Resolved: It was Chronic Cystitis

[no nonsense]

Accio eats once a day now.. He was picking at whatever we ate all day long beforehand but when I found out he had crystals, we limited his feeding to the specified feeding by the food, once a day. I've actually now changed his food from the Science Diet because it contains Pork Fat and we have purchased a bag of Royal Canin which says on the back that it is meant for Urinary Health (it's rated at .9 magnesium) ... I looked into Technical Urinary Tract Health BUT it's being discontinued as they are merging with Royal Canin unfortunately. The nice thing is that my local pet shop offers a money back guarantee. If you aren't satisfied with the bag of feed, you finish it and then bring the bag back and they will give you your money back.

The bloody urine is sporadic now, he'll have some normal urination and then he'll have bloody urine and that just isn't cutting it for me. I want him to be comfortable and happy and not have that bloody urine so we're going to keep trying food until we find a good fit.

If it doesn't clear up, we'll go back to the vet and he will have to spend the night there so the vet can get a urine sample and prescribe some medication for him.

You should be talking to your vet more. Despite your dislike for one ingredient in the Science Diet, your vet isn't going to sell you a food which will help one of your cat's problems, but create another. Think about it. He or she knows more about the long term affects of different foods than you. You can play around with different foods, and rely on that money back guarantee, but that may be little consolation if your cat ends up with more stones or crystals. Are they going to pay your vet bills too, if that happens? If the cat means anything to you, use your vet for what you are paying him for, his advice. If the cat is just another animal, then experiment and take your chances as you like. Be aware, if the stones and or crystals progress and cause a blockage, it's a life threatening condition. If you have to pay to have him unblocked, or can't afford it and have to put him down, think about how cheap that expensive food would have been then.

 

[lupinfarm]

I bought the Royal Canin, no bloody urine so far. The issue with the Science Diet was that it didn't seem to be doing much, and I spoke to my vet when he came out to see the horse and he agreed, it works for some, not for all.

Accio is on a food that specifically helps with the Urinary Tract.

Royal Canin is actually more expensive and higher quality then Science Diet. I love my cat very much, but with the experimentation I would have been/am willing to go right up to the very most expensive of expensive food to help him.

 

[ksalvagno]

I know a lot of people don't care for herbal stuff but I was told hydrangea root powder will help with the stones. I know a few people who swear by it and have used it for goats, dogs and people. They also swear that the meds they had their animals on or they were taking weren't working and the hydrangea root did work. Can't speak from personal experience but if it is a persistent problem, I will probably try it myself. Not encouraging to not use medicine but if meds aren't working, then it is time to try something else.

I realize that herbals aren't for everyone but if someone wants to try it, why not?

 

[lupinfarm]

I might try the hydraenga root..Accio actually isn't on any medications, we caught the crystals early enough thankfully.

 

[freemotion]

About 7 years ago we decided to bring our cat to a FIFTH vet before putting him down. He was on Waltham's Urinary diet and still forming crystals and suffering with infections on a regular basis. He associated his pain with the litter box, and was constantly trying to find another place to go. Often the bathtub, buy mostly any box or suitcase or bag that was left unattended for even a moment.

The vet was moving towards a more holistic practice, and the first thing she did was educate me about the food. Hill's was the worst for the prescription diets, according to this vet. Among their first ingredients are corn and soy.

I started making my own food. Both cats began to change and thrive (both were previously silky and healthy-looking....now they trimmed down and started to PLAY....even the older one!) and the cat in question not only was not put down, but has not pee'd outside the box nor has he had a single infection in seven years!

They are about 14-16 years old and gallop around the house many times a day.

 

[dianneS]

I had a brand new kitten that had the same problem. He was just a tiny baby and the vet was shocked he had crystals forming so young. We did antibiotics and they worked for a while. Then the bloody urine came back (this poor kitty would strain and scream and cry and then give up and lay down in his litter box, I thought he was a goner.) We did another course of antibiotics along with an anti-inflammitory. That helped, but the bloody urine came back again. (This kitty drank water like crazy too, it didn't seem to help)

I gave up on the vet at that point, they had already told me that there was nothing else that they could give him in an antibiotic without doing tendon damage. I went to our local animal health food store and the owner of the store allowed me to go through all of her animal health books. I put the cat on a carbohydrate-free diet (cats are strictly carnivores and have no use for carbs) I also put him on a urinary tract supplement for cats. It was all natural, contained cranberry of course among other things.

That little kitten would devour those big horse-sized supplement tablets! He would grab them out of my hand with his paws and shove them into his mouth and swallow them whole! Well, that fixed him up. He's been fine ever since. He's a big white kitty with one blue eye and one green eye (see why I had to save him!) He's so cool, his name is Mike.

I'll see if I can find the name of that supplement for you! But it worked!

 

[dianneS]

Okay, here is the food we gave him. It was wet food, "grain free" Wellness brand. Its pricey, but worth it and you don't have to keep him on it forever.

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Wellness-Canned-Cat-Food/138070.aspx

I can't find the exact product that we were giving him, but I've found some similar products:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/produ...m_term=999157&ne_ppc_id=860&ne_key_id=5284678

This one has similar ingredients as far as I can tell and its meant to acidify the urine when it becomes more alkaline, so it will help dissolve stones. It seems good, and its in a powder, most cats don't swallow pills whole like Mike did!

Good luck and let us know how he does!

 

[lupinfarm]

Accio is all good now. He has had blood free urine for about a month now. Accio loves taking pills if they're in meaty pill pockets!!

 

[offdagridsoon]

I know I am late to this thread, but info is info, I guess.

One of our cats had problems with crystals in his urine, and also became diabetic shortly after we took him in (my parents were looking to rehome him). Ironically, he had been on a kibble diet prior to living with us, and was eating a mix of "premium" kibble and wet foods after getting here. After looking into species appropriate diets, I decided to put all the animals here on a raw diet. His health problems evaporated and he has been fine ever since. I'm quite boggled, actually, that your cat developed the crystals while on a raw diet, given that mine have been the picture of health since the switch to raw. Was the food premade? I'd be curious to know what the ingredients were...

There was a comment on veterinarians knowing best when it comes to diet. I have a comment to make on that... Veterinarians also get paid to carry the corporate "food" products that they do. There are good vets out there to be sure, but good luck distinguishing one from another who wants to drum up more business for themselves. Even without ulterior motives, a lot of veterinarians have bought into what they are taught at the schools they graduated from, a lot of which receive funding from companies selling pet foods/medicines/etc.

Of course my opinions are biased based on personal experiences I have had with veterinary clinics, but I would far and away prefer to do the research (thank heavens for the internet and for forums like this!) and educate myself on how best to take care of my animals (as well as my family and myself, come to think of it!), rather than blindly follow what self-professed "professionals" tell me is best.

 

[lupinfarm]

Accio actually had a reoccurance of the bloody urine where it was just blood and he was straining to pee. Sounds like crystals right? After a urinanalysis, ultrasound, and xray it was deemed he DID NOT have crystals or stones but infact has been diagnosed with chronic cystitis! He was on medication for about a month and is now off it and doing well. We are to keep his stress levels down, his litter box is in one place forever and thats how it is. He's doing much better now.