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

[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!