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Male cat urinary blockage
- Thread starter Sean
- Start date
Awww shucks 
D
Dantes
Guest
I've hesitated to post because I'm not a vet or anything, but I do have quite a bit of experience with UTIs and FLUTD. Do you have a definitive diagnosis for Mokkun yet? Do you know for certain he has crystals, or ?
One of my cats did have a definitive diagnosis, first of UTI and later of crystals and ended up having PU surgery. He was on a Science Prescription kibble diet for most of his life, first c/d and then later w/d because the c/d made him gain too much weight. In retrospect, I'm not sure the Science Prescription was necessarily the best long term for him. Not long after he came home from surgery, he developed a voracious hunger and I suspect based on what I've read about feline diets that the c/d may have been nutritionally deficient and causing this behavior. If only I had known then what I know now, I'd have put him on at best a raw diet or at the very least a canned or homemade cooked diet. I'm not convinced he was ever crystal-free being on the c/d or w/d anyway but at the time I was afraid of not doing what the vet instructed.
My ragdoll has also been diagnosed as having FLUTD, but in his case, he has no crystals, he has no UTI, and the regular vets (he's been to 4 different ones) tell me "some cats are just like that." So we went further with diagnosing him with my favorite but super-expensive vet and have figured out that his bladder becomes inflamed when he's stressed, resulting in UTI symptoms (but with no UTI present). What I've also figured out is that if he eats any kibble--any kibble at all--his symptoms will appear and slowly worsen. So what I've been doing for him is 1. attempting to keep him as calm and unstressed as possible, and 2. not allowing him any kibble at all. His diet is primarily raw, with the occasional can of Weruva (or other high quality canned food). We also have a water fountain and multiple litter boxes (2 per floor). To minimize his stress I run feliway diffusers almost constantly and when he starts to get cranky, give him Spirit Essences (also called flower essences) UR Fine and Grouch Remedy. I know people doubt the effectiveness of spirit essences, but it really, truly seems to help make him less grouchy or stressed.
Anyway, all that to say that I think if you don't have a 100% definitive diagnosis, that is probably the first thing you need for him. Urinalysis, bloodwork, ultrasound....it's expensive, but a sick cat and PU surgery is much more expensive.
HTH.
One of my cats did have a definitive diagnosis, first of UTI and later of crystals and ended up having PU surgery. He was on a Science Prescription kibble diet for most of his life, first c/d and then later w/d because the c/d made him gain too much weight. In retrospect, I'm not sure the Science Prescription was necessarily the best long term for him. Not long after he came home from surgery, he developed a voracious hunger and I suspect based on what I've read about feline diets that the c/d may have been nutritionally deficient and causing this behavior. If only I had known then what I know now, I'd have put him on at best a raw diet or at the very least a canned or homemade cooked diet. I'm not convinced he was ever crystal-free being on the c/d or w/d anyway but at the time I was afraid of not doing what the vet instructed.
My ragdoll has also been diagnosed as having FLUTD, but in his case, he has no crystals, he has no UTI, and the regular vets (he's been to 4 different ones) tell me "some cats are just like that." So we went further with diagnosing him with my favorite but super-expensive vet and have figured out that his bladder becomes inflamed when he's stressed, resulting in UTI symptoms (but with no UTI present). What I've also figured out is that if he eats any kibble--any kibble at all--his symptoms will appear and slowly worsen. So what I've been doing for him is 1. attempting to keep him as calm and unstressed as possible, and 2. not allowing him any kibble at all. His diet is primarily raw, with the occasional can of Weruva (or other high quality canned food). We also have a water fountain and multiple litter boxes (2 per floor). To minimize his stress I run feliway diffusers almost constantly and when he starts to get cranky, give him Spirit Essences (also called flower essences) UR Fine and Grouch Remedy. I know people doubt the effectiveness of spirit essences, but it really, truly seems to help make him less grouchy or stressed.
Anyway, all that to say that I think if you don't have a 100% definitive diagnosis, that is probably the first thing you need for him. Urinalysis, bloodwork, ultrasound....it's expensive, but a sick cat and PU surgery is much more expensive.
HTH.
Sean
Site Supporter
The Vet ER found struvite crystals. I will be taking him to his regular vet Dr Dill on Thursday
because he is back to over grooming. He is on the RX food I don't recall the brand both caned and
kibble. I cut back the kibble and he has 2 water fountains and cat boxes all over the place.
I agree on the nutrition of the RX food he is not gainning back the weight that he lost and still
eating like a pig. So when we go see Dr Dill I will take it over with him and see what we can do
for Mokkun. Stress wise does not seem to be a problem. But you never know ....
I'll report back on the vet visit.
Thanks everyone for the support and help
Sean
because he is back to over grooming. He is on the RX food I don't recall the brand both caned and
kibble. I cut back the kibble and he has 2 water fountains and cat boxes all over the place.
I agree on the nutrition of the RX food he is not gainning back the weight that he lost and still
eating like a pig. So when we go see Dr Dill I will take it over with him and see what we can do
for Mokkun. Stress wise does not seem to be a problem. But you never know ....
I'll report back on the vet visit.
Thanks everyone for the support and help
Sean
Poor Mokkun, do you think the overgrooming is from being kept by himself then?
If the Rx food hasn't stopped him getting sick...or is it because he hasn't been on it too long... I wonder if consulting a nutritional specialist vet would help. When my kitten Babbage was having serious GI issues, I took him to the nutrition specialist to help formulate a raw diet for him as he absolutely refused the canned food (and kibble) they wanted him to be eating. The vet wasn't happy with raw, but Babbage wouldn't eat cooked either, but the vet WAS very good about taking the animal's issues and making a food recipe for that which was balanced and helped with his needs. Might be worth considering?
If the Rx food hasn't stopped him getting sick...or is it because he hasn't been on it too long... I wonder if consulting a nutritional specialist vet would help. When my kitten Babbage was having serious GI issues, I took him to the nutrition specialist to help formulate a raw diet for him as he absolutely refused the canned food (and kibble) they wanted him to be eating. The vet wasn't happy with raw, but Babbage wouldn't eat cooked either, but the vet WAS very good about taking the animal's issues and making a food recipe for that which was balanced and helped with his needs. Might be worth considering?
Sean
Site Supporter
He has been over grooming about a year now. It started with Bella chewing his whiskers off.
She thinks he is her kitten and over does it. Tetsu won't put up with it. Mokkun likes to be
groomed and lets her do it. Now it's him doing it. Vet had him on some prednisone and he
had just finshed a 2 mo treatment when the new problem happened and I did let the ER vet
know about the prednisone and also let Dr Dill know what was going on He got a copy of
all the labs and said the plan they had was good. So tomorrow we will see what we need to change.
One thing I did on my own is switch to can food only.
The one thing I have not taken into account is the water at the house. I will ask about that too.
Sean
She thinks he is her kitten and over does it. Tetsu won't put up with it. Mokkun likes to be
groomed and lets her do it. Now it's him doing it. Vet had him on some prednisone and he
had just finshed a 2 mo treatment when the new problem happened and I did let the ER vet
know about the prednisone and also let Dr Dill know what was going on He got a copy of
all the labs and said the plan they had was good. So tomorrow we will see what we need to change.
One thing I did on my own is switch to can food only.
The one thing I have not taken into account is the water at the house. I will ask about that too.
Sean
D
Dantes
Guest
I'll just offer you some links as "food for thought" if that's okay. Also--overgrooming, IMO, is a clear sign of stress. Could be related, or not.
http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-crystals-raw-diets-and-water
It is my experience, and that of many other practitioners, that when cats are placed on a meat-based, water-rich, raw, canned or home-cooked, balanced diet, they drink little or no water at all. This is normal for cats, as they evolved as carnivorous predators in a desert environment. Their physiology adapted to obtaining the water they needed via their diet, which naturally consisted of small mammals, birds, even reptiles and the occasional insect, as the desert does not have the puddles, streams, ponds or rivers so common in other types of climates.
Adding extra water to the diet of cats who have had urinary crystals or stones cannot hurt, provided the cat doesn't mind it and is consuming enough of the balanced food to maintain a healthy body weight. Indeed, it may help, as diluting the concentration of the cat's urine will lessen the ability of the most common types of urinary minerals, calcium phosphate and magnesium ammonium phosphate, AKA struvite, to form into crystals or stones. The catchy phrase "The solution to pollution is dilution!" applies here. This is why dry foods, even prescription dry diets for urinary crystals, are never the best choice, as they contain almost no water at all. When cats are on dry food diets, they will drink water, but they often do not drink enough to keep their bodies optimally hydrated or produce slightly diluted urine.
http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/urinary-problems.php
http://www.knowbetterpetfood.com/feline_struvite_crystals
http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth
**********
http://cats.about.com/od/behaviortraining/a/catover-grooming.htm
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061110063540AAL2uXx
Hope your boy starts to feel better soon.
d
http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-crystals-raw-diets-and-water
It is my experience, and that of many other practitioners, that when cats are placed on a meat-based, water-rich, raw, canned or home-cooked, balanced diet, they drink little or no water at all. This is normal for cats, as they evolved as carnivorous predators in a desert environment. Their physiology adapted to obtaining the water they needed via their diet, which naturally consisted of small mammals, birds, even reptiles and the occasional insect, as the desert does not have the puddles, streams, ponds or rivers so common in other types of climates.
Adding extra water to the diet of cats who have had urinary crystals or stones cannot hurt, provided the cat doesn't mind it and is consuming enough of the balanced food to maintain a healthy body weight. Indeed, it may help, as diluting the concentration of the cat's urine will lessen the ability of the most common types of urinary minerals, calcium phosphate and magnesium ammonium phosphate, AKA struvite, to form into crystals or stones. The catchy phrase "The solution to pollution is dilution!" applies here. This is why dry foods, even prescription dry diets for urinary crystals, are never the best choice, as they contain almost no water at all. When cats are on dry food diets, they will drink water, but they often do not drink enough to keep their bodies optimally hydrated or produce slightly diluted urine.
http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/urinary-problems.php
http://www.knowbetterpetfood.com/feline_struvite_crystals
http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth
**********
http://cats.about.com/od/behaviortraining/a/catover-grooming.htm
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061110063540AAL2uXx
Hope your boy starts to feel better soon.
d
I think the best thing you can do for Mokkun right now is to do that indeed... to read as much as you can find online about feline crystals and what options are best for your cat. I completely agree that water intake is crucial in this case...so however you can get Mokkun to take in more fluid is going to be advantageous for him.
Good luck tomorrow with the vet!
Good luck tomorrow with the vet!
A good way to get more fluids into a cat is to either feed raw or make some chicken broth (no added anything) from chicken.
I have started feeding Stella and Chewys and you have to add water to it, so they get water that way as well.
Good luck and please let us know what happens.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
I have started feeding Stella and Chewys and you have to add water to it, so they get water that way as well.
Good luck and please let us know what happens.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2