Bladder problems again, advice please

[JBalways2000]

i started a thread about Raven a couple of weeks back because he had bladder problems. he was taken to the vets and put on a 5 day course of anti bs which seemed to do the trick so he was vaccinated a week later. however, the last 2 days hes showing signs of bladder problems again only maybe a little worse. he started going outside the litter tray and this morning i have seen him straining to go on the carpet but he doesnt appear to be able to. hes still eating and drinking and i gave him plenty of gravy with his dry food this morning. hes showing no signs of pain at all, i even had a feel and press of his belly and it didnt bother him. could this be another infection or something worse?

we have an appointment for first thing friday morning with our usual vets but i will take him sooner if he hasnt gone for a wee soon. i did order a urine sample collection kit after he had problems so i will try and get a sample to bring with me too. any more advice is welcome.

he does honestly seem fine still, hes definately still himself apart from washing himself down below more again and todays straining so fingers crossed its another infection and not something worse!

[angieh]

If I were you I'd take Raven to the vet before Friday if at all possible. Sounds like an infection but these things can gallop off if not dealt with quickly. Your wee collection kit sounds just the thing - can I be nosey and ask exactly what it consists of? Some people use a saucer! .... but of course if he's not weeing .....

Cats mask pain exceedingly well and some of the members here at Catsey have personal experience of cystitis, let alone having cats with it - it's not at all nice!

Good luck - do let us know how Raven gets on. ****HUGS****

[JBalways2000]

this is the kit i got: http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_7&products_id=1219

it seems good but as you said unless he actually goes its useless.

i did want to get him in sooner but thats the earliest they had :? i havent been able to check if hes pee'd anywhere yet but if he hasnt by this afternoon i might try and get him seen as an emergency.

and yes, i too have way too much personal experience of cystitis, hope Raven isnt doing it out of sympathy for me! :shock: :lol:

[JBalways2000]

i managed to get him in for 4.45pm today so my fiance is on his way to the vets now with him. the poor little guy has spent most of the day straining all over the place with no luck. he did cheer up when i put a bowl of cat milk down for him though hehe hopefully its not as bad as we think but will update when they are back from the vets.

[JBalways2000]

hes at the vets :( we are having to leave him there overnight and he is going to hate that, i feel awful. the vet had a good feel and said his bladder is full and its lucky we got him up tonight because he might have gone into kidney failure. they are going to put him under and drain his bladder tonight and ring to let us know whats what. please send lots of healing thoughts Ravens way, we need them right now :( my poor baby, hes not even 2 years old. im so worried :cry:

[angieh]

Oh I am so sorry JB! What a good thing you persisted and got him into the vet tonight. It's horrible and worrying to have to leave him there but he's in the right place and just don't think about what might have happened if you hadn't taken him.

Lots of healing vibes for Raven and ***HUGS*** for you. Please let us know how he gets on.

[Mags]

I'm so sorry to hear Raven is being kept at the vets overnight but he's in the best place with people who will look after him and get him better.

Loads of healing vibes being sent to him ......((((hugs))))

[MrsH]

I'm sure the vets will be looking after him well. What a good job you managed to get an earlier appointment for him, he must have been so uncomfortable.

[JBalways2000]

thanks everyone, im getting so anxious waiting for the phonecall but he did have to finish his appointments and said it would be after surgery so i need to be patient.

i know, it must be very painful for him but when we had lunch we locked the other kitties away and kept him out with his milk and he was so content, brushing against us and flipping over and vibrating his tail bless him. this will be the first night since we got the kitties that we wont be with one of them so that will be hard for us too.

the rest are still snoozing but im sure they will be missing him later too.

[kado]

I agree you did the best thing of getting him in. Simon one of my cats is exacly the same. Simon and Guinness are sending him a big purr and a big cuddle from me as well.
Please let us know how he gets on.

jane

[JBalways2000]

ok ive heard from the vet, they have drained his bladder and they said he was immedinately more comfortable. they are going to keep a catheter in over night and possibly through tomorrow to see how quick the grit is building up.

we were told that it was mineral crystals(he had a look under the microscope) maybe caused by his diet-would his diet do this? the vet said he would talk more about his diet with us tomorrow but Raven is on burns chicken and brown rice and just this week we started feeding 1/4 pouch hi life mixed in with dry of an evening(to wean them onto it) and gravy mixed in with morning feed.

would he maybe need a prescription diet now? ive been looking online and it seems he might. i suppose all these questions should be for the vet but im still worrying so wondered what experience people had with kitties having mineral crystals? i also dont want to be sold a diet that he may not need, i dont think my vets would do that but you never know.

atleast hes happier now and thats the main thing so i can relax a little, will feel much better when i see him tomorrow. been told to ring back after 10 in the morning to see whats what, thats going to be torture to wait in the morning too! :oops: :lol:

thank god he is insured though, hoping this will all be covered on that or we might be selling the other cats to pay for his vet bills :lol:

[angieh]

Merlin suffered from the same thing originally. He had a blockage and struvite crystals were found. He was on a high acid diet for many years - I am still not sure he needed to be on it for that long. Then he flared up with non-specific urinary problems and on ultra-sound grit like substances were found in his bladder. He continued with the high acid diet (Royal Canin which was then taken over by Waltham - the Whiskas people). About 2 years ago, he refused point blank to eat any more of the prescription food, so I have been feeding him on Felix pouches ever since and, apart from a couple of cystitis like infections, he has been fine. But then he is an old cat - will be 22 in July so I felt that I could feed him what he liked and what he will eat and b***** the consequences.

I decided to get him a new litter tray and the old one had patches that were almost eaten away by the acid in his urine over the years.

He has never been fed on dry food only. And I have been trying to remember how old he was when he was neutered, and all I can say is that he was 12 weeks +.

Poor Raven seems terribly young to be affected so badly. I do hope that you and your vet can sort something out to manage his problems so that at least he is comfortable.

Let us know how he does tomorrow. Poor sweetheart - healing vibes to him and more ****HUGS**** for you.

[JBalways2000]

AngieH: Thankyou for telling me about your boy, how is he now? did you find the waltham diet helped while he was on it or did he still have problems then?

the vet rang this morning and said they are very happy with him this morning but they want to keep the catheter in for 24 hours which means hes at the vets again tonight :( im missing him like mad and AJ was lookin for him through the night. its worse because up until this week Raven slept downstairs but this week he had started sleeping next to me on the bed. i hope hes coping ok, because i know im not!

vet said once they remove the catheter they want to moniter for another 12-24 hours to make sure hes ok so we are looking at no earlier then tomorrow afternoon for him coming home :( he said the cathater is flowing at the moment and no more obstructions have formed so thats good news, but he said his bladder was stretched quite alot from it being so full so this is another reason for monitoring.

they are going to start him on a prescription diet this morning so hopefully by tomorrow afternoon we will know if he is eating it ok or not-he is not only the most anti social kitty we have but also the fussiest when it comes to food, just our luck! :lol: suppose you have to laugh though.

the diet he said would be the waltham one too so fingers crossed that works. i have asked how much the damage is and we are on £213 so far so not as bad as i was expecting considering they probably would have classed him as an emergency last night doing it after surgery hours. its not over yet though so thank god for insurance!

i might try and pop in to see him today if i can but im also wondering if thats a good idea because i dont want him to think we are bringing him home. im just missing him so much.

i shall update as soon as i know more, thankyou again everyone for all the advice and support, it has truely helped!

[kado]

I am glad he is a bit better. Simon and Guinness are on a presciption only diet Hills Science C/D. They started off on the wet kind but they went off it and are on a dry one now. Simon started off with his problems in Dec 2006 and was neutered when he was cathiterised. Guinness has had problems since March 2007. They both ok on it infact my other 2 cats are on it as well.

[angieh]

Hi JB - thanks for the update on poor Raven. It sounds as if the worst might be over (fingers crossed). Merlin ate the Waltham prescription food for more years than I care to remember. In fact, the recipe/look and packaging changed at least 3 times. He was OK with the beef variety but used to throw up with the chicken, which is odd because he can eat "ordinary" chicken OK. He was never much of a one for the gravy or juice though and my other cat Smudge really liked it, so that worked well although she never had any problems in the urinary department.

Hope all goes well. I can understand you being undecided about visiting your cat in vet hospital. I have to admit I did not visit Merlin when he was hospitalised. I think it would have been too upsetting for both of us - although, like you, I phoned up every day!

Good luck - do let us know how you get on.

Healing vibes and ***HUGS*** a-plenty coming your way.

[JBalways2000]

Thankyou both, good to hear that all the kitties are doing well, gives me more hope for Raven even if he is only young. i did think it would be the hills prescription diet they would put him on as the last time i was there that was what their food display was so i was bit shocked when he said the waltham one, but i suppose its whatever he thinks is best.

AngieH: those healing vibes and hugs are definatelty helping! :D and i shall be sure to tell Raven how worried everyone has been about him bless him.

i just rang the vets again then and the receptionist said hes doing really well still so he has literally just been taken into theatre to have the catheter removed. just a waiting game until tomorrow now. i asked if he had managed to get anyone with his nails yet :lol: but she said hes been very well behaved, making a liar out of me more like hehe just glad hes doing ok even if i am missing him so badly. cant wait to cuddle him! will update tomorrow as soon as i know more and will be sure to get piccies of the kittie in question once hes home too to say thanks to everyone :D

[angieh]

I'm sure that all animals react to how they are handled and the staff at your vet sounds as if they have handled Raven gently and firmly. I was told that Merlin was good when he was in hospital and the only trouble they had was with the ultrasound and the vet called me in to hold him while they used the whateveritscalled! (just like antenatal ultrasound).

Glad things are looking up and hope you can bring him home soon. Did you ask how he'd got on with the food?

[JBalways2000]

oh i never doubted how the staff would handle Raven, but he is one of these kitties who will lie purring on your lap half alseep and the next second hes wrapped himself around your arms biting and scratching leaving you looking like you have had a fight with barb wire :shock: :lol: i usually manage to avoid it because i can read his mood changes quite well but he still gets me sometimes, and my fiance even more lol so i am very glad he is behaving, though its probably because he is unsure whats happening bless him.

i actually forgot to ask about the food but i assume they would have mentioned if they had trouble with him. i just want tomorrow to come now and want to hear them say he can come home then il be ok :D

[angieh]

Your Raven sounds so like Merlin - purring or asleep and attack cat next minute. Exactly, to a "T"! He has calmed down a bit now though. The first vet I took him to all those years ago thought he was "psychologically disturbed" and the phrase always makes me think of the song from West Side Story "Gee, Officer Krupke"! He had a disturbed kittenhood!!!

[Mags]

Great news that Raven is improving, I hope it won't be long before he is back home with you..:D

[JBalways2000]

Ravens home! :D :D and he is extremely happy to be, i can tell you that! we went to collect him yesterday afternoon and as soon as the vet brought him into the room he was rubbing against his carrier and then our fingers and crying at us bless him and hes been very cuddly and attached since getting home.

we were told all is fine at the moment. he had done a wee on his own yesterday and he woke us this morning digging the carpet in the hall so we got up to check and sure enough he had done a nice big wee out there :roll: :lol: next step now is getting him to use the tray again but aslong as hes going for the next few days i dont care where he goes!

we need to bring him back early next week to make sure all is still ok and they have said they will want to test his urine in about 6 weeks time to make sure everything is ok with that. they tried him with the waltham food and we were told he wouldnt touch it-i actually dont think he had eaten the whole time he was at the vets because not long after getting home we locked the others away to try him with the other food they gave and he was eating it while it was pouring out the bag into the dish :shock: he wolfed it all done. they gave us hills c/d and although he wolfed the first lot down hes not so keen now. they gave wet and dry for us to try and he ate about 1/2 a wet pouch before giving up, and even that looked forced. this mornings dry food he done the same, ate half and only ate the rest because i hand fed it to him so i can see this isnt going to be easy, he wants his burns food lol

so right now he is back to his normal self, though a little bit more lovey for the moment hehe i am sooooo happy to have him home, i nearly cried in the vets when i seen him :oops:

so thanks again everyone for all your help and encouragement and well wishes-i shall definately get photos of him today now and post them up so you can see who has been causing all this worry!

i did have a problem at the vets with my insurance but i shall start a new thread for that before this gets too confusing lol big thanks again from me and Raven!

[MrsH]

:cat3 Great news that he's home and weeing again, fingers crossed that there are no more problems and he passes his check-up easily next week.

[Mags]

Brilliant news that Raven is home and all appears well with him..:D

[Elaine]

Aww bless Raven, glad to hear he is home again and fingers crossed he will be fine for a long time to come xxx

[angieh]

Hi JB - such good news that Raven is safely home. Do try to encourage him to eat his prescription food and to drink water if at all possible. Any way you can get him to take water will help him enormously.

Healing vibes still being sent by Merlin and me and ***HUGS*** to you and your family. Let us know how he gets on. Oh, and looking forward to those photos!!!

[JBalways2000]

Thankyou everyone yet again! i will be taking photos of all the boys shortly because we are having a mini birthday tea for Hernie who turns one today :D they are getting a few prawns and a little cream which i thought would be ok for Raven too aslong as he doesnt have too much of either so hope im right.

Raven has been eating his dry food ok now, the last two feeds he has eaten by himself though just lately he had started to take a while eating his food anyway, he tends to have some then wonder around then go back to it bless him.

he is definately drinking too, a fair amount but the only thing worrying me is i havent seen him have a wee today. he hasnt been on the carpet as obviously we would know so unless he has gone in the tray at some point then he hasnt gone :? im trying not to worry too much incase im just being paranoid but im going to keep a close eye on him this evening. hes not straining or washing himself though so thats good signs i think.

at present he is sat next to me kneading my stomach and purring away :lol: he has been extremely lovey and clingy since coming home, im definately not complaining though! photos will be put up tonight or tomorrrow and as soon as hes had his check up(and been for a wee lol) i shall update. thankyou again everyone, especially AngieH-Raven says hi to Merlin!

[angieh]

Hi JB - thanks for the thanks! and Merlin says Hi back to Raven. We both hope all goes well with his checkup. I'm sure you'll let us know. Fingers (and toes) crossed.