Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs

1. 

   My 4-year-old Joget (Joe) is admitted to the animal hospital. He has been there for 4 days. And this is the 3rd time he's been admitted with (more or less) the same sickness.

   The first time was over a year ago, when there was blood in his pee. He hadn't wanted to eat anything then, and his mouth was full of sprue. He was very weak, dehydrated and cold.

   The second one was around 3 months ago. He couldn't pee, and didn't want to eat. The vet put him on a catheter to spool the urine out, and it was full of fresh blood. It had stayed bloody for 3-4 days before normal urine came out.

   And now he's back in the hospital again. Started with difficulty in peeing too.. But he still had some appetite, only he kept throwing up everything he ate. The vet put him back on catheter, spooled out bloody urine, but the blood eased after 2 days. This time they took and X-ray of him, and it shows a very swollen kidney and a slightly swollen liver. No kidney stones whatsoever, though...

   Is there a possibility that this is Renal Failure? I definitely hope not! The vet didn't mention anything about renal failure, though. Or yet.

   And what should I do after he's released from the hospital?

   And if it is a renal failure, how long will his life expectancy be?

   Thank you...

   Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

2. 

   NO that is not CRF!!!!

   Male cats are more prone to urinary track infections (UTI). The reason why Joe has so much blood in his urine is because there is an over abundance of minerals in his urine. Those minerals will form some nasty crystals. What those crystals will do is cut up his bladder and block his uther, so he can't pee.

   The kidneys are properly swollen because the UTI has moved to the kidneys which can happen easily since the kidneys and bladder are connected. The vet will properly put joe on IV fluids, and antibiotics. As long as the infection does not spread Joe will be fine.

   Now I have some questions for you:
   1) As the vet mentioned anything about this??
   2) Has the vet asked you to switch food?
   3) How often do you clean the litter box?
   4) How much does Joe eat? Does he eat any wet/canned food?
   5) How much does Joe drink?

   The reason why I ask about the vet is that (if you are going to the same vet as before) he or she should know for a fact that it is UTI. If the vet is not a money grubbing then he/she mention to change Joe's food and increase his water intake. Maybe you need to go to a different vet after Joe gets better, one that has Joe's best interests and not money. If an UTI happens once it will happen VERY OFTEN if not treated right.

   TREATMENT AT HOME:

   The crystals I mentioned before are from minerals that the cat's body does not absorb. Meaning THE CURRENT FOOD YOU ARE FEEDING JOE IS BAD!!!!! What food are you feeding him? When you say he was bleeding for days that tells me that his has a lot of crystals!!!! So your best thing to do is to switch Joe's food. You need to talk to a vet and get prescription food called Science Diet c/d or Science Diet s/d, both comes in cans and bags. I would give Joe more canned food then dry food. Now I know it will be expensive food but what is more expensive the food or taking Joe to the vet every 4 months.

   Next and this is very important CLEAN OUT THE LITTER BOX TWICE A DAY!!! AND CHANGE THE LITTER VERY THREE DAYS!! In Joe's current condition the blood is from the food and the infection is from the litter box.

   Last thing, increase Joe's water intake as much as you can. Give him more canned food, give him a treat of baby food with a bit of water. I would not start giving him and SQ fluids that is too drastic for UTI. But just do your best to increase his water drinking.

   I hope this helps and I hope Joe gets out of the hospital soon.

   Posted 2 years ago by China_girl #

3. 

   Thank you, china_girl... I'm so relieved it's not renal failure. I've been reading a lot of cat-caring sites lately, and the possibility of CRF just popped...

   Yes, the vet has explained to me about the treatment she's giving to joe, and yes, she has asked me to change his food. In fact, she had asked me when joe was admitted 3 months ago. She suggested I give him Royal Canin Urinary , and I did... But I didn't continue the food, because it is just so expensive. But I will from now on...
   And I daily change his litter box. Problems may arise at night. When it's bedtime, he is put in a cage (quite big. I can put a litter box in, and there's still room for him to walk around), because he is such a troublemaker and picks fight all the time. The sound of cat fight at night may bother the neighbors, so he has to sleep in a cage. But he almost always flips his litterbox. When I wake up in the morning to take him out, there it is.. Flipped litterbox with the contents scattered all over... I guess I will have to find a way to keep him quiet at night, so he won't have to sleep in the cage anymore...

   He does eat wet food, but not very often. And I will give him more wet food from now on.

   About the water, joe drinks a lot.. And I constantly change his water.

   Thanks again, china girl, you're a big help!

   Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

4. 

   IF you can never feed dry food again. Start on the prescription wet but when he is fine the best diet would be to feed a grain free canned OR the best alternative is to feed raw.

   So many cats get URI's because they are fed the species innappropriate food, dry food. Cats are desert animals and are made to get all their water from their prey. Unlike the myth no cat is going to drink enough water to make up for the amount of dry they eat.

   A mouse is something like 70% moisture so it makes absolutly no sense to feed a cat who is evolved to eat mice a diet of dry food with 8% moisture. So for sure switch to all canned.

   Posted 2 years ago by furryfriends50 #

5. 

   Dion...if possible...get a bungy cord long enuf to stretch around the side of the litterbox & connect the ends to the side of the cage. It worked wonders for me when I had to cage any ferals overnight. I also used the plastic food dishes found at Petsmart that connect to the side of the cage. Gave alot more room for the kit to lay down & no mess to clean up in the morning. Good Luck with Joe.

   Posted 2 years ago by feral #

6. 

   Thank you everyone... :)
   I will do my best when joe comes home, which will be this week, I hope...

   Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

7. 

   Joe came home yestreday. The vet said he will be OK, as long as I maintain his diet and hygiene.
   But just this morning, I noticed that he peed blood again. Fresh, raw, red blood (unlike the brownish one he peed when he was sick). I just don't get it, what could be causing this? But he can still pee, and I don't think he strains to pee.
   I called the vet, and I am bringing him in again today. But the vet said that he will need injections, until up to to every other day if the condition persists.

   I am not too keen on Joe having to be injected so often. Is there anything I can do about it? And what might be the cause? Could it be that it's too cold? He was caged last night, and it was quite cold. But does weather have anything to do with urinary infection?

   I am thinking of switching him to a cooked meat, non-commercial diet. Will this improve his health? Or should I stick to the prescription canned?

   Thank you

   Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

8. 

   a raw meat diet is always better than a cooked meat diet...

   Posted 2 years ago by CSBM #

9. 

   I went to the vet on saturday, and joe got his shot. The vet also prescribed some medicine to give him when he started peeing blood again.

   Well, he was fine all day sunday, but on monday, I noticed that he had a trace of blood in his urine (not the fresh,red one he peed on saturday). And so I gave him the meds that the vet prescribed.
   But until now, there is still traces of blood in his urine.

   He also strains to pee, no pee came out. But when I checked his tummy, it is not hard, and there's no lump. I take it that it means his kidney is not swolen anymore, and that there is no pee in his urinary tract. But why is that he has the urge to pee? And what can I do about it?

   I called my vet already, and she said if his bladder is empty and his kidney doesn't appear to be swolen, I should just keep giving him the medicine and the prescription food (prescription diet c/d canned, and royal canin urinary dry, since RC urinary wet is not available in my country) and wait for a few days. If he doesn't get better, then I am to bring him back in again.

   Is there any ideas why joe is in this condition?
   And is there any advice on what I should do to make him OK again?

   Thank you everyone...

   Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

10. 

    Sounds like he is a bit dehydrated. Having a bad case of UTI takes some time to get better. The food you got is good, I know it is expensive but well worth it. To increase his water intake I would take a teaspoon of chicken baby food and add teaspoon of water, mix well and give to him. I would continue this twice a day until the RC wet food comes in.

    I would also think that he is still feels uncomfortable from the catheter. So give it sometime. Keep posting if you have another question. Take care and good luck.

    Posted 2 years ago by China_girl #

11. 

    Thank you... I will get a good chicken baby food as soon as I can (gerber's is not available in most stores, I have to go big ones in the city)
    However, RC wet food is not going to be available anytime soon, so the best I can do for joe is just give the food that he's getting now, plus the baby food. And I will clean up his litter box and the cage he sleeps in as much as I can.

    Just tonight I noticed that his kidney is a bit swolen. Not as big as it was the day he was brought to the hospital, but still.., it is swolen. And it worries me a lot.
    But he's still peeing... Not as much as I'd like him to.., but at least he is peeing. Is it kind of clear though.. Does this mean that he is peeing the water he takes in?

    And his poop is also rather runny. He only pooped a little bit today, and it was runny... Could he be not taking the medicine well? Or is there another reason?

    Thank you very much, china_girl... It comforts me to have someone to talk to about this... :)

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

12. 

    I read somewhere in the net that chicken meat is not recommended for someone with a troubled kidney? Is this true? Beause I just gave Joe a bit (well, more like 4 dice-pieces) of steamed chicken breast as a snack. He seemed to like it.

    Because I've learned from TDK forum that meats are still better than any commercial food, and I want to start Joe on meats too (aside from his prescription diet)

    Pls enlight me :) thanks

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

13. 

    I stopped joe on the prescribed meds today, because there is no trace of blood in his urine anymore. I called the vet and ask about this.
    Let's see how he is tomorrow... Hopefully, he will urinate more, and no blood anymore... :)

    There is a change in his behaviour, though... He bites and scratches me for no reason at all... :( my left leg is badly bruised and swolen right now...
    I read somewhere in the web that CRF cats often show a change in behaviour. Now I'm getting paranoid again... Could this actually be CRF? :(

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

14. 

    He is probably upset over all the vet visits and will calm down once you get into a routine.

    Posted 2 years ago by KYKAT 12 23 #

15. 

    Yes, I hope it's only because he's upset... :)

    I would still like to have answers to my other questions, please..? Can anyone help?

    Oh and one more thing. I noticed that some of Joe's teeth are black. I read in the web that some dental disease can cause the bacteris to spread to the kidney and liver. Is this true?

    So could it be that his bad condition is caused by his teeth?

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

16. 

    Are his teeth totally black? Maybe the teeth are dead in that case they should be pulled??? No clue though.

    Dirty teeth can cause lots of problems for a cats kidneys, if you can MAYBE he should get a dental cleaning or try offer homemade food that he'll have to chew.

    UTI's are caused mainly BY feeding dry food. So special dry food IMO is not the answer. Its dangerous to add water to dry as it causes exponential bacteria growth. It would be best to try homemade cooked food as it is much higher in water. Maybe you should add a tiny bit of cranberry to the recipes as well - however many say it does nothing but others swear by it...

    BTW - check out the thread I made for you.

    Posted 2 years ago by furryfriends50 #

17. 

    Thanks, FF... I'm going to the thread now :)

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

18. 

    Oh about the chicken you gave Joe. It is ok to give some to him. All I want to mention about that is if you give him cooked chicken make sure there is no seasoning on it. Just a plan chicken cooked in the oven, can use a bit of veg oil to make sure it doesn't stick but no salt/seasoning.

    I am not a personal fan for the raw diet but I know many people that love it. My only concern with the raw diet is that chicken and beef now a days have tons of antibiotics and extra crap (that the farmers give the animal to make it grow faster and bigger) in it that can transfer over to your cat. So maybe try organic beef or chicken or like my friends just have your own chickens.

    Good Luck.

    Posted 2 years ago by China_girl #

19. 

    Thank you China Girl... I'm posting a new thread about the updates on Joget :)

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

20. 

    @China_girl: then you don't ever want to know whats really in cat food :)

    Animal by-products (can legally be companion animals).
    Chicken (or another meat) by-products: feet, head, etc
    All the junk from the human food industry
    the 4D's (just google that) are extremely gross to put it nicely.

    Posted 2 years ago by furryfriends50 #

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