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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / July 2007Managing a cat with cystitis
For those of you who have cats that sometimes have bouts of acute cystitis: What do you do when you start noticing signs that suggest your cat's becoming uncomfortable? Is it off to the vet right then, or do you have a vet-approved way of dissolving the crystals or whatever before they become a problem? When I start noticing the signs - which vary - I start adding a DL-Methionine supplement until her litterbox habits return to normal. She's on a diet of dry which is half Royal Canin Urinary and half something else (Iams Senior or Purina One, usually), and however much wet food I can get her to eat - which has been 0 cans over the last few days (but she scarfs up the dry). She has two water sources - a gravity-fed one and a normal bowl, on opposite ends of the house. Just curious how other folks manage their cats' cystitis. jmc > For those of you who have cats that sometimes have bouts of acute cystitis: > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Just curious how other folks manage their cats' cystitis. First of all, the best thing you can do for her is to get rid of the dry food. She needs moisture to dilute her urine. Here's a good article to read: http://community-2.webtv.net/getcathelp/urinarytract/ Suddenly, without warning, Rene S. exclaimed (7/27/2007 6:25 AM): >> For those of you who have cats that sometimes have bouts of acute cystitis: >> [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > dry food. She needs moisture to dilute her urine. Here's a good > article to read: http://community-2.webtv.net/getcathelp/urinarytract/ Tell her that. She doesn't like canned food. She doesn't like fresh meat. She doesn't like cooked meat. "Pet Mince" isn't food according to her. I've tried everything! I've spent hundreds, probably thousands of dollars on all sorts of non-dry foods that just sit and rots in her bowl. The most I can get her to eat- sometimes - is about half of one of those small cans, like Fancy Feast. I put down 1/2 can at dinnertime, and if she eats that by bedtime, I'll put down the other half. I add about a tablespoon of water to the little bit she'll eat. I've tried feeding her exclusively canned, but she won that battle as she'd rather starve, apparently. She does sometimes lick all the gravy off the wet food, which is good. She doesn't eat her dry food if I add even a little water. That's why half her dry food is the RC veterinary formula. She also gets a glucosamine supplement in her canned food, or in her dry if she's on a complete "canned isn't food!" fit, as she's been this week. So, back on subject, since my question isn't about overall management, but 'possible crisis' management: If you suspect your cystitis-prone cat is starting to feel uncomfortable, what do you do? Vet? Special supplement? Something else? jmc > I've tried feeding her exclusively canned, but she won that > battle as she'd rather starve, apparently. She does sometimes > lick all the gravy off the wet food, which is good. She doesn't > eat her dry food if I add even a little water. I have one like this. I feel your pain. I hope you can come up with a solution. Actually, Bonnie won't even lick off the gravy. She'll eat a little canned when she wants to, but only then. And she too would rather starve than eat only canned food. Been doing this battle for over 3 years now with her. She wins.  SignatureCheryl Suddenly, without warning, Cheryl exclaimed (7/27/2007 11:23 AM): >> I've tried feeding her exclusively canned, but she won that >> battle as she'd rather starve, apparently. She does sometimes [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > would rather starve than eat only canned food. Been doing this > battle for over 3 years now with her. She wins. Yea, our only chance of winning is if we're willing to literally let them starve until they are desperate enough to eat the canned stuff. So, we'll always lose. :) We're into our fourth year in this battle now. I've pretty much given up and resigned myself to throwing away 50% or more of the canned food I buy. And here in Australia, stuff's damn expensive! jmc > So, back on subject, since my question isn't about overall management, > but 'possible crisis' management: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > jmc Hi jmc, Our cat has not be diagnosed with "cystitis" specifically but has had about 3 full-on bladder infections in his 1.5 years with us. The first one had crystals, the 2nd did not, the 3rd I don't know. He's on a urinary diet now, but with the last flare-up the vet had seen it enough times to feel comfortable diagnosing antibiotics over the phone. So that's our mode right now -- call the vet and see what we can do without bringing him in. We have already run urine samples in to her. Abernathy is a former feral and getting him to the vet is an enormous deal. What is the drug you give your cat? Is it an antibiotic? Rhonda Suddenly, without warning, Rhonda exclaimed (7/27/2007 2:01 PM): > What is the drug you give your cat? Is it an antibiotic? > > Rhonda No, DL-Methionine is the... darn, don't know exactly what it is, but it's what they add to the urinary diets to dissolve crystals. I use a product from Drs. Foster and Smith. It's just like a hairball medicine, and Meep loves it. I just pull the thing out and call her, and she licks it directly out of the tube. Does the same for her hairball meds too. That's one thing I like: My cat thinks some of her "meds" are treats. Now I wish she felt the same way about the canned food. jmc > Tell her that. She doesn't like canned food. She doesn't like fresh > meat. She doesn't like cooked meat. "Pet Mince" isn't food according [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > and if she eats that by bedtime, I'll put down the other half. I add > about a tablespoon of water to the little bit she'll eat. I have been in your shoes. One of my cats absolutely hated canned food, but with patience and persistance, I switched him over. Here's a helpful article: http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_ Here's a link to one of my cat's web site. Granted, the subject matter is weight loss, but the main part of his loss was switching him over to canned. I have some tips here: http://community-2.webtv.net/getcathelp/tucker/
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