Expert: Jessica - 1/3/2012

Question
We have a 3 1/2 year old male cat called Jack. Jack has FLUTD and is prone to painful and at times life thretening bouts of cystitis. We have been told by the vets that there are no crystals, plugs or bacterial infections causing this - it is a stress related condition. This concurrs with what we observe, as Jack often suffers episodes when there have been changes in the household and / or routine, for example he has had them when we decorated and when the house had been full of visitors over Christmas.

We feel Jack's problem is exacerbated by 2 main issues - we are a mulitcat household, with 3 other cats (2 other males and 1 female) and as teachers our routine is constantly changing between being out of the house up to 12 hours a day in term time, to being home with very different eating, sleeping and socialising routines in the holidays. We find Jack often suffers an episode of FLUTD when we return to work after a school break.

Jack and the other cats tolerate each other and there is no out-and-out fighting, however he seems very wary and jumpy around them and while they often spend time sleeping and playing together Jack is often pushed out of this. All he seems to want is to be with us.

We are now at the point where we feel that perhaps rehoming is the best option for Jack. We have tried everything to help reduce the FLUTD episodes - he is on a daily dose of amatryptaline, we have used Feliway, there are plenty of litter trays, we include wet food and plenty of water in his diet, water sources are varied and spread out and we provide lots of stimulation through play and access to outdoors. However the minute something changes he gets an episode. His most recent bout was very severe, with the onset of kidney failure which was upsetting and extremely costly. Of course no one will insure him with this pre-existing condition.

We just wonder whether, as much as we hate to consider it, rehoming would be knider to Jack. We are planning on having a baby soon and worry that this would further stress him and disrupt the household. At the moment no one is happy - not us, Jack or even the other cats. But would he be a good candidate for rehoming? Would anyone take him on with this condition?

Many thanks for any advice,
Michelle, UK

Answer
Hi Michelle,

I'm sorry to hear of Jack's condition. Unfortunately, I think it will be very difficult to find a home for Jack. Very few people are willing to take cats with medical conditions, not only because of the cost, but also because of the emotional strain that it causes, as you are experiencing. Interstitial cystitis is among the most frustrating conditions in cats because it can be so difficult to control. And while stress is a common trigger, cats can suffer with it chronically even in the calmest environments. You may want to see if you can put the word out there to find him a home, but I don't think chances are great that you will have any takers. Also, he is almost certain to have a bad time of it when he does relocate, so you must choose very carefully when adopting him out. It will need to be someone who's very patient, and preferably someone who has experience with the condition.

I would talk to your vet about also placing Jack on a pain reliever, preferably with anti-inflammatory properties. Metacam is safe for use in cats, and this will relieve pain in most cases, as well as bring down the inflammation. In the worst cases, Metacam can be combined with an opioid pain reliever such as buprenorphine or butorphanol. Opioids are normally only required for the first few days of a flare up, although some cats will need them for long term use. Pain and inflammation control is a very important factor in the treatment of interstitial cystitis because inflammation only leads to further inflammation. If you can control this early on, you will generally shorten the intensity and duration of the flare ups. The amitriptyline should help to control anxiety and lengthen time between flare ups, but it does not do anything in the way of controlling inflammation once a flare up is underway, although it may have a slight numbing effect.

Best of luck!

Jessica