I insist that I am let in and out and in and out and in ......
The Staff here: And it seems there was a very good reason for Austin's urgent in/out requests over the last couple of days! Many of you will know that he prefers to do his private business in the great outdoors despite having all mod-cons and an en suite inside entirely for his comfort.
However, unusual activity around the litter box made it clear that he was having trouble in the bathroom department, so I bundled him in the PTU and rushed to the vet and yes, it seems he does have cystitis. The vet gave him an antibiotic shot and anti-inflammatory shot and said he should feel better in 24 hours. He didn't say anything else!
Here's the sweet boy last evening!
I made the mistake of googling feline cystitis and found that it can be a lot more serious in male cats than female! Stuff about crystals and lower UTIs has now made me sweat a bit, so any advice would be very much appreciated! Do I need to change his diet? He is such a very picky eater and only seems to want to eat fish based soft food and I do give him posh kibble (Royal Canin) but have cut that out for a few days. As far as I can tell there is no blood in his urine.
I know many of you have dealt with this in your kitties, so I will welcome any input! And some purrs would be so much appreciated!
Austin has not been blogging or visiting his buddies for quite a while much to his disgust and of course he blames me!! Fair dos! But I have to admit to being sometimes totally overwhelmed by the sheer number of lovely cat (and dog) blogs there are now and also how involved so many are in events, promotions, giveaways, branding etc (and Blogpaws!). Also we have been blogging since March 2008, so inevitably there comes a point where new ideas for posts dry up. We do hope to be back as I know Austin misses everyone :-)
Oh Austin..ouch..yes reduce kibble or get a special dietary one..it can be bad for male cats but an ounce of prevention..low salt..lots of water and tlc..and fear not my blog regularity is such that i fear i will be hounded from blogville..it can get hard with all the things going on and visiting..go easy on yourself and just get Austin well :) xxxx Bev
ReplyDeleteThank you Miss Bev! You and I could start our own renegade don't-blog-much blogville! A place where you go to chill and do nip and "yeah man" all the cool stuff! My best purrs for my pal Doc xxx
DeletePoor Austin. Sending purrs that he is all better. I have had several cats get the cystitis and they all did fine on the medicine without changing the food. We understand about slowing down on the blogging. It is a lot of work etc. We do miss that Austin.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marg, that makes The Staff a little less sweaty :) xx
DeleteI have read a ton on this because of a kitty we were taking care of and found lots of answers here... http://www.catinfo.org/ It is great that Austin eats wet food. I tried to get our Z Cat to eat wet food and she would have nothing to do with it. Maybe lick some of the gravy. I did the next best thing and put water on her kibble and that worked for a couple of bites and then it was like, "uh, nope"... I tried hard but could never transition her to wet food. So with Austin liking the soft stuff you are already ahead! Sending Austin (and Staff) feel better thoughts! xxxx
ReplyDeleteOh and I get the feeling of being overwhelmed at getting a post up and finding blog worthy "stuff" to post... :)
DeleteOh thanks for the link Miss Pix!! I will send the one with thumbs to check it out! Yes, I do eat mostly wet food, but I do like my kibble!! xx
DeleteAustin, we sure hope you are better by now, no fun not feeling well. We do understand about taking a blogging break though, but you know we are here and send you lots of healing purrs.
ReplyDeleteMindy & Mike
Hi Team Tabby, so good of you to drop by :) I went over and read your Mousebreath innerview and learnt a lot of stuff! You have had quite the exciting life. So glad you have a biped to cater to your every whim, but sorry that your fursibs have passed over the Bridge xx
DeleteOh! Poor Austin Kitty!
ReplyDeleteGet well soon, darling boy and get back to blogging (mol).
We send you purrs and kitty kisses (and an extra big one from Trixie).
Miss Trixie, you make me blush!! Thank you and sending mancat kitty kisses to you and pawpats to your brofurs xx
DeletePurrs to you Austin. I've battled the pee wars for a long time, and yes, it's not good for us male cats. Hopefully the meds will work and nothing else will be necessary. Unfortunately the dry food isn't good for pee problems.
ReplyDeleteThanks buddy! We have fellow pee-ling!! MOL
DeletePoor Mr. Poo !
ReplyDeleteI feel for you, my friend ! Do you remember I used to have crystals in my pee ! ( male cat urinary tract ) I got to the VET in time. The VET told us it's normal for male cat ( Normal ??? ) the VET told us to have Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Urinary SO for the rest of my life. because those food will make me thirsty and drink more. I still eat it till now. Mom will do everything to increase my drinking problems ( not drink much ) The one works well for me is rising the glass for drinking or using the tall glass. Keep water clean because my fur always in the glass. I'm not a fan of water fountain but I won't mind it.
And here my purrs, a ton of purrs for you & paw crossed
Hug to your mom
xox
Mr Poot, I do remember!! Thanks for your advice and we will try different drinking methods! I have to admit to liking a drink from a puddle! And The Staff has made a note of the foodables!! Mancat hi5s to you, buddy!! xxx
Deleteproblems with crystals are only 'normal' because of the prevalence of dry food..
DeleteOH Austin. Please do try a fountain and maybe kibble as a treat in addition to your treats. Like Mario does it. 20 or so pieces a day I think he gets...dry kibble I mean. I am so pleased you got that link. I will go too. All my love darling boy.
ReplyDeleteThanks Miss Katie, The Staff and I are learning a great deal about nutrition!! MOL Smoochies to you sweetie ❤️❤️❤️
DeleteI am sending lots of purrs Austin's way! We are all girl cats here, so we don't have any suggestions - hope everyone else is being helpful!
ReplyDeleteOh Austin my friend - we've all missed you - and so sorry to hear about your cystitis but hopefully the meds will clear it up for you...if the vet didn't say anything about what to do from here on our he must have thought it was a one-off? I'm sure there are lots of others who have some good advice for you and your Mum though. As for blogging, as you know, we didn't go to Blogpaws, don't do promos or reviews - we just blog about LIFE (and because I'm such a fascinating cat of course....hahaha). You blog when you WANT to dear boy - we'll be waiting to hear from you as we always have!
ReplyDeleteLove and Hugs, Sammy
We send you tons of healing purrs, Austin, and we hope you feel better soon ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteOrlin had that too. Got crystals and had to have things shoved up his thingy. But does great on the vet dry food,won't eat wet food, Urinary S/O keeps him peeing away. Hopefully you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteRotal Canin is the best food....so kibble should be S/O Urinary Formula...Nylablue loved the kibble & she was Miss Picky! And that really helped calm the Cystitis down. I tried her on their wet food & she would have none of it. She continued to eat her Fancy Feast (no matter how much I protested!) & her Skipjack Tuna in Low Sodium water. I think you will have to try different wet food to find something he likes & not all fish either. It seems boys have more trouble with fish & urinary tract issues. I hope Austin feels much better soon.
ReplyDeleteOver to Siddhartha Henry now:
Mee-you Unccle Austin mee iss sorry you have Sissyitis!! PHOOEY!!! Mee iss sendin you LOTSS OF POTP an Buudhist Kitty purrayerss an all mee luv!!! Get well S00N Unccle!! Mee luvss you!
****paw patsss**** neffkitty Siddhartha Henry xxxx an (((hugs))) LadyMum
Oh no, Austin! I hope this is a mild, one-time occurrence! I had this problem off and on and then got stones in my bladder that had to be surgically removed. I was on a prescription diet for a while (it definitely caused me to drink more water), but I haven't been on that diet for a long time and haven't had but one recurrence and that was pretty mild. I would not touch the prescription canned, only the dry, so the lady continued to feed me my regular canned. Anyway, I know this isn't much help but just wanted to share my experience. Again, we sure are hoping that this doesn't come back!
ReplyDeleteOne more thing: I see the two above comments. I also was on S/O (that was the prescription diet and it's by Royal Canin) and I liked it a lot and I'm picky too.
DeleteThanks Miss Annie!
DeleteSo sorry buddy! Hope you're felling well soon!
ReplyDeleteAnd Mom says she knows all about feeling dried up with ideas.
We're sorry to hear Austin is having "pee problems." We would suggest that he get more wet food than dry, and even though he loves fishy foods, to try and stay away from fish. More water will help too. Mix a little extra water in his wet food. Definitely gotta keep those kidneys flushed. Feel better, Austin!
ReplyDeleteI hope Austin is feeling better soon. My cat Cooper had pee problems too, he got a muscle relaxant and a pain killer his was just stress. I have tried to get him to eat canned food but he won't. 😛 Catinfo.org is an excellent site. Don't worry worry about not blogging frequently, it's a lot of work. I am signed up for notifications on Instagram (never2latepets) and receive email alerts.
ReplyDeletePoor Austin, I hope he feels better soon. Sammy just had stones removed from his bladder because they could have caused a blockage. His was caused by high calcium levels, but there is another type too. He is on special urinary food by Hills, but Royal Canin makes it too. I know the Hills comes in both chicken and fish so maybe you could get that for him.
ReplyDeleteAnd we miss our dear, dear friend, Austin. We are so sorry he isn't feeling well. We are certain you will get lots of good suggestions from other readers. Feel better soon, Austin. Sending purrs, prayers and POTP. Mau wants to extend a special invitation to Austin to attend he and Allie's wedding next Saturday at noon at Cat Scouts. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
ReplyDeleteCorn silk. We struggled with Bugs's urinary issues til hell wouldn't have it and nothing worked until corn silk. Yes, it is the simplest thing -- the silk at the end of corn on the cob. You can make your own or it is available dried in capsules here in the USA. DO it, don't delay! It really works. For cats and humans. https://catself.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/new-years-medical-edition/
ReplyDeleteGet in touch with Connie over at Tails from the Foster Kittens as she has lots of experience with this in one of her cats http://www.kittyblog.net/
ReplyDeleteHope Austin feels better soon,xx Rachel and Speedy
:) thanks for the shoutout
DeleteAustin and Caro, our friend Erin the cat (also UK) has had similar issues I think. She is ErintheCatPrincess. Do NOT let internet searches scare you OK??? Speak to the vet if you are worried and if you are not happy with the response >> check another vet OK!? Do not let this prey on your mind. Also Speedy's tip is a good one.
ReplyDeleteDon't stress about blogging. I know Austin is well loved by many and missed. His blog has always been about joy and fun to us - just so you know it's not about the money for most of us.
When I began blogging I posted every day. Now I do well to post once a week. It's not that I don't have much to say, but the things I have to say are probably not interesting to the readers of Rumpydog.
ReplyDeleteI do hope Austin recovers quickly. I have dealt with that issue before but it's been awhile and I'm sure the other readers have more relevant info to offer. Take care!
I am sorry you are not feeling so well, Austin. I have had stress cystitis three times, the first time when Kitty YumBum died,then when Eric had to leave us, and again when I became so ill in 2014. I had an injection and a course of tablets each time which cleared it up. The last time I had capsules to sprinkle on my food to soothe the lining of my bladder. I am very picky so mum was surprised that I ate my food with it added.
ReplyDeleteI don't blog as much now, usually twice a week. With our internet woes lately I am lucky that mum schedules posts or I would not even managed that and would have disappeared for a while.
We're sorry you're not feeling well, Austin. Purring and praying that those pee problems get resolved soon. And tell your humans not to worry about blogging ... the most important thing is getting you fit and healthy. Blogging can come later, okay? Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI have not read the comments, so I'm likely repeating: Wet food, of course, so it's good he likes it already. Derry has had bouts of idiopathic cystitis (stress-related I believe) and I have been giving him a pinch of UTI-Free (Amazon now carries it, I think, but I get it from PetAlive.com in the US) twice daily for 4 - 5 years with brilliant results. In the first year or two he'd start to have a flare-up and I'd dose him several times a day per the directions, but (FINGERS CROSSED) since I've been giving it to him 2x day, he's been okay. Our previous told me it's actually not that common for cats to get bacterial infections, because their urine is so acidic. At least in younger cats. And that females actually are more prone to a bacterial infection as they age. Anyway, if you ever need to know to for sure, the only way is for a culture and sensitivity test (so called in Canada and the US), wherein the urine sample is sent off to a lab (NOT in-house) to grow for a few days. If nothing grows, no bacterial infection and no need for antibiotics (which too many vets over-prescribe, IMO). The test is pricey but the only conclusive way to tell for certain -- and IF there were bacteria, the test would indicate which kind of antibiotic to use.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed you'll find something that works for him. If it recurs, please don't discount something homeopathic like UTI-Free if you can get it. While it might not work for every cat with this situation, it's been a godsend and real miracle for Derry.
Purrs to Austin from the boys and smooches from me.
Blogging comes a far distant second to health stuffs - as we can attest!!!
ReplyDeletePurring for you Austin, and tell the mom that Connie (kittyblog.net) is like the resident EXPERT of that stuff, as far as we know!
Purring for ya, dood!
:) Thanks for the shoutout
DeleteMy vet told me to avoid any of the fishy foods. I have Purina UR dry which they like and they do not need the canned UR but like Friskies gushy fuds. None of my boys and one girl ever got to the crystals or invasive procedures part (other than getting the samples of pee) The vet also mentioned that in all the cats they see, those that just get plain old Purina Cat Food seem to have less urinary problems. I realize you are in the UK (still - so far- I presume-) so I don't know how helpful any of this is. Prayers for Austin to get better soon !
ReplyDeleteI didn't go through the comments so I am certain you got some great advice, one thing I know is to never feed male cats turkey (unless it is a teeny tiny bit every now and then). I heard that turkey causes MAJOR urinary problems in male cats. The firsh mentioned above is new to me. Sending much love and many prayers that Austin feels better soon! xoxoxo DakotasDen
ReplyDeleteThat was supposed to be Cody, not Dakota lol
DeleteI have never heard of turkey causing an issue.. I wonder why that came about. Fish I get, turkey, not so much.
DeleteAustin, I hope you're feeling better and the cystitis doesn't recur. I see others have given you some good info and hopefully your vet can be a little more forthcoming with information about how you can minimize the risk of having another bout of trouble.
ReplyDeleteWe sent you an email with some links. We wrote about this very thing several times and recently when me had this. It's not fun and is more serious fur males than females. Mommy will be happy to talk to you any time ifin you want. We'll be sendin' lots of purrayers. Fish ain't great and he shouldn't eat kibble anymore. Maybe a fountain will help him wanna drink more and anythin' to lower da stress will be helpful. Sendin' luv. Ifin ya' have any questions about our email, just ask.
ReplyDeleteLuv ya'
Dezi and Raena
Glad to see you, buddy! Sorry to hear that you have been feeling under the weather. We hope that your cystitis gets cleared up quick and doesn't come back! The mom says that canned food and no kibble is best for urinary tract health. She switched all of us over to a canned-only diet when she read about that. Also, thank you so much for your kind words of comfort on Milton's memorial post today. We truly appreciate it more than you know. Perhaps you are right about him feeling free to go <3
ReplyDeleteI'm late to the party here (insistitis, I love it) You've gotten some good advice. I love dr. pierson's website catinfo.org she has a specific page linked on the right for urinary issues.
ReplyDeleteWet food.. yes. the more hydration the better. Dry food is bad for a couple of reasons, but it does leave the cat chronically dehydrated, so removing that will help.
Cornsilk, I love the stuff. I take it myself :) My bladder tends to get twitchy when it knows I'm about to go and when I take it it doesn't happen. It is cheap and I've seen it work wonders with my cats too.
I have had ongoing issues with Jack and Eli, and I've done some trial and error and a lot of reading. I did a basics 'what I know' post about it a while back. http://www.kittyblog.net/2015/02/what-i-know-what-you-might-want-to-know.html
I love talking about this sort of thing, so if you want to reach out, i'm happy to talk to you about options and ideas..
Ouch - cystitis is no fun. Hope you'll soon feel better.
ReplyDeletedood...~~~~~ waves two ewe dood frum de land oh trout...nice ta see ewe bak thiz way... tho we iz sorree yur havin a time oh it with de nastee sis eye tiz......N sad lee....ya should stay a way frum fish fora while dood...we noe....we canna bee leeeve thoz werdz came outta R mouthz, but tiz troo....noe fish, but drink like one.... & purrhapz mum can get a sample of kidnee foodz frum de place oh eeeeevil sew ewe can try it out; it act shoo a leez knot bad....honest.....all eye can eat now~~~~~ be well dood & az all wayz de manee blessingz oh st francis two ewe ♥♥♥
ReplyDeletebutter lover boomer oh cat & crew ~~~~
We rarely can make the blog rounds anymore and so miss it. Happy 9th dear Austin. Loved seeing Tigger again but no happy about a UTI. Yes, they are sadly more common in males. Nixing dry food and encouraging more water drinking with fountains or spring bottled water. There are homeopathic formulas for urinary health that work well. There is nothing to worry about. You're vigilant and UTIs are only a concern when not treated.
ReplyDeleteWe hope Austin is feeling better soon and his cystitis clears up quickly.
ReplyDeleteWe're very busy with our blog and haven't had much time to visit. We're setting a goal to visit everyone once a week (once we catch up).
We hope Austin's problems clear up quickly. As for visiting, it can be very overwhelming!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for celebrating my 10th Birthday with me! Purrs, Dragonheart
I have no experience (I mean my cats) have no experience with this problem. But it looks like you asked the right peeps for advise! I hope the problem is over fast. I love seeing you on Instagram, Austin! Even a glimpse of your handsomeness brightens our day.
ReplyDeletexxoo
Maggie, Mickey Mouser, and Rufus the Red
Austin, I've had the crystals twice. Not fun. Not fun at all. Both times I was totally blocked up with 'em and had to be... uh... unblocked.
ReplyDeletePeeps are almost positive my crystals were stress induced. Both times it was winter and that ol' Nosy-Neighbour-Cat had practically moved into my house. MOUSES!
Anyway, now I get special SO kibble as I refused to eat the wet stuff. Also, the doctor said human tuna and salmon were okay but not catfood tuna or salmon at all. I like the tuna. Won't touch the salmon. Not even if it's red! And I still get some soft with the other cats 'cause like I said, peeps are positive my case was stress induced so maybe that makes a bit of a difference. Peeps make sure I get lots of water and they've become really good at keepin' NNC away from me 'cause quite frankly, we just don't get along. MOUSES!
Purrs,
Seville