Riley's Interview--Feline Urologic Syndrome
June 2002
Rawr rawr MERAW, healthy kitties, I am exceptionally happy to have our good memfur Riley here this month to mew with us about his unfurtunate expurriences with FUS (feline urologic syndrome). Welcome, Riley!!
Riley (on right) with brofur Boo
Charlie: Riley, it's grreat to have mew here to mew with us about your problems with FUS. But let's get to know some ofur things about mew furst. :-) How old are mew, and how did mew come to live with your meowmie and brofur?
Riley: I was adopted at four months old. I had been fostered because my fur meowmie had run away from an abusive family and me and my brofurs and sisfurs were taken away to a good foster home. My meowmie found me at an exhibit of kitties from a local shelter (one she knows volunteers with) and fell in love with me at first sight. She had been looking for a new girl cat but one look at me carrying my little yellow mousie in my mouth made her furget that and she adopted me. My brofur Smokey Boo also fell in love with me the minute I moved in. We have been bestest fur furiends since day one. Of course pawpaw also loved me at furst site and I am officially a pawpaw's boy, Smokey Boo is a meowmie's boy..teehee!
Charlie: We are so glad mew found your nice meowmie and fafur!! Now, when did mew furst have the problem with your bladder?
Riley: When I was around two years old, I must have started making crystals. This is fairly young, most cats are around five or so when they get this problem.
Charlie: What symptoms did mew have, and how did meowmie know mew were sick?
Riley: I didn't have many of the classic symptoms...I wasn't trying to pee on the floor, I wasn't vomiting, I was eating and playing. What made meowmie suspicious was that I would stop playing frequently to lick my penis, something that doesn't normally show when you do regular cleaning. And added to this was that meowmie subscribes to a lot of cat magazines and the Cat Fancy the month befur had just had an article on Feline Lower Urinary Tract Diease (FLUTD). So pawpaw said let's wait and see. But meowmie kept following me to the litter box and seeing me squat and coming out without peeing and then licking my penis again. She thought hmmm this is not right. Also the article had said you have 24 to 48 hours to get a blocked cat to the vet's. She called first thing in the morning and was told to get me there as soon as possible, so meowmie called work and said I'm gonna be real late..they were good about it. Most girl cats don't block because their opening is larger, but fur us boys it cat be deadly.
Charlie: Meow mew Riley, I get the shivers just thinking about it!! Now, what did the vet do for mew, what tests did mew get and what did they treat mew with?
Riley: The first thing the vet did was feel my bladder..and yes, it was large and starting to feel solid. She and the tech put in a catheter..after giving me a sedative. This was not pleasant and they did not have meowmie in the room. They took xrays and did blood tests. When they finally got some urine out of me they tested that too. Yes, there was blood in my urine, and cystals. The vet showed meowmie a picture of crystals, they look like glass and that causes the blood in the urine. They put me on antibiotics because the crystals caused an infection,.They also put me on antispasmodic medicine because my bladder was spasming. I was one unhappy kitty. I had to stay at the vets fur four days, but meowmie visited me every night after work. The vet said this was important to do and recommends all her meowmies or pawpaws do this fur sick kitties who have to stay longer than overnight. Most vetties allow purrants to visit sick kitties to make them feel better and to know they aren't abandoned.
Charlie: Mew poor guy. What a trial to go through. Do mew have a special diet that was recommended? Do mew like it?
Riley: Well, first the vet put me on the Science Diet Crystal dissolving food, C/D, fur four months to make any little crystals I had left break up..I was also on the pills twice a day fur ten days. After another urine test to see that the crystals were gone, I was put on a maintenance food. Kitties should not stay on the crystal dissolving food fur more than six months..it's too hard on our tummies and kidneys...meowmie saved the life of a cat this way..the vet these other people had had never told them to switch to the maintenance food. A new vet told them this wasn't good, so now this kitty is doing well. Anyway, after four months I was put on the Science Diet maintenance food but I didn't like it --it was very thick and tasteless! My food was changed. Meowmie also consulted with a homeopathic vet, who suggested that I only have a tiny bit of dry, and to mostly have canned to which is also added extra water. The vet said to only drink water from a filtered system or bottled water, but not spring water, too many minerals. I was also to avoid cheese, eggs, milk and fish. The vettie said fish was out of the question, bad fur kitties with my problem. No tuna juice fur me either! Most cats don't drink a lot of water, after all we are descendants of a desert animal, so fur those of us that suffer from FLUTD, it is important if we don't drink a lot to add extra water to our food. I also don't get many treats, maybe four of five times a year...I must be careful of what I eat fur ever.
Charlie: Good grief Riley, that is too bad mew have all those dietary restrictions, but they are certainly impurrtant to keep mew from getting the crystals back. How many "attacks" of this purroblem have mew had, only one or sefurral?
Riley: Well, Charlie, about a year later I blocked up again..so back to the vet fur the same treatments again. Back on the Science Diet C/D fur four months. This time the vet recommended the Waltham O/S, (OXALATE and STRUVITE --the two types of crystals) --this is supposed to be balanced to prevent the other type of crystals a cat might get while on a diet to prevent the other one. This food I purrferred much more as it was of a nicer consistency and tasted better. Meowmie says you can only get it from a vet's office, and it is not any more expensive that a good quality cat food, and because it's a matter of life and death, worth every penny! Medical also makes a food fur FLUTD, so there are three choices if a kitty doesn't like one of them. Science Diet, Waltham and Medical. The ones in the pet store that say "good fur uninary tract health" are only fur kitties who never ever had a problem to begin with. Smokey Boo is on the Nutro Max fur healthy bladder, but he nefur had a problem. It's like a human avoiding too much fat even if they don't have a problem, if you had a problem you have a different need. They don't know the reasons why some kitties block-- some blockage is biological, some genetic and some can be stress related. I seem to have blocked both time right after my humans went on vacation for two weeks, so now meowmie hires a sitter to live with us and I am much happier. I also take a homeopathic drop called "Peepee Formula" that is supposed to strengthen my urinary tract. I have five drops in my can of food a day, and it seems to be helping. There is also one called "Tinkle Tonic." :-)
Charlie: Boy, hope we nefur need any of that Tinkle Tonic at our house!! Now, Riley, what advice would mew give to hoomans whose kitty has this disorder?
Riley: Charlie, I would say -- always always follow what the vet tells you to do..if a kitty must stay on a special diet..this is furever, not switching back, no cheating, it's a matter of life and death! Also always keep an eye on litter box habits, keep litter and box very clean. Some kitties get scared of the box when they block (I didn't) and think the box hurts them. So a good clean box makes fur a happy cat. If you even suspect your cat has a urinary tract problem, even if they don't block, always go to a vet, better safe than sorry. Most human have had bladder infections and know it is not pleasant, the burning and pain when peeing can make you uncomfortable, and make you want to avoid peeing, which can lead to bigger problems. Also, read all you can on kitty health, all cats show different signs, like me. I was not showing all the classic signs-- just one of them. KNOW YOUR KITTY'S HABITS is the most important. You are your kitty's lifeline to the vet, you know your kitty best of all and the vet is there to help you. If you're wrong, the vet doesn't care and won't make fun of you..they understand and would rather you take a kitty in even if it turns out to be nothing, than find out after things get very bad that you didn't want to embarass yourself. Vetties love pets of all kinds, and purrfer the safe than sorry approach to pet care.
Charlie: That is most excellent advice!! How do mew and meowmie keep this purroblem from recurring??
Riley: We watch what I eat like a hawk, we follow the vet's advice, we read all we can, we monitor litter box habits (though sometimes I wonder about meowmie's fascination with my peepeeing..teehee), but the best plan is to work together and have a good vet. Always have an annual check up, and the vet may want to do a urinalysis on you every year or so. Also talk to other cat people about it, so if you have friends whose cats peepee where they are not supposed to you can let them know it might be FUS.
Charlie: Riley, thank mew so much for meowing with us today about feline urologic syndrome. I feel like I have learned a lot and I know this info will be furry helpful to ofur kitties!! I hope mew stay well and don't haf to deal with this purroblem efur again!!
Riley: Meow Charlie, any time, and I hope I stay well too!!
Kitties, this wraps up our eleventh Celebrity Cat Interview!! If mew have purrsonal experience with a feline illness or behavior issue and mew feel mew might be of help to mewr fellow kitties, contact Charlie and he'd be happy to interview mew!! Mew will get 50 service points if mew are interviewed!!
