Case study of five-year-old cat having great difficulty urinating

When this cat did urinate it was bloody. He also groomed his abdomen excessively. These are the unmistakeable signs of an anxious and stressed cat. He had developed cystitis (infection of the bladder) which is often linked to stress. He was one of six cats in the home. Unfortunately he was not friendly with any of them. In addition he had been attacked by cats from neighbouring households.

Changes were made to his environment and lifestyle as recommended by the clinic attached to Bristol University’s Veterinary School.

Changes:

• He was provided with his own exclusive area within the house
• He had his own food bowl
• He had his own litter tray. The other cats could neither access the food bowl nor the litter tray
• His view of the garden was blocked by covering the lower part of the windows in the part of home where he lived. This prevented him seeing other cats coming into the garden.

His symtoms cleared up. In addition to the above I’d have ensured he was off any dry food he was on and fed him something like boiled fish with added water to make sure he was getting enough liquid plus good wet food.

Six months later his symptoms returned. It was discovered that he had recently been accidentally shut in with the other cats. Precautions were taken to prevent this happening again and all was well.

Further notes

Renee wrote a comment on a page about the cause of struvite cystals in cats. She has a method to help prevent he cat developing a urinary tract infection. Here it is:

I’ve been on a mission to help my cat Freddie for 3 years. He was catheterized 2 times (inserting a catheter up the urinary tract). I have learned over the years, that the dry prescription diet are for the birds. Two very important things I’ve learned and continue to do on a regular basis when offering advice is say: A WATER FOUNTAIN AND WET FOOD ONLY. My list of products that I give to Freddie to keep him from getting UTI’S or Stuvite crystals are:

• Culurelle powder kids probiotic, Cosequin.
• King Bio urinary tract irritation homeopathy, or
• Leaks no more by Homeopet,
• Biotic PH from Wysong.
• I also ground up raw organic chicken and add it to his wet food.

Best of luck to all of you who deal with this issue.

Renee

Important Notes:

1. These are the views of a visitor who I don’t know. I find them interesting and plausible. However, please check with your veterinarian. Never assume internet advice on cat health is good unless supported by veterinary advice.
2. This is one case study and it not a comprehensive discorse on feline UTIs. Search for “feline urinary tract infections” on this site for more.