Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs

Crystals in Wolfie's Urine AGAIN

(30 posts)
  1. I wrote about this in the thread about Boo, but wanted to add it on it's own. Last night I saw Wolfie using the Breeze litterbox. I looked into the box when he got out to make sure there was urine in the box, which there was, but it was sparkly with crystals. I called the vet and he is going today with Tristan. Poor Boo with his apparent tumor drops another notch on triage.

    I could use prayer and good thoughts. I am so stressed that I am having physical symptoms and not sleeping. I lie awake at night and worry. It seems that whatever I do to try to save money, like bringing my lunch to work, turning off the air, etc, is meaningless because I just get slammed in another area that makes the sacrifices laughable. Let's face it, saving a few dollars on lunch is useless with three cats at once who need the vet. This recurrent problem with Wolfie's UTI's has already cost me over $500. What can I do? I put a water fountain in my bedroom since he spends so much time there. I try to entice him with soupy wet cat food, which he sniffs politely and walks away, or eats a little bit. I can't go on having this financial bomb go off every other month or so.

    Sorry for the vent. I'm just really discouraged.

    Posted 3 years ago by Catwoman #

  2. Deb I am so sorry. Prayers and white light coming your way girlfriend. Vent away. That's what we are here for.

    Posted 3 years ago by SammyandOliversmama #

  3. Oh CW, I am so sorry. Prayers and positive thoughts coming to you and your kitties. ((HUGS))

    Posted 3 years ago by cricketsmama #

  4. White light coming your way!! Hang in there girl, you're never given more than you can handle, although I know at times it doesn't feel like you can!! Your strong and you will get thru the tough times...

    Posted 3 years ago by 2bpurring #

  5. CW, will your vet accept donations on your behalf to cover some of these expenses. I can help a little.

    Posted 3 years ago by KYKAT 12 23 #

  6. I am praying for you too CW - lots of good feelings and prayers coming to you - catch!

    Posted 3 years ago by frostynkobismom #

  7. Oh, poor Wolfie! Some cats just have alot of trouble with those crystals; my Gibbie was one of them. I remember those vet bills well. At least you discovered this before he got blocked up again, so the vet bill should not be so high. Is he on the special diet food? Keep experimenting to get him to drink lots of water. Gibbie had a fondness for drinking out of a flower vase that I had, so I made that his water bowl. (Funny thing, he has been gone for 6 years now but that vase is still a water bowl!)

    I have some money left over from my vacation budget that I would be happy to donate toward vet bills. Please keep us updated.

    Posted 3 years ago by NNGM #

  8. Purrs, prayers and healing white light coming to your way! I pray hard for a quick closure.

    Posted 3 years ago by miu #

  9. Deb...I know how very hard you work and the sacrifices made to get ahead are so quickly eaten up with vet bills. I'm praying for Wolfie's condition to be swift and fleeting. Hang in there dear. There are these times where life moves ahead 3 steps and back 5 and it's very frustrating to say the least. {{{Hugs}}}

    Posted 3 years ago by Karenopa #

  10. Catwoman, Tomorrow is yet another day. I understand the feelings of discouragement, keep your chin up. It will get better, I don't know how, but I do know it will get better. You are in my prayers.
    tf

    Posted 3 years ago by tinafishfrombirthplaceofElvis #

  11. How did I miss this thread? CW I'm so sorry for poor Wolfie. You're having a really rough time right now aren't you? Prayers and hugs for you and Wolfie.

    Posted 3 years ago by HuddysMama #

  12. I am so sorry, sweetheart. Please, could you start a chipin so that some of us can help, even if it's not much? Some of us have a little left over at the end of the month -- let us help. Even a few bucks apiece adds up quickly.

    Posted 3 years ago by Emma #

  13. Hi everybody, just got in from work and saw the replies. Tears came to my eyes at the offers to help financially. You are truly the most generous and kind people on the face of the earth. As it turned out, my ex took Wolfie because I was working today. He decided not to take Tristan because he thought I ws "overreacting" and that lethargy and vomiting were not good reasons to see the vet. I did not find out about this until after the fact. Tristan will have to go to the vet next week now. As for Wolfie, the vet was not my normal one but the partner and she was not able to express urine for a sample. She said she finally just did an ultrasound and saw that his bladder was tiny so he was not blocked. She gave him a round of antibiotics since it is a holiday weekend, but said she wished she could have seen the crystals herself first. The bill was $60 and the ex paid it, though I told him to take the money out of the cup in the kitchen he did not. He told my son that he was going to "eat" the bill. I had asked him to cover Tristan, since that is actually his cat, but certainly not Wolfie who is mine. So thank you so much for your prayers, good wishes and offers. I did not hear back from the bank that owns the property that my clients put in the offer on, which is a disappointment, but an agent called and said she was going to show my listing today so that is hopeful. Whew, life is certainly a roller coaster ride!

    Posted 3 years ago by Catwoman #

  14. prayers coming your way!!!! sorry to hear poor boo!:(

    Posted 3 years ago by neelaANDcharlie #

  15. Thank you dear Emma! I don't know about that--let me think on it. I don't want to take advantage of the kindness and generosity of the kind people of TDK. I have two jobs but both are kind of ebb and flow, and I am simply in an "ebb." The only way I would do it would be to get the cats their needed care this month, then when I hit "flow" and have a closing I could pay it forward to the TDK fund, or to someone else who needs it. I have read stories on here of hardship that have broken my heart and made me wish for the days when I was married, when I could have simply written a check to help. I am behind in all kinds of things like the dentist for myself, which I have not done in two years, and getting a mammogram which I'm three years behind. I don;t have health insurance for myself, just for the boy. I did go to my "yearly" last month and paid for it out of pocket. So, I am not destitute, though I did have peanut butter and a banana for dinner. :-)

    Posted 3 years ago by Catwoman #

  16. i wish icould chip in but i donna no :( but prayers and positive thoughts!!

    Posted 3 years ago by neelaANDcharlie #

  17. It is so strange about the UTI--the vet said to only give Wolfie wet food to try to prevent the crystals, but he eats wet food every night and only snacks on dry food a little during the day. 120 does not like wet food and eats nothing but dry, yet has never had a UTI or crystals.

    Posted 3 years ago by Catwoman #

  18. hummmmmm my cat eats both wet and dry!!!!!! and the other only dry!!

    Posted 3 years ago by neelaANDcharlie #

  19. bump

    Posted 3 years ago by Catwoman #

  20. Poor Wolfie, he just has the luck of the draw with UTI's. Glad that your ex took him in to see the doc, now I hope that Tristen is alright until next week for his vet visit. {{{hugs}}} for you and yours and may things get better on all levels for you.

    Posted 3 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

  21. CW, Wolfie, Tristan, Boo and you will be in my prayers!!! I hope they all get better and that your situations turns to flow instead of ebb...I know that feeling. I am in ebb currently as well. Hang in there, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger :) ((Hugs))

    Posted 3 years ago by cricketsmama #

  22. I wonder if there is some kind of medication Wolfie could be one? Something that would hinder the development of crystals to start with. Or now that you know that seeing crystals means a UTI if you don't treat, maybe the vet will let you have enough antibiotics to treat him when you see crystals.

    Posted 3 years ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

  23. My boy Tobey has had troubles for the past three years now (unfortunately he's only four. It started out of the blue, he became blocked one night, ER visit ensued, needed surgery to get unblocked from crystals and required me toting him to his vet and a hospital stay which dumped a 1500 bill on my charge (and I had just moved across country w/my kits-no job, no income, no cash money only three charges and living in a bedroom of a friend etc..)- we then suffered through 6 months of various UTI, contracted ring worm from a bad vet office, meds and food changes galore. I was about to give up and give him to a no kill cat sanctuary that takes care of the sick animals when he evened out. But he started up with crystals again a year later, more vet bills, food and med trials and he got better, they had him on WD at this place. I moved into my own place a year back and he started a few months later again this time ruining my furniture in the process. I took him to a new vet (sadly way more expensive) and he found Tobey has kidney and bladder malformations and this is going to "be" his life. Only controllable by diet. I have him on Royal Canine Urinary SO 30 and he has not had crystals return so far. I retrained him to the box by using Citris Magic discs placed where he used to go on the now replaced (for the third time) furniture. I have ended up with a lidless big litter box in all main rooms and have to use fragrance free clumping litter but the multi box access, two cat fountains and the special food seem to be keeping his crystals in check. Of course I am sitting on thousands in debt over these last few years, but chip away as I can. I would be happy to help you though, if you have a fund set up - I know first hand how amazingly hard it is to be hit with this stuff when you yourself are struggling. My specialist tried the moist with me too, Tobey won't eat it, but he did like the dry urinary formula and at last check - he had no crystals - that of all the stuff I've been through over the years seems to actually stop them in boy kitties, at least so far. Might be worth a shot if you've not tried it. Granted I don't know the whole cat situation but I've been through brain aneurysms with cats, cancer, crystals, ring worm, you name it, I seem to end up with sickly cats my whole life so I wanted to at least share my crystals issue in hopes it might help.

    Posted 3 years ago by Kit #

  24. I have a friend whose cat is prone to crystals - he was put on a special dry diet (one of the Hills Science Diets, don't know if you have them in the States), and he's been clear since too.

    Posted 3 years ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #

  25. CW, Many prayers for you and the kitties. As you know Wilbur is in stage 3 kidney failure but, with that being said he is holding his own. I know how horrible it is to have a kit that is sick. All we can do is the best we can. I'm sure that they are all getting lots of love from you and that they are give you lots back. Some kitties are just have these problems. Both Wilbur and T-do are enjoying the Royal Canin renal diet (dry). I'm like you...lot of drinking stations around the house. It does help. Wilbur prefers to drink out of a bottle cap while sitting on my lap! Can you imagine?!? I will hold a good thought for you and keep hoping that all will be manageable.

    Posted 3 years ago by Puddytat #

  26. Wolfie seems to have recovered while on the antibiotics; Tristan went to the vet and though he has dropped from 17 pounds to 12 pounds in a couple of years, all she could find was that he was dehydrated and not taking care of his coat. She gave him hydration under the skin. His tests all came back normal for kidneys, sugar, etc. Boo has the best story of all. I went to look at the huge lump that I thought was a tumor and it was completely gone! Nothing was there but a patch of furless skin!

    Posted 3 years ago by Catwoman #

  27. My vet told me something interesting. I mentioned that I had outside cats who never got ill or had UTI's. She told me that UTI's are virtually unheard of in outdoor kitties, and only seem to affect indoor ones! She said that the theory is that they hold it longer because they are not thrilled with the litterbox!

    Posted 3 years ago by Catwoman #

  28. Catwoman-- i may be able to help a little with information. I had a kitty who kept getting crystals and after the 2nd time we took him to the vet for it (even though we switched him to special food and made sure he was drinking plenty of water), my parents took him to a shelter. I was really upset over it but i understood why. But, i don't know if your kitty just won't eat wet food or the wet food your giving him, either way, its recommended that you don't feed your cats food with fish in them because something in them can cause crystals to develop. (i don't know if you already knew that)

    Also, a fun fact i learned about outdoors cats are that they are less likely for crystals because they eat mice which mainly consists of water. ^-^

    Posted 3 years ago by pbbunnie #

  29. We had problems with a tomcat with blockage. Food with a high ash content is a no-no. Find food with a very low ash content.

    Posted 3 years ago by no-mo #

  30. I wish I had some advice for you. The best I can do is keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us updated; I hope all is well. Huge hugs!!

    Posted 3 years ago by gini #


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