Hello All,

My cat, Mr. Salty, is sick and I just feel terrible that he is suffering. Two weeks ago I noticed that he was urinating in inappropriate places and just generally acting odd. I observed him and found out that he was using the litter very frequently, only to urinate very small amounts at a time.

I took him to the vet and the did a urinalysis which indicated struvite crystals and blood in his urine. They put him on antibiotics (amoxi drop) and started him on Hill's Prescription wet c/d food. Before he became ill he was eating cheap commercial food (kit and kaboodle) as well as a piece of raw chicken here and there.

After a week of treatment he seemed to clear up and was urinating in larger amounts and was back to his normal behavior. Last night when I returned home from work I ntoiced all the lower cubboards were open, the trash was tipped over and he was acting strange. He was also going back and forth to the litter with little urine produced again. I called the vet and she recommended I start him on s/d instead of c/d. He has been on that since last night but doesn't really seem to like the taste of it. I have also been giving him forced water with a dropper to attempt to flush his system. I collected some urine from him this morning and I am waiting on the test results but I'm assuming it will be the same as before.

His ears are warm also so I'm thinking maybe he has a fever. I also have been feeling his tummy to make sure his bladder isn't hard and full. So I'm thinking he isn't totally blocked because he is urinating very small amounts as well. He might be partially blocked though, I am just not sure.

I have been researching and am at a loss of what to do. I read that Thlaspi Bursa was a good homeopathic remedy but I unfortunately do not know enough to start giving him herbs. I do not really see any other options available that this point though. I called a homeopathic vet and they want $100 for a phone consultation. I'm a student and making little money so after spending $300 already I am not sure I can afford much more.

Any information or advice you could offer would make me and my kitty much happier. Thank you for your time.

-Maegan

I just recieved word back on the urinalysis and it was again blood and crystals. The vet recommended I bring him in to be put under and have his bladder flushed... although he said because my cat is very stressed out easily that I can monitor him on the s/d food to see if it dissolves the crystals first....

If I take him in it will cost me another $300... I'm not sure what to do.

One of our cats had this problem when he was three years old and had to have surgery. It can actually be life threatening if the urine backs up. All our cats have been on Science Diet RX Diet ever since. It's been 8 years. He had another episode that we caught early because we watched really carefully after that. I treated him homeopathically and he did fine. I recommend you get H.G. Wolff. DMV, 'Your Healthy Cat'. In it he recommends Sabal-serrulatum 3C every hour as a first choice. If that doesn't work, then Lycopodium 30C followed by hourly doses of Berberis 3C. If the cat is prone to repeated difficulties, then Magnesium-carb 30C and Lycopodium 30C on alternate days. Dr. Wolff also warns that this can be life threatening, so don't let it go very long if he doesn't respond.

Also, even though the Science Diet is more expensive, I found when I tried other foods, they ate so much more of it that I was having to buy a lot more. The Science Diet is nutritionally dense and more satisfying to them, so in the long run, it's actually cheaper.

Here's a list of the target urine pH's of cat foods. this is the most current list they have on the yahoo catswithflutd group.

Active Life canned - 6.1
Authority dry & canned - pH info not available
Avoderm dry & canned - 6.4-6.7
Biljac dry - 6.0-6.5
Blackwood dry - 6.0-6.4
Blue Buffalo dry - pH info not available
By Nature Brightlife dry - 6.5-6.7
California Natural dry & canned - 6.4-6.6
Chicken Soup For The Cat Lover's Soul dry & canned - 6.1-6.4
Diamond dry & canned - 6.1-6.4
Eagle Pack dry & canned - 6.0
Eukanuba dry - 6.0-6.4
Evolve dry & canned - 6.5-6.9
Exclusive dry - 6.2-6.5
Felidae canned - 6.0
Felidae dry - 6.5
Feline Caviar Premium Formula dry - 6.1-6.4
Flint River Ranch dry - 6.0-6.2
Go!Natural - pH info not available
Iams dry & canned - 6.0-6.4
Innova dry & canned - 6.4-6.6
Lick Your Chops dry & canned - 6.4-6.7
Life's Abundance dry - 6.6-6.8
Natural Balance dry & canned - 6.2-6.4
Natural Life dry & canned - 6.6
Nature's Recipe Urinary Health dry - 6.5
Nature's Variety dry & canned - 6.0-6.5
Newman's Own Organics dry & canned - 6.0-6.8
Nutro dry & canned - 6.0-6.4
Organix Feline dry - 6.2-6.6
Pinnacle dry & canned - 6.4-6.7
Petguard dry & canned - 6.2-6.5
Precise dry & canned - 6.3
ProPac dry & canned - 6.0
Purina One Special Care Urinary Tract Formula dry - 6.3
Purina Pro Plan Special Formula-Urinary Health dry & canned - 6.3
Purina Friskies Special Diet dry & canned– 6.3
Sensible Choice dry & canned - 6.4
Solid Gold dry & canned - 6.5
Wellness dry & canned - 6.1-6.5
Wysong Cat Treats - 6.4-6.6
Wysong Uretic dry - 6.4
Wysong Vitality dry - 6.4-6.6


VETERINARY PRESCRIPTION CAT FOODS

Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low pH/S - 5.9-6.3
Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Moderate pH/O - 6.3-6.9
Hills C/D dry & canned - 6.2-6.4
Hills R/D dry & canned - 6.2-6.4
Hills S/D dry & canned - 5.9-6.1
Hills W/D dry & canned - 6.2-6.4
Hills X/D dry & canned - 6.6- 6.8
IVD Dissolution canned - 5.9
IVD Select Care Control dry - 6.0-6.8
Purina Veterinary UR - 6.1

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Shirley Reischman

Hello Maegan,

In the event the remedies suggested by Shirley are not readily available you might want to look at the list I've posted and call the closest Homeopathic Home Study Group (first thing in the morning!), which I think is probably the one in York. The person listed and the group have been around a long time and I think one of the members might have the remedies you need on hand.
http://www.homeopathic.org/Apa00.htm

If not, www.homeopathyovernight.com (1-800-276-4223) does just what their name implies. They are in Southern New Jersey, which means you still wouldn't have the remedies until next Monday at the earliest and frankly, that might be too late.

You can't wait that long if your cat is in stress. If you aren't able to obtain the remedies immediately along with good advice on how to use them, which the Home Study member I mention in York might be able to give you, then you would be wise to have the kitty treated by the vet. If she only wants to flush him, not admit for a stay on a drip, the bill shouldn't be near the figure you mentioned. Best to have it done during a regular office visit than to try to find an emergency clinic at night on a weekend.......that's when they hit you (at least where I live) with the highest possible fees.

These cases always recur as soon as the meds are done! The vets have no right discharging (if he was an in house patient) or flushing as an out-patient without advice for follow up. They fully expect the cat to return, episode after episode until, like Shirley said, surgery is done. It's a good source of income for them.

As soon as you can (like NOW) simmer a big bunch of fresh parsley (or shepherd's purse, which is the herbal form of Thlaspi bursa)in just enough water to cover, cool and strain. Give (syringe) dose of one teaspoonful, every 30 minutes to one hour. If relieved, dose every two hours until proper homeopathic advice re how to continue is obtained. Grind up some vitamin C and toss it on his tongue or mix with small amount of fluid and give via syringe, 500 mg at a time is okay, couple of times a day.

This is life threatening, so time is of the essence. If/when he seems fully recovered and off any meds, care must be taken as Shirley stated.

Good luck.....were I you, I'd call the York number (or any that is close) first thing in the morning. If no luck, then make an appointment to have his bladder checked and flushed if needed........then follow up with good homeopathic care so it doesn't return. I have a number of former clogged guys who never clogged again....but I feed them parsley juice daily along with a proper diet!

(Our old farm was in Bartville....covered bridge and all!)

__________________
Sometimes on Earth, you can find something that resembles a little piece of Heaven. And sometimes on Earth, a little piece of Heaven can find you.

Thank you all for your replies and help. I appreciate it. At this point I'm just going to update you see what you think because I am thoroughly confused and frustrated (and stressed!) so that isn't helping matters. Today Salty seems to be doing better. He is not going back and forth to the litter and is not urinating small amounts. He is also not meowing and acting uncomfortable, his ears are cool now. I am assuming by his symptoms he is doing somewhat better. I am keeping a very close on on him though and his bladder is soft and not hard and full.

I updated previously on the second urinalysis having blood and crystals. I was told to bring him in (see updated post). But that I could also try the s/d and see if it dissolved the crystals.

Now I went back to the vet's to pick up c/d to mix with the s/d because Salty was not eating it. I also requested a copy of the urinalysis. After I got home I looked it over and it said negative for crystals. Positive for blood and positive for leucocytes. Bacteria results on the test were negative. Ph was 6.0 but it wasn't a fresh sample so I dont think you can accurately judge that part. Protein was 3+. Negative for glucose, bilirubin, ketones, urobiligen and nigrates. Of course the next day I called the vet and said I am confused why I was told my cat needs to be on s/d and flushed and xray'd if the test results say negative for crystals? She said well dont' assume there isnt crystals and that the vet was now gone for the weekend so I have to wait until monday.

Ugh I feel like crying I am so confused. I know I am probably confusing you all as well. :> Just a quick point, the first test results that came back positive for struvite crystals were from the emergency vet's office who then faxed the urinalysis results over to my regular vet. So I am sure dealing with two vet's and their diagnoses is further confusing things.

Anyway, I set up an appointment for Monday evening to talk with my regular vet about what is going on and why I am getting so much conflicting information. I feel like until I know what the deal is I can't very well educate myself on preventative measures for my cat. I am going to keep him on the s/d, c/d mixture until monday and keep giving him extra filtered water. I don't know what else to do. I also feel like the s/d is designed to disolve crystals and if he doesn't now have them what is the point of giving him the food. There is the danger of him developing the other kind of crystal needlessly.

If any of you have any advice that can help settle my brain I would be very happy to hear it. Otherwise I am just going to keep an eye on my kitty and make sure he isn't showing any dangerous symtoms until I can figure this out.

Thanks again.
-Maegan

Oh, also I can be reached through yahoo messager at iona_skyy.

Listen to your vet, but also realize that you know your cat better than anyone. Keep a very close watch on him, how he looks, how he feels when you palpate his bladder, how he acts, what his urine is like. Trust yourself to know whether he is getting better or not. Cats who don't have problems with crystals can eat the perscription food with no problem (all three of mine have eaten it for years, but only Kitkat needs it), but a cat with the problem really needs it, so err on the side of assuming he needs it. Go to abchomeopathy.com/ and read up on the remedies Dr. Wolff suggests and see if you can tell by his personality/temperament and how he acts when he is sick which one he needs.

__________________
Shirley Reischman

2 weeks is never a long enough course of antibiotics to. Bladder flush is not warrented if no immediate threat to life (why would they want to introduce anastetic in the mix, not to mention straining the bladder which is a huge problem in chronic cases!) Put him on some real food -turn around feeding to be mostly raw chicken and the occassional can of food. At the very least run far away from Hills -not only does the food taste bad but its just plain awful and painfully behind the times. There is no proof that it disolves anything. Switch to a different vet blend if need be.