Oxalate Bladder Stones?

[kmbishop111]

Hi all, I'm posting on behalf of my parents. I'll say upfront, my mother has mental health issues and is very attached to her cat, Tiger. My dad does not care for animals and will not spend anything over $50 for a Vet Service. This is key to the situation.

Tiger is a 7 yr old neutered male, and also very timid. He is bonded to my mom alone.
Tiger

About 2 months ago he started having UTI issues. They took him to a local Humane Society which charges next to nothing for limited service. Tiger has been given 2 antibiotic injections, got better for a bit, then back to the bloody urine, outside the box, etc.

The Vet and I both stressed changing to a Urinary Tract Health canned food, which was just done this week.

However, this week Tiger started passing these stones.

I did a free catch Urinalysis on 2 separate occasions. On both, urine was acidic and highly concentrated.

I'm thinking Oxalate Stones. Which I know my father is NOT willing to pay for X-ray much less any surgery to remove stones.

I'm trying my best to advocate for Tiger. This low cost Vet Clinic is only open Mon-Tues-Wed of each week.' I'm scared to death Tiger may block at any time. This is my opinion only and from past experience.

When trying to have a convo with my mother last night about quality of life and her making a standing appt for Wednesday, her response quite honestly floored me.
She is considering letting him back outside as he once was an outside cat and she thinks he would be happiest there. Also the Vet made an off hand comment that he didn't see these types of situations in outdoor cats. Aye aye aye!

Can someone share a good quality of life questionnaire? And any advice on how to handle this delicate situation is appreciated!!

And yes, I realize this is not my cat. However, he has no voice, and my opinion has been asked for. So I'm trying to advocate for him.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Was Tiger's urine analyzed by a vet/clinic, or just you using urine strips? If professional urinalyses were done, they typically can tell what kind of stones are involved based on any sediment that is found. However, you could have taken the stones he passed to a vet/clinic and they could likely have confirmed whether or not they are oxalate.

As you seem to know, if Tiger has oxalate stones, they are not going to go away. Oxalate stones don't dissolve like struvite stones can with certain urinary care foods. The urinary care food can help to prevent more oxalate stones from forming though. I am not sure that him passing these stones is a good or bad thing - I have honestly never heard of such a thing in a cat, although I know some humans do. But, as you alluded, the next one might block him instead of being passed. Get the issue of what kind of stones he has resolved as that will help determine what options there might be toward helping him. And, if he will eat the wet urinary care food, keep him on it.

I don't see the point in a QOL questionnaire - what do you expect that to accomplish? Tiger has a urinary health issue that needs to be taken care of and monitored. He is not going to get better by being placed outdoors. Most cats that are indoors, even when healthy, won't do well outdoors. The fact that he is already 7 also doesn't bode well for him to go through such a drastic lifestyle change.

Is it possible for you to ask your mother to let you be Tiger's caretaker? If she would agree, that would stop her from dumping him outside. You might also explain to your mother that what the vet said is only true in the sense that if this happens to an outdoor cat, it is likely they die from the condition before anyone becomes aware they have a problem.

 

[fionasmom]

I'm scared to death Tiger may block at any time. This is my opinion only and from past experience.

This is a possibility with untreated bladder stones and is discussed by Cornell on their website, so not just your opinion.

In other cases, however, they can grow to significant size, painfully irritate the tender tissue lining the tract, and cause internal bleeding. In the worst case, they can slip into a cat’s urethra and interfere with the passage of urine. A complete blockage—one that totally obstructs the flow of urine and prevents the elimination of poisonous waste from a cat’s system—will present a medical emergency that, without immediate veterinary care, may prove fatal.

 

[kmbishop111]

Was Tiger's urine analyzed by a vet/clinic, or just you using urine strips? If professional urinalyses were done, they typically can tell what kind of stones are involved based on any sediment that is found. However, you could have taken the stones he passed to a vet/clinic and they could likely have confirmed whether or not they are oxalate stones.

Is it possible for you to ask your mother to let you be Tiger's caretaker? If she would agree, that would stop her from dumping him outside. You might also explain to your mother that what the vet said is only true in the sense that if this happens to an outdoor cat, it is likely they die from the condition before anyone becomes aware they have a problem.

I did a free catch analysis on 2 occasions. I (I was a Vet Tech in another lifetime.) I asked my parents to hold on to what was passed, but they were thrown away. I only have the pic above. They are telling me he is not passing anything in his urine now.

I'm trying to take on that role, but she is so back and forth. They are both in belief he is not in pain.

 

[fionasmom]

You are in a difficult position and there is a lot that might not be under your control. You deserve a lot of credit for trying to solve this. I hope that they let you help him.

 

[kmbishop111]

You are in a difficult position and there is a lot that might not be under your control. You deserve a lot of credit for trying to solve this. I hope that they let you help him.

I hope they do as well. Also dementia is involved, so it's just a tough situation all around.

 

[kmbishop111]

So my father is not letting me speak to my mother at the moment as to not upset her. Oh goodness. Im out of options.