Uh oh, I think one of mine has a bladder infection :(

[lizzielou742]

My youngest baby, Tabitha, has a bladder infection or something of the like. I noticed this morning that she went into the litterbox twice immediately after I finished cleaning it out, and each time, she only went a very small amount. Since I've been home from work, I've noticed her doing the same thing three more times, plus she urinated on a plastic bag I left lying on the floor!! She has NEVER EVER gone outside the box before. Poor baby! I'm worried about her.

I'm calling the vet first thing in the morning. I luckily have some "No-Sorb" stuff handy, so tonight I'll keep her with some water in a separate room from Tito and Sophie to see if I can get a urine sample to take to the vet. At least I caught it early (at least, this is the first visible sign she's given). I just feel so bad for her, this is the first time this has happened to one of my cats. Luckily I knew from PT exactly what was going on!!

Here is a picture of my baby Tabitha, please send some loving thoughts her way -



And here she is when she was a bit younger (she's 1 1/2 now) -

[jazzcat]

LizzieLou! How nice to see you again!

So you have a new baby, what a cutie. I'm sorry to hear she has a problem but it definitely sound like a UTI. I hope the vet can get her on some antibiotics and get it cleared up quickly.

I've missed you, Sophie and Tito. I hope this means you will be around more. Best of luck and let us know how it goes for Tabitha.

[kimlovescats]

Your Tabitha is precious! I'm sorry she has wee wee problems! It sounds like you caught it early on, so surely a vet trip and some antibiotics will clear it up in no time! Please keep us updated!

Kim

[Laura's Babies]

I hope you can get in to see the vet tomorrow, let us know what he says...

****HI TABITHA! I love that picture of you.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Tabitha sure was a cute kitten and she's now a gorgeous adult. It sure sounds like a UTI to me also and I'm glad that you caught it early. I'm sure that once she's taken a round of antibiotics it should all clear up. Good luck and please keep us updated about her.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

We had similar problem with Snoopy! This is how I collected a "pee-sample" for the vet! I put a plastic bag on the floor (on purpose, naughty me ), and as soon as I saw Snoopy pee on it, I took a new syringe and tried to suck up as much pee in it as possible. That was more than enough for the vet!
Good luck!!

[catmandu]

We are praying that the White Coats can help Tabitha, and that her medical problems are not serious.
The Found Cats are adding Tabitha to thier Nighty Prayers.

[lizzielou742]

Hi everyone! Tabitha wanted me to tell you a message:

"Meowmie made an appointment for me today at 4:45 pm at the white coat's. Hopefully I will be able to give her a good sample so the vet can fix me up! Wish us luck!"

[kimlovescats]

Good luck, Tabitha!

[lizzielou742]

Hi everyone! I took Tabitha to the vet on Tuesday. I was able to bring a sample with me - and I felt so bad for her, I could just see the sample was full of blood. The vet said she had a UTI with crystals - and he let me look at the crystals from her sample under a microscope! Anyway he gave her a shot of antibiotics. He sent me home with 14 days of pills for her to take and some Pill Pockets. I have to take her back in about 2.5 weeks for a follow-up. He said if this happens to her again, he will have me change her food.

Poor baby! I swear she went in the litterbox 100 times yesterday. When I scooped last night, it was like there were 100 teeny tiny urine balls from her. I just feel soooo bad for her. She didn't eat much yesterday either. The vet said she should be feeling much better after a couple of days of the medicine. If she doesn't quit going to the litterbox constantly by tomorrow morning, I might call him back - that will be the 4th day of medicine for her. What do you guys think? I'm just so worried about her....this has never happened to one of my babies!

[kimlovescats]

Poor little baby! Isn't she still a pretty young kitty? I guess I would start looking for a good brand of food that is "urinary tract friendly"! I've heard that Cranberry treats help as well. You might look at a PetSmart, or other comparable stores in your area! I'm sure you know to keep plenty of cool fresh water available for her at all times. If you don't already have one, I would invest in a pet water fountain. It makes such a difference in how much my kitties drink. It's always fresh and cool, so they drink more!

Keep us posted on Tabitha!

Hugs,
Kim

[lizzielou742]

She *is* young! She is 1 year and 7 months. I used to have a PetMate water fountain until it broke and I was just mentioning to my fiance last night that this is a good reason to get a new one! But for now I just have three bowls of water sitting out at all times. I'll be sure to try the cranberry treats too. Thanks!

[kimlovescats]

She *is* young! She is 1 year and 7 months. I used to have a PetMate water fountain until it broke and I was just mentioning to my fiance last night that this is a good reason to get a new one! But for now I just have three bowls of water sitting out at all times. I'll be sure to try the cranberry treats too. Thanks!

It's great that you keep lots of water out all the time, but I have learned that it is the "freshness" more than anything that they go for. What I mean is, the more often you change the water, the better. So in other words .... change the bowl several times per day with cold water! Be sure she knows when you've just put a brand new bowl full down. Most of my cats don't like it after it has been sitting out for a while.

[Catty1]

When Oscar got his crystals and infection, I was told about the food immediately and changed to Royal Canin SO. I spent about $400 treating Oscar for a month. The food costs me about $15 a month (that's with TWO cats). And the food cured the crystals.

There are several really good UT foods around.

I hope Tabitha feels better soon!

hugs!

[Catlady711]

When Oscar got his crystals and infection, I was told about the food immediately and changed to Royal Canin SO. I spent about $400 treating Oscar for a month. The food costs me about $15 a month (that's with TWO cats). And the food cured the crystals.

There are several really good UT foods around.

There are some really good foods out there for crystals/urinary health, however there are several types of crystals a pet can have and not all foods can take care of or are formulated for all kinds of crystals. A vet would have to determine first which type of crystals they are first before deciding which food (if any) would be more beneficial.

Crystals are somewhat common in cats, but tend to be more of a problem for male cats typically as they have a smaller ureathral opening for crystals to pass.



lizzielou742 Hope Tabitha is feeling better very soon!