Ashley Pee Troubles - Vet Wants Ashley to Start Amitriptyline - STILL PEEING

[Anikaca77]

Here is a link to a thread I posted in the Cat General Section:

http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=156428


Here is what I wrote in that Thread:

http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=156297

The link above is to my old thread I wrote about Ashley and today she is at the vets to get an x-ray of her bladder.

Please say a pray that she does well today. I hope we figure out the reason why she keeps peeing outside the box. Yesterday morning there was pee beside the tub, then again last evening, and whem my husband got home from work at about 1:30 a.m. he told me their was pee in the tub.

So today hopefully we will figure out why she keeps doing it.

Melissa

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I just called the vets, no stones...... I guess that's good for her but why is she doing this .... they are going to do a cysto to get her pee and then I guess we have to run a culture most likely.

Poor girl at least they didn't have to sedate her. I'll be picking her up after 3 p.m. today.

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Yesterday I went to pick up Ashley at 3 p.m. and she still didn't give them a pee sample so I had to wait until she did go to bring her home. They said they might need to keep her overnight if she doesn't pee by 7 p.m. so I went home without my baby girl last night which was hard to not have her in the house, but I called the vets at 6:45 p.m. and they finally got one but they had to retrieve it from her.

The vet said there was a few white blood cells but no blood was seen which I've never seen any either. The vet said there were no Struvite crystals but Oxalate crystals were present along with some white blood cells.

She is sending some pee to a lab to do a culture test and hopefully they will come up with something as to why she keeps doing it.

The vet said she thinks it's behavioral but I just can't see her doing it this many times if it is. We have had her on valium before and I want to rule out all medical tests before we say it's behavioral.

I don't know what more I can do for Ashley if it is behavioral, we have a 1 bedroom apartment and Ashley is in the bedroom that joins our bathroom as well so our other 6 cats stay out in the living room/dining room and kitchen area.

She has been so much happier since we have limited her access, she's still allowed to come out in the living room if she wants too but she just stays in the bedroom and seems pretty happy about that.

I know she can still smell/hear the other guy cats that she doesn't like but I've tried feliaway and we tried the valium up until we found out that she had crystals in her urine and the vet told me to stop them because it may be the crystals that were causing her to inappropriately pee elsewhere.

For now though we will just wait and see what the lab has to say and go from there. The one newer vet mentioned to me about a new kind of behavioral medication that they put on your cats ear and maybe we will have to try that with Ashley after I do some research. Ashley is only 5 years old and I don't want to give her a lot of meds that could compromise her health in the later years.

I guess I'll just wait till I hear from the vets to see what the lab work shows.

Thanks for the prays,
Melissa

[Catty1]

If she is happy in the bedroom by herself, maybe keep it that way. Is her peeing problem less when she has her own space to herself?

Prayers this is fixed soon!:)

[Anikaca77]

If she is happy in the bedroom by herself, maybe keep it that way. Is her peeing problem less when she has her own space to herself?

Prayers this is fixed soon!:)


We've had Ashley in the bedroom for over a month now I think and she has improved I think by seeming happier. She gets a little grumpy if we let the kitten in the room with her so we end up usually putting the kitten out in the living room.

In a way I hope the lab work shows something but not something serious. That way it's not behavorial but if it is I just don't know.

We have her in the bedroom with 2 of the other female cats that she likes and they don't bug her and she even plays with them so I feel she can't be getting ticked off by them.

I guess we'll see what happens with the bloodwork first and go from there.

Thanks for asking,
Melissa

[Medusa]

Valium worked only briefly on my pee cats. Clomicalm did the trick.

[Anikaca77]

Valium worked only briefly on my pee cats. Clomicalm did the trick.

I'll check with the vet if it turns out the lab has nothing to say about it.

Thanks,
Melissa

[Anikaca77]

The vet called last Friday afternoon and spoke with my husband about Hermes with his scratching and Ashley with her peeing problem. The vet said the lab said everything was normal in Ashley's pee and they want to start her on amitriptyline. I did alot of research on it and I think she might benefit from it. It's funny though since I had her at the vets from 8:30 am -3:15 pm she hasn't gone outside the box and has seemed pretty content. Now watch since I'm typing this out she will do it sometime today or tonight.

I'm going to contact the vet to see how much the amitriptyline is, she said there are 2 forms of it, one a pill form and the other they can rub onto her ear and it gets into their system and avoids stressing them out more.

I hoping something will help her, I don't want her to be stressed. The vet said we should continue feeding her the C/D food but we went back to feeding her the California Natural food because she never had crystals before and I kinda wonder if the vet was even right about the crystals but I'm sure they were.

I'm going to also ask the vet if they will check Ashley's blood before putting her on amitriptyline because she was on valium for a few months earlier this year and I just want to make sure her overall health is ok.

Melissa

[lvpets2002]

:love: Prayers & Huggss.. Hope for the Best of Results from the Vet for Ashley..

[Prairie Purrs]

The pill form must taste really nasty, because it's the only pill I've ever had trouble getting Gatsby to take. So the ear-rub form would be preferable for that reason.

Gatsby didn't take amitriptyline long enough to know how well he would have adjusted, but his personality was much different during the week he took it. He was very subdued, pretty much stayed in one place most of the time, didn't want to play or sit on my lap. :( He might have adjusted to it over time, though.

I don't recall the cost off the top of my head, but it's an inexpensive medication.

[katladyd]

My Ming was lethergic when he first started on amitryptiline, but after about 3-4 weeks, he was back to normal. I will ask my vet about the cost for the compound you rub on the ear. That sounds easier on the cat. Ming got very good about taking his pill, but this sounds a lot easier. I hope everything turns out okay for Ashley.

[Anikaca77]

Did you have to give Ming the pill every day?

Thanks,
Melissa


My Ming was lethergic when he first started on amitryptiline, but after about 3-4 weeks, he was back to normal. I will ask my vet about the cost for the compound you rub on the ear. That sounds easier on the cat. Ming got very good about taking his pill, but this sounds a lot easier. I hope everything turns out okay for Ashley.

[moosmom]

Okay, I'm gonna play devil's advocate here. Did they bother to check her urine for crystals in the very beginning and continue to check for them??? Amitriptyline, from what my vet told me when I brought Buddy in for inappropriately peeing, has not been tested on cats and will make them lethartic and grouchy. He told me they use is as a last resort only!!!

He gave me a spray bottle of Feliway and told me (after check his urine) it's a behavioral problem, not a medical problem. He explained that I should spray the Feliway and isolate him in a room. Feliway has an exzyme that only cats can smell and it calms them right down. It worked so great on Buddy and he's finally calm and knows he's not going anywhere.

Please, before trying any kinda drugs lke Amitriptyline. you'll give the Feliway spray a chance.

Good luck and please let us know how you make out.

[Anikaca77]

They checked her pee back in Feb. I believe that time I got her pee right from her, I had her locked up the whole day and she wouldn't go in the empty litter box and finally she went into the one litter box and I lifted her tail right up and got her pee in the pee cup. But at that time we were looking for the cat that was peeing out in the kitchen and they said that was Claudia b/c she had crystals then.

This year we have tested Ashley's pee quiet a bit. They first started checking her pee back in Feb or before that and then when this started up again I've ran several samples down to the vets.

I've tried the Feliway plug ins before and those didn't help. I've never tried the spray.

We have confined her to one room with only the cats that are good with her are allowed in the room the guys that chase her or harass her have to stay out.

I will look into the spray.

Thanks,
Melissa




Okay, I'm gonna play devil's advocate here. Did they bother to check her urine for crystals in the very beginning and continue to check for them??? Amitriptyline, from what my vet told me when I brought Buddy in for inappropriately peeing, has not been tested on cats and will make them lethartic and grouchy. He told me they use is as a last resort only!!!

He gave me a spray bottle of Feliway and told me (after check his urine) it's a behavioral problem, not a medical problem. He explained that I should spray the Feliway and isolate him in a room. Feliway has an exzyme that only cats can smell and it calms them right down. It worked so great on Buddy and he's finally calm and knows he's not going anywhere.

Please, before trying any kinda drugs lke Amitriptyline. you'll give the Feliway spray a chance.

Good luck and please let us know how you make out.

[Anikaca77]

http://www.wedgewoodpharmacy.com/monographs/transdermalgels.asp

I found this info (the link above) on the Transdermal Gel which is the form they were talking about Ashley trying.

I would apply it once a day and I would get 30 days worth for $22.00

I looked at purchasing a Feliway spray and it looks like that would cost about $25-$35 depending on where I go. I talked with my husband about it and I guess we could give it a shot before putting her on the meds. I will have to see when I can afford to get a bottle and do it. Right now I may need to get Hermes blood test done which would cost $200.00 for just one test but if we were going to do that we may want to run the other test incase something wouldn't show up on the one test.

Melissa

[Anikaca77]

So Ashley's been on this new Amitriptyline since 11/13/09 and the peeing has been worse this week.

She sprayed on my hair dryer. I found this out yesterday and I was TICKED off at her.

She's in the bedroom with 3 other cats who she tends to get along with but she's still peeing.

I'm just stressing out a bit about this.

Melissa

[Medusa]

I've tried to stress to you, Melissa, that ametryptilene doesn't work for improper urination issues, as most vets will now concede. You've spent more money on products that don't work, now try one that does: CLOMICALM.

[Cataholic]

Peeing outside the box can be very stressful for EVERYONE. Please know that Ashley is not peeing outside the box 'on purpose' in the way we think. Getting angry- while understandable- only adds to the stress in the household.

I have had a lot of success with Feliway plug-ins. The thing is- you have to give it time to work. Not a day, a week, or two. A solid month of constant plug-ins. With a one bedroom apartment, I would have two plug ins. One in the bedroom, one in the outside big room.

Next, I would look at your litter box and type of litter. Box placement is critical, as is the type of box one uses. Some cats (mine) hate covered boxes. Some cats hate boxes placed next to dryers (as the buzz scared them once mid action...and they associate that with the box). Some cats hate certain types of litter- especially, especially scented litter. Some cats hate boxes with poop in it. Place two boxes side by side.

Make sure the peeing isn't accidental- over the side, by mistake. I had that issue. I fixed it after reading someone on here and their solution. My cats have a HUGE rubbermaid tub with a 'U' shape cut out on one side. No more pee-overs.

I have heard that c/d is not a long term solution food. I have heard that s/d is what you want for crystals. Frankly, it is easy for a vet to say that it is behavioural. That is a wide 'diagnosis', and you really, really, really need to slowly and completely explore the solutions. One by one, systematically.

Without going back and re-reading your thread, I thought you had said at one point Ashely does best being alone..no kittens, no cats in the room with her. But, I think I also read that you put 3 other cats in there with her, and her peeing is worse? Again, I didn't re-read...I am just wondering if that was the cause?

And, at the end of it all, I try to comfort myself with the thought- it is only cat pee. No one is dead or dying, and with time- you will find the solution for Ashley.

Good luck.

[Catty1]

Amitryptiline is used for bladder spasms in humans and animals. My sister was on it - a version called Baclofen - as her bladder got spastic very early in her journey with MS.

Yes, amitryptiline is also used as an anti-depressant, but does nothing for the peeing.

Ask your vet about Clomicalm. It is designed to CALM the critters. Plus, keep her in her "own" space; don't just set her out among all the others if you know that stresses her and makes her pee again.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear that Ashley is still having peeing problems.:( Here's a great link about litter box problems http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm.

I had a brief period of time where both Storm and my RB Starr were both peeing out of the box and it was all due to stress. My vet recommended that I buy some Cat Attract Litter by Dr. Elsey and it worked immediately. I just added it to the top of the litter that I was already using. I also used the Feliway plug-ins and the spray. I put out more litter boxes and they're all uncovered except for 2 of them. I also put 2 of the litter boxes where the peeing outside of the box occurred and one of them I gradually moved a little bit every day to a more desirable location because it was right by my front door.

Now I use Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Litter and it clumps very well and it's unscented. I was able to stop using the Feliway plug-ins because over time they didn't really do anything. I have 5 cats and 6 litter boxes and I scoop them in the morning and the evening. They usually only use 3-4 of them but sometimes they will use them all. I hope that you'll find something that will help Ashley. Please don't give up. Good luck.:)