Feline Urinary Syndrome

[DesertStars]

Everyone who has a cat should read this thread, but especially those of you with orange tabby male cats. Feline Urinary Syndrome is common in the orange tabby males. Our cat became ill on the evening of July 4th. He was spinning around, hissing and grabbing at his backside. I just thought perhaps he had sat on some stickers (since we live in the desert and he is an indoor/outdoor cat). As the evening wore on he got progressively worse to the point where I was frightened. We took him to one of those animal emergency after hours clinics. It turns out his little bladder was swollen up to the size of a grapefruit and he would not likely have made it through the night if we hadn't taken him in! They inserted a catheter and IV to wash out his system and it took four days before we could take him home. If you have a male orange tabby and have hard water in your area, (which we do) it is recommended that you only offer distilled water and feed him canned cat food. Hard water and dry cat food cause a buildup of urinary tract crystals that can be deadly. Our kitty ($2,000 later which we could ill afford) lived through this, but we will have to watch him carefully and I just want everyone to be aware of this potentially deadly disease that affects cats.

[febreze]

that had this time and time again i spent a fortune on that cat and your advice is correct, (one dry cat food i found caused the problem to come right back was purina cat chow ) i then switched to purina urinary care food, canned food and bottled water. i know the purina cat chow was most definatly a problem when with a new cat years later i bought it again, (stupied of me) but, after feeding it several weeks this cat developed the same problems, so this one was switched to the urinary care food, it does make a difference.

[DesertStars]

Thanks, Febreze. I hope your kitty will continue to do well. I just didn't know about severity of it before it happened to my cat. I had heard about it before and the problem with dry food, but I thought it was just in older male cats (my cat is only 3 years old!) and didn't realize that hard water could be a problem. My cat used to eat lots of canned cat food, but suddenly he didn't like it anymore and we were only feeding him the dry food. Well, now we know better. And I had no idea the the problem is worse with orange male tabbies. BTW, if anyone has a cat with this continual problem, there is a surgery that can be done wherein the urethra is re-routed and the vets have assured me that the problem won't return after the surgery. I would rather avoid it, if possible, but at least there is an option.

[Noahs ARK]

I lost my Morris many years ago to this syndrome. He was an orange tabby.

[Spyder88]

Wow! :scared: Who knew? :confused:

Thanks for the head's up, D-Stars!!! I'll be watching my Tang a whole lot closer, and feeding him wet food, that's for sure.

I just need to keep myself from gettin' all paranoid, now. :rolleyes:

[Noahs ARK]

I just need to keep myself from gettin' all paranoid, now. :rolleyes:

I went around the house last night and checked every one of my cats. :scared:

[febreze]

is the problem the more ash in the food the more urinary problems there are dry food with low ash that are safe to feed i've learned thru trial and era that they can have both dry and wet food but, only with the low ash brands , purina makes one that i use and so far so good. but, there are several other brands.

[ViennaGal]

Thanks DS. I had a female calico that died 5 years ago that was eaten up with kidney stones. At one point a stone lodged in her uretha and couldn't be removed. Her left kidney held about 25 stones and her bladder over 30 some. I believe the crystals form into deadly stones for our little fur babies. I had to put her down 6 months after they tried to rehydrate her with IV's at the tune of $2K. I had not thought about hard water and was never told that by our vet. my new cat does not like canned food so i will switch to the urinary tract dry food and distilled water hoping no damage has been done the first five years I've had her. thanks again.

[Mr. Moto2]

Cats sure seem to have more than their share of urinary problems. Why is that?

[ViennaGal]

http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/f/foodurinaryhlth.htm

Cat Food to Correct Urinary Problems?

I found this interesting. To avoid feeding cats "fish flavored" type dry or wet foods.

[angellaw]

Thanks for the info guys..I;m gonna keep a close eye on my Latte' Ole' for sure..he's my BIG Orange/White Tabby

[R~O~S]

Piggy backing your thread DesertStars;

I've mentioned in a previous thread that my Zee-Zee Top hasn't been feeling herself of late. She's a grand old lady according to my Vet, I really must agree.

Zee-Zee is a 19 year old, long haired kittie & she's such a princess, always has been. She came into the world rightfully knowing she's dainty, and feminine, and just beautiful. There isn't a rough and tumble thing about her. She's just a very sweet lady.

The result of the Vet visit is she had a bladder infection & she has hyperthyroidism. The bladder infection was easy, antibiotics for ten days, already done.

The Vet offered but did not recommend radiation treatment for the hyperthyroidism. I think, the recommendation had more to do with cost. Without it, Zee-Zee will need to take medication for life, which isn't a problem. She'll also need blood tests often to measure levels.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

I'm very anxious for her to regain the weight she's lost, despite having a good appetite. She's little, she always has been, a pound is a lot for her to lose. She's never carried extra weight.

Should I push for the radiation treatment? The pills don't seem to be bothering her any.

Being very realistic, Zee-Zee could leave me soon for the rainbow bridge, even without any medical issues. I really don't want to put her through anything that doesn't add to her quality of life. I really do realize I'm fortunate she's stayed with me this long. But I'm not ready to say goodbye to her just yet, nor she to me.

She does have some arthritis in her back legs, but she's happy, she can still easily make the jump from the floor to the bed (I'll make her a ramp when/if she can't). She purrs, she's content to stay indoors and worship her sun god by the sliding glass door, she has a good appetite, she loves to be brushed and she's happy to monitor my internet use from my lap for hours on end. She'll even bat around one of those little catnip mice for a few minutes when she's feeling a little frisky.

When I think of radiation treatment, I think it will be very difficult for her. I'm soooooo willing to make sure she gets her pills every day to avoid that, but then there's the blood tests. I'm not thrilled with them needing to poke her all the time.

Will these tests always be every two weeks? Or will we get to a point where we can spread them out a little?

I need to take her back on Tuesday for her first follow up blood test. I was very upset when I got this news, I didn't ask the right questions, I didn't know what questions to ask.

Any help or advice would be so appreciated. Thank you all in advance.

[Spyder88]

:beer:

Google all you can on hyperthyroidism in cats. Write down any and all your questions and take it with you on your return to the vet. They've made a lot of progress in so many areas.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll figure out the best possible care you can give to your ZeeZee. Life is a precious gift for sure, but I honestly believe in the quality over quantity thing.

Hang in there. Tuesday's comin'. Prayers for you and ZeeZee.

:rose:

[R~O~S]

Ty Spyder, ty very much for the good thoughts.

I did what you said & I think I've got it.

It takes 3 months to get the pill dosage regulated. They're starting her off slowly because often times hyperthyroidism masks underlying kidney failure and when the hyperthyroidism is under control the urinary system shuts down.

Neither surgery (which the vet won't even consider due to her age/anesthesia) nor radiation would be appropriate if there's kidney disease underlying.

The pills can be used to keep the kindey disease in check if that turns out to be a reality.

Once the thyroid glands (there are two) are removed or destroyed, they can't bring them back.

We'll know by the end of the three months if she's going to have an adverse reaction to the pills. If so that would be the time to consider radiation provided there's no kidney disease, if there is there are two other medications. Actually three, but one isn't available in the US.

Blood tests will be every two weeks for the three months, if she stays on the pills, they'll spread them out to every six months thereafter.

I'll confirm all of this with the Vet tomorrow. So far, she doesn't seem to be having any of the possible side affects to the pills and she doesn't seem to be having any kidney issues. No increase or decrease in output and she certainly isn't lethargic or vomiting.

All and all, what I confirmed with my research is that my Vet is one smart cookie and looking out for the best interest of my Zee-Zee girl. Either of the other two options would have made her some serious cash & neither of them would have been right for her at this time. Maybe later, but not now.

[Spyder88]

Ty Spyder, ty very much for the good thoughts.

I did what you said & I think I've got it.

It takes 3 months to get the pill dosage regulated. They're starting her off slowly because often times hyperthyroidism masks underlying kidney failure and when the hyperthyroidism is under control the urinary system shuts down.

Neither surgery (which the vet won't even consider due to her age/anesthesia) nor radiation would be appropriate if there's kidney disease underlying.

The pills can be used to keep the kindey disease in check if that turns out to be a reality.

Once the thyroid glands (there are two) are removed or destroyed, they can't bring them back.

We'll know by the end of the three months if she's going to have an adverse reaction to the pills. If so that would be the time to consider radiation provided there's no kidney disease, if there is there are two other medications. Actually three, but one isn't available in the US.

Blood tests will be every two weeks for the three months, if she stays on the pills, they'll spread them out to every six months thereafter.

I'll confirm all of this with the Vet tomorrow. So far, she doesn't seem to be having any of the possible side affects to the pills and she doesn't seem to be having any kidney issues. No increase or decrease in output and she certainly isn't lethargic or vomiting.

All and all, what I confirmed with my research is that my Vet is one smart cookie and looking out for the best interest of my Zee-Zee girl. Either of the other two options would have made her some serious cash & neither of them would have been right for her at this time. Maybe later, but not now.

Nice that you have found a veterinarian you can trust. That means so much in this day and age.

:beer:

[daniel green]

http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/f/foodurinaryhlth.htm

Cat Food to Correct Urinary Problems?

I found this interesting. To avoid feeding cats "fish flavored" type dry or wet foods.

Thank you! My cats eat mostly wet food and I have been steaming some fish for them 2-3/wk for them.

Yikes, I didn't know about this.

[Debb]

Yes, it's a huge problem. I feed my Purina One urinary Track Formula, and so far, so good. My vet recommended it.

I hope little Miguel and his new playmate are doing well.


Can you purchase this at a regular grocery store? I have told everyone I know about this potential threat. One of my best friends inherited (yes, a family member died and she got the cat) a cat that had to have surgery because of this problem. They actually removed his penis. The cat is doing okay now, thank goodness.

[drip~drop1]

Wow! :scared: Who knew? :confused:

Thanks for the head's up, D-Stars!!! I'll be watching my Tang a whole lot closer, and feeding him wet food, that's for sure.

I just need to keep myself from gettin' all paranoid, now. :rolleyes:

I had no idea either! I'll be watching my mr. meow and giving him his water from the distiller. he's eight now.
In fact, i think everybody will get distilled water from now on!

[Mr. Moto2]

Hello Mora16, I'm glad Mora is feeling better and has gained some weight back. I almost feel as if I know her! Cats are so neat and very underrated. Of course kittens are a blast, but I prefer older cats. They seem to have a certain style and wisdom to them that can only come with age.

[R~O~S]

Mora..........

We just got back from the vet. Zee Zee Top put on a full pound!!! :thumbsup:

We won't have the blood test results for a couple of days, but the vet is VERY pleased.

[R~O~S]

Wonderful:thumbsup: The worst might just be over as gaining weight is the important thing on the road to recovery.

Since Zee-Zee is the same age as "Mora" is, I've calculated their ages to be in their 90s (19x5 yrs=95). They have deserved to be treated "special" and have all the loving they need and want.

As long as Zee-Zee and you love each other, that is the best medicine for the both of you.


lol, I made mention at the Vets office just today, their age chart doesn't go high enough. It ends at 15 years. Zee-Zee is the celebrity kittie for the office. They make a big deal out of her, which is just as it should be. Some of the techs working there aren't as old as she is.

I'm just thrilled, I kinda was hoping, allowed myself to think maybe things were turning around quick, but I never even dreamed it would be a full pound.

I can allow myself the luxury of not just wishful thinking, but knowing she's looking & feeling much better. But I'll keep my fingers crossed until the blood tests come back. It'll be a delicate balance until we find the right dosage for her.