Cat Recurring UTI's/Crystals

[altermetoday]

My cat had multiple UTI’s last year which I treated, then ended up with stones and she had surgery to remove them. We’ve been good now for 6 mos., however, she has another UTI and crystals as well. Sophie has been on medicated food for a year now so I thought that would help.

She has ruined 12 dog beds over the course of the year. Some of those dog beds were super expensive ones too and I’m really tired of washing and replacing beds and the house stinking like urine. I’m at my wit’s end with her.

We just got home from the vet after an xray, urinalysis , exam, etc… came home with anti biotics. The vet knows that I’ve been doing everything I can for her… I. live alone and have other cats outside and my dogs so mostly its not a stressful environment at the moment. I do have friends over occasionally so there will never be a complete stress free environment for her and she’s a super anxious afraid kitty of people.

My vet has recommended as a last ditch effort to put her outside. She said that often cats need to return to their natural environment and be allowed to come and go from the house… that they do better and often the UTI’s go away… has anyone noticed that as true? I worry about Sophie outside because she is so afraid of people in the house, what happens if she goes outside and I’m on vacation? She won’t come inside or come near anyone else and if she has to eat medical food, then she has to eat separately… I’m just not sure how to manage her.

Would love to hear any thoughts, suggestions or experiences you’ve had with cats and their UTI’s. TIA

[JB]

2 things to look into:

Cosequin - yes, it’s a joint supplement, but chondroitin sulfate has some value in a healthy bladder. It’s really not that $$ to try.

You’ll have to ask your vet on this, but one kind of stone formation benefits from additional methionine, in the form of Methigel. I would assume your vet would have given that to you if it was the right kind of stones, and maybe have some protocol for intermittent use. Buuuuuut not all vets are 'good", so it’s at least something to ask about.

Is her food canned or kibble?

[altermetoday]

She is on canned cat food. Sophie actually went to a specialist this summer who was consulted in her surgery… neither of the vets recommended anything but a food change. I can ask though!

[Simkie]

What does she eat and what kind of crystals are they?

Cats develop struvite crystals or calcium oxalate crystals. They are addressed by different diets.

In your shoes, I’d put the cat on a wet RX diet appropriate for the stone type, and strongly consider treating with an aggressive antibiotic course (even if the culture is clean) as well as an anti anxiety med. (Strongly consider is too soft a term–that’s what I would request from the vet.)

Putting an inside cat outside is cruel. She has no skills for living outside. It’s euthanasia by car or coyote. If you get to that point, veterinary euthanasia at home, after a few days of spoiling, is the far kinder choice. There is no shame in a kind end for a cat that’s peeing all over.

[altermetoday]

Simkie - I don’t remember the type of crystals, but she is on a diet specific to the stone/crystals she had. The stones were sent to a lab but now it escapes me which one she had. She is on a RX diet appropriate for her type though and she is on wet canned food.

I am worried about her being outside which is why I asked if anyone was given that advice before. I do have other outdoor cats and all have been fine… no coyotes close by although that could change at any time, right? I was thinking of an outdoor catio where she could stay outside during the day…

I think the vet knows that I’m at my wits end with her ruining things in the house by peeing on them and I’ve done everything I can possibly do including a very expensive specialist appointment last summer. I did mention euthanasia to her and that is why she suggested trying her outside to see if she is happier less stressed out there.

I honestly don’t know what to do if she is stressed. I rarely have people over to my house. She grew up with all the animals that are currently here and sees fine with them all… We did have a renovation that stressed her out, but that’s been done for quite some time now. I live alone so there is not much to stress about.

I’m very worried though that this is going to be her life from here on out…I think this is the 5th uti over the last 2 years with a surgery in between that helped for a bit. I’m feeling like painful urination and recurrence is not a great quality of life. I’m just trying to do everything I can before making that decision

[bingbingbing]

Sorry you are dealing with this. My kitty soul mate is in her teens and has had a problem with crystals as well. I had her on various Urinary Health cat foods. But they kept coming back. I put her on Royal Canin and so far, knock on wood, they have stayed away for over a year. My girl is on dry food. The stones came back with Iams and Purina.
My cat has not been outdoors loose in so long, and I am on a farm with wildlife, I would not risk putting her out if I could not solve the problem. I have taken her for walks on a harness which she seems to like, but I don’t think most cats would.

[Simkie]

I have a lot of cats in my house. Not crazy cat lady levels but enough that personalities clash a little, and one is a delicate little flower and would prefer it was only her and her sister here.

She’s not a pee-er but would get inappetent. Finally, I put her on mirtazipine, which is an appetite stimulant but also an anti depressant.

The change has been enormous. Not only does she eat, but she’s much, much happier.

I share this story to explain why an anti depressant is worth a try. Before I had her on mirtazipine, I really thought she was fine. It wasn’t until after that I saw her personality change that I realized that she’d been stressed.

These are inexpensive meds to try. They can often be compounded in a transdermal prep, so you don’t have to pill them, but mirtazipine is so small that I can drop it into a wet meal.

Other outdoor cats makes putting her out more complicated, not less. Does she know them? They’re likely to drive her away if she’s not already part of their pack.

[shiloh]

I second all suggestions here, and may I add that maybe some Prozac or some such might help?

My most expensive kitty - the one I call my 15K boy (so named because that’s about what I have spent on him) used to get crystals and what they called idiopathic mucus plugs and was miserable until I put him on Cosequin and Prozac, plus kidney diet. Problem solved.

[CanadianTrotter]

@bingbingbing

I put her on Royal Canin and so far, knock on wood, they have stayed away for over a year.

After almost losing Ralph to a large stone several years ago, all of my cats are on the dry Veterinary Royal Canin Urinary So. So far there has been no sign of UTI’s crystals or stones.

[CanadianTrotter]

@altermetoday

I’m very worried though that this is going to be her life from here on out…I think this is the 5th uti over the last 2 years with a surgery in between that helped for a bit. I’m feeling like painful urination and recurrence is not a great quality of life. I’m just trying to do everything I can before making that decision

What kind of water do you give her? My cats get nothing but filtered water, between that and the Urinary SO there have been no reoccurrences of UTI’s, crystals or stones.

[altermetoday]

@CanadianTrotter

@altermetoday

I’m very worried though that this is going to be her life from here on out…I think this is the 5th uti over the last 2 years with a surgery in between that helped for a bit. I’m feeling like painful urination and recurrence is not a great quality of life. I’m just trying to do everything I can before making that decision

What kind of water do you give her? My cats get nothing but filtered water, between that and the Urinary SO there have been no reoccurrences of UTI’s, crystals or stones.

well water that goes through a water treatment system

[boco]

@CanadianTrotter

@bingbingbing

I put her on Royal Canin and so far, knock on wood, they have stayed away for over a year.

After almost losing Ralph to a large stone several years ago, all of my cats are on the dry Veterinary Royal Canin Urinary So. So far there has been no sign of UTI’s crystals or stones.

We have a cat that struggled for years with severe stones and UTI’s. He was hospitalized for blockages several times and even had a PU surgery. He is also a very, very, very picky cat. We could NOT get him to eat any of the prescription urinary diets. His last go-round we took him to the University vet clinic where they removed the stones from his bladder (the vet actually said he had the most stones she’d ever seen, yikes!) and they sent us home with samples of like 20 different foods, many of which our normal vet didn’t carry. Anyway, we landed on Royal Canin S/O, mainly because it was the only one he would eat. It’s been a year now, and he is doing so well. He has no recurrence of urinary/bladder issues and he’s so much happier. He even looks better in general, all glossy and sleek. They also make an S/O formula with calming ingredients. Not sure what those are, but might also be helpful for an anxious kitty. If the type of stones your kitty has are compatible with Royal Canin S/O, I would highly recommend trying it.

[beowulf]

Have you tried any sort of kitty relaxer – Feliway for example, or even an rX like Prozac?

I have an Anxious Kitty (with COTH threads about her) who has “idiopathic” UTIs per the vet, and I’ve tweaked her management in a few ways and knock on wood, have had no reoccurences since:

1. Weruva Chicken Wet Food as 80% of her diet. She gets a small amount of kibble in AM, soaked.
2. Feliway diffusers in main rooms
3. Alone time from other kitties (AK gets locked in her own room alone w/ litter box when I’m not home)
4. Cosequin chewy tablets + Plat Performance Feline

The Feliway makes a huge difference with cat disputes in my house. I had a thread about one of my cats sniping Anxious Kitty, and it was suggested to me. The sniper cat is still a troll, but the altercations are now passive aggressive versus contact – IE, Sniper Cat just lurks in the bathroom while AK is doing her business, whereas before Sniper Cat would assail her in the litter box.

I agree with others that it’s absolutely cruel to turn this cat outside. I am not sure if I believe that cures it – what likely happens is, the cat now does its business outside, so owner is never made aware of UTIs.

[altermetoday]

@beowulf

Have you tried any sort of kitty relaxer – Feliway for example, or even an rX like Prozac?

I have an Anxious Kitty (with COTH threads about her) who has “idiopathic” UTIs per the vet, and I’ve tweaked her management in a few ways and knock on wood, have had no reoccurences since:

1. Weruva Chicken Wet Food as 80% of her diet. She gets a small amount of kibble in AM, soaked.
2. Feliway diffusers in main rooms
3. Alone time from other kitties (AK gets locked in her own room alone w/ litter box when I’m not home)
4. Cosequin chewy tablets + Plat Performance Feline

The Feliway makes a huge difference with cat disputes in my house. I had a thread about one of my cats sniping Anxious Kitty, and it was suggested to me. The sniper cat is still a troll, but the altercations are now passive aggressive versus contact – IE, Sniper Cat just lurks in the bathroom while AK is doing her business, whereas before Sniper Cat would assail her in the litter box.

I agree with others that it’s absolutely cruel to turn this cat outside. I am not sure if I believe that cures it – what likely happens is, the cat now does its business outside, so owner is never made aware of UTIs.

Well that was my concern about not knowing. I asked my vet and she has had cases where the cats were better in their natural environment and had yearly uti checkups with no issues. I don’t think that is really what happens tho. And i also have alot of concerns about this cat going outside. I think even from a logistical view it will be a nightmare trying to feed her the medicated food separate from the other 4 outdoor cats. And if i leave town she will never be caught.

I may try a catio a few hours a day to see what life is like for her so i can monitor her better and safely give her some natural environment. But I’m not hopeful.

Honestly, this girl is running out of options if i can’t help her. I’ve tried several alternative things like corn syrup stuff…can’t remember official name. I think its corn silk. Also dmannose. And depressants. None of that helped in the past.

I will call a specialized cat vet next week to have a 2nd opinion tho

[altermetoday]

Ive tried feliway too. Currently there are no cat issues in the house. The one problem cat is outside in the heated tack room and barn. I have not tried weruva or cosequin yet. Will try

[altermetoday]

What is plat performance?

[CanadianTrotter]

@altermetoday

@CanadianTrotter

@altermetoday

I’m very worried though that this is going to be her life from here on out…I think this is the 5th uti over the last 2 years with a surgery in between that helped for a bit. I’m feeling like painful urination and recurrence is not a great quality of life. I’m just trying to do everything I can before making that decision

What kind of water do you give her? My cats get nothing but filtered water, between that and the Urinary SO there have been no reoccurrences of UTI’s, crystals or stones.

well water that goes through a water treatment system

Does your water treatment system remove/filter sediments from the water?

[CanadianTrotter]

@boco

@CanadianTrotter

@bingbingbing

I put her on Royal Canin and so far, knock on wood, they have stayed away for over a year.

After almost losing Ralph to a large stone several years ago, all of my cats are on the dry Veterinary Royal Canin Urinary So. So far there has been no sign of UTI’s crystals or stones.

We have a cat that struggled for years with severe stones and UTI’s. He was hospitalized for blockages several times and even had a PU surgery. He is also a very, very, very picky cat. We could NOT get him to eat any of the prescription urinary diets. His last go-round we took him to the University vet clinic where they removed the stones from his bladder (the vet actually said he had the most stones she’d ever seen, yikes!) and they sent us home with samples of like 20 different foods, many of which our normal vet didn’t carry. Anyway, we landed on Royal Canin S/O, mainly because it was the only one he would eat. It’s been a year now, and he is doing so well. He has no recurrence of urinary/bladder issues and he’s so much happier. He even looks better in general, all glossy and sleek. They also make an S/O formula with calming ingredients. Not sure what those are, but might also be helpful for an anxious kitty. If the type of stones your kitty has are compatible with Royal Canin S/O, I would highly recommend trying it.

So glad the Urinary SO works for your boy, would he happen to be a red cat? I was so relieved when Ralph’s urine samples came back totally clear after we started using it. It’s the only urinary food that vets around me have recommended. They stress very firmly no other food except for this, I do give them freeze dried meat treats very sparingly.

We’ve had a problem getting the Royal Canin 8kg bags just recently. I had to buy a small 4kg bag for Ralph because he’s the one with the known and proven crystals/stones issues and then a bag of the non-veterinary Royal Canin Urinary Diet from a pet food store for the other five cats until I could get the large 8kg bag from the vet again. The other five turned their noses up at it, so I caved and bought a bag of Blue Buffalo and they turned their noses up at that as well. Then I tried a Taste of the Country which was also a no go, they would eat these other foods but only very little. During this time the amount of urine expelled from all five cats was drastically less than what it was when they were all eating the veterinary Urinary SO.

We finally got another big bag and they were so very happy to have it back that they tried to gorge so I had to be very careful and feed them a little bit at a time. They’re back to getting their 1/4c in the morning then another 1/4c at supper and they wolf it down like they’re starving, which they’ve never done before in the years they’ve been on it.

Urinary SO has been a game changer and a life saver for all of my cats.

[altermetoday]

I’ve been feeding royal canin so dry but mostly their wet food with a little of the dry as extra.

[CanadianTrotter]

@altermetoday

I’ve been feeding royal canin so dry but mostly their wet food with a little of the dry as extra.

Are you feeding Urinary SO exclusively, no other foods or treats? The Urinary SO causes them to drink a lot of water which makes them pee a lot which flushes everything out before it gets a chance to crystallize. Does your water treatment include a filter to catch any sediments?