One Of My Strays Has U.t.i....need Advice !!

[Sarthur2]

Poor thing, I hope he's not suffering urine burn down his legs. You are very kind to care for him!

 

[backwoodsvet]

Oatie Update: he got his first dose of amoxcillin on Tues. morning, i mixed it in one of his favorite wet food and he gobbled it right up, so i don't think there will be any food-masking issue......he'll get his second dose here this morning(Wed.).....so far all is looking good, no change in him, little light on weight(at one time, i would have guessed him at 10 lbs. but now, maybe 7 or 8, no-way to weigh him), soaked back legs and not chipper like normal when he's healthy..............

 

[Sarthur2]

I sure hope he begins to show some improvement.

Does he eat once or twice a day? Ideally he should get the correct dose twice a day if possible.

 

[backwoodsvet]

Oatie update: He gobbled up his third dose this morning(Thurs.) and he seemed more chiper this morning, even let me stroke him a few times, his eyes looked a lot better, more cleared up, around back i could say still damp but not soaked, and best of all, still has a great appetite.................This cat and the rest of the group is over a mile from my house that's why i can only get to him once a day........................other kind people who care leave food(dry/table scraps) here and there but not on a regular basis, but i'm thankful for any help that's why i don't mind cleaning food/water bowls up there even if they do put table scraps in them..........

 

[msaimee]

That's great to hear that he's getting better and that he's consuming the food with the Fishmox in it. Hopefully he'll continue to improve

 

[Sarthur2]

Give it to him for at least 10 days, possibly 14 since it's only once a day.

Glad to hear that he is showing inprovement and let you pet him!

You may want to add probiotic powder in case the meds upset his tummy.

 

[backwoodsvet]

Oatie update: (Saturday) Mentally he's back to his old self, fast pace out to the food station, and he would have let me pet him for as long as i wanted to stay today, he still has dampness on upper legs only now and a little harder to spot which is a big improvement, and i got a good look into his eyes and face, looking real good there, all this after 4 doses, a noticeable improvement, looks like he'll need about another week's worth and he'll be fine, hopefully................when it comes to "Oatie", I always said that "if" i could have one more cat here at the house, he'd be the first one i'd bring home, he's already "fixed"(TNR) and was always friendly..........

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds like he would benefit from going home to live with you!

 

[backwoodsvet]

No, I'm full up here, probably did'nt need the last three new arrivals (kittens, 2 orphaned, 1 dropoff)but if i ever get down to about five, like i said, Oatie would be the first one i'd bring home.............Oatie update: Sunday morning he appeared completely dry on back legs, no doubt Amoxicillin works, this all is really just in time, it's looks like rain on wed. (can't care for cats down the road on rainy days)and cold nights after that 30's, so getting him ready for cold nights coming up will be great..........

 

[Sarthur2]

Try not to miss doses if at all possible.

Have you set up winter shelters for Oatie and the others? If so you can put food inside of the shelters on bad days.

 

[backwoodsvet]

any food left out overnight, either down the road or at my house becomes dinner for raccoons, o'possum, coyote, bobcat, and bear.....can't leave food out in wild area's like here, i don't even drive my car at night because of the abundance of deer................Oatie update: as of Tues. morning, slight dampness on legs but chiper as always and good appetite but still has 3-7 dose's coming yet................the dump down the road is a fenced off do not enter area unless the attendant is there which is just 3-4 hours a day, i feed and care at the fence without entering and try to keep that as private as possible(even out in the woods where i live, there's cat haters) unfixed female cats and any kittens living up there seem to have a habit of disappearing, i've heard stories of unspay females any kittens being taken 20 miles to town to the shelter, where most taken there will die. that's why i just brought 2 kittens home from there a couple of months ago(that i did'nt need) because i knew what would be their final fate. this site is constantly having an over-population issue, the one's that don't get bothered up there is the males, Oatie is the only one left up there after a TNR operation fixed about 6-8 of them some 3-5 years ago, as of now theres about a dozen up there, i can touch and pet about 8 of them and about 4 that i can't. there all male but one that i know of and she's not fixed and sometimes i fear for her fate, she has been pregnant once before and i still don't know what happened to them kittens, but like i said, i've got stuff out here that would have a newborn kitten for a late night snack...............i hate long post but i wanted ya to understand the situation more.............

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds like a rough situation. Sure wish you could TNR the female, as well as bring Oatie home.

 

[msaimee]

Could you bring him home until his infection is completely healed ? It's important that he gets the antibiotics daily for two weeks. If he misses a day, be sure and give it to him the next day. If he stops getting the antibiotics before the infection is completely cleared, the infection can come back even worse. Then you will be back to the beginning of the treatment process all over again. Perhaps if you take him into your home and get him healthy you could find a good home for him. Some cats aren't strong enough to survive outside.

 

[backwoodsvet]

no way bringing him home, i'm already juggling a situation here between my older group that i saved several years ago and the three new arrivals, i kinda keep the older group inside and the 3 new kittens on the front porch, adding a completely new arrival, no matter how tame Oatie is, would cause me a mess added to a already delicate situation, like i've said several times, as far as the house is concerned, i full up here and cannot add anymore...........the best i can do for Oatie is treat him down the road, believe me i take no pleasure in saying that, it's Wed. morning and i'm not throwing in the towel yet but there's a fifty fifty chance that i cant get to him today because of rain showers, but i'm keeping my eyes pealed on weather radar and maybe shoot up there during a break which i've done many times in the past, so got to go so i can be ready to dash............

 

[backwoodsvet]

Oatie update: (Wed.) (I was able to get up there in between rain showers)he got to the food tray quick enough, his coat looks much better than a week ago, eyes and mouth area look great, still got dampness up high on his legs, still has a good appetite, this is after 8 doses of amoxicillin, it may take a little longer with him being i can only tend to him daily and the infection was so profuse before treatment began(twice I really thought he was going to join the pet graveyard in the backyard), but i'll keep treatment up till we beat this, he has come a long way...............

 

[backwoodsvet]

Update: (Thurs.) Could'nt get to Oatie on Thurs. because it rained all day, remember my feeding tray is in the open air and rain is the only thing that stops me from feeding down the road, got the same situation today, soon as i get off here, i've got to be ready to dash if i can get a break long enough to get up there to treat Oatie and feed all, right now it looks like a flip of the coin, but ya never know, weather changes all the time here and i've got till about noon, after that i would attract to much unwanted attention, not very often do i have trouble with rain two days in a row, i tried to get up there yesterday but ran into a downpour and had to turn around and head back............These strays down the road, have no shelters per say, just a few small structures to find cover, i say that because bring them out from a warm spot during inclement weather not knowing if they can get back to that warm, secure spot, may do more harm than good, i've treated my share of "colds" up there, but then again, i'm in Florida so weather is'nt ever that big of a deal till now of all times..............

 

[msaimee]

Why not put out the food even if it rains? The food would get a little mushy, but that's okay. Some people actually moisten dry food with water for their cats. If the cats are dependent on you for food, it's better to leave the food out even if it rains. They can very easily eat in the rain or when it lets up and return to where they are sheltering. It's important not to keep missing days of the antibiotics because the infection won't completely heal and may come back worse. Is there a way you can take a picture of Oatie and try to find someone who will give him a home? If he's not feral, and if he can be handled, you might be able to find someone who can adopt him. It sounds like life outdoors is very difficult for him.

 

[backwoodsvet]

Oatie Update: (Fri.) So i made it up there, he and few others ran out to meet me, hard to tell how much dampness on legs is urine or rain water cause all cats there this morning was damp, but he gobbled up his med's and looks in pretty good shape, i'll give him a better look-over tomarrow when the weather is better......................@msaimee, It's not so much for the food getting mushie as for me getting up there, don't want to use car, it's old and I need it the rest of my life so i either walk or ride bike and it's just over a mile up there, so that's why i need at least a 45 min. break in the rain to even get there and back, and as i've said, "any" leaving out of any kind of food in my area, your just feeding coon's and possum's and other wildlife that may not be good around cat traffic, look it's a dump, so i'm sure it gets visited by all wildlife out there at night but that's why when i feed, i only put out enough so there's not a pile over night and there is also a few kind, unknown people leaving table scraps here and there, but i'm the only dedicated care person on a regular basis.........Be tough to find him a home, sadly overpop on cats here bad, everybody that want one has one, local shelter stays full up and at the vet, his bullintin board is full up on cats that need homes, sad, this is why i do what i do................

 

[msaimee]

I'm glad you got to feed him and that he is doing better. It's great that you're so committed to caring for all of these cats.

 

[jjc1140]

Get old tubs that you store stuff in and make a feeding station with that to keep rain from ruining the food. Just flip it sideways and place the stuff in there. You can actually get an automatic feeder or just a large bowl and fill up pretty full and keep that with fresh water in one of the tubs. Placing some form of outdoor table cloth or thick plastic over the tub will also help. If you have a lid for it you can kind of duck tape it to the top hanging off like a roof extends from a house to prevent even more water from going in. You can also make a few cat beds with some old blankets and put in there If you have extra tubs. Even taking old boards and making a little cover for the food or for a few shelters would be easier on you in the long run.

I care for many strays too and it's very hectic so I understand completely. Also, in the future jf you ever need any help with other injuries and illnesses pm me. Keep all your old antibiotics and such too because trust me they come in handy!! When I do get extra money i stock up on worming mediction - both roundworm medication and tapeworm, plus fenbenzole (active ingredient in broad spectrum worming - one name is Parazole which you can also find fenbezole in many horse wormers, diarrhea medicine like nutri-vet with pectin, probiotics from chewy (vet loves to prescribe one of them), eye ointments like erythomycin or tobramycin, (if you can get a hold of) are some of the main things I always try to have on hand and it makes it so much easier for both all my strays I care of but my fur babies at home.

Antibiotics that people take are often than not some of the same that animals take albeit the dosage is larger of course. For example, clavamox (commonly prescribed for UTI's, URI's, and mild and to moderate infections for cats) is actually Augmentin for humans however one of the main ingredient is Amoxicillin. Human doses can actually be broken down by either cutting to tiny pieces which can be difficult to get the accurate dose but what I do is break the pill down if a capsule with saline or water and dose it that way to make a liquid. I have a formula to both break it down and then calculate the dosage in mls to give. Its actually easy once you figure that part out.

Anyhow, good luck. If you need anything pm and I can try to help as far as injuries and illnesses go.