Cystitis

[Danielle0211]

Mitsy has got cystitis. I was just wondering if anyone can give me any advice on this, as you guys have such a wealth of knowledge.
She is now able to urinate but it still seems more often and still pink. (diagnosed and began treatment of wednesday) is this normal?
She has stopped using her litter tray too will she need to be retrained back to it?
The vet said it may well be stress which i guess could be right after being rehomed but she seems so laid back. I feed her dry (but have checked and that is what she was always fed) is it worth changing her to wet but i worry for her teeth in later years with that - maybe a mix? She has been stealing dog food so that is something i need to sort need to get some ties for the sacks she knows how to unravel them if i fold them, roll them or pile stuff on top. What do you think? I really don't want this to become a recurring problem for her, poor girl.

[Velvet]

Im no expert but i prefer to feed mainly wet, OR you could try soaking half her kibble & half dry if you prefer kibble. Theres others here with loads cat experience. Just note tho if changing or adding new foods, do so gradually over days, not just at once.

I guess shes on antibiotics? The pinky look is probably a bit of blood in her urine which will clear once antibiotics have done their job

Hope your little one feels better soon.

[Elaine]

Poor Misty, they usually dont require any re-training with regards to the litter tray, as the reason she has stopped using it is because she associates it with the pain of peeing.
With things like cystitis, it is considered that wet food is best because of the water content. As with humans, more fluids help to flush out the infection, so if feeding her wet food, also add a little cooled boiled water to it. Cats aren't naturally drawn to water as dogs are.
If this is stress related maybe aslo try a feliway diffuser and maybe even a few drops of rescue remedy either in food or water but ideally if you can put a few drops on your fingers and rub gently into the tips of her ears. There is also a food supplement designed to help with stress, zylkene.
How long have you had her? Do you think it is just moving into a new home that has caused the stress or do you think there may be another cause for the stress?

[angieh]

I am sorry to hear about Mitsy. Poor girlie. Good advise above which I can't add to, other than to say that the antibiotics generally work quickly and her pain will ease. If she is still peeing pink on Monday, I'd phone the vet again.

[dandysmom]

Agree completely with all of the above advice. My Leia had one bout of it (stress related, I'm certain - rivalry with another cat I was taking care of and too much dry food. ) Thank goodness no recurrence since the stressor is gone and she is on a 90% wet food with extra liquid.

Edited: try to keep her away from the dog food!! It does NOT contain the essential elements that a cat needs.

[Danielle0211]

Thanks guys. I don't see any signs of stress in her she is really laid back, not bothered by the fireworks even. Which is why I was wondering about her food. She does drink alot more than Bhindi maybe feeding wet would be best for her. I think it may be the dog food she has been stealing.
I have some rescue remedy in thehouse so will try that now - hadn't even considered it, doh!

[dandysmom]

Danielle, Leia is a laid-back cat too; they often don't exhibit outward signs of stress, but it's there. Hope Mitsy will improve on her ABs.

[Danielle0211]

You are right I am just too used to dogs who you can read with subtle signs and Bhindi you can read like a book! Thanks

[Donna]

Chloe is prone to cystitis, but since she has been fed a 100% wet diet she has not had an attack. I wont ever feed her dry again.

[wilbar]

Hi. I've done quite a bit of research on Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC) as I've had quite a few vet referrals for cases where no known medical causes are identified.

Whilst an increase in fluid intake is the primary therapy for the prevention of urine stones, where there is no known medical cause & there are recurring bouts, then environmental management & enrichment can be really helpful. This is based on documented neuroendocrine abnormalities that are usually prevalent in cats with recurring FIC. These abnormalities are a result of increased central nervous system arousal that leads to increased cortisol levels indicative of chronic stress.

The key is to try to identify the causes of the stress & remove or alleviate them. This isn't as simple as it sounds & can involve a lot of trial & error, plus a very good understanding of cat communication signals & knowing your own cat's behaviour.

By far the most common cause of the stress that leads to FIC is when a susceptible cat is in a provocative (stressful) environment & one of the most common causes of the stress is conflict with other cats. This may be other cats that live in the same household, or neighbourhood cats. Conflicts between cats are not always obvious. They can take the form of aggressive & overt behaviour ~ which is easy to recognise, or withdrawal behaviours, which are far less obvious & can lead to FIC in a susceptible cat.

The postural & olfactory communication signals that are exhibited by cats that tend to withdraw from conflict are very subtle & easily missed. Posture is often "closed", i.e. the cat seems to be trying to make itself look smaller, with paws tucked under body, perhaps crouching/sitting, maybe some displacement behaviours like washing/scratching, keeping still, no vocalisation, maybe hiding away.

Cats don't have dominance hierarchies & their conflict resolution strategies are not very sophisticated & are nothing more than avoiding conflict by hiding, decreasing activity & behavioural suppression.

So anyone who has a cat with FIC needs to be extra vigilant in watching their cat's behaviour & communication signals, particularly when other cats are around.

To resolve these issues, one of the best ways is appropriate environmental enrichment & looking to provide an abundance of the key things that cats need to survive. So you would need to look at having several feeding stations, several water bowls, at least one litter tray per cat. You also need to consider the location of these things ~ quiet areas, with easy escape routes & where the cat isn't disturbed.

Litter tray management & hygiene is vital as well ~ you can try lots of trays with different substrates, in different locations, covered or uncovered, & then remove the trays that don't get used.

Provide lots of sleeping & resting places, in warm draft-free places, at different heights, & in different locations & on different storeys/rooms in the house.

Ensure that movement between resources is not inhibited, e.g. can the affected cat get to its food/water/litter tray/bed/scratching post/toys etc, without being intercepted by any other cats?

Predatory behaviour practice is extremely important, especially for young cats. Cats often have a preference for certain prey types, e.g. birds, flying insects, mice, voles or other small mammals. If you know your cat's preference, try to find cat toys that mimic the prey's behaviour & encourage the cat to engage in "play" when on its own.

Owner interactions are often very important, especially to indoor cats or cats that live alone. Owners need to ensure that they have quality time with ALL their cats & do things that make the cat purr, e.g. petting, grooming, playing, cuddling, reward-based training, hand feeding extra tasty titbits etc. These sort of activities increase serotonin activity (the "feel good" hormone) so will help the at feel better about itself, more confident & less depressed.

I hope this may help any cats with FIC. It's a miserable condition that any person who has suffered cystitis knows well ~ so I think we all owe it to our cats to try to help them as best we can. Vets can prescribe the antibiotics to alleviate the immediate medical condition, but without addressing the underlying causes, it can & does recur.