Expert: Jessica - 9/8/2010

Question
QUESTION:  hi i have a 8 year old female cat. the last couple days i noticed her stand over stuff or in the bathtub  like she was tring to pee or somthing. i have found pee on my bed or some in the bathtub, i am thinkin it is a bladder infection that is causing it hard for her to go. she is lickin her self to alot it seems. she is still pretty happy purring when pet and stuff but iam really worried about her i read it could be a blockage or somthing witch i would think would be pretty price and i dont have alot of money right now. do you have and suggestion on what you thin it might be or how to  treat it.

ANSWER: Hi Jen,

The good news is that females almost never ever get blockages because their urethras are too wide for crystals and blood clots to become stuck.  The bad news is that I think you're absolutely right - it sounds like she has an infection or urinary tract crystals.  She needs to get to a vet right away.  If she's not treated promptly, it can escalate to a problem like kidney failure.

The vet will probably want to do a urinalysis when possible, but because cats with urinary tract pain urinate so frequently, it's likely that her bladder will be empty when you go for the visit.  Hopefully they'll start her on an antibiotic based on her symptoms, and this shouldn't cost too much money.  The vet might give you a Uro-Collect Kit, which is a special kind of litter that doesn't absorb urine, so you can try to collect urine at home, or they may want to keep her for the day to try to get some urine there.  Let the vet know you don't have much money and that you need to limit it to the bare necessities.  Most vets are very willing to work with you.

The urine test may show bacteria, urinary crystals, blood, or a combination thereof.  The final treatment strategy will depend on what is found in the urine, but antibiotics should be used in any case to treat or prevent infection.  Cats with crystals should also be on a special diet.  But you may want to have her urine rechecked after the antibiotic is finished, because sometimes crystals can form due to an infection, not as a primary problem.  Cats who don't have bacteria or crystals but only blood usually need a supplement called chondroitin and sometimes a medication called amitriptyline.  Cats who have bacteria usually just need antibiotics.

Best wishes!

Jessica



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QUESTION: so i took my cat to the vet they told me she had a empty bladder so ther is no blockage they did a urinalysis-microscopic/stick test and told me she has a infection and gave me zeniquin  tablets to give her for 14 days. she has about a week left. i thought she was better but noticed today she is doin the same things straining in weird places to pee. could the vets been wrong or does it usally take the whole 2 weeks of med before  it clears up. i dont want to be bringin her back to the vet again for the same testing if i dont have to but iam worried about her, i just payed 160 and dont really want to pay anymore if i dont have to. if you have and advise on what i should do or what is normal i would love the help

ANSWER: Hi Jen,

It's possible the vets were wrong.  Sometimes it takes more than one urine sample to detect crystals in the urine.  There are times when a cat is suffering from urinary tract crystals, but the specific specimen collected contains no crystals.  

It's also possible that she has bladder STONES, not crystals.  While stones are made of the same material, some cats with stones don't have smaller crystals, so there's no evidence of their presence on urine tests.  The most common types of bladder stones - struvite and calcium oxalate - will show up on x-rays when they are large enough.

Also, some cats suffer from a condition called interstitial cystitis.  This is an inflammatory condition, and the cause isn't well understood, but it is believed to be at least partially anxiety/stress-induced.  Cats with this condition have an inflamed bladder lining.  This is a very painful condition, and many cats will start urinating outside the box or having bloody urine.  As the protective lining of the bladder is compromised, it tends to allow bladder infections to set in.  Sometimes, vets believe these cats only have a bladder infection, but even after the infection is treated with antibiotics, and tests confirm the bacteria are gone, the cat still has the symptoms (and many times still has blood in her urine).  Treatment for this condition is under debate, but most agree that a chondroitin supplement is very helpful (my cats like Zuke's Hip Action treats).  I have also found that amitriptyline helps immensely.  Cats in the intense stages of pain also really need a pain reliever, and this may include a cat-safe NSAID like Metacam, or a heavy-duty pain med like Buprenex (a narcotic type of prescription from the vet) for a few days.

Finally, did they do a culture and sensitivity test to see which type of antibiotic the infection would respond to?  Zeniquin is a really tough drug, and I'd think this would cover it.  But it could be possible that the infection would respond better to a different antibiotic, if this is strictly an infection you're dealing with.

The Zeniquin should've had her improving in about 48 hours.  I would definitely call the vet and let them know she's still having symptoms.  They may want to switch her medication or add in a pain medication for her.  In any case, it would probably be a good idea to repeat her urinalysis about one to two weeks after she finishes up her medications to see where she's at.  That way, you can double check for crystals and make sure any infection is gone, and also be sure she has no blood in her urine.

Good luck!



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QUESTION: so i talked to the vet they want to test her again so iam gonna bring her in when she is done her meds in acoupld days. but my question is have u heard about crandberrie juice helpin to clear up a infection. quit a few poeple whos cats have had one said they used it and it worked, do you know if they works or worth tring?

Answer
The idea with cranberry juice is that it's supposed to lower urinary pH (make it more acidic), and when the urinary pH is low, it makes it more difficult for bacteria to grow in the urine.  There have been no studies performed to determine whether this actually works in cats, so the only evidence that it is beneficial is anecdotal, meaning that owners report their cats benefited from it.  I have tried some urine acidifiers with my cats, and I’m not sure they really helped.  The cats also tend to dislike them, so I don’t think it was really worth giving them in my cases.

However, if you want to try a urine acidifier with your kitty, that would be fine.  Some people mix cranberry juice into canned food.  There is also Cranberry Relief by NaturVet, which is a powder you mix in.  Personally, I would suggest using Methigel, a urinary acidifier formulated especially for cats with urinary tract problems.  It’s not a cranberry-based product, but vets recommend this most.  It’s a gel given with a syringe.  You can get this from most vets, or on websites like www.1800petmeds.com.  Since your cat doesn’t appear to have calcium oxalate crystals, this should be fine to give (you never want to acidify the urine in pets who have calcium oxalate crystals – it will worsen the condition).