since she's so fussy with food, maybe a tasteless CBD oil? Or any other really effective treatment options, whether it's medicine, supplements or environmental things.
There's also part of me wondering if I totally misinterpreted her trip to the litter box as being the cause and what if it's actually something else? Any advice for this stressed out cat mom is super appreciated
. That leads me to believe the one for pets is made differently. I should probably put a drop or two in my mouth to find out.
